2 Kings
2 Kings Chapter 14 – Failure & Success
One of the very few Chinese proverbs I remember from my years of school is this: 失败是成功之母 (shi bai shi cheng gong zhi mu). Why I remember this is because of how funny it sounded literally: “Failure…
列王纪下第一章
列王纪下第一章的教训 (1-8)亚哈谢王不知以色列中有神,竟然去求问以革伦神巴力西卜。 1 亚哈谢从楼上的栏杆掉里下来就病了,这意外让人看出这是安全措施做的不好,所以发生这意外;这意外也让人看出他的灵性不好已经坠落了。 因为他差遣使者去问以革伦神巴力西卜巴力,我这病能不能好?这是非利士人的苍蝇之神,以色列的真神是天地的主他却不去求问。 2 人生在世难免有意外发生,问题是我们以怎样的态度来面对?有话说:患难见真情,患难也见真信仰,人在患难中的反应可以看出他对神的信心,是否坚定信心依靠真神,还是改变信心依靠别神? 有些信徒患病祷告不得医治,就转去求靠偶像,去算命,去改运等等,世人以假神为真神而去求靠固然可怜,信徒以真神为假神而不求靠更加可怜! 3 神差以利亚去迎接亚哈谢王差遣的使者,责备他们说:你们去问以革伦神巴力西卜,岂因以色列中没有神可以求问吗? 亚哈谢王这事让耶和华对他发怒,所以神宣告:你必不下你所上的床,必定要死! 亚哈谢面对死亡去求问假神,结果导致自己和所差遣的军兵102人的死亡;第三次差遣的五十夫长面对死亡呼求真神的怜悯,结果拯救了自己和跟随他的五十人。人生必定面对死亡,我们的人生是求问假神还是真神? (9-18)亚哈谢王不尊重神的先知,竟然差遣人去捉拿以利亚先知。 1 亚哈谢知道神差先知以利亚拦阻他的使者,就差遣人去捉拿以利亚。他对偶像必恭必敬,派使者去求问,对神人就不恭敬,派军兵去捉拿,两种不同的态度说明亚哈谢真的是心中无神。 2 他三次差遣五十夫长带五十人去捉拿以利亚,前两次的人都被以利亚求天火烧灭他们,为什么第三次的人以利亚没求天火烧灭他们,还跟他们一同去见王? 因为他们不像之前的人对先知不敬要捉拿先知,他们对先知谦卑下跪,哀求先知把他们的生命看为宝贵。 之前的人若像他们一样不助纣为虐捉拿先知,他们也不至丧命。人面对善恶的取舍决定了人的生命,存敬畏神的心弃恶从善就不会被神审判。 3 神降下天火烧灭这些对先知不敬的人,表明神不但要人敬畏神,也要人因为敬畏神而对神的仆人有谦卑和尊敬的态度。 今天我们是以甚么态度来对待神的仆人?是否以谦卑和尊敬的心接受神仆人的教诲?
2 Kings 23
Phew! Finally a good king came along to eradicate the phrase, “he did evil in the sight of the Lord” Bible Passage: 2 Kings 23 A God-chosen nation with her kings doing things that are contrary to…
2 Kings 22
Bible Passage: 2 Kings 22 True Repentance “[B]ecause your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become a…
2 Kings 21
Bible Passage: 2 Kings 21 The chapter is centred round King Manasseh, who reigned for a record period of 55 years in Judah. The Bible tells us that he was an exceedingly wicked king, committing abominable acts…
2 Kings 20
Bible Passage: 2 Kings 20 This is a familiar passage to most of us as it talks about Hezekiah’s life being prolonged after God had first announced that he was to die. The oft repeated lesson we…
2 Kings 19
Bible Passage: 2 Kings 19 Our God is a merciful God who delights to listen to the humble and contrite in spirit. He is able to deliver us from all dangers if we are able to put…
2 Kings 18
Bible Passage: 2 Kings 18 Hezekiah was a good king. His relatively long reign of twenty-nine years was testimony of God’s blessing as he did what was right in the sight of the Lord (2 Kings 18:2-3).…
2 Kings 16
Bible Passage: 2 Kings 16 “That they may successfully do evil with both hands – the prince asks for gifts, the judge seeks a bribe, and the great man utters his evil desire; so they scheme together.”…
2 Kings 15
Bible Passage: 2 Kings 15 Truly there is nothing new under the sun; every intent of the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil continually (ref. Genesis 6:5). The history of man, right from the time…