歷代志下24:17-27

 

24:17 耶何耶大死後，猶大的眾首領來朝拜王；王就聽從他們。
24:18 他們離棄耶和華─他們列祖上帝的殿，去事奉亞舍拉和偶像；因他們這罪，就有忿怒臨到猶大和耶路撒冷。
24:19 但上帝仍遣先知到他們那裡，引導他們歸向耶和華。這先知警戒他們，他們卻不肯聽。
24:20 那時，上帝的靈感動祭司耶何耶大的兒子撒迦利亞，他就站在上面對民說：「上帝如此說：你們為何干犯耶和華的誡命，以致不得亨通呢？因為你們離棄耶和華，所以他也離棄你們。」
24:21 眾民同心謀害撒迦利亞，就照王的吩咐，在耶和華殿的院內用石頭打死他。
24:22 這樣，約阿施王不想念撒迦利亞的父親耶何耶大向自己所施的恩，殺了他的兒子。撒迦利亞臨死的時候說：「願耶和華鑒察伸冤！」
24:23 滿了一年，亞蘭的軍兵上來攻擊約阿施，來到猶大和耶路撒冷，殺了民中的眾首領，將所掠的財貨送到大馬士革王那裡。
24:24 亞蘭的軍兵雖來了一小隊，耶和華卻將大隊的軍兵交在他們手裡，是因猶大人離棄耶和華─他們列祖的上帝，所以藉亞蘭人懲罰約阿施。
24:25 亞蘭人離開約阿施的時候，他患重病；臣僕背叛他，要報祭司耶何耶大兒子流血之仇，殺他在床上，葬他在大衛城，只是不葬在列王的墳墓裡。
24:26 背叛他的是亞捫婦人示米押的兒子撒拔和摩押婦人示米利的兒子約薩拔。
24:27 至於他的眾子和他所受的警戒，並他重修上帝殿的事，都寫在列王的傳上。他兒子亞瑪謝接續他作王。

 

¹⁷ After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. ¹⁸ They abandoned the temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God’s anger came on Judah and Jerusalem. ¹⁹ Although the Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen.

²⁰ Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.’”

²¹ But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. ²² King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, “May the Lord see this and call you to account.”

²³ At the turn of the year,^[a] the army of Aram marched against Joash; it invaded Judah and Jerusalem and killed all the leaders of the people. They sent all the plunder to their king in Damascus. ²⁴ Although the Aramean army had come with only a few men, the Lord delivered into their hands a much larger army. Because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, judgment was executed on Joash. ²⁵ When the Arameans withdrew, they left Joash severely wounded. His officials conspired against him for murdering the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him in his bed. So he died and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

²⁶ Those who conspired against him were Zabad,^[b] son of Shimeath an Ammonite woman, and Jehozabad, son of Shimrith^[c] a Moabite woman. ²⁷ The account of his sons, the many prophecies about him, and the record of the restoration of the temple of God are written in the annotations on the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son succeeded him as king.

 

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     耶何耶大去世以後約阿施就變了樣，受到猶大的眾首領的影響，他們離棄耶和華─他們列祖上帝的殿，去事奉亞舍拉和偶像；因他們這罪，就有忿怒臨到猶大和耶路撒冷。

 

    不僅如此先知的勸告都不聽，最後上帝的靈感動祭司耶何耶大的兒子撒迦利亞，他就站在上面對民說：「上帝如此說：你們為何干犯耶和華的誡命，以致不得亨通呢？因為你們離棄耶和華，所以他也離棄你們。」

 

    約阿施最後和猶大百姓一起殺害了撒迦利亞，在耶和華殿的院內用石頭打死他。這樣，約阿施王不想念撒迦利亞的父親耶何耶大向自己所施的恩，殺了他的兒子。撒迦利亞臨死的時候說：「願耶和華鑒察伸冤！」

 

