巴沙／以拉／心利／暗利／亞哈

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〈列王紀〉上 16:2  我既從塵埃中提拔你，立你做我民以色列的君，你竟行耶羅波安所行的道，使我民以色列陷在罪裡，惹我發怒。

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〈列王紀〉上15:25-34

  〈列王紀〉上 16:1-34

今天的經文是講到以色列北國，王權一連串轉換的歷史。

以色列王：耶羅波安（父）（22年）→拿答（子）（2年）→巴沙（篡）(24年)→以拉（子）（2年）→心利（篡）（7日）→暗利（篡）（12年）→亞哈（子）（22年）。

我們要先解決兩個年數上的小問題：第一個是暗利做王的年數：在耶羅波安做王第20年時，猶大王亞撒登基；到了亞撒王第38年時，以色列王亞哈登基。照年數算有時比較不準，因為有時不夠兩年，或是前後連接也算一年，就算了兩次。暗利做王是從亞撒27年算起，而不是從亞撒31年算起，頭尾相加共12年。

第二個問題，是巴沙何時攻擊猶大？在〈歷代志下〉16章1-6節記載：“亞撒36年，以色列王巴沙上來攻擊猶大”。但是在〈列王記上〉15章33節記載：“猶大王亞撒第三年，亞希雅的兒子巴沙在得撒登基做以色列眾人的王，共24年”。那麼，巴沙在亞撒27年時就已經去世了，不可能在亞撒36年還來攻擊猶大。這個時間很模糊。在無法確定時間時，我們主要看發生的事件和其影響。也可以明白，不管人怎樣盡心盡力，總會出錯。以色列人抄聖經是出名的嚴謹，翻譯聖經的人當然也存著非常慎重的心態來做這事，但不管人怎樣努力，總會找出一些可以改進的地方，使我們不能不謙卑，因為人實太有限了。

在亞撒做王時，正是耶羅波安年老快退位時，耶羅波安傳位給兒子拿答。基比頓是迦南中部的一座城，原是非利士人的城，以色列人進軍迦南時奪了此城，劃給利未支派中的哥轄子孫為業。不久，又被非利士人佔據，故又稱為：非利士的基比頓。王國分裂後，拿答試圖拿回此城，在圍困基比頓，和非利士人戰得難解難分時，部下巴沙背叛了拿答，殺了他，自己做起以色列王。廿幾年以後，巴沙的兒子以拉做王，他的元帥在攻打基比頓時，他被一個管戰車的臣子心利殺掉。拿答在圍困基比頓時，巴沙篡位；暗利在攻打基比頓時，心利在得撒殺了巴沙的兒子以拉篡位。因為臣子們在基比頓戰得很辛苦時，以拉卻在得撒喝到酒醉，看來以拉也不是一個好王。

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Why Does God Care About Mildew?

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Leviticus 14:33-57.  Let’s go!

Leviticus 14:33-48 (NIV)
33  The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
34  “When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a spreading mildew in a house in that land,
35  the owner of the house must go and tell the priest, ‘I have seen something that looks like mildew in my house.’
36  The priest is to order the house to be emptied before he goes in to examine the mildew, so that nothing in the house will be pronounced unclean. After this the priest is to go in and inspect the house…….

On verses 33-48:  Here the Lord gives Moses and Aaron regulations about how to inspect houses containing mildew.  As you read Leviticus, you’ll find that priests in ancient Israel wore many hats – spiritual leader, teacher, butcher, skin examiner, social worker, and here house inspector.  Here the priests are given a protocol for dealing with houses containing mold.  That protocol could be summed as follows: clear the house (v36), examine it (v37), close it up and leave it for seven days (v38), and re-inspect (v39).  If the mildew has spread, tear out the contaminated stones (v40), scrape off all the mold and dump the mold in an authorized dump zone outside of the town (v41), and re-plaster (v42).  If the mildew reappears after that, tear down the house (v43-45).  If the mildew does not reappear, pronounce the house clean (v48).

What can we learn from this?  When facing a situation that has gone wrong, work hard to fix it.  But if the problem still won’t go away, you may need to consider tearing down and starting again.  May God give you wisdom to know how to apply this principle in a way that honours His Word and bears fruit in your life, because it is also possible to misapply this principle.

