列王紀上3:1-28

 

3:1 所羅門與埃及王法老結親，娶了法老的女兒為妻，接她進入大衛城，直等到造完了自己的宮和耶和華的殿，並耶路撒冷周圍的城牆。
3:2 當那些日子，百姓仍在邱壇獻祭，因為還沒有為耶和華的名建殿。
3:3 所羅門愛耶和華，遵行他父親大衛的律例，只是還在邱壇獻祭燒香。
3:4 所羅門王上基遍去獻祭；因為在那裡有極大（或譯：出名）的邱壇，他在那壇上獻一千犧牲作燔祭。
3:5 在基遍，夜間夢中，耶和華向所羅門顯現，對他說：「你願我賜你甚麼？你可以求。」
3:6 所羅門說：「你僕人─我父親大衛用誠實、公義、正直的心行在你面前，你就向他大施恩典，又為他存留大恩，賜他一個兒子坐在他的位上，正如今日一樣。
3:7 耶和華─我的上帝啊，如今你使僕人接續我父親大衛作王；但我是幼童，不知道應當怎樣出入。
3:8 僕人住在你所揀選的民中，這民多得不可勝數。
3:9 所以求你賜我智慧，可以判斷你的民，能辨別是非。不然，誰能判斷這眾多的民呢？」
3:10 所羅門因為求這事，就蒙主喜悅。
3:11 上帝對他說：「你既然求這事，不為自己求壽、求富，也不求滅絕你仇敵的性命，單求智慧可以聽訟，
3:12 我就應允你所求的，賜你聰明智慧，甚至在你以前沒有像你的，在你以後也沒有像你的。
3:13 你所沒有求的，我也賜給你，就是富足、尊榮，使你在世的日子，列王中沒有一個能比你的。
3:14 你若效法你父親大衛，遵行我的道，謹守我的律例、誡命，我必使你長壽。」
3:15 所羅門醒了，不料是個夢。他就回到耶路撒冷，站在耶和華的約櫃前，獻燔祭和平安祭，又為他眾臣僕設擺筵席。
3:16 一日，有兩個妓女來，站在王面前。
3:17 一個說：「我主啊，我和這婦人同住一房；她在房中的時候，我生了一個男孩。
3:18 我生孩子後第三日，這婦人也生了孩子。我們是同住的，除了我們二人之外，房中再沒有別人。
3:19 夜間，這婦人睡著的時候，壓死了她的孩子。
3:20 她半夜起來，趁我睡著，從我旁邊把我的孩子抱去，放在她懷裡，將她的死孩子放在我懷裡。
3:21 天要亮的時候，我起來要給我的孩子吃奶，不料，孩子死了；及至天亮，我細細地察看，不是我所生的孩子。」
3:22 那婦人說：「不然，活孩子是我的，死孩子是你的。」這婦人說：「不然，死孩子是你的，活孩子是我的。」她們在王面前如此爭論。
3:23 王說：「這婦人說『活孩子是我的，死孩子是你的』，那婦人說『不然，死孩子是你的，活孩子是我的』」，
3:24 就吩咐說：「拿刀來！」人就拿刀來。
3:25 王說：「將活孩子劈成兩半，一半給那婦人，一半給這婦人。」
3:26 活孩子的母親為自己的孩子心裡急痛，就說：「求我主將活孩子給那婦人吧，萬不可殺他！」那婦人說：「這孩子也不歸我，也不歸你，把他劈了吧！」
3:27 王說：「將活孩子給這婦人，萬不可殺他；這婦人實在是他的母親。」
3:28 以色列眾人聽見王這樣判斷，就都敬畏他；因為見他心裡有上帝的智慧，能以斷案。

 

Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the Lord, and the wall around Jerusalem. ² The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the Lord. ³ Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.

⁴ The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. ⁵ At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

⁶ Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.

⁷ “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. ⁸ Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. ⁹ So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

¹⁰ The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. ¹¹ So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, ¹² I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. ¹³ Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. ¹⁴ And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” ¹⁵ Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream.

He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.

¹⁶ Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. ¹⁷ One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. ¹⁸ The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.

¹⁹ “During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. ²⁰ So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. ²¹ The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”

²² The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.”

But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.

²³ The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’”

²⁴ Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. ²⁵ He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”

²⁶ The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”

But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”

²⁷ Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”

²⁸ When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.

