又用寶石裝飾殿牆,使殿華美;所用的金子都是巴瓦音的金子。
He adorned the temple with precious stones. And the gold he used was gold of Parvaim.
**********
「巴瓦音」是「東方的地區」的意思,一個以產金子出名的地區,可能位在阿拉伯某地,有可能在俄斐境內。
然而「俄斐」的字義是「變成灰燼」,位於阿拉伯南部,或非洲。是所羅門時期黃金貿易重鎮。
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
又用寶石裝飾殿牆,使殿華美;所用的金子都是巴瓦音的金子。
He adorned the temple with precious stones. And the gold he used was gold of Parvaim.
**********
「巴瓦音」是「東方的地區」的意思,一個以產金子出名的地區,可能位在阿拉伯某地,有可能在俄斐境內。
然而「俄斐」的字義是「變成灰燼」,位於阿拉伯南部,或非洲。是所羅門時期黃金貿易重鎮。
3:15 在殿前造了兩根柱子,高三十五肘;每柱頂高五肘。
3:16 又照聖所內鍊子的樣式做鍊子,安在柱頂上;又做一百石榴,安在鍊子上。
3:17 將兩根柱子立在殿前,一根在右邊,一根在左邊;右邊的起名叫雅斤,左邊的起名叫波阿斯。
15 For the front of the temple he made two pillars, which together were thirty-five cubits long, each with a capital five cubits high. 16 He made interwoven chain and put them on top of the pillars. He also made a hundred pomegranates and attached them to the chains. 17 He erected the pillars in the front of the temple, one to the south and one to the north. The one to the south he named Jakin and the one to the north Boaz.
**********
「雅斤」的意思是「他將建立」;「波阿斯」的意思是「敏捷、快速奔跑的能力」。聖殿的兩隻柱子用這樣的名稱,就是要見證上帝的大能大力!我們信靠的上帝是建立者與敏捷者,凡事都在祂的旨意中進行,使信靠祂的人十分安穩、十分平安!
所羅門就在耶路撒冷、耶和華向他父大衛顯現的摩利亞山上,就是耶布斯人阿珥楠的禾場上、大衛所指定的地方預備好了,開工建造耶和華的殿。
Then Solomon began to build the temple of
the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his
father David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah[a] the Jebusite, the
place provided by David.
*******************
說到建聖殿的地點是在「耶路撒冷、耶和華向他父大衛顯現的摩利亞山上,就是耶布斯人阿珥楠的禾場上」,讓我們可以從聖經看見這是一個神聖的的地方。是亞伯拉罕獻以撒的地方,也是上帝透過先知迦得告訴大衛為耶和華築一座壇的地方。這兩個事件都是顯現上帝拯救的地方,一個是拯救以撒、另一個是拯救以色列人脫離瘟疫。
這也告訴我們:敬拜上帝是因為上帝拯救我們脫離死亡和罪惡,使我們蒙受他所賜的救贖之恩。也因此,敬拜上帝是要回應上帝的拯救,這也是我們為甚麼要守主日禮拜的原因。
我們的禮拜是要感謝與讚美上帝,並要向世人宣告上帝的救恩。這不是責任或規條,而是我們蒙受上帝救贖之恩該有的行為表現,是出於甘心樂意,不是被勉強或要求的!
2:17 所羅門仿照他父大衛數點住在以色列地所有寄居的外邦人,共有十五萬三千六百名;
2:18 使七萬人扛抬材料,八萬人在山上鑿石頭,三千六百人督理工作。
17 Solomon took a census of
all the foreigners residing in Israel, after the census his father David had
taken; and they were found to be 153,600. 18 He assigned
70,000 of them to be carriers and 80,000 to be stonecutters in the hills, with
3,600 foremen over them to keep the people working.
*************
所羅門建造聖殿的工程是非常辛苦的,也因此他採用了寄居的外邦人。他籌畫這工作也做了大略的分工:「使七萬人扛抬材料,八萬人在山上鑿石頭,三千六百人督理工作。」
他也看重協調與管理的工作,除了賣體力工作之外,還設立「三千六百人督理工作」。這表示不能窮忙,凡事要有條理和系統,這3600個督理工作人員,是讓工程確實與迅速完成的重要角色。
而這一切都讓我們看見所羅門的智慧呢!
2:11 泰爾王希蘭寫信回答所羅門說:「耶和華因為愛他的子民,所以立你作他們的王」;
2:12 又說:「創造天地的耶和華─以色列的上帝是應當稱頌的!他賜給大衛王一個有智慧的兒子,使他有謀略聰明,可以為耶和華建造殿宇,又為自己的國建造宮室。
2:13 「現在我打發一個精巧有聰明的人去,他是我父親希蘭所用的,
2:14 是但支派一個婦人的兒子。他父親是泰爾人,他善用金、銀、銅、鐵、石、木,和紫色、藍色、朱紅色線與細麻製造各物,並精於雕刻,又能想出各樣的巧工。請你派定這人,與你的巧匠和你父─我主大衛的巧匠一同做工。
2:15 我主所說的小麥、大麥、酒、油,願我主運來給眾僕人。
2:16 我們必照你所需用的,從黎巴嫩砍伐樹木,紮成筏子,浮海運到約帕;你可以從那裡運到耶路撒冷。」
11 Hiram king of Tyre replied
by letter to Solomon:
“Because the Lord loves his people, he has made
you their king.”
12 And Hiram added:
“Praise be to
the Lord, the God of Israel,
who made heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, endowed with
intelligence and discernment, who will build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself.