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猶大王亞撒和以色列王巴沙

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歷代志下 15:2b   你們若順從耶和華，耶和華必與你們同在。

閱讀經文：

列王紀上 15:9-34 (亞撒登基，巴沙篡位殺拿答)

  歷代志下 14:9-15 (亞撒與古實王爭戢)

  歷代志下15:1-19 (亞撒利亞鼓勵亞撒)

  歷代志下 16:1-14 (亞撒拿聖殿的金銀送便哈達)

猶大王：羅波安→亞比央→亞撒。以色列王：耶羅波安（父）→拿答（子）→巴沙（篡位）。

為何神要特別把這些君王的歷史放在《聖經》裡呢？我想，每一個王都是一個人，從這些王的事蹟裡，我們都可以發現有一個小小的自己在裡面，也從而找到自己應該遵循的方向，和應該棄絕的想法。人生好比一條路，若跟隨主走下去，便可回到父家；反之，若被誤導到不同的路上，就要趕快回頭，免得回不到家。在猶大南國，雖然有好幾個王都三心二意地跟隨神，但至少在碰到困難時還會尋求神倚靠神；但是在以色列北國已經完全漠視神的存在和主權。

在猶大南國，因著神的應許，大衛的子孫一個個接續著坐上王位；在以色列北國的王就沒有這樣的幸運了，耶羅波安的兒子做王兩年就被巴沙殺掉篡位。巴沙不只是殺拿答，順手就把耶羅波安的全家也都殺得淨光，凡有氣息的沒有留下一個。神對耶羅波安的咒詛全應驗了：“我必使災禍臨到耶羅波安的家，將屬耶羅波安的男丁，無論困住的、自由的，都從以色列中剪除，必除盡耶羅波安的家，如人除盡糞土一般。凡屬耶羅波安的人，死在城中的必被狗吃，死在田野的必被空中的鳥吃。（王上14:10-11）”。被殺而來不及掩埋的，就被狗和鳥爭相覓食。可見人的肉體何等沒用，一旦失去了生命，就什麼也保不住了。

猶大王亞撒的一生分為三個階段。第一個階段記載亞撒做王後的第一個10年，他很積極地行神眼中看為善為正的事。他除掉外邦神的壇和丘壇，打碎柱像，砍下木偶；也吩咐猶大人尋求耶和華他們列祖的神，遵行祂的律法，誡命。亞撒全心尋求神，神就賜給猶大國平安。亞撒也趁著國泰民安，著手建造堅固的城邑和建立強大的軍隊。這就是亞撒做王第一階段的成就。

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God’s Provision When I Couldn’t Afford It

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Leviticus 14:19-32.  Let’s go!

Leviticus 14:19-32 (NIV)
19  “Then the priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from his uncleanness. After that, the priest shall slaughter the burnt offering
20  and offer it on the altar, together with the grain offering, and make atonement for him, and he will be clean.
21  “If, however, he is poor and cannot afford these, he must take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for him, together with a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, a log of oil,
22  and two doves or two young pigeons, which he can afford, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering…….

On verses 19-32:  Leviticus 14:1-32 is talking about the process by which a leper who was once quarantined from the community due to his skin condition could be restored to the community.

Verses 10 through 18 talk about the sacrifice that the now restored leper is to bring, consisting of two male lambs and a one year old female lamb (also called an ewe).  But what if the leper was poor and could not afford two male lambs and a female lamb?  Verses 19-32 allow the leper instead to bring one single male lamb and two birds (either doves or pigeons) as the leper’s sacrifice.  The one single male lamb would serve as the leper’s guilt offering (v21) and the two birds would serve as the leper’s sin offering and burnt offering (v22).