 

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    在中文聖經說到所羅門獻祭於「邱壇」，在英文翻譯為「high places」。邱壇最初用於偶像崇拜 ( 民數記 33:52; 利未記 26:30) 尤其是在摩押人中 ( 以賽亞書 16:12) 。 這些聖地通常包括一座壇和一個聖物，諸如各種形狀的石柱或木桿，與所敬拜的物相似 ( 動物、星座、女神和豐產之神 ) 。

 

    在上帝的殿建成之前，人們仍然在邱壇上獻祭，而且所羅門也加入了他們。之後在基遍，耶和華在夢中向他顯現。當然不是所有的邱壇都是敬拜偶像，因為像先知撒母耳也是在邱壇獻祭，只是後來聖殿建成之後就禁止以色列人於邱壇獻祭！

 

    不過所羅門在基遍，夜間夢中，耶和華向所羅門顯現，對他說：「你願我賜你甚麼？你可以求。」

 

    這是人類與上帝相會的一種狀態，所羅門竟然在夢中求上帝賜下智慧！而上帝也喜悅所羅門王的祈求，上帝還曉諭他：「你既然求這事，不為自己求壽、求富，也不求滅絕你仇敵的性命，單求智慧可以聽訟，我就應允你所求的，賜你聰明智慧，甚至在你以前沒有像你的，在你以後也沒有像你的。你所沒有求的，我也賜給你，就是富足、尊榮，使你在世的日子，列王中沒有一個能比你的。你若效法你父親大衛，遵行我的道，謹守我的律例、誡命，我必使你長壽。」

 

    可見上帝和所羅門同在如同與大衛同在一樣！在這是也讓我們看見，君王要完成他的使命必須有上帝的同在，不是照自己的心意來治國，需要有從上帝來的智慧！大衛如此，所羅門更是如此！

 

    當然我們今天藉由耶穌基督領受上帝兒女的身分，也有君王的功能，也因為如此，我們更需要求上帝賜給智慧，好讓我們在世上見證基督是王，引道人來歸向基督成為上帝的兒女，這是我們成為君王的使命，就是能帶領別人認識並接受基督為主！

 

    而要完成這使命就是要領受聖靈，讓我們的生命中有基督做王，如此我們才能真正成為王，領人歸主近如王的行列之中，彰顯基督王權的榮耀！

 

 

 

約伯記37章

    約伯記37:1-24  ,

約伯記37:1-24

 

37:1 因此我心戰兢，從原處移動。
37:2 聽啊，上帝轟轟的聲音是他口中所發的響聲。
37:3 他發響聲震遍天下，發電光閃到地極。
37:4 隨後人聽見有雷聲轟轟，大發威嚴，雷電接連不斷。
37:5 上帝發出奇妙的雷聲；他行大事，我們不能測透。
37:6 他對雪說：要降在地上；對大雨和暴雨也是這樣說。
37:7 他封住各人的手，叫所造的萬人都曉得他的作為。
37:8 百獸進入穴中，臥在洞內。
37:9 暴風出於南宮；寒冷出於北方。
37:10 上帝噓氣成冰；寬闊之水也都凝結。
37:11 他使密雲盛滿水氣，布散電光之雲；
37:12 這雲是藉他的指引游行旋轉，得以在全地面上行他一切所吩咐的，
37:13 或為責罰，或為潤地，或為施行慈愛。
37:14 約伯啊，你要留心聽，要站立思想上帝奇妙的作為。
37:15 上帝如何吩咐這些，如何使雲中的電光照耀，你知道嗎？
37:16 雲彩如何浮於空中，那知識全備者奇妙的作為，你知道嗎？
37:17 南風使地寂靜，你的衣服就如火熱，你知道嗎？
37:18 你豈能與上帝同鋪穹蒼嗎？這穹蒼堅硬，如同鑄成的鏡子。
37:19 我們愚昧不能陳說；請你指教我們該對他說甚麼話。
37:20 人豈可說：我願與他說話？豈有人自願滅亡嗎？
37:21 現在有雲遮蔽，人不得見穹蒼的光亮；但風吹過，天又發晴。
37:22 金光出於北方，在上帝那裡有可怕的威嚴。
37:23 論到全能者，我們不能測度；他大有能力，有公平和大義，必不苦待人。
37:24 所以，人敬畏他；凡自以為心中有智慧的人，他都不顧念。

 

“At this my heart pounds
    and leaps from its place.
² Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice,
    to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
³ He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven
    and sends it to the ends of the earth.
⁴ After that comes the sound of his roar;
    he thunders with his majestic voice.
When his voice resounds,
    he holds nothing back.
⁵ God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways;
    he does great things beyond our understanding.
⁶ He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’
    and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’
⁷ So that everyone he has made may know his work,
    he stops all people from their labor.^[a]
8 The animals take cover;
    they remain in their dens.
⁹ The tempest comes out from its chamber,
    the cold from the driving winds.
¹⁰ The breath of God produces ice,
    and the broad waters become frozen.
¹¹ He loads the clouds with moisture;
    he scatters his lightning through them.
¹² At his direction they swirl around
    over the face of the whole earth
    to do whatever he commands them.
¹³ He brings the clouds to punish people,
    or to water his earth and show his love.

¹⁴ “Listen to this, Job;
    stop and consider God’s wonders.
¹⁵ Do you know how God controls the clouds
    and makes his lightning flash?
¹⁶ Do you know how the clouds hang poised,
    those wonders of him who has perfect knowledge?
¹⁷ You who swelter in your clothes
    when the land lies hushed under the south wind,
¹⁸ can you join him in spreading out the skies,
    hard as a mirror of cast bronze?

