以斯拉記4:1-24

 

4:1 猶大和便雅憫的敵人聽說被擄歸回的人為耶和華─以色列的上帝建造殿宇，
4:2 就去見所羅巴伯和以色列的族長，對他們說：「請容我們與你們一同建造；因為我們尋求你們的上帝，與你們一樣。自從亞述王以撒哈頓帶我們上這地以來，我們常祭祀上帝。」
4:3 但所羅巴伯、耶書亞，和其餘以色列的族長對他們說：「我們建造上帝的殿與你們無干，我們自己為耶和華─以色列的上帝協力建造，是照波斯王塞魯士所吩咐的。」
4:4 那地的民，就在猶大人建造的時候，使他們的手發軟，擾亂他們；
4:5 從波斯王塞魯士年間，直到波斯王大流士登基的時候，賄買謀士，要敗壞他們的謀算。
4:6 在亞哈隨魯才登基的時候，上本控告猶大和耶路撒冷的居民。
4:7 亞達薛西年間，比施蘭、米特利達、他別，和他們的同黨上本奏告波斯王亞達薛西。本章是用亞蘭文字，亞蘭方言。
4:8 省長利宏、書記伸帥要控告耶路撒冷人，也上本奏告亞達薛西王。
4:9 省長利宏、書記伸帥，和同黨的底拿人、亞法薩提迦人、他毘拉人、亞法撒人、亞基衛人、巴比倫人、書珊迦人、底亥人、以攔人，
4:10 和尊大的亞斯那巴所遷移、安置在撒馬利亞城，並大河西一帶地方的人等，
4:11 上奏亞達薛西王說：「河西的臣民云云：
4:12 王該知道，從王那裡上到我們這裡的猶大人，已經到耶路撒冷重建這反叛惡劣的城，築立根基，建造城牆。
4:13 如今王該知道，他們若建造這城，城牆完畢就不再與王進貢，交課，納稅，終久王必受虧損。
4:14 我們既食御鹽，不忍見王吃虧，因此奏告於王。
4:15 請王考察先王的實錄，必在其上查知這城是反叛的城，與列王和各省有害；自古以來，其中常有悖逆的事，因此這城曾被拆毀。
4:16 我們謹奏王知，這城若再建造，城牆完畢，河西之地王就無分了。」
4:17 那時王諭覆省長利宏、書記伸帥，和他們的同黨，就是住撒馬利亞並河西一帶地方的人，說：「願你們平安云云。
4:18 你們所上的本，已經明讀在我面前。
4:19 我已命人考查，得知此城古來果然背叛列王，其中常有反叛悖逆的事。
4:20 從前耶路撒冷也有大君王統管河西全地，人就給他們進貢，交課，納稅。
4:21 現在你們要出告示命這些人停工，使這城不得建造，等我降旨。
4:22 你們當謹慎，不可遲延，為何容害加重，使王受虧損呢？」
4:23 亞達薛西王的上諭讀在利宏和書記伸帥，並他們的同黨面前，他們就急忙往耶路撒冷去見猶大人，用勢力強迫他們停工。
4:24 於是，在耶路撒冷上帝殿的工程就停止了，直停到波斯王大流士第二年。

 

When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, ² they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, “Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.”

³ But Zerubbabel, Joshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.”

⁴ Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building.^{[a] 5} They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.

⁶ At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes,^[b] they lodged an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

⁷ And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic script and in the Aramaic language.^[c][d]

⁸ Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:

⁹ Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary, together with the rest of their associates—the judges, officials and administrators over the people from Persia, Uruk and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa, ¹⁰ and the other people whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the city of Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates.

¹¹ (This is a copy of the letter they sent him.)

To King Artaxerxes,

From your servants in Trans-Euphrates:

¹² The king should know that the people who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring the walls and repairing the foundations.

¹³ Furthermore, the king should know that if this city is built and its walls are restored, no more taxes, tribute or duty will be paid, and eventually the royal revenues will suffer.^{[e] 14} Now since we are under obligation to the palace and it is not proper for us to see the king dishonored, we are sending this message to inform the king, ¹⁵ so that a search may be made in the archives of your predecessors. In these records you will find that this city is a rebellious city, troublesome to kings and provinces, a place with a long history of sedition. That is why this city was destroyed. ¹⁶ We inform the king that if this city is built and its walls are restored, you will be left with nothing in Trans-Euphrates.

