20:1 那時,希西家病得要死。亞摩斯的兒子先知以賽亞去見他,對他說:「耶和華如此說:『你當留遺命與你的家,因為你必死,不能活了。』」
20:2 希西家就轉臉朝牆,禱告耶和華說:
20:3 「耶和華啊,求你記念我在你面前怎樣存完全的心,按誠實行事,又做你眼中所看為善的。」希西家就痛哭了。
20:4 以賽亞出來,還沒有到中院(院:或譯城),耶和華的話就臨到他,說:
20:5 「你回去告訴我民的君希西家說:耶和華─你祖大衛的上帝如此說:『我聽見了你的禱告,看見了你的眼淚,我必醫治你;到第三日,你必上到耶和華的殿。
20:6 我必加增你十五年的壽數,並且我要救你和這城脫離亞述王的手。我為自己和我僕人大衛的緣故,必保護這城。』」
20:7 以賽亞說:「當取一塊無花果餅來。」人就取了來,貼在瘡上,王便痊癒了。
20:8 希西家問以賽亞說:「耶和華必醫治我,到第三日,我能上耶和華的殿,有甚麼兆頭呢?」
20:9 以賽亞說:「耶和華必成就他所說的。這是他給你的兆頭:你要日影向前進十度呢?是要往後退十度呢?」
20:10 希西家回答說:「日影向前進十度容易,我要日影往後退十度。」
20:11 先知以賽亞求告耶和華,耶和華就使亞哈斯的日晷向前進的日影,往後退了十度。
In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4 Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: 5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. 6 I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’”
7 Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” They did so and applied it to the boil, and he recovered.
8 Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the Lord will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the Lord on the third day from now?”
9 Isaiah answered, “This is the Lord’s sign to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps?”
10 “It is a simple matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps,” said Hezekiah. “Rather, have it go back ten steps.”
11 Then the prophet Isaiah called on the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.
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上帝體貼人的軟弱,這是舊約的上帝和希臘哲學產生出來的上帝不同之處!舊約是上帝自己的啟示,而希臘哲學是人想出來的推理方式,當然是舊約所描述的上帝才是真實的上帝!
舊約的上帝讓我們看見祂似乎是常常「後悔」或是會「改變」!正如先知以賽亞宣告希西家會病死,要他預備好後事。可是他一禱告,在上帝面前哀哭。上帝要先知回去報告給希西家王:「耶和華─你祖大衛的上帝如此說:『我聽見了你的禱告,看見了你的眼淚,我必醫治你;到第三日,你必上到耶和華的殿。
20:6 我必加增你十五年的壽數,並且我要救你和這城脫離亞述王的手。我為自己和我僕人大衛的緣故,必保護這城。』」
明明已經醫好希西家王的病了,他還賴皮的說:「耶和華必醫治我,到第三日,我能上耶和華的殿,有甚麼兆頭呢?」
更有意思的是,以賽亞說:「耶和華必成就他所說的。這是他給你的兆頭:你要日影向前進十度呢?是要往後退十度呢?」
而希西家王的了便宜又賣乖,竟然又說:「日影向前進十度容易,我要日影往後退十度。」
但是上帝似乎允許他賴皮,先知以賽亞求告耶和華,耶和華就使亞哈斯的日晷向前進的日影,往後退了十度。
這些敘述讓我們非常不可思議,上帝竟然這樣「偏袒」希西家王,讓他予取予求!讓我們覺得這成什麼體統呢?但是上帝就是愛這樣!
其實我們的生命經歷何嘗不是這樣呢!保羅說:「因我們還軟弱的時候,基督就按所定的日期為罪人死。為義人死,是少有的;為仁人死,或者有敢做的。惟有基督在我們還作罪人的時候為我們死,上帝的愛就在此向我們顯明了。」(羅馬書5:6-8)
所以,我們不可以說希西家王賴皮,我們也是很賴皮!但是,這一切都是上帝的慈愛與恩典,是祂主動來愛我們與拯救我們呢!