Wednesday, 20th October 2021
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-17 To Reveal the Prophecy of Elijah
There were still 70 sons of Ahab, this meant Ahab had more wives than just Jezebel. These 70 sons became a threat to Jehu after he killed Joram. So Jehu wrote letter to the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to those who reared Ahab’s sons, saying: V2-3 ‘Now as soon as this letter comes to you, since your master’s sons are with you, and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city also, and weapons, choose the best qualified of your master’s sons, set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.’ But they were afraid and replied to Jehu, “We are your servants, we will do all you tell us; but we will not make anyone king. Do what is good in your sight.”
Therefore, Jehu wrote another letter, saying: V6 ‘If you are for me and will obey my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow.’ Jehu was determined to destroy the bloodline of Ahab. Ahab put his 70 sons in the houses of the great men in the city, but at the end these great men betrayed Ahab and his sons. If there was one person out of Ahab’s sons, who was best qualified as the leader to fight against Jehu, then Ahab’s household would not have been destroyed.
Ahab thought by sending his sons to the great men of city, they can also become great men, but at the end, no one was qualified to be the leader to fight against Jehu, who destroyed Ahab’s household. A lot of times we want our children to have the best education, we send them to ‘great men’ for education, but at the end, what do they really learn? If we want our children to prosper, we must first teach them to know our God because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
V9-10 ‘So it was, in the morning, that he went out and stood, and said to all the people, “You are righteous. Indeed, I conspired against my master and killed him; but who killed all these? Know now that nothing shall fall to the earth of the word of the Lord which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab; for the Lord has done what He spoke by His servant Elijah.”’ Jehu admitted he betrayed his master, and now he also made the others betraying their masters. He made connections with them so that they would follow him.
When Jehu was on his way to Samaria to make himself king, then he met the 42 brothers of Ahaziah. Jehu captured them and killed them. Jehu did a lot of things, and he was influential to those around him, because everyone saw what he did. V14 ‘And he said, “Take them alive!” So they took them alive, and killed them at the well of Beth Eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.’ The people following Jehu were ruthless like him, they were not taught about mercy. Jehu wanted to destroy Ahab’s household because it was what the prophet said, but Jehu did not see God’s intention behind everything that happened. God had been giving many opportunities for Ahab and his household to turn back. Even though Jehu was chosen, but he only focused on what he needed to do, and as captain of the army, he only knew about killing and conquering. For Jehu, receiving the victory is to have everyone killed. People, who followed Jehu was the same as Jehu, killing without mercy.
V15 ‘Now when he departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab, coming to meet him; and he greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is toward your heart?”’ The name Jehonadab means to be zealous for the Lord, therefore, Jehu said to him, “Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord.” Jehu seemed to be putting on a show for Jehonadab, by killing the household of Ahab, he wanted to show people how he was carrying out the prophecy of Elijah. Everything we do, are we really doing them for God or for people to see how much we love God?
Section Two V18-28 To Fulfil with One’s Own Ways
V18-19 ‘Then Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little, Jehu will serve him much. Now therefore, call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu acted deceptively, with the intent of destroying the worshipers of Baal.’ Jehu wanted to kill everyone, who worshipped and served Baal. It seemed that Jehu was doing a favour for God from all the killing, but did it really please God? Jehu thought he was being smart to trick the prophets of Baal to come into the trap, but in order to do that, he had to tell people that he worshipped Baal, and he had to make an offering to Baal.
Jehu was still carrying out his own plan, did he really think that God was unable to gather all the people worshipping Baal? God wanted to give a chance for the people of Israel to repent, but Jehu only though about ‘doing’ and was using his own way to ‘complete the tasks’. He could have told the truth to the people, to let them know that worshipping Baal displeased God, instead of spreading fear that people did not even know why he killed and destroyed the temples of Baal! Jehu killed everyone belonged to Ahab, no one was able to fight against him; he also killed all the people worshipping Baal, to show God how faithful he was. But God looks at people different to how people look at people; God looks at our hearts.
Section Three V29-36 The Golden Calf of Jehu
V30-31 ‘And the Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in doing what is right in My sight, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin.’ Jehu did so much for God, but he did not destroy the golden calf, just like Jeroboam, who did not want the people of Israel to go to the land of Judah and worship God in the Temple. God wanted to bless Jehu, but because of his sin, he walked away from God’s blessings.
Since Jeroboam, the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah was divided because of the golden calf. So many times, God gave people opportunity to repent, but people did not listen. The golden calf represents being in control, we also have golden calf in our lives, we want to control our own lives, we want things to happen in our own ways, we want to hold onto something, so we feel secure. But following God is not like this, God does not want us to worship the golden calf. Can we let go of everything we hold onto and really follow God?