¹⁷ The king sent this reply:

To Rehum the commanding officer, Shimshai the secretary and the rest of their associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates:

Greetings.

¹⁸ The letter you sent us has been read and translated in my presence. ¹⁹ I issued an order and a search was made, and it was found that this city has a long history of revolt against kings and has been a place of rebellion and sedition. ²⁰ Jerusalem has had powerful kings ruling over the whole of Trans-Euphrates, and taxes, tribute and duty were paid to them. ²¹ Now issue an order to these men to stop work, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order. ²² Be careful not to neglect this matter. Why let this threat grow, to the detriment of the royal interests?

²³ As soon as the copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled them by force to stop.

²⁴ Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

 

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    聖殿的重建並不是很順利，遇見了仇敵的破壞，甚至還上奏波斯皇帝，以致讓聖殿的建造停頓了一段時間呢！

 

    這也讓我們知道，上帝的事工不見的都是順順利利的，常常會遇見一些阻力，甚至讓我們非常沮喪的事情發生。這時候，我們更是需要相信上帝是永不放棄的上帝，祂一定會讓祂的旨意成全，雖然有所阻攔，也是一時的！

 

    為主事工而努力服事的弟兄姊妹，讓我們在面對這些考驗時，藉由對上帝的話語的堅信和不住的禱告還面對這樣的考驗，怪不得主耶穌勉勵我們「禱告不可灰心」(路加福音18:1)

 

    求主常常加添我們心力，因為在主耶穌再來之前，我們必定遭遇許多的磨難，但是我們相信：「惟有忍耐到底的，必然得救！」(馬太福音24:13)

 

 

使徒行傳8:26-40

 

8:26 有主的一個使者對腓利說：「起來！向南走，往那從耶路撒冷下迦薩的路上去。」那路是曠野。
8:27 腓利就起身去了，不料，有一個衣索匹亞（就是古實，見以賽亞十八章一節）人，是個有大權的太監，在衣索匹亞女王甘大基的手下總管銀庫，他上耶路撒冷禮拜去了。
8:28 現在回來，在車上坐著，念先知以賽亞的書。
8:29 聖靈對腓利說：「你去！貼近那車走。」
8:30 腓利就跑到太監那裡，聽見他念先知以賽亞的書，便問他說：「你所念的，你明白嗎？」
8:31 他說：「沒有人指教我，怎能明白呢？」於是請腓利上車，與他同坐。
8:32 他所念的那段經，說：他像羊被牽到宰殺之地，又像羊羔在剪毛的人手下無聲；他也是這樣不開口。
8:33 他卑微的時候，人不按公義審判他（原文是他的審判被奪去）；誰能述說他的世代？因為他的生命從地上奪去。
8:34 太監對腓利說：「請問，先知說這話是指著誰？是指著自己呢？是指著別人呢？」
8:35 腓利就開口從這經上起，對他傳講耶穌。
8:36 二人正往前走，到了有水的地方，太監說：「看哪，這裡有水，我受洗有甚麼妨礙呢？」（有古卷加：
8:37 腓利說：「你若是一心相信，就可以。」他回答說：「我信耶穌基督是上帝的兒子。」）
8:38 於是吩咐車站住，腓利和太監二人同下水裡去，腓利就給他施洗。
8:39 從水裡上來，主的靈把腓利提了去，太監也不再見他了，就歡歡喜喜地走路。
8:40 後來有人在亞鎖都遇見腓利；他走遍那地方，在各城宣傳福音，直到凱撒利亞。

 

²⁶ Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” ²⁷ So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian^[a] eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, ²⁸ and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. ²⁹ The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

³⁰ Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

³¹ “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

³² This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:

“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
    and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
³³ In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
    Who can speak of his descendants?
    For his life was taken from the earth.”^[b]

³⁴ The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” ³⁵ Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

³⁶ As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” ^{[37] [c] 38} And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. ³⁹ When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰ Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

 

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    人的信主真的是上帝的作為，是出於上帝的恩典！要不是上帝感動腓利，藉由天使說：「起來！向南走，往那從耶路撒冷下迦薩的路上去。」

 

    雖然那路是曠野，或許腓利走也不會走到那裏，但是上帝催逼，腓利就起身去了，遇到一個衣索匹亞人，是個有大權的太監，在衣索匹亞女王甘大基的手下總管銀庫，他上耶路撒冷禮拜去了。

 

