歷代志下15:1-9

 

15:1 上帝的靈感動俄德的兒子亞撒利雅。
15:2 他出來迎接亞撒，對他說：「亞撒和猶大、便雅憫眾人哪，要聽我說：你們若順從耶和華，耶和華必與你們同在；你們若尋求他，就必尋見；你們若離棄他，他必離棄你們。
15:3 以色列人不信真上帝，沒有訓誨的祭司，也沒有律法，已經好久了；
15:4 但他們在急難的時候歸向耶和華─以色列的上帝，尋求他，他就被他們尋見。
15:5 那時，出入的人不得平安，列國的居民都遭大亂；
15:6 這國攻擊那國，這城攻擊那城，互相破壞，因為上帝用各樣災難擾亂他們。
15:7 現在你們要剛強，不要手軟，因你們所行的必得賞賜。」
15:8 亞撒聽見這話和俄德兒子先知亞撒利雅的預言，就壯起膽來，在猶大、便雅憫全地，並以法蓮山地所奪的各城，將可憎之物盡都除掉，又在耶和華殿的廊前重新修築耶和華的壇；
15:9 又招聚猶大、便雅憫的眾人，並他們中間寄居的以法蓮人、瑪拿西人、西緬人。有許多以色列人歸降亞撒，因見耶和華─他的上帝與他同在。

The Spirit of God came on Azariah son of Oded. ² He went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. ³ For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. ⁴ But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them. ⁵ In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. ⁶ One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. ⁷ But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”

⁸ When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage. He removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altar of the Lord that was in front of the portico of the Lord’s temple.

⁹ Then he assembled all Judah and Benjamin and the people from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who had settled among them, for large numbers had come over to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him.

 

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    “亞撒利雅”這個名字的意義是 "耶和華已幫助"。而他將耶和華給猶大亞撒的信息宣告出來，使得亞撒王受到激勵，正如經文所說：「在猶大、便雅憫全地，並以法蓮山地所奪的各城，將可憎之物盡都除掉，又在耶和華殿的廊前重新修築耶和華的壇；又招聚猶大、便雅憫的眾人，並他們中間寄居的以法蓮人、瑪拿西人、西緬人。有許多以色列人歸降亞撒，因見耶和華─他的上帝與他同在。」

 

    而亞撒利雅所宣告的話中最有力量的就是：「現在你們要剛強，不要手軟，因你們所行的必得賞賜。」

 

    這段話今日也要激勵我們，只要我們聽從上帝的教導，遵行上帝的道，遠離惡事，上帝必大大賜福，使我們得上帝的賞賜，並且要藉我們榮耀祂的名，領人來歸向祂，正如亞撒王使以色列人看見耶和華─他的上帝與他同在，就來歸降亞撒！

 

 

歷代志下29:5-11

 

29:5 對他們說：「利未人哪，當聽我說：現在你們要潔淨自己，又潔淨耶和華─你們列祖上帝的殿，從聖所中除去污穢之物。
29:6 我們列祖犯了罪，行耶和華─我們上帝眼中看為惡的事，離棄他，轉臉背向他的居所，
29:7 封鎖廊門，吹滅燈火，不在聖所中向以色列上帝燒香，或獻燔祭。
29:8 因此，耶和華的忿怒臨到猶大和耶路撒冷，將其中的人拋來拋去，令人驚駭、嗤笑，正如你們親眼所見的。
29:9 所以我們的祖宗倒在刀下，我們的妻子兒女也被擄掠。
29:10 現在我心中有意與耶和華─以色列的上帝立約，好使他的烈怒轉離我們。
29:11 我的眾子啊，現在不要懈怠；因為耶和華揀選你們站在他面前事奉他，與他燒香。」

⁵ and said: “Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary. ⁶ Our parents were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the Lord our God and forsook him. They turned their faces away from the Lord’s dwelling place and turned their backs on him. ⁷ They also shut the doors of the portico and put out the lamps. They did not burn incense or present any burnt offerings at the sanctuary to the God of Israel. ⁸ Therefore, the anger of the Lord has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem; he has made them an object of dread and horror and scorn, as you can see with your own eyes. ⁹ This is why our fathers have fallen by the sword and why our sons and daughters and our wives are in captivity. ¹⁰ Now I intend to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us. ¹¹ My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before him and serve him, to minister before him and to burn incense.”

 

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    希西家向利未人說這一段話的目的，就是他要恢復真正的敬拜。那甚麼是真正的敬拜呢？就是恢復摩西律法所說的樣式，真正敬畏上帝，遵守祂的約，而不是外表虛假的行動。

 

    他勉勵利未的子孫：「我的眾子啊，現在不要懈怠；因為耶和華揀選你們站在他面前事奉他，與他燒香。」

 

    就是要恢復聖殿中各樣的陳設、獻祭、燒香、…，因為這些事上帝同在的象徵，若沒有上帝的同在，以色列就不再是以色列了，不再是上帝的子民了！上帝藉著主耶穌拯救我們，也就是要彰顯上帝的同在！

 

    今日的教會不是靠任何活動，而是要靠上帝的同在彰顯這是基督的身體、上帝的家！

 

 

 

約翰福音21:22

 

耶穌對他說：「我若要他等到我來的時候，與你何干？你跟從我吧！」

 

Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”

 

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    主耶穌對彼得說的話，似乎有些無情，但是也提醒了彼得人生重要的功課，就是要跟隨主耶穌，不要去注意別人。

 

    其實我們的生命也是如此，要專心跟隨主耶穌，不要去注意別人，更不要和別人比較。

 

    也因此，我們要學習：「不再抱怨自己的不幸，也不再嫉妒別人的成功」。

 

    如果你正在經歷困難，而其他人卻在繁榮，要知道上帝對你有特定的計劃。 相信祂的時機，並記住耶穌說的話：「跟隨我！」

 

 

 

以弗所書2:8

 

你們得救是本乎恩，也因著信；這並不是出於自己，乃是上帝所賜的；

 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God

 

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    我們得上帝拯救不是出於我們自己的努力，是上帝親自成就，而我們的信靠只是管道，並不是主要的因素。這是非常重要的信仰觀，也唯有這樣人才能夠在上帝面前謙卑。

 

    正如神學上有兩個救恩觀：「神恩獨作說」和「神人合作說」。照現代人的觀點，就是受啟蒙運動影響的人，就會贊同「神人合作說」，認為人的信心很重要，是成就上帝救恩的重要因素。然而持改革宗信仰者，相信上帝的主權，則會認為「神恩獨作說」才是合乎聖經真理，人的信心是上帝所賜的，不是人得救的主因。

 

    由《以弗所書》這段敘述，我們會確認保羅是贊同「神恩獨作說」的。其實我個人也是贊同「神恩獨作說」的，如此人才有得救的保障。不知你認為如何？