Tuesday, 5th October 2021
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-8 Knowing Well
In the last chapter of I Kings, king Ahab knew the problems he was facing, and his children also knew how their father sinned against God. But they still made the same mistakes as their father. V2 “Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria, and was injured; so he sent messengers and said to them, ‘Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this injury.’” Ahaziah knew well his father’s mistakes, he also knew how his father humbled before God and God changed His mind about bringing disaster during his reign. But when Ahaziah was unwell, he still did not seek God.
Ahaziah was injured and lost his strength, so he sent messengers to inquire the false god, which was very far away from Israel. The false god, Baal-Zebub, was the god of flies, and Ahaziah was willing to seek this false god far away from him, instead of Jehovah God, who can be found right next to him. We don’t like to listen, and we often try to seek our own ways of doing things, instead of seeking God, who is with us all the time!
V3 “But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?’” God no longer called Ahaziah the king of Israel, but the king of Samaria, which he created himself. We should not seek to do what we think is good but to do what God sees as good. We must humble ourselves to listen to our authority, because God will speak to us through our authority. Elijah left after he spoke the words God instructed him to say.
V5 “And when the messengers returned to him, he said to them, ‘Why have you come back?’” The messengers of the king went back after they heard Elijah, but the king questioned them for abandoning their quest. The messengers knew who Elijah was and his authority as the prophet of God. The king also knew it was Elijah, who told the messengers to turn back. A lot of times, we all know God is talking to us, we all now our authority is from God, but we chose not to listen, and we chose not to admit their authority. When the king was unwilling to admit Elijah was the prophet of God, his messengers also refused to admit it.
Section Two V9-15 Being Humble and Live
V9 “Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men. So he went up to him; and there he was, sitting on the top of a hill. And he spoke to him: Man of God, the king has said, ‘Come down!’” The king knew it was Elijah, so he sent 50 people to bring him back. The captain of fifty called Elijah the Man of God, because he knew who he was. Yet the captain did not have a humble attitude and ordered Elijah to ‘come down’. They wanted to bring Elijah back by force and did not respect his authority as the prophet of God. Therefore, fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
But Ahaziah was stubborn and obsessed, he sent another 50 men to Elijah, and the same thing happened, the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed the captain and his fifty. Fire represents to be set apart, and nothing was left after the fire. God did not allow this wickedness to stay in Israel. The third time, Ahaziah sent another captain with his fifty, but this time, the captain humbled himself, admitted his is not worthy, and begged for mercy for him and his army.
V13-14 “Again, he sent a third captain of fifty with his fifty men. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and pleaded with him, and said to him: ‘Man of God, please let my life and the life of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight. Look, fire has come down from heaven and burned up the first two captains of fifties with their fifties. But let my life now be precious in your sight.’” Do we pray on behalf of ourselves as well as the people following us? By humbling ourselves before God, and before the authority of God, we come under the Tree of Life.
Because of the captain’s humble attitude, God let him live and sent Elijah to go with him. Because if Elijah did not go with him, even if the fire of heaven did not consume them, Ahaziah would have killed them for not bringing back an answer. In the Kingdom of God, humility will bring life.
Section Three V16-18 God Reigns
V16 “Then he said to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word? Therefore, you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’” Elijah told Ahaziah he will surely die, and he did. Not only that, but his generation also died with him because he had no sons. God gave Ahaziah opportunities to return and repent, but he did not listen, and it costed his life and the reign of his generation.
God is merciful, again and again He is giving us opportunity to repent, but He is also righteous, when we don’t listen, His timing will come. Don’t wait until it’s too late to repent, humble ourselves and come to God know, let Him rule and reign in our lives.
Worship: Open My Eyes 開我的雙眼 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0SPz3o2S3I
Prayer & Pursuit
Lord, You are full of mercy and grace, Ahaziah knew well his father’s wickedness, but he still sought the false god. You were willing to come down and ask him, “Is it because there is no God in Israel?” Lord, today You are also asking us the same thing, “my child, is it because there is no God in your life?” Lord, let us dig deeper into our lives and see if we have replaced You with false gods; let the Holy Spirit shine upon us.