    上帝後來真的伸冤：藉亞蘭人懲罰約阿施。亞蘭人離開約阿施的時候，他患重病；臣僕背叛他，要報祭司耶何耶大兒子流血之仇，殺他在床上，葬他在大衛城，只是不葬在列王的墳墓裡。

 

    主耶穌在教訓百姓時也記念這事：「使創世以來所流眾先知血的罪都要問在這世代的人身上，就是從亞伯的血起，直到被殺在壇和殿中間撒迦利亞的血為止。我實在告訴你們，這都要問在這世代的人身上。」(路加福音11:50-51)

 

 

 

歷代志下24章

     歷代志下24:1-16 ,

     歷代志下24:17-27  ,

歷代志下24:1-16

 

24:1 約阿施登基的時候年七歲，在耶路撒冷作王四十年。他母親名叫西比亞，是別是巴人。
24:2 祭司耶何耶大在世的時候，約阿施行耶和華眼中看為正的事。
24:3 耶何耶大為他娶了兩個妻，並且生兒養女。
24:4 此後，約阿施有意重修耶和華的殿，
24:5 便召聚眾祭司和利未人，吩咐他們說：「你們要往猶大各城去，使以色列眾人捐納銀子，每年可以修理你們上帝的殿；你們要急速辦理這事。」只是利未人不急速辦理。
24:6 王召了大祭司耶何耶大來，對他說：「從前耶和華的僕人摩西，為法櫃的帳幕與以色列會眾所定的捐項，你為何不叫利未人照這例從猶大和耶路撒冷帶來作殿的費用呢？
24:7 （因為那惡婦亞她利雅的眾子曾拆毀上帝的殿，又用耶和華殿中分別為聖的物供奉巴力。）
24:8 於是王下令，眾人做了一櫃，放在耶和華殿的門外，
24:9 又通告猶大和耶路撒冷的百姓，要將上帝僕人摩西在曠野所吩咐以色列人的捐項給耶和華送來。
24:10 眾首領和百姓都歡歡喜喜地將銀子送來，投入櫃中，直到捐完。
24:11 利未人見銀子多了，就把櫃抬到王所派的司事面前；王的書記和大祭司的屬員來將櫃倒空，仍放在原處。日日都是這樣，積蓄的銀子甚多。
24:12 王與耶何耶大將銀子交給耶和華殿裡辦事的人，他們就雇了石匠、木匠重修耶和華的殿，又雇了鐵匠、銅匠修理耶和華的殿。
24:13 工人操作，漸漸修成，將上帝殿修造得與從前一樣，而且甚是堅固。
24:14 工程完了，他們就把其餘的銀子拿到王與耶何耶大面前，用以製造耶和華殿供奉所用的器皿和調羹，並金銀的器皿。耶何耶大在世的時候，眾人常在耶和華殿裡獻燔祭。
24:15 耶何耶大年紀老邁，日子滿足而死。死的時候年一百三十歲，
24:16 葬在大衛城列王的墳墓裡；因為他在以色列人中行善，又事奉上帝，修理上帝的殿。

Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. ² Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest. ³ Jehoiada chose two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters.

⁴ Some time later Joash decided to restore the temple of the Lord. ⁵ He called together the priests and Levites and said to them, “Go to the towns of Judah and collect the money due annually from all Israel, to repair the temple of your God. Do it now.” But the Levites did not act at once.

⁶ Therefore the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest and said to him, “Why haven’t you required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax imposed by Moses the servant of the Lord and by the assembly of Israel for the tent of the covenant law?”

⁷ Now the sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into the temple of God and had used even its sacred objects for the Baals.