列王纪下 10 – 耶户一生的功与过
2021年10月20 日 星期三
潘锡安牧师
一、v.1-17 让以利亚所说的预言成就
V1-5 耶户之前杀了约兰，但在撒马利亚（以色列国当时的首都），亚哈还有七十个儿子，说明亚哈不止耶洗别一个妻子。耶户便写信到撒马利亚通知耶斯列的首领有关亚哈众子继承王位的事。从信中可看出，耶户对这一群人的状况了如指掌，所以这些首领“甚惧怕”，都说要听从耶户的话。
V6-7 在耶户的第二封信中，耶户吩咐首领们将亚哈众子的首级带去见他。亚哈曾经希望他的孩子在“城中的尊贵人家里”得到最好的教养，但这些尊贵人似乎没能帮助这七十个儿子成长为像当初耶户登高一呼就被众人拥护为王那样有能力和声望，最后都被杀死了。我们做父母的花了很多金钱、精力去培养我们的孩子，希望他们成才，但最重要的是要教养他们成为敬畏神的人。
V8-11 城门口是当时施行审判的公众场所。耶户在那里首先承认是自己背叛主人，杀了亚哈，遂又指出是众首领将亚哈的儿子杀死，以此来说明，“耶和华指着亚哈家所说的话一句没有落空，因为耶和华借他仆人以利亚所说的话都成就了”，到目前为止，耶户看似做了替天行道的事，将“凡亚哈家在耶斯列所剩下的人和他的大臣、密友、祭司……尽都杀了，没有留下一个”。
V12-14 耶户在去撒马利亚准备做王的路上遇到犹大王亚哈谢的弟兄，当时两国关系密切，这群人要来看望以色列王和太后的众子。耶户命令跟从他的人将犹大来的四十二个人活捉之后，都杀死了。耶户照着以利亚的预言去做事了，但是他只看到杀人，没有看到预言背后神的心意。神其实一直给亚哈家和以色列十个支派机会，不断派他的仆人对他们说话。耶户虽然被神拣选、提升，然而他作为军人，里面的生命没有改变，仍然用杀戮来解决问题。他这样的生命也影响下面跟从他的人，使他们也像耶户一样没有怜悯的心。
V15-17 “约拿达”名字的意思是“为耶和华热心”。耶户遇到约拿达就问他是否站在自己一边，得到肯定的答复之后，耶户就邀请约拿达上车，并对他说：“……看我为耶和华怎样热心”。他像作秀一样“把撒马利亚亚哈家剩下的人都杀了，直到灭尽”。耶户不仅是为耶和华做事，也为自己做事，他想让别人看到自己是多么爱神。无论耶户的动机如何，他所做的事成就了“耶和华对以利亚所说的”。
二、v.18-28 用自己的方法去成就
耶户招聚了以色列十个支派的众民，故意对他们说亚哈侍奉巴力不够他虔诚、热心，于是用诡计招来所有拜巴力的祭司，将他们杀死，又将巴力庙拆毁成厕所。耶户看上去好像做了很伟大的事，但他欺骗那些拜巴力的人，甚至在巴力庙献燔祭，这些是否是神所喜悦的方式呢？神当初在旷野能让两百五十个拿香炉背叛他的以色列首领被裂开的大地吞灭，他也有这个能力除灭那些拜巴力的祭司。然而，神爱以色列人，一直给他们机会回转。面对神的呼召和膏立，耶户还是用自己过往“兵不厌诈”的小聪明来做事。耶户本该在以色列民面前宣告神的心意和公义的律法，教导他们真理，给众民做出愿意悔改离弃假神的表率，而不是制造恐惧让人不明白为何拜巴力要被杀。
耶户所做的，表面上成就了先知的预言，但他所怀的心跟耶罗波安是一样的。神曾对耶罗波安说要他专心跟从神，可是耶罗波安害怕以色列民因为要去犹大国的耶路撒冷敬拜神而离弃他，于是在以色列国自己造了金牛犊让人来拜。耶户对亚哈家做了斩草除根的事，又除尽巴力的祭司和并拆毁他们的庙，其实是想要借此操控神，让神和人看到自己的热心事奉，巩固自己能作以色列王的地位。然而，神看人不像人看人，神看的是我们的内心。
三、v.29-36 耶户的金牛犊
V29-31 耶户做了很多表面敬虔的事情，却没有拆掉金牛犊，因为他跟耶罗波安一样怕以色列民离开他去归顺犹大国。然而，神都看到耶户的心，对他说：“因你办好我眼中看为正的事，照我的心意待亚哈家，你的子孙必接续你坐以色列的国位，直到四代”。可惜，“耶户不尽心遵守耶和华以色列神的律法，不离开耶罗波安使以色列人陷在罪里的那罪”。
V32 犹大和以色列本来是同一个国家，因为所罗门的缘故，两国分割。如今因为金牛犊的缘故，虽然神给了他们很多机会，以色列最后还是被分割了。
我们跟随神，为神做很多事，是为了什么呢？我们是否想以此操控神？金牛犊代表着害怕和不相信神掌权。生命树下的“谦卑顺服、舍己利他”让人感觉虚无缥缈，我们是否就想抓住一些实在的东西使我们觉得安心、踏实？求神光照我们，让我们看到我们自己的“金牛犊”是什么。让我们尽心尽力跟从神，将生命里面的金牛犊都拆毁！