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《聖經中各種審判》7 — 對埃及的審判

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論及歷史上的帝國

聖經的各種審判的講解，讓我們明白上帝如何在歷史中，透過祂運行在世上的權柄以及管教全世界的作為，彰顯祂的公義與聖潔。在整個源遠流城的歷史洪流中，中東以及北非的歷史上出現幾個最大的帝國，最先是阿卡帝國，以後是巴比倫、埃及、亞述、波斯、馬其頓、羅馬帝國，這些帝國的氣派與統治的範圍幾乎沒有可相比的。如今，無論東方或西方，已經沒有帝國的存在，昔日偉大的帝國都消滅了，現今還存在有王權但沒有統治實權的王族，挪威、瑞典、丹麥還有王族，昔日掌有大權的英國皇家現在也沒有太大的實權。日本的皇族與中國的皇族不一樣的地方，在於中國的皇族常常換姓，但日本的天皇制度一直傳下來，沒有換姓，日本皇族與日本社會非常敬重自己王族的傳習。中國最先的唐堯虞舜，是禪讓制度；禹之後，傳子不傳賢，之後夏朝被商朝推翻，商朝再被周朝推翻，異性的政權傳到滿族，最後被孫中山推翻。西方的帝國，國祚最長的，是二千多年的羅馬帝國；東方的王朝，國祚最長的，是五千多年的中國王朝。

君士坦丁促使羅馬帝國成為基督教國家

國祚綿延的羅馬帝國起初反對基督教，殺害基督徒，逼迫教會，直到第四世紀某一天的晚上，君士坦丁（Constantine, c.272-337）做夢，夢到他打仗的時候，有十字架的旗號在空中飛揚，說：「你要得著基督，才能得勝」，君士坦丁照著去做，果然全軍大勝，因而改信基督教。【編按：教會史家優西比烏（Eusebius of Caesarea, c.260-340）撰寫的《君士坦丁的一生》（Life of Constantine），書中曾提及君士坦丁與勢均力敵的對手對敵，在一場決定性戰役前夜曾做一個夢，夢中君士坦丁看見耶穌對他說：「只要以基督十字架作為部隊旌旗，就一定會戰勝敵軍」，夢醒之後的君士坦丁就照著夢中得到的指示更改旌旗，他的軍隊果然在這場決定性的戰役中大獲全勝。有另一說：在決戰前，君士坦丁望向天空，看見太陽之上有十字架的形狀，同時也出現一段文字說明；「以此記號，你必征服」，於是君士坦丁命令士兵在盾牌上畫上十字架的記號，他的軍隊果然戰勝。資料來源：台灣教會公報】君士坦丁改信基督教，使得原先反對基督教、殺害基督徒、逼害教會的帝國，舉國上下改信基督教，這是天大的事情。

描繪〈君士坦丁靠基督得勝〉的圖我們教會有，因為我請一位畫家從中國搬到印尼，在這裡吃、住、作畫，其中一幅畫作就是這幅。我在深圳遇到這位畫家，發現他繪畫的長才，便問他願不願到印尼作畫。那時他才二十三、四歲，他曾到印尼幫有錢人畫圖，他其中一個作品是畫在屋頂上。在屋頂上作畫是很難的，從前的人要建木架，躺在那邊，臉朝向屋頂，把漆放上去，如果漆掉進眼睛，可能會瞎的。米開朗基羅（Michelangelo Buonarroti, 1475 -1564）就是這樣在西斯汀禮拜堂的屋頂，畫了全世界著名的〈創世記〉，有一次漆掉在他的眼睛旁，險些使他瞎眼；還有一次，他從木架摔下來，差一點殘廢。義大利人認為他比里奧納多達芬奇（Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519）更偉大。我用自己的錢把這名畫家五、六張的圖畫買回來，其中一張大到我沒有辦法從香港帶回來，長度六公尺四，比你的床大兩、三倍，這樣大的圖畫不能折，帶上飛機也很困難。於是，我邀請他到印尼住，在這裡畫，傳福音給他。這位畫家因而待在印尼二年多的時間，他所畫的其中兩項畫作，其一是在教會建築最高的二十四層樓，他畫了六公尺四米〈最後的審判〉的複製品，還有一張長五公尺半、高三公尺四，我放在二十四樓音樂廳外的一座牆上，那是第二張最大的圖，叫做〈君士坦丁靠基督得勝〉。如果你們有機會上去看一下，我很樂意解釋給你們聽。這個教會有世界最好的音樂、圖畫、神學，都是為你們預備。

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The Work Jesus Does to Restore You

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Leviticus 14:1-18.  Let’s go!

Leviticus 14:1-18 (NIV)
1  The LORD said to Moses,
2  “These are the regulations for the diseased person at the time of his ceremonial cleansing, when he is brought to the priest:
3  The priest is to go outside the camp and examine him. If the person has been healed of his infectious skin disease,
4  the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed.
5  Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot.
6  He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water…….

