旧约 - 列王记下(2 Kings)第16章

In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign.
Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD his God.
He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.
He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.
Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem and besieged Ahaz, but they could not overpower him.
At that time, Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram by driving out the men of Judah. Edomites then moved into Elath and have lived there to this day.
Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, "I am your servant and vassal. Come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are attacking me."
And Ahaz took the silver and gold found in the temple of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria.
The king of Assyria complied by attacking Damascus and capturing it. He deported its inhabitants to Kir and put Rezin to death.
Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He saw an altar in Damascus and sent to Uriah the priest a sketch of the altar, with detailed plans for its construction.
So Uriah the priest built an altar in accordance with all the plans that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus and finished it before King Ahaz returned.
When the king came back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and presented offerings on it.
He offered up his burnt offering and grain offering, poured out his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his fellowship offerings on the altar.
The bronze altar that stood before the LORD he brought from the front of the temple--from between the new altar and the temple of the LORD--and put it on the north side of the new altar.
King Ahaz then gave these orders to Uriah the priest: "On the large new altar, offer the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering, the king's burnt offering and his grain offering, and the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. Sprinkle on the altar all the blood of the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I will use the bronze altar for seeking guidance."
And Uriah the priest did just as King Ahaz had ordered.
King Ahaz took away the side panels and removed the basins from the movable stands. He removed the Sea from the bronze bulls that supported it and set it on a stone base.
He took away the Sabbath canopy that had been built at the temple and removed the royal entryway outside the temple of the LORD, in deference to the king of Assyria.
As for the other events of the reign of Ahaz, and what he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?
Ahaz rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. And Hezekiah his son succeeded him as king.
列王纪下第十六章   第 16 章 

  王下 16:3> “使儿子经火”,这是…… 

  16:3 亚哈斯败坏到将儿女献给外邦神为祭。这是迦南人的习俗,以色列人本应赶走迦南人并清除他们的恶俗。 

  王下 16:5> 以色列与亚兰、犹大与亚述,千丝万缕的政治关系── 

  16:5 以色列与亚兰都受亚述统治,他们联合对付犹大,想强迫这南方之国和他们共抗亚述,强化他们的西部联盟。但是犹大王亚哈斯竟然向亚述求助( 16:8-9 ),他们的计划即告吹。 

  王下 16:10> 邪恶蒙蔽了亚哈斯的心,后果…… 

  16:10 亚哈斯前往大马士革,向提革拉毗列色王表示感激效忠。因为亚述军攻占了亚兰人的首都大马士革(公元前 732 年),亚哈斯惧怕南部会有动荡,就想倚靠金钱而不想依靠神把这强大的君王拒于国境之外,但他的打算未能成功。虽然提革拉毗列色当时没有攻占犹大,却也为其带来诸多苦难,令亚哈斯后悔寻求亚述的援助(参代下 28:20-21 )。 

  王下 16:10-16> 古时今天都有人把神当招牌、护身符──至于我…… 

  16:10-16 邪恶的亚哈斯王沿袭异教习俗,改变圣殿的用途,用圣殿祭坛来为个人图利(作占卜求问)。他这样行,是漠视神的命令。我们会谴责亚哈斯,但如果我们想利用神来迎合自己的爱好,就是亚哈斯的翻版。我们必须以祂是神来敬拜祂,而不是出于私心,想祂成为一个怎样的神来敬拜祂。 

  王下 16:14-18> 亚哈斯这样做好像不太妥当,是有点想取代神吧──我在哪方面试图更改神的心意和方式? 

  16:14-18 亚哈斯仿照大马士革坛的样子造祭坛,来代替燔祭祭坛。(原来的铜祭坛并没有扔掉,他用来占卜、求问神。铜盆本来是洗祭牲用的,铜海是圣殿用作贮水的大池。)这是极其严重的亵渎,因为神已经明示,人应当怎样造祭坛及如何使用(参出 27:1-8 )。建造新祭坛就好像立一个新的偶像。由于犹大沦为亚述的附庸,所以亚哈斯王极力想讨亚述王喜悦。亚哈斯让亚述王代替神作犹大的领袖,这是何等悲哀的事。不管人如何卓尔不凡或权势能力兼备,也不能代替神来领导我们。 

  王下 16:18> 祭司的职责是什么?现今属灵领袖怎样发挥应有的作用? 

  16:18 亚哈斯变成怯弱的王,他有一个软弱妥协的大祭司,犹大的宗教系统也就一蹋糊涂。它是建立在异教的习俗上,首领只想讨好掌权者。如果我们一心仿效别人、讨好别人,就是看重人过于神,必招来危险。──《灵修版圣经注释》