⁸ At the king’s command, a chest was made and placed outside, at the gate of the temple of the Lord. ⁹ A proclamation was then issued in Judah and Jerusalem that they should bring to the Lord the tax that Moses the servant of God had required of Israel in the wilderness. ¹⁰ All the officials and all the people brought their contributions gladly, dropping them into the chest until it was full. ¹¹ Whenever the chest was brought in by the Levites to the king’s officials and they saw that there was a large amount of money, the royal secretary and the officer of the chief priest would come and empty the chest and carry it back to its place. They did this regularly and collected a great amount of money. ¹² The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who carried out the work required for the temple of the Lord. They hired masons and carpenters to restore the Lord’s temple, and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the temple.

¹³ The men in charge of the work were diligent, and the repairs progressed under them. They rebuilt the temple of God according to its original design and reinforced it. ¹⁴ When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada, and with it were made articles for the Lord’s temple: articles for the service and for the burnt offerings, and also dishes and other objects of gold and silver. As long as Jehoiada lived, burnt offerings were presented continually in the temple of the Lord.

¹⁵ Now Jehoiada was old and full of years, and he died at the age of a hundred and thirty. ¹⁶ He was buried with the kings in the City of David, because of the good he had done in Israel for God and his temple.

 

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     耶何耶大在世的時候，盡心盡力輔佐約阿施，讓約阿施做好一位猶大王該做的事。不僅如此，還用巧計――準備一個奉獻箱，使猶大人未聖殿的修建和利未人服事的需要來奉獻。

 

    從猶大人奉獻的行動告訴我們，上帝喜悅我們的敬拜中有「奉獻」這個項目，讓我們把當納上帝的，在禮拜的時候歸給上帝，這是上帝所喜悅的！奉獻的意義如《歷代志上》29章14節所說：「…因為萬物都從你而來，我們把從你而得的獻給你。」

 

    因此，我們奉獻不要以為自己很慷慨，是上帝先對我們慷慨，我們才有能力好奉獻呢！

 

 

 

約翰福音15:18-27

 

15:18 「世人若恨你們，你們知道（或譯：該知道），恨你們以先已經恨我了。
15:19 你們若屬世界，世界必愛屬自己的；只因你們不屬世界，乃是我從世界中揀選了你們，所以世界就恨你們。
15:20 你們要記念我從前對你們所說的話：『僕人不能大於主人。』他們若逼迫了我，也要逼迫你們；若遵守了我的話，也要遵守你們的話。
15:21 但他們因我的名要向你們行這一切的事，因為他們不認識那差我來的。
15:22 我若沒有來教訓他們，他們就沒有罪；但如今他們的罪無可推諉了。
15:23 恨我的，也恨我的父。
15:24 我若沒有在他們中間行過別人未曾行的事，他們就沒有罪；但如今連我與我的父，他們也看見也恨惡了。
15:25 這要應驗他們律法上所寫的話，說：『他們無故地恨我。』
15:26 但我要從父那裡差保惠師來，就是從父出來真理的聖靈；他來了，就要為我作見證。
15:27 你們也要作見證，因為你們從起頭就與我同在。」

 

 ¹⁸ “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’^[b] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. ²¹ They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. ²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³ Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. ²⁴ If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. ²⁵ But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’^[c]

²⁶ “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. ²⁷ And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

 

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    主耶穌的遭遇如何，我們的遭遇也該如何，這是很正常的！這也就是說教會要忠於基督，而不是要迎合世界的需要！因為人們拒絕和厭惡、甚至迫害基督，也因此這些都會臨到教會的每一分子！雖然如此，我們仍然要為基督在這個世界上做見證，因為基督與我們同在！

 

    也因為如此，我們不要期盼世界會善待基督徒。世人會稱讚基督徒很有愛心是別有用心，因為基督徒比較好騙，也比較好利用，說了幾句好話，就會溫馴的像綿羊一般！其實這樣的讚美不應該在基督徒身上，我們是要將榮耀歸給上帝，不是歸給自己！因此，我們要好思想主耶穌這段話！

 