In Leviticus 14 we read of what a priest would do for a leper who had been banished from society because of their skin condition.  The priest was to go outside the camp to find the leper, to examine the leper, to confirm the leper’s healing, to make sacrifices on the leper’s behalf and to restore the leper back into the community.  Notice that it is the priest who does all the work on behalf of the leper so that the leper could be restored.

Similarly, when we were lost and cut off from God’s presence and God’s community because of our sin condition, Jesus our great high priest went outside of heaven’s borders to find us, to search our hearts, to proclaim our healing, to make costly sacrifices for us, and to bring us back to God and God’s community.  Jesus did all the work on behalf of us so that we could be restored.

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Clean Because of Jesus

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Leviticus 13:40-59.  Let’s go!

Leviticus 13:40-46 (NIV)
40  “When a man has lost his hair and is bald, he is clean.
41  If he has lost his hair from the front of his scalp and has a bald forehead, he is clean.
42  But if he has a reddish-white sore on his bald head or forehead, it is an infectious disease breaking out on his head or forehead.
43  The priest is to examine him, and if the swollen sore on his head or forehead is reddish-white like an infectious skin disease,
44  the man is diseased and is unclean. The priest shall pronounce him unclean because of the sore on his head.
45  “The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’
46  As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp.

On verses 40-46:  In Leviticus 13:45-46 we read of the way in which people with leprosy were kept away from the rest of society: they would need to tear their clothes, cover their faces, cry out “unclean!” whenever anyone came near, and live alone outside the camp away from everyone.  Sadly, for the protection of the rest of the community, lepers were treated as the untouchables of Israelite society.

Given this, it is amazing to read about the way Jesus treated lepers.  In Luke 5:12-16, a man covered in leprosy sees Jesus and falls with his face to the ground and begs Jesus, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus’ response is, literally, touching.  The Bible says Jesus reached out his hand and touched this man, who probably had not felt the touch of another human being in a very long time.  When no one else was willing to get near him, let alone touch him, Jesus touched and said, “I am willing.  Be clean!”  And when Jesus touched the leper, the leprosy left him immediately.

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猶大王亞比央 / 亞比雅

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〈歷代志〉下 12:8  然而他們必做示撒的僕人，好叫他們知道服侍我與服侍外邦人有何分別。

閱讀經文：〈列王紀 〉上  15:1-8 
  〈歷代志〉下 13:1-21

從〈列王紀〉和〈歷代志〉的記載，我們不難發現亞比央／亞比雅有不同的母親名。可能很多讀者都已經知道亞比央就是亞比雅，就好像現代人除了有姓氏first name ，還有中間小名middle name，以及一般常用的名字。但是他的母親好像是兩個不同的人，又是怎麼一回事呢？根據聖經學者的解釋：瑪迦是押沙龍的外孫女，又名米該亞。押沙龍只有一個女兒，名叫她瑪（撒下14:27），她嫁給基比亞人烏利，生下瑪迦（代下13:2）。瑪迦嫁給羅波安，生下亞比央，又叫亞比雅。他是羅波安所生的28個兒子中的一個，不是長子，但是羅波安偏愛瑪迦，因此立亞比央為繼位者。亞比央的意思是：「我父是大海」；亞比雅的意思是：「我父是耶和華」。可見當羅波安在為兒子取名時，依然有尊崇神的心在裡面。只可惜，在神的眼中，他是一個心懷二意，不專心遵守主道的惡王。

我們來回顧一下猶大王和以色列王的順序，免得再讀下去就亂套了，因為名字越來越多了，很不好記。以色列王從掃羅開始，再來是大衛，所羅門，接著就是王國的分裂，分裂成猶大南國和以色列北國。猶大南國從羅波安開始，現在亞比央是第二任的猶大王。此時北國以色列的第一任王耶羅波安還健在。羅波安曾經想要進攻取回以色列北國，恢復統一時，神藉著先知示瑪雅去阻止他們。但可能因為國界太相近了，所以經常有衝突。到了亞比央時，終於爆發了一場大戰。

