Friday, 12th November 2021
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-7 Have No Repentance to the End
V1 ‘In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him.’ Jehoiakim seemed to have no authority over his nation, but he was still the king, and he still had the freedom to worship God. The kingdom of Judah was about to be destroyed, this was the time that the king should lead his people to repent before God and seek His help. God would use our surrounding environment to remind us to turn back, He also rose up prophets and priests to speak to the king. But the king did not listen, even until the end, he did not repent.
V3-4 ‘Surely at the commandment of the Lord this came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, and because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the Lord would not pardon.’ Because of the sins of Manasseh, God has removed Judah from His sight. Manasseh had 55 years to rule over Judah, the longest reign among all the kings of Judah, but he did not seek God, instead, he worshipped the idols and allowed the people to sin against God. Because of Manasseh, God was about to destroy Judah, but then his grandson Josiah tried to do the right thing and led the people to study the Word of God, therefore the destruction was delayed.
When Jehoiakim did evil in the eyes of God, God’s grace finally left Judah. Despite of it, God still gave him 11 years to change his way. We must rely on God, don’t rely on people, may God help us to see His teaching through the environment, we must repent, return to God, do not wait until it’s too late.
Section Two V8-16 Being Stubborn and have No Understanding
V8 ‘Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.’ He was 18 years old when he became the king, he saw how the Pharoah of Egypt appointed his father as the king, how the king of Babylon came up to take over Judah, and how the armies of many nations came against Judah. But he was still stubborn, and he still did not understand that he should return to seek God.
So many things happen in this world. Are we also being stubborn? It’s easy to always see other people’s mistakes and not our own problems. We have been offering to God, but we forgot to give our sin offering. Jehoiachin thought surrendering to Babylon was easy, he could still be the king just like his father, but he did not realise that his decision affect everything and everyone in Judah. The king of Babylon took every valuable thing in Judah and in the Temple of God, captured every capable man in the city, and left only the poor.
Jehoiachin did not know that when his father was king, God’s grace was still there! We should never take God’s grace for granted, do not always focus on the problems of others, but to see our own problems, to repent before God and to change our way.
Section Three V17-20 The Catastrophe is Imminent
V17-19 ‘Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah. Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. He also did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.’ Both Jehoiakim and Zedekiah did not know the truth about God, there was no repentance until the end. Finally, God’s wrath came upon them.
Zedekiah became the last king of Judah. God does not anger easily but it’s because of the people, who do not repent until the end, being stubborn with no understanding and finally the wrath of God came upon them.
列王纪下 24 – 耶和华的怒气
2021年11月12日 星期五
潘锡安牧师
犹大帝国走向灭亡了，曾经的风光不再，神因着跟大卫立的约所施给以色列人的恩典似乎也快要用尽了。在这个末世，我们很习惯用过去的思维、眼光来看现今的世界，没有觉察到变化。圣经不断提醒我们，天国快来了，我们要悔改。可惜，很多人还是没有意识到末日光景的到来，就像当初犹大覆灭前的时代一样。
一、死不悔改（v.1-7）
V1-2 约雅敬登基的时候已经25岁，这本是一段充满朝气和力量的年纪，然而他做王到36岁就离世。他是被法老扶上位的，但他没有忠心，只会见风使舵，看见巴比伦强大就服侍巴比伦王，不过三年就又背叛了。约雅敬作为一国之君，在宗教信仰上是有自由的，可惜，他没有带着犹大民一起回转归向神，反而“行耶和华眼中看为恶的事”（王下23:37）。神“使迦勒底军、亚兰军、摩押军和亚扪人的军来攻击约雅敬，毁灭犹大，正如耶和华借他仆人众先知所说的”，神不断借着他的仆人众先知提醒犹大国，借着环境来帮助他们意识到问题的严重性。可惜，犹大王一错再错，死不悔改。
V3-4 神做这么多事情，都是因为“玛拿西”，那其他之前的王呢？从罗波安到约哈斯的众犹大王都犯了罪，但在玛拿西之前，出现了一位“希西家”王，他努力做很多事情来效法大卫，神就给那个时代的人恩典。然而到了玛拿西世代，神给了他55年在位的时间，他却将所有外邦偶像都搬来犹大，将儿女经火，使犹大两个支派的人都陷入罪中。玛拿西之后的约西亚因为行神眼中看为正的事让神延迟审判，可是到了约雅敬，他以为神的恩典还可以这样被浪费，连表面的功夫都不愿意做。约雅敬不肯听先知的劝诫，对法老和巴比伦王都不忠心，至终导致神所预言的灾祸临到。
V7 埃及法老之前很风光，但这些都会过去。如今的各个小国都会倚靠世界大国的势力，但却忘了在众国之上的掌管一切的唯有耶和华神。我们要敏感于环境的变化，悔改归向神，不要像犹大王这样后悔莫及。
二、执迷不悟（v.8-16）
V8-12 约雅敬的儿子约雅斤登基时已经18岁，说明他已经看见自己的爸爸怎样被法老扶持，又看到爸爸如何服侍巴比伦王三年后背叛他，也看到周围列国来攻击犹大，但约雅斤执迷不悟，也不肯悔改。甚至当约雅斤自己和“他母亲、臣仆、首领、太监一同出城，投降巴比伦王”的时候，他都还没有呼求神的拯救。神的圣殿就在犹大的耶路撒冷，他却没有珍惜。我们献祭的时候，很多祭都献给神了，但却没有“赎罪祭”。我们处在末世，是否愿意为罪为义为审判在神面前认罪悔改，还是只会指责别人？
V13 巴比伦王不仅捉拿了约雅斤等人，还“将耶和华殿和王宫里的宝物都拿去了，将以色列王所罗门所造耶和华殿里的金器都毁坏了，正如耶和华所说的”。当人心不信靠神的时候，神的同在也会离开，因为神看重的是我们的生命而不是一个建筑物。
V14-16 王的投降并不能让犹大国苟安，他们有能力的人都被掳走了，在犹大只剩下没有什么用的“极贫穷的人”。我们很容易看到别人的问题，却往往看不清自己的问题。当人一路只靠自己，不愿意回转归向神的时候，神的恩典总有被耗尽的一天。
三、大祸临头（v.17-20）
约雅斤没有后代，所以“巴比伦王立约雅斤的叔叔玛探雅代替他做王，给玛探雅改名叫西底家”。西底家是约西亚的儿子，他登基时21岁，是一个成熟的年纪了，已经看到列国如何对待犹大国，却同样死不悔改、执迷不悟，也跟哥哥约雅敬一样“行耶和华眼中看为恶的事”，所以，“耶和华的怒气在耶路撒冷和犹大发作”。西底家没有看到犹大末世的到来，没有看到犹大犹如敞开大门给人抢掠，仍然不肯回转、不肯倚靠神，想靠自己的小聪明，以至于犹大民都在神面前被赶出了。
神是不轻易发怒的，只是人一直死不悔改、执迷不悟，直到大祸临头，被掳到外邦，才回想起神的恩典。我们不要忘记数算神的恩典，不将人看得比神大，而要常常思想神在我们生命中所行的伟大奇妙事。