    親愛的弟兄姊妹，讓我們勇敢為主站立，要清楚若是堅持「為基督而活」的原則，要是沒有受到逼迫，表示我們做的還不夠！就像最近的經驗，在FB某些「基督徒」社群談到「聖經無誤」、「預定論」、「摩西五經的作者是摩西」、「聖經是上帝的默示」、…等等論點，就被請出社團或是封鎖我的BLOG！這些就是世界的逼迫，甚至還有一些自稱基督徒的人，逼迫我們這些堅信主耶穌是基督的人呢！

 

    所以，主耶穌的話是何等真實啊！

 

 

 

約翰福音15:1-17

 

15:1 「我是真葡萄樹，我父是栽培的人。
15:2 凡屬我不結果子的枝子，他就剪去；凡結果子的，他就修理乾淨，使枝子結果子更多。
15:3 現在你們因我講給你們的道，已經乾淨了。
15:4 你們要常在我裡面，我也常在你們裡面。枝子若不常在葡萄樹上，自己就不能結果子；你們若不常在我裡面，也是這樣。
15:5 我是葡萄樹，你們是枝子。常在我裡面的，我也常在他裡面，這人就多結果子；因為離了我，你們就不能做甚麼。
15:6 人若不常在我裡面，就像枝子丟在外面枯乾，人拾起來，扔在火裡燒了。
15:7 你們若常在我裡面，我的話也常在你們裡面，凡你們所願意的，祈求，就給你們成就。
15:8 你們多結果子，我父就因此得榮耀，你們也就是我的門徒了。
15:9 我愛你們，正如父愛我一樣；你們要常在我的愛裡。
15:10 你們若遵守我的命令，就常在我的愛裡，正如我遵守了我父的命令，常在他的愛裡。
15:11 「這些事我已經對你們說了，是要叫我的喜樂存在你們心裡，並叫你們的喜樂可以滿足。
15:12 你們要彼此相愛，像我愛你們一樣；這就是我的命令。
15:13 人為朋友捨命，人的愛心沒有比這個大的。
15:14 你們若遵行我所吩咐的，就是我的朋友了。
15:15 以後我不再稱你們為僕人，因僕人不知道主人所做的事。我乃稱你們為朋友；因我從我父所聽見的，已經都告訴你們了。
15:16 不是你們揀選了我，是我揀選了你們，並且分派你們去結果子，叫你們的果子常存，使你們奉我的名，無論向父求甚麼，他就賜給你們。
15:17 我這樣吩咐你們，是要叫你們彼此相愛。」

 

 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.

 

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    主耶穌是葡萄樹，我們是枝子。這樣的比喻和保羅的比喻很類似，保羅說教會是基督的身體，而我們每一位信主的人是互為肢體。這兩個比喻的重點都和「合一」與「連結」也關係，這也是基督信仰的中心，也向我們宣告：要在教會裡，我們才能成為基督徒。

 

    而從這樣的理解，聖禮也是很重要。因為「洗禮」是讓我們加入基督的身體，或是連於葡萄樹，成為葡萄樹的枝子。「聖餐」是領受基督的身體和寶血，讓基督的身命充滿在我們裡面，好讓我們靠上帝的話，和其他弟兄姊彼此配搭成為基督的身體或是真葡萄樹。

 

    也因為連於元首基督，我們才能做基督的工。因為基督的工不是靠自己的熱心，而是要有基督的生命在我們心中，我們才可以做基督的工，也才能完成基督的使命，正如這裡所說：「不是你們揀選了我，是我揀選了你們，並且分派你們去結果子，叫你們的果子常存，使你們奉我的名，無論向父求甚麼，他就賜給你們。」

 

    也因為主耶穌有「揀選」，才會有「預定一群人得救」和「預定一群人滅亡」，這樣才是合理的事實！不是上帝殘忍要有些人滅亡，是人自己悖逆上帝在先！上帝在本應滅亡的全部人類中，揀選一些人賜給他們永生，這是上帝格外的恩典！

 

歷代志下23章

    歷代志下23:1-21  ,