Lord, we come before You, we are willing to humble ourselves, to kneel before You, to cry out to You for mercy. Lord, we ask You for a blessing, for a miracle, please let our lives be precious in Your sight. You said in James 4:6, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” We admit that we were prideful, our spiritual eyes were blind, our ears were deaf, and our hearts were hardened. Lord, give us another chance, help us to see, to hear, and to turn back to You, then we will be healed. Our relationships with You and with others will be healed and restored.
Thank You Lord, for Your mercy and grace, we are willing to let go of what we hold onto tightly in this world and seek You only. We proclaim that You are with us, You are in our lives, and no one can come against us because You are with us. You rule and reign in every aspect of our lives. Amen.
2021年10月5日 星期二
潘锡安牧师
在列王纪上最后一章结尾（王上22:51-53）讲到北国以色列的王亚哈死后，他的儿子亚哈谢登基，可惜只做王两年。亚哈谢王“行耶和华眼中看为恶的事，效法他的父母”（王上22:52）。亚哈谢的父亲亚哈知道神的标准，但没有活出神给他的权柄，不愿意去跟妻子耶洗别有冲突，也没有在行为上真正悔改。神曾借着先知告诉亚哈王宣告审判（王上21:21-22），亚哈谢知道这个对他家族的咒诅，也看到自己父亲是怎样灭亡，可惜亚哈谢明知故犯、执迷不悟。我们知道神拯救我们，知道我们在这个会消灭的地上的大使命，也知道我们在天国里有永恒的生命，但我们是否有领受这个启示，还是冥顽不灵，活在自己的情欲里？亚哈谢的例子对我们来说是一个非常重要的提醒。
一、心中有数 v.1-8
V1-2“亚哈死后，摩押背叛以色列”- 神对以色列国的审判果然出来了，但是亚哈谢对于神所行在他的国家和家族的“神迹奇事”没有一颗悔改的心。他有一日“从楼上的栏杆里掉下来，就病了”，这一件非常不寻常的事情发生时，亚哈谢软弱了，于是差人去求问“以革伦的神巴力西卜”看他的病是否能好。以革伦是一个离以色列很远的地方，巴力西卜是非利士人拜的“苍蝇之神”，亚哈谢身为以色列十个支派的王，竟然如此愚昧，舍近求远去寻问一个“苍蝇之神”。亚哈谢是知道以利亚的（V8），知道这些属耶和华的神人所说的话都不会落空，但他不愿意去求也不愿去听属于耶和华的神人。我们听了神的话是否不愿顺服，反而觉得自己的方法更好？
V3 神在这里没有称亚哈谢为以色列的王，而是“撒马利亚王”- 撒马利亚就是以色列人自己建造出来的地方。我们可能做了很多自以为好的事情，但都不是神眼中看为好的，神要我们活在生命树的气息之下。神提醒我们要谦卑听我们的权柄跟我们说的话，然而很多时候我们不愿意听。
V4 以利亚讲完神要他讲的话就走了，没有多说一句自己的话。
V5-6 亚哈谢王所差派的使者听了以利亚的话就“回来见王”，将先知的话告诉王。这些能够领受王的命令跋山涉水出行的“使者”肯定都不是普通的人，他们也一定知道跟他们说话的先知是以利亚，可是大家都不愿意提，因为之前的亚哈王和现在的王都不喜欢他。
