列王紀下20:12-21

 

20:12 那時，巴比倫王巴拉但的兒子米羅達‧巴拉但聽見希西家病而痊癒，就送書信和禮物給他。
20:13 希西家聽從使者的話，就把他寶庫的金子、銀子、香料、貴重的膏油，和他武庫的一切軍器，並他所有的財寶，都給他們看。他家中和他全國之內，希西家沒有一樣不給他們看的。
20:14 於是先知以賽亞來見希西家王，問他說：「這些人說甚麼？他們從哪裡來見你？」希西家說：「他們從遠方的巴比倫來。」
20:15 以賽亞說：「他們在你家裡看見了甚麼？」希西家說：「凡我家中所有的，他們都看見了；我財寶中沒有一樣不給他們看的。」
20:16 以賽亞對希西家說：「你要聽耶和華的話，
20:17 日子必到，凡你家裡所有的，並你列祖積蓄到如今的，都要被擄到巴比倫去，不留下一樣。這是耶和華說的。
20:18 並且從你本身所生的眾子，其中必有被擄去在巴比倫王宮裡當太監的。」
20:19 希西家對以賽亞說：「你所說耶和華的話甚好！若在我的年日中有太平和穩固的景況，豈不是好嗎？」
20:20 希西家其餘的事和他的勇力，他怎樣挖池、挖溝、引水入城，都寫在猶大列王記上。
20:21 希西家與他列祖同睡。他兒子瑪拿西接續他作王。

 

¹² At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of Hezekiah’s illness. ¹³ Hezekiah received the envoys and showed them all that was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices and the fine olive oil—his armory and everything found among his treasures. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.

¹⁴ Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, “What did those men say, and where did they come from?”

“From a distant land,” Hezekiah replied. “They came from Babylon.”

¹⁵ The prophet asked, “What did they see in your palace?”

“They saw everything in my palace,” Hezekiah said. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.”

¹⁶ Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: ¹⁷ The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. ¹⁸ And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

¹⁹ “The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?”

²⁰ As for the other events of Hezekiah’s reign, all his achievements and how he made the pool and the tunnel by which he brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? ²¹ Hezekiah rested with his ancestors. And Manasseh his son succeeded him as king.

 

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    再次看見希西家王的賴皮，先知以賽亞警告他說：「你要聽耶和華的話，日子必到，凡你家裡所有的，並你列祖積蓄到如今的，都要被擄到巴比倫去，不留下一樣。這是耶和華說的。並且從你本身所生的眾子，其中必有被擄去在巴比倫王宮裡當太監的。」

 

    他竟然說：「你所說耶和華的話甚好！若在我的年日中有太平和穩固的景況，豈不是好嗎？」

 

    讓我們感覺：他只要現在過得好，並切一生平平順順的過去，至於子孫要受到什麼災害是子孫的事情，與他無干，他也管不著！

 

    或許這也是我們該有的生活態度，正如主耶穌說：「你們要先求他的國和他的義，這些東西都要加給你們了。所以，不要為明天憂慮，因為明天自有明天的憂慮；一天的難處一天當就夠了。」(馬太福音6:33-34)

 

    其實能夠不憂慮，是因為確信上帝的國必定完全實現！雖然是上有許多苦難和考驗，但是這一切有一天必要過去！因為耶穌基督已經得勝了，祂勝過罪惡和死亡的權勢，上帝永恆的國度正朝向我們過來了！

 

 

 

列王紀下20章

    列王紀下20:1-11  ,

     列王紀下20:5   ,

    列王紀下20:12-21  ,

列王紀下20:1-11

 

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！

 

 

馬可福音11:27-33

 

11:27 他們又來到耶路撒冷。耶穌在殿裡行走的時候，祭司長和文士並長老進前來，
11:28 問他說：「你仗著甚麼權柄做這些事？給你這權柄的是誰呢？」
11:29 耶穌對他們說：「我要問你們一句話，你們回答我，我就告訴你們我仗著甚麼權柄做這些事。
11:30 約翰的洗禮是從天上來的？是從人間來的呢？你們可以回答我。」
11:31 他們彼此商議說：「我們若說『從天上來』，他必說：『這樣，你們為甚麼不信他呢？』
11:32 若說『從人間來』，卻又怕百姓，因為眾人真以約翰為先知。」
11:33 於是回答耶穌說：「我們不知道。」耶穌說：「我也不告訴你們我仗著甚麼權柄做這些事。」

 

²⁷ They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. ²⁸ “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?”

²⁹ Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ³⁰ John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!”

³¹ They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ³² But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ …” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.)

³³ So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

 

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    在耶路撒冷的祭司長和文士並長老進前來，問他說：「你仗著甚麼權柄做這些事？給你這權柄的是誰呢？」

 

    這些人是所謂的當權派，他們認為自己有權柄可以限制主耶穌做傳道的工作，因為他們不相信主耶穌是基督、是彌賽亞，是大衛的子孫。

 

    然而主耶穌不直接和他們衝突，故意使用施洗約翰的權柄來詰問他們，使他們陷入矛盾之中！這也讓我們看見 那些耍權威、虛彰聲勢的人，其實是建立在虛晃之上，是禁不起質問的！

 

    然而真正屬上帝的人，明白權柄是來自上帝，要高舉的是上帝，不是自己，自己算不得甚麼，靠主可以勇敢面對各樣反對的力量！正如保羅在《哥林多後書》10章4-5節說；「我們爭戰的兵器本不是屬血氣的，乃是在上帝面前有能力，可以攻破堅固的營壘，將各樣的計謀，各樣攔阻人認識上帝的那些自高之事，一概攻破了，又將人所有的心意奪回，使他都順服基督。」

 

    求主保守，靠主堅立！