13 “I am sending you
Huram-Abi, a man of great skill, 14 whose mother was from
Dan and whose father was from Tyre. He is trained to work in gold and silver,
bronze and iron, stone and wood, and with purple and blue and crimson yarn and
fine linen. He is experienced in all kinds of engraving and can execute any
design given to him. He will work with your skilled workers and with those of
my lord, David your father.
15 “Now let my lord send
his servants the wheat and barley and the olive oil and wine he promised, 16 and
we will cut all the logs from Lebanon that you need and will float them as
rafts by sea down to Joppa. You can then take them up to Jerusalem.”
*******************
在這裡我們看見一項很大的交易:所羅門用以色列盛產的糧食、農作物來交換泰爾的木料與技術(這是以色列欠缺的),達成一種雙贏的結果。
而泰爾王也很有智慧,派給以色列的總工程師,是有以色列人的血源,其母親是但支派的,雖然父親是泰爾人。不僅如此,還是經驗老道的:「他善用金、銀、銅、鐵、石、木,和紫色、藍色、朱紅色線與細麻製造各物,並精於雕刻,又能想出各樣的巧工。」
在這裡更讓我們看見成事需要「技術」和「材料」為基礎,背後的運籌帷幄才是使這兩樣發揮功能的力量。而這樣的智慧是來自上帝,而不是人的空想!
2:3 所羅門差人去見泰爾王希蘭,說:「你曾運香柏木與我父大衛建宮居住,求你也這樣待我。
2:4 我要為耶和華─我上帝的名建造殿宇,分別為聖獻給他,在他面前焚燒美香,常擺陳設餅,每早晚、安息日、月朔,並耶和華─我們上帝所定的節期獻燔祭。這是以色列人永遠的定例。
2:5 我所要建造的殿宇甚大;因為我們的上帝至大,超乎諸神。
2:6 天和天上的天,尚且不足他居住的,誰能為他建造殿宇呢?我是誰?能為他建造殿宇嗎?不過在他面前燒香而已。
2:7 現在求你差一個巧匠來,就是善用金、銀、銅、鐵,和紫色、朱紅色、藍色線,並精於雕刻之工的巧匠,與我父大衛在猶大和耶路撒冷所預備的巧匠一同做工;
2:8 又求你從黎巴嫩運些香柏木、松木、檀香木到我這裡來,因我知道你的僕人善於砍伐黎巴嫩的樹木。我的僕人也必與你的僕人同工。
2:9 這樣,可以給我預備許多的木料,因我要建造的殿宇高大出奇。
2:10 你的僕人砍伐樹木,我必給他們打好了的小麥二萬歌珥,大麥二萬歌珥,酒二萬罷特,油二萬罷特。」
3 Solomon sent this message
to Hiram king of Tyre:
“Send me cedar logs
as you did for my father David when you sent him cedar to build a palace to
live in. 4 Now I am about to build a temple for the Name
of the Lord my God and
to dedicate it to him for burning fragrant incense before him, for setting out
the consecrated bread regularly, and for making burnt offerings every morning
and evening and on the Sabbaths, at the New Moons and at the appointed
festivals of the Lord our
God. This is a lasting ordinance for Israel.
5 “The temple I am
going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other
gods. 6 But who is able to build a temple for him, since
the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? Who then am I to
build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?
7 “Send me, therefore,
a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple,
crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in
Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled workers, whom my father David provided.
8 “Send me also cedar,
juniper and algum logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants are
skilled in cutting timber there. My servants will work with yours 9 to
provide me with plenty of lumber, because the temple I build must be large and
magnificent. 10 I will give your servants, the woodsmen
who cut the timber, twenty thousand cors of ground wheat, twenty thousand
cors of barley, twenty thousand baths of wine and twenty thousand
baths of olive oil.”
****************
所羅門透過使者向泰爾王希蘭說明建造聖殿的目的和需要的資源,因為在從前大衛建造宮殿時,也受到他們的幫助。
在過去的歷史,關於泰爾有如此的說明:古代腓尼基人的主要海港之一,位於耶路撒冷北方約150公里 ,的一個小島之上。它除了在當時的航海商業中扮演極重要的角色之外,紡織和染色工業,以及香柏木出口,都是此處著名的產業。泰爾非常仰賴以色列的農產品供應,以色列也控制內陸到推羅的商業大道。因此泰爾王是最早承認大衛王的君王。
也因為這樣,所羅門王就需要運用到泰爾王希蘭來幫忙,所以所羅門藉由建聖殿來做宣教。這也告訴我們,宣教不一定是我們提供物品給人,也可以向提供物品給我們的人呢!
2:1 所羅門定意要為耶和華的名建造殿宇,又為自己的國建造宮室。
2:2 所羅門就挑選七萬扛抬的,八萬在山上鑿石頭的,三千六百督工的。
Solomon gave orders to build a temple for the Name of the Lord and a royal palace for himself. 2 He conscripted 70,000 men as carriers and 80,000 as stonecutters in the hills and 3,600 as foremen over them.
**********
所羅門建造聖殿的心志是堅定的,所以他挑選真正會建造的人去執行。這也是上帝的預備,這些人如經文所說:「七萬扛抬的,八萬在山上鑿石頭的,三千六百督工的。」
這也提醒我們「人力」的重要,上帝也要我們奉獻自己的力量,配合上帝行事,完成上帝的旨意。上帝賜給我們恩賜,也是要我們彼此互相配搭完成上帝的心意,這是超越我們可以明白的!
上帝的攝理與作為,真的超越我們的想像,只有將自己交託給上帝,讓上帝的心意成全,使上帝得榮耀,而我們也同得榮耀!