V7-8 王没有杀掉那些没有完成命令的使者，而是问他们这个先知是谁。众人一番描述后亚哈谢就猜出先知的身份。从亚哈谢王的回答可看出，他也是知道以利亚的，但他选择没有去求问，没有尊重以利亚是从神而来的权柄，上梁不正下梁歪，所以他下面的人也都没有承认以利亚。我们都知道神会对我们说话，也知道我们的权柄是属神的仆人，但很多时候我们是否选择不去听他们的话？
二、谦卑得生 v.9-15
V9-10 亚哈谢王差派“五十夫长带领五十人”去带以利亚回来。五十夫长明知道以利亚是“神人”，却非常傲慢的吩咐以利亚。他们带领这么一大群人来见以利亚一个人，说明他们知道神人有能力，可惜他们的态度不对，他们不把以利亚所信奉的神当神，只想要会讨自己开心的“苍蝇之神”。结果这些人就被神从天而降的火烧尽了。
V11-12 亚哈谢没有敬畏之心，又派出另一队人去找以利亚，继续态度傲慢的命令以利亚。以利亚再一次用“火”来处理这群人，因为“火”是分别为圣的，被火烧着之后，就灰飞烟灭，这些不属神的人就不会留在以色列国中。
V13-14 亚哈谢第三次差派一个五十夫长和五十个人去找以利亚。但这一次这个五十夫长谦卑跪在以利亚面前为自己也为自己所带的兵哀求。他的心触动了神的心，神就让以利亚跟他一起走。我们作为领袖、权柄，是否只是顾着自己，还是愿意爱人如己，像这个五十夫长一样愿意为下面所带领的人谦卑代求？这位五十夫长活在在生命树下，我们是否能如此，还是活在分辨善恶树下？以利亚没有使火降下烧死他们，甚至还跟着他们一起回去，这就是生命树的气息所带来的神迹奇事。
V15 如果以利亚没有跟着回去，这个五十夫长之后也会被亚哈谢王处死，但他愿意跪下来、愿意谦卑，就带着一队人凯旋而归。在神的国度里，谦卑得生命，当我们谦卑顺服的时候，神就给我们祝福。
三、神掌权 v.16-18
以利亚将神的话回复亚哈谢，没有多说什么，于是“亚哈谢果然死了，正如耶和华借以利亚所说的话”。亚哈谢也没有儿子，他的死代表着亚哈家族的死亡。神之前一直在等亚哈谢回转，他賜下话语，给亚哈谢机会，可惜亚哈谢不听，神的审判就临到他。神是掌权的，他是愿意给我们机会的，但我们不要轻看神的怜悯，因为神也是公义的。我们若一次又一次选择不听，神的审判就会临到。我们跟从神的态度是什么？是活在生命树下，还是冥顽不灵？只要我们愿意悔改、回转，神的祝福就会临到我们。
*追求和回应：
在主那里有丰盛的慈爱，即使亚哈谢那么不好，神也愿意差派仆人与他说话，“以色列中没有神吗？”今天神也在问我们，“孩子，你的生命中没有神吗？”诗篇16:4说：“以别神代替耶和华的，他们的愁苦必加增”。今天你的生命有愁苦，或是经历其他的伤害吗？让我们反思，是否以别神代替耶和华？我们的生命是否沾染了什么污秽、不洁，让我们求圣灵光照我们，让我们来到神面前认罪。
V13 “王第三次差遣一个五十夫长带领五十人去。这五十夫长上去，双膝跪在以利亚面前，哀求他“
V14 “愿我的性命…..在你眼前看为宝贵！”
主耶稣我们愿意谦卑、双膝跪在你面前，我们陷在愁苦的光景里面，我们愿意呼求你，“愿我的性命在你眼前看为宝贵”。主你看我们是宝贵的，你不愿一人沉沦，但愿人人得救。求主向我们吹一口生命的气息，让一切的骄傲、叛逆、不听都要被吹走。主你阻挡骄傲的人、赐恩给谦卑的人。主我们看到我们经济上的不发旺、关系上的冲突，我们承认自己不谦卑，主你的阻挡来到是因为我们骄傲。所以我们愿意双膝跪下，承认自己属灵的眼睛是关闭的，我们的耳朵是不听的，心里是刚硬的。求主挪走我们执迷不悟的心，再一次给我们机会，帮助我们眼睛能够看见，耳朵能够听见，心里回转过来，我们就得医治，我们的关系要得医治，财务要得丰盛。我们与你的关系是有爱的，是有信任的。
主耶稣你满有怜悯、恩典，不轻易发怒，且有丰盛的慈爱。主我们愿意放下一切紧紧抓住的、放下一切沾染、假的安慰剂。我们宣告我们的生命是有神的，再一次对我们的愁苦说我们是有神的。我们愿意服在神的翅膀下说，主你的担子是轻省的，你的轭是容易的。主你在我们生命中的每一个领域掌权！奉耶稣基督的名祷告，阿门！