在這場大的戰事中，亞比央（就是亞比雅）率領挑選的兵四十萬擺陣，耶羅波安也挑選了大能的勇士八十萬擺陣。在戰事之前，亞比央對著以色列的軍士強調三點：一，以色列國是神賜給大衛和他的後裔，是神與大衛立的鹽約，是無法改變的。所以若不是大衛的後裔作王，就名不正言不順，所以必須討伐耶羅波安。二，以色列北國離棄耶和華神，驅逐耶和華的祭司亞倫的後裔和利未人。無論何人牽一隻公牛犢、七隻公綿羊將自己分別出來，就可做虛無之神的祭司。指責以色列北國在靈性上的背叛。三，猶大南國沒有離棄神，依然守著律法，在聖殿敬拜和獻祭。因此和猶大南國為敵就是與耶和華神為敵。

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羅波安做猶大王

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〈歷代志〉下 12:8  然而他們必做示撒的僕人，好叫他們知道服侍我與服侍外邦人有何分別。

閱讀經文：〈列王紀 〉上  14:21-31 
  〈歷代志〉下 11:1-23 

羅波安41歲時做王，所羅門做王40年，所以在所羅門王做王之前，羅波安已經出生。換句話說，在所羅門王尚未娶埃及法老的女兒之前，所羅門已經和耶羅波安的亞捫人媽媽結婚了。因為受到所羅門王被異邦的妃嬪誘惑去拜偶像的影響，等到羅波安做王時，猶大人已經失去了大衛時代的敬虔。他們在各高岡上、各青翠樹下築壇，立柱像和木偶。國中也有孌童，猶大人學著外邦人做一切神所憎惡的事。羅波安在成長的過程中，看著他父親的轉變，從敬畏神到跟著外邦的妻妾去拜假神；他耳濡目染，做王後也娶了18個妻，立了60個妾。，又為他的眾子們多尋妻子。

在台灣設立了奇美醫院和奇美博物館的企業家許文龍先生，有次談到不把財產留給兒子們的原因之一，是因為兒子們若有了許多財產，很可能再去娶妾，反而會破壞他們家庭的和諧。這真是智者之見。瑪拉基先知說：“雖然神有靈的餘力能造多人，祂不是單造一人嗎？為何只造一人呢？乃是祂願人得虔誠的後裔。所以當謹守你們的心，誰也不可以詭詐待幼年所娶的妻。（瑪2:15）”

大衛留給所羅門對耶和華的信仰和建聖殿的大業；所羅門留給羅波安的是破產的信仰和失去十個支派的劇變。但是神並沒有因而離開羅波安。神本來只給大衛的後裔一個支派，但是不僅便雅憫支派留下來，利未人也紛紛放棄家園來歸向羅波安。因為耶羅波安轉去拜金牛犢，不讓他們侍奉耶和華。這是一個很大的變遷，利未人寧可放棄郊野的產業回到猶大地，那些立定心意要尋求耶和華的，都隨著利未人來到耶路撒冷。因此在羅波安手下有了更多的百姓。這對羅波安是何等的鼓勵，因為對耶和華神的信仰，猶大和其他支派尋求神的人團結起來。神讓羅波安強盛了三年。因為羅波安和百姓專心遵行大衛的道。為何還加上所羅門呢？因為在所羅門做王的前期，也是遵行神的道。神都記得。

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In Christ You Are Clean in God’s Sight

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Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Leviticus 13:18-39.  Let’s go!

Leviticus 13:18-39 (NIV)
18  “When someone has a boil on his skin and it heals,
19  and in the place where the boil was, a white swelling or reddish-white spot appears, he must present himself to the priest.
20  The priest is to examine it, and if it appears to be more than skin deep and the hair in it has turned white, the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is an infectious skin disease that has broken out where the boil was.
21  But if, when the priest examines it, there is no white hair in it and it is not more than skin deep and has faded, then the priest is to put him in isolation for seven days.
22  If it is spreading in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is infectious…….

On verses 18-39:  Here we read that it was the priest’s responsibility to examine certain issues people would have with their skin and to make certain pronouncements concerning their condition.  In fact in these verses the word “examine” appears no less than 11 times and the word “pronounce” no less than 10 times.

This reminds me that, like a priest in Leviticus, God examines not just our physical condition, but our spiritual condition as well.  For example, check out the following verses:

Psalm 11:4 (NLT2)
4  But the LORD is in his holy Temple; the LORD still rules from heaven. He watches everyone closely, examining every person on earth.

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