    這個外邦大臣是敬虔人，在車上坐著，念先知以賽亞的書。聖靈對腓利說：「你去！貼近那車走。」腓利就跑到太監那裡，聽見他念先知以賽亞的書，便問他說：「你所念的，你明白嗎？」

 

    也因為這樣，他說：「沒有人指教我，怎能明白呢？」於是請腓利上車，與他同坐。也在這時候，腓利透過《以賽亞書》的經文，讓衣索匹亞太監任是先之所說的就是耶穌基督，也因為這樣就受洗信主了！

 

    上帝就是這樣奇妙，不管領人信主或是聽福音信主，都是聖靈的工作，而我們成為基督徒，就是上帝呼召我們來成就這工作，這一切都是上帝的作為與恩典，感謝主！

 

 

 

使徒行傳8:9-25

 

8:9 有一個人，名叫西門，向來在那城裡行邪術，妄自尊大，使撒馬利亞的百姓驚奇；
8:10 無論大小都聽從他，說：「這人就是那稱為上帝的大能者。」
8:11 他們聽從他，因他久用邪術，使他們驚奇。
8:12 及至他們信了腓利所傳上帝國的福音和耶穌基督的名，連男帶女就受了洗。
8:13 西門自己也信了；既受了洗，就常與腓利在一處，看見他所行的神蹟和大異能，就甚驚奇。
8:14 使徒在耶路撒冷聽見撒馬利亞人領受了上帝的道，就打發彼得、約翰往他們那裡去。
8:15 兩個人到了，就為他們禱告，要叫他們受聖靈。
8:16 因為聖靈還沒有降在他們一個人身上，他們只奉主耶穌的名受了洗。
8:17 於是使徒按手在他們頭上，他們就受了聖靈。
8:18 西門看見使徒按手，便有聖靈賜下，就拿錢給使徒，
8:19 說：「把這權柄也給我，叫我手按著誰，誰就可以受聖靈。」
8:20 彼得說：「你的銀子和你一同滅亡吧！因你想上帝的恩賜是可以用錢買的。
8:21 你在這道上無分無關；因為在上帝面前，你的心不正。
8:22 你當懊悔你這罪惡，祈求主，或者你心裡的意念可得赦免。
8:23 我看出你正在苦膽之中，被罪惡捆綁。」
8:24 西門說：「願你們為我求主，叫你們所說的，沒有一樣臨到我身上。」
8:25 使徒既證明主道，而且傳講，就回耶路撒冷去，一路在撒馬利亞好些村莊傳揚福音。

 

⁹ Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, ¹⁰ and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” ¹¹ They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. ¹² But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. ¹³ Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

¹⁴ When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. ¹⁵ When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, ¹⁶ because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁷ Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

¹⁸ When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money ¹⁹ and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

²⁰ Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! ²¹ You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. ²² Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. ²³ For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

²⁴ Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

²⁵ After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.

 

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    上帝的權柄是不能用金錢收買的，這是使徒彼得要對那行邪術後來信主的西門說的信息，而且使很嚴重的信息，正如經文所說：「「你的銀子和你一同滅亡吧！因你想上帝的恩賜是可以用錢買的。你在這道上無分無關；因為在上帝面前，你的心不正。你當懊悔你這罪惡，祈求主，或者你心裡的意念可得赦免。我看出你正在苦膽之中，被罪惡捆綁。」

 

    彼得這段話讓我們看見，恩賜是上帝的主權，不是人的欲求，人想盡辦法要得的恩賜，若不是上帝所賜的，是人無法所得著的，更不用說要以金錢來購買，這是行不通的！

 

    我們得恩賜是上帝自己有主權要賜給誰就是給誰，所以我們不可以用「野心」來想得到怎樣的恩賜，好來彰顯自己的名聲，這樣的動機不正確，是上帝所恨惡的，也是上帝所唾棄的，凡不順上帝的心意的，就是與上帝為敵，最後的下場就敗亡！

 

    今日有許多人以為「傳道」是教會最重要的恩賜，不盡自己想傳道還鼓勵許多人同走傳道的路。然而有些人以為傳道是自願的，只要自己覺得喜歡就認為是上帝的呼召。其實不然，真正的呼召常常不是個人喜歡，上帝常常會使用不喜歡傳道的人來成為傳道人，這是很弔詭的事情！

 

    因此，一切都要看上帝的作為，人的動機只有一個就是要順從上帝的心意，而不是顯揚自己的名聲或是追求任何利益，若是為了利益和名聲就不要成為專職的傳道人！