耶和華─以色列的上帝曾立鹽約（鹽就是不廢壞的意思），將以色列國永遠賜給大衛和他的子孫，你們不知道嗎？
Don’t you know that the Lord, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt?
*************
大衛的子孫亞比雅王和耶羅波安征戰時，宣告出大衛王朝的合法性，是因為「耶和華─以色列的上帝曾立鹽約（鹽就是不廢壞的意思），將以色列國永遠賜給大衛和他的子孫」。
也因此凸顯了耶羅波安的非法性，也因此他與耶羅波安征戰時，相信上帝必與他同在！也因此，這次的戰役雖然耶羅波安占上風，但是有上帝的幫助就可以得勝，更證明上帝的鹽約！
我們屬基督的人，在基督裡也有上帝的鹽約，祂必保守到底！
21:12 先知以利亞達信與約蘭說：「耶和華─你祖大衛的上帝如此說：『因為你不行你父約沙法和猶大王亞撒的道，
21:13 乃行以色列諸王的道，使猶大人和耶路撒冷的居民行邪淫，像亞哈家一樣，又殺了你父家比你好的諸兄弟。
21:14 故此，耶和華降大災與你的百姓和你的妻子、兒女，並你一切所有的。
21:15 你的腸子必患病，日加沉重，以致你的腸子墜落下來。』」
21:16 以後，耶和華激動非利士人和靠近古實的阿拉伯人來攻擊約蘭。
21:17 他們上來攻擊猶大，侵入境內，擄掠了王宮裡所有的財貨和他的妻子、兒女，除了他小兒子約哈斯（又名亞哈謝）之外，沒有留下一個兒子。
21:18 這些事以後，耶和華使約蘭的腸子患不能醫治的病。
21:19 他患此病纏綿日久，過了二年，腸子墜落下來，病重而死。他的民沒有為他燒甚麼物件，像從前為他列祖所燒的一樣。
21:20 約蘭登基的時候年三十二歲，在耶路撒冷作王八年。他去世無人思慕，眾人葬他在大衛城，只是不在列王的墳墓裡。
12 Jehoram received a letter from Elijah the prophet, which said:
“This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: ‘You have not followed the ways of your father Jehoshaphat or of Asa king of Judah. 13 But you have followed the ways of the kings of Israel, and you have led Judah and the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves, just as the house of Ahab did. You have also murdered your own brothers, members of your own family, men who were better than you. 14 So now the Lord is about to strike your people, your sons, your wives and everything that is yours, with a heavy blow. 15 You yourself will be very ill with a lingering disease of the bowels, until the disease causes your bowels to come out.’”
16 The Lord aroused against Jehoram the hostility of the Philistines and of the Arabs who lived near the Cushites. 17 They attacked Judah, invaded it and carried off all the goods found in the king’s palace, together with his sons and wives. Not a son was left to him except Ahaziah,[b] the youngest.
18 After all this, the Lord afflicted Jehoram with an incurable disease of the bowels. 19 In the course of time, at the end of the second year, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great pain. His people made no funeral fire in his honor, as they had for his predecessors.
20 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
**********
約蘭的惡行導致上帝透過當時以色列的先知以利亞寫信給他警告：「耶和華─你祖大衛的上帝如此說：『因為你不行你父約沙法和猶大王亞撒的道，乃行以色列諸王的道，使猶大人和耶路撒冷的居民行邪淫，像亞哈家一樣，又殺了你父家比你好的諸兄弟。故此，耶和華降大災與你的百姓和你的妻子、兒女，並你一切所有的。你的腸子必患病，日加沉重，以致你的腸子墜落下來。』」
而後來的事件發展真的如先知所說的，耶和華激動非利士人和靠近古實的阿拉伯人來攻擊約蘭。他們上來攻擊猶大，侵入境內，擄掠了王宮裡所有的財貨和他的妻子、兒女，除了他小兒子約哈斯（又名亞哈謝）之外，沒有留下一個兒子。這些事以後，耶和華使約蘭的腸子患不能醫治的病。
甚至更淒慘的就是，他過世之後並沒有獲的國王該有的禮遇：沒有像樣的喪禮，也不是葬在列王的墳墓裡，他去世無人思慕！
這樣的描述，讓我們看見離棄上帝是件多麼不光彩的事情啊！
21:8 約蘭年間，以東人背叛猶大，脫離他的權下，自己立王。
21:9 約蘭就率領軍長和所有的戰車，夜間起來，攻擊圍困他的以東人和車兵長。
21:10 這樣，以東人背叛猶大，脫離他的權下，直到今日。那時，立拿人也背叛了，因為約蘭離棄耶和華─他列祖的上帝。
21:11 他又在猶大諸山建築邱壇，使耶路撒冷的居民行邪淫，誘惑猶大人。
8 In the time of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against Judah and set up its own king. 9 So Jehoram went there with his officers and all his chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he rose up and broke through by night. 10 To this day Edom has been in rebellion against Judah.
Libnah revolted at the same time, because Jehoram had forsaken the Lord, the God of his ancestors. 11 He had also built high places on the hills of Judah and had caused the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves and had led Judah astray.
**********
「約蘭」原文的意義是「耶和華高舉的」，是應該被尊敬的名字。然而，在此記載卻是一位離棄上帝的王！而他的行徑更是違反上帝立王的目的，陷百姓於不義之中，因為「他又在猶大諸山建築邱壇，使耶路撒冷的居民行邪淫，誘惑猶大人。」
因為他離棄上帝，造成以東和立拿的背叛。這也讓我們看見，上帝仍然會有一些作為來警告人，使人得警戒而悔改。不過，沉溺罪中的人是看不見的，仍然執迷不悟，繼續犯罪！
求主保守，讓我們對罪惡敏感，不要白白受苦而不知，繼續犯罪預上帝為仇！