¹⁹ “Tell us what we should say to him;
    we cannot draw up our case because of our darkness.
²⁰ Should he be told that I want to speak?
    Would anyone ask to be swallowed up?
²¹ Now no one can look at the sun,
    bright as it is in the skies
    after the wind has swept them clean.
²² Out of the north he comes in golden splendor;
    God comes in awesome majesty.
²³ The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power;
    in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.
²⁴ Therefore, people revere him,
    for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart?

 

*************

 

    以利戶最後的談話，是以上帝的創造和祂如何運行大自然的一些現象，讓約伯來思考上帝的偉大，而產生敬畏上帝的心，以至於不會在自以為是，願意謙卑來面對上帝之所以讓他經歷這些苦難的用意，好得著智慧的心！

 

    正如使徒保羅在羅馬書1章19-20節所說：「上帝的事情，人所能知道的，原顯明在人心裡，因為上帝已經給他們顯明。自從造天地以來，上帝的永能和神性是明明可知的，雖是眼不能見，但藉著所造之物就可以曉得，叫人無可推諉。」

 

    有如希伯來書3章3-4節為了說明耶穌基督是高過摩西的，就說到：「他比摩西算是更配多得榮耀，好像建造房屋的比房屋更尊榮；因為房屋都必有人建造，但建造萬物的就是上帝。」

 

    耶穌基督之所以高過摩西，是因為創造主高過一切的受造者！也因為這樣約伯面對創造主時，不要忘記自己的身分和地位，更不可以忘記上帝的身分和地位！人是無法和上帝比擬的，人必須謙卑屈膝在上帝面前敬拜上帝，而不是與上帝對質，說到上帝不公平、沒有正義！這樣說，不管對錯如何，已經超越人的本分了！

 

    親愛的弟兄姊妹，讓我們思想上帝的偉大之後，認識自己的渺小，人到上帝面前理當只有敬畏、只有敬拜，不是抱怨與質疑上帝，雖然上帝允許，我們仍是要放下自己，願上帝的旨意和主權彰顯！

 

 

詩篇90:12

求你指教我們怎樣數算自己的日子，好叫我們得著智慧的心。

    

Teach us to number our days,
    that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

 

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     對每一個成年人的經驗是：在年幼的時候，覺得時間過得很慢，總是希望趕快長大！可是，到了成年期，日子過得像飛的一般，一下子又到聖誕節、又要過年了，正如俗語所說：「光陰似箭，日月如梭！」

 

    在這樣快速的日子當中，要抓注時間得尾巴似乎不可能！因為時間總是跑給我們追，再怎樣努力種是抓不到，總是覺得心中有一份失落感，總是覺得自己的無能和缺乏，正如摩西在這裡所說：「我們經過的日子都在你震怒之下；我們度盡的年歲好像一聲歎息。我們一生的年日是七十歲，若是強壯可到八十歲；但其中所矜誇的不過是勞苦愁煩，轉眼成空，我們便如飛而去。」(9-10節)

 

    也因為這樣的感嘆，所以摩西會這樣的禱告：「求你指教我們怎樣數算自己的日子，好叫我們得著智慧的心。」

 

    現在人喜歡說CP值（price–performance ratio，性質比）要高，而若以時間如金錢的觀念，我們花費時間要換取的是什麼呢﹖摩西在這裡標是要得著「智慧的心」！那什麼是「智慧的心」呢﹖或許我們無法明白，也不可明白！

 

    那怎麼辦呢﹖有哪裡可以找到智慧呢﹖在聖經中的智慧之書《箴言》告訴我們：「敬畏耶和華是智慧的開端；認識至聖者便是聰明。」（9:10）

 

    所意要得「智慧」必須從「敬畏耶和華」開始，那怎樣是敬畏耶和華呢﹖就是信靠耶穌基督為救主，因為這位耶穌基督事上帝的獨生子，人惟有透過他才能蒙上帝的拯救，聖經很清楚宣告：「除他（耶穌基督）以外，別無拯救；因為在天下人間，沒有賜下別的名，我們可以靠著得救。」（使徒行傳4:12）而耶穌基督也說到：「我就是道路、真理、生命；若不藉著我，沒有人能到父那裡去。你們若認識我，也就認識我的父。從今以後，你們認識他，並且已經看見他。」（約翰福音14:6-7）

 

    信靠耶穌基督更是上帝給我們的旨意，聖經也應許：「這世界和其上的情慾都要過去，惟獨遵行上帝旨意的，是永遠常存。」(約翰一書2:17)

 

    因此，數算自己的日子，是認識到自己原本是短暫的生命，但是信靠主耶穌之後，就得著永生，也就是永遠常存，這就是得著「智慧的心」了！願你受聖靈感動，信靠主耶穌為救主直到永生！