歷代志下21:1-20

 

21:1 約沙法與他列祖同睡，葬在大衛城他列祖的墳地裡。他兒子約蘭接續他作王。
21:2 約蘭有幾個兄弟，就是約沙法的兒子亞撒利雅、耶歇、撒迦利雅、亞撒列夫、米迦勒、示法提雅。這都是猶大王約沙法的兒子。
21:3 他們的父親將許多金銀、財寶，和猶大地的堅固城賜給他們；但將國賜給約蘭，因為他是長子。
21:4 約蘭興起坐他父的位，奮勇自強，就用刀殺了他的眾兄弟和以色列的幾個首領。
21:5 約蘭登基的時候年三十二歲，在耶路撒冷作王八年。
21:6 他行以色列諸王的道，與亞哈家一樣；因他娶了亞哈的女兒為妻，行耶和華眼中看為惡的事。
21:7 耶和華卻因自己與大衛所立的約，不肯滅大衛的家，照他所應許的，永遠賜燈光與大衛和他的子孫。
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。
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。

 

Then Jehoshaphat rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. And Jehoram his son succeeded him as king. ² Jehoram’s brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat, were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael and Shephatiah. All these were sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel.^{[a] 3} Their father had given them many gifts of silver and gold and articles of value, as well as fortified cities in Judah, but he had given the kingdom to Jehoram because he was his firstborn son.

⁴ When Jehoram established himself firmly over his father’s kingdom, he put all his brothers to the sword along with some of the officials of Israel. ⁵ Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. ⁶ He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. ⁷ Nevertheless, because of the covenant the Lord had made with David, the Lord was not willing to destroy the house of David. He had promised to maintain a lamp for him and his descendants forever.

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.

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.

 

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    約沙法王和以色列王的「良好關係」造成了遺害猶大國，首先是他的兒子約蘭接續做王之後行以色列諸王的道，與亞哈家一樣，就是因為「政治婚姻」，因他娶了亞哈的女兒為妻！

 

    也因為這樣，猶大國的國力大失，許多屬國背叛！如以東人背叛猶大，脫離他的權下，自己立王。立拿人也背叛了，因為約蘭離棄耶和華─他列祖的上帝。

 

    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。先知以利亞寫信與約蘭說：「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，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。』」

 

    最後他就是因為腸子墜落下來而死！更淒慘的是：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。

 

    約蘭王的事蹟今日就成了我們的警戒，也讓我們清楚離開上帝是多麼悽慘的狀態！

 

 

 

路加福音6:21

 

你們飢餓的人有福了！因為你們將要飽足。你們哀哭的人有福了！因為你們將要喜笑。

²¹ Blessed are you who hunger now,
    for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
    for you will laugh.

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    主耶穌的話和一般人的想法是不同的，為什麼說「飢餓的人有福了」、「哀哭的人有福了」﹖在原文的意思是被上帝賜福（Blessed）！表示上帝注意到「飢餓的人」和「哀哭的人」，雖然人討厭、不想理會，但是上帝不會！

 

    上帝不但注意「飢餓的人」和「哀哭的人」，還要讓他們「飽足」和「喜笑」！這真是超乎人的想像，而切這轉變的機制是在上帝的主動，祂願意這樣做，而且是沒有條件的！這和人想像的不同，認為是不可能的事情！

 

    上帝就是願意的，祂本是豐盛與富足的上帝！就如保羅所說：「上帝既不愛惜自己的兒子，為我們眾人捨了，豈不也把萬物和他一同白白地賜給我們嗎？」(羅馬書8:32)

 

    也因為這樣，我們透過信靠耶穌基督的救恩，要享受上帝的豐盛！所以，要保羅一起頌讚說：「頌讚歸與我們主耶穌基督的父上帝！他在基督裡曾賜給我們天上各樣屬靈的福氣。」(以弗所書1:3)

 

 

約翰福音12:44-50

 

12:44 耶穌大聲說：「信我的，不是信我，乃是信那差我來的。
12:45 人看見我，就是看見那差我來的。
12:46 我到世上來，乃是光，叫凡信我的，不住在黑暗裡。
12:47 若有人聽見我的話不遵守，我不審判他。我來本不是要審判世界，乃是要拯救世界。
12:48 棄絕我、不領受我話的人，有審判他的─就是我所講的道在末日要審判他。
12:49 因為我沒有憑著自己講，惟有差我來的父已經給我命令，叫我說甚麼，講甚麼。
12:50 我也知道他的命令就是永生。故此，我所講的話正是照著父對我所說的。」

 

⁴⁴ Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. ⁴⁵ The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. ⁴⁶ I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

⁴⁷ “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. ⁴⁸ There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. ⁴⁹ For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. ⁵⁰ I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

 

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    雖然大家好像將榮耀歸給主耶穌，但是主耶穌卻將這份榮耀轉向父上帝！因為信主耶穌，不是只有信靠主耶穌，還信靠差遣主耶穌的父！並且將來的審判，也是父在進行！

 

    可是審判的進行不是獨立拯救之外，因為審判是和接受拯救是有密切的關係！也就是說，審判的結果如何，是看人願不願意接受主耶穌的拯救來決定！願意接受的人，就是真正脫離懲罰；不願意接受，就落入永遠的懲罰之中！

 

    若是這樣，豈可輕忽主耶穌的拯救大恩呢？因為我們現在的決定影響了我們永恆的狀況，這是多麼要緊的事啊！

 

 

約翰福音12:12-19

 

12:12 第二天，有許多上來過節的人聽見耶穌將到耶路撒冷，
12:13 就拿著棕樹枝出去迎接他，喊著說：和散那！奉主名來的以色列王是應當稱頌的！
12:14 耶穌得了一個驢駒，就騎上，如經上所記的說：
12:15 錫安的民（原文是女子）哪，不要懼怕！你的王騎著驢駒來了。
12:16 這些事門徒起先不明白，等到耶穌得了榮耀以後才想起這話是指著他寫的，並且眾人果然向他這樣行了。
12:17 當耶穌呼喚拉撒路，叫他從死復活出墳墓的時候，同耶穌在那裡的眾人就作見證。
12:18 眾人因聽見耶穌行了這神蹟，就去迎接他。
12:19 法利賽人彼此說：「看哪，你們是徒勞無益，世人都隨從他去了。」

 

¹² The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. ¹³ They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna!^[d]”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”^[e]

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”

¹⁴ Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:

¹⁵ “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
    see, your king is coming,
    seated on a donkey’s colt.”^[f]

¹⁶ At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.

¹⁷ Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. ¹⁸ Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. ¹⁹ So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

 

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    主耶穌就如先知預言一樣，騎著驢駒進入耶路撒冷，受到民眾歡呼迎接。正如經文的記載：「就拿著棕樹枝出去迎接他，喊著說：和散那！奉主名來的以色列王是應當稱頌的！」

 

    更值得注意的是：當耶穌呼喚拉撒路，叫他從死復活出墳墓的時候，同耶穌在那裡的眾人就作見證。眾人因聽見耶穌行了這神蹟，就去迎接他。以至於法利賽人彼此說：「看哪，你們是徒勞無益，世人都隨從他去了。」

 

    然而人越是歡迎主耶穌，危機就更加凸顯，那些想害祂的人，就是更下定決心。然而主耶穌並不畏懼，因為祂就是為了成為「上帝的羔羊」來到耶路撒冷，要成就上帝救贖的計畫！