旧约 - 历代记下(2 Chronicles)第24章

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.
Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the years of Jehoiada the priest.
Jehoiada chose two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters.
Some time later Joash decided to restore the temple of the LORD.
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.
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 Testimony?"
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.
At the king's command, a chest was made and placed outside, at the gate of the temple of the LORD.
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 desert.
All the officials and all the people brought their contributions gladly, dropping them into the chest until it was full.
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.
The king and Jehoiada gave it to the men 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.
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.
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.
Now Jehoiada was old and full of years, and he died at the age of a hundred and thirty.
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.
After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them.
They abandoned the temple of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God's anger came upon Judah and Jerusalem.
Although the LORD sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen.
Then the Spirit of God came upon 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.'"
But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the LORD'S temple.
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."
At the turn of the year, 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.
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 fathers, judgment was executed on Joash.
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.
Those who conspired against him were Zabad, son of Shimeath an Ammonite woman, and Jehozabad, son of Shimrith a Moabite woman.
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.
历代志下第廿四章   第 24 章 

  代下 24:5> 利未人拖延捐献的事,我是否也因种种利益上的考虑,而拖延了一些应立刻做的事? 

  24:5 约阿施王虽然吩咐利未人要尽速收集捐献,他们却不急速办理。为修理圣殿而纳银子,不但是王的意愿,更是神的吩咐(参出 30:11-16 )。所以,这一班利未人既是藐视王命,又是藐视神。须要顺从神的吩咐时,却慢腾腾地回应,这跟不顺服相去不远。所以你要甘心乐意、立刻顺服神。 

  代下 24:10> 有时神的百姓的热心会超过我们的想象,反而是我们的冷漠往往把别人的热心低估了…… 

  24:10 利未人显然没有想到人民会甘心乐意,为重修圣殿捐钱( 24:5 ),而百姓的确乐意为此奉献。不要低估人对神忠心的意愿。你激励别人做神的工作,人常常会甘心乐意、慷慨地去做。 

  代下 24:18> 为什么人会偏离神呢?很多时候不是因为穷乏,而是因为丰足…… 

  24:18 犹大凡事尽皆顺利,人民也一直敬拜神,为什么至终仍会偏离祂呢?凡事亨通既可成为祝福,又能成为咒诅。对信从神的人,亨通可能是祝福的征兆,但也带来道德与灵性衰退的潜在危机。富足的人易于骄傲自满,把神的赐福看作理所当然的。在我们富足的时候,不要忘记神是我们蒙福的源头(请参申 6:10-12 ; 8:11-14 )。 

  代下 24:18-20> 在审判之先,神往往会不断提醒警戒,只是我们没有听从罢了…… 

  24:18-20 约阿施王与犹大的人民离弃神,神差遣撒迦利亚去呼召他们悔改。神在施行审判与处罚以前,先给他们一个机会。我们犯罪,祂也照样不弃绝我们,不会对我们滥施刑罚。相反地,神会藉着祂的道、祂住在我们里面的灵、别人的规劝,甚至有时施行管教,一步一步地矫正、引导我们。祂并不愿我们死亡,只想劝我们回转归向祂。在你偏离神的时候,请记住,祂仍在寻找你。你要停步静听,让祂指出你的罪,使你能再次悔改跟随祂。 

  代下 24:19> 神差遣了哪一个先知去警戒犹大?先知的信息内容是什么? 

  24:19 神差派许多先知警告约阿施和百姓,指出他们正步向灭亡。约珥可能是这批先知之一。若想更详细地了解当时属灵上与政治上的情况,可读约珥书。 

  代下 24:22> 撒迦利亚是殉道的先知,他的遗言表达了什么心声? 

  24:22 撒迦利亚求神追究百姓的罪,“愿耶和华鉴察伸冤”,他不要报复,而是求公义。当周围尽是邪恶时,我们尽可放心,到了末后,神一定会使公平临到全世界。 

  约阿施──《灵修版圣经注释》