旧约 - 约书亚记(Joshua)第18章

And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.
And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance.
And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the LORD God of your fathers hath given you?
Give out from among you three men for each tribe: and I will send them, and they shall rise, and go through the land, and describe it according to the inheritance of them; and they shall come again to me.
And they shall divide it into seven parts: Judah shall abide in their coast on the south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their coasts on the north.
Ye shall therefore describe the land into seven parts, and bring the description hither to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the LORD our God.
But the Levites have no part among you; for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance: and Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them.
And the men arose, and went away: and Joshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying, Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and come again to me, that I may here cast lots for you before the LORD in Shiloh.
And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven parts in a book, and came again to Joshua to the host at Shiloh.
And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the LORD: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions.
And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the coast of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph.
And their border on the north side was from Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side, and went up through the mountains westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Bethaven.
And the border went over from thence toward Luz, to the side of Luz, which is Bethel, southward; and the border descended to Atarothadar, near the hill that lieth on the south side of the nether Bethhoron.
And the border was drawn thence, and compassed the corner of the sea southward, from the hill that lieth before Bethhoron southward; and the goings out thereof were at Kirjathbaal, which is Kirjathjearim, a city of the children of Judah: this was the west quarter.
And the south quarter was from the end of Kirjathjearim, and the border went out on the west, and went out to the well of waters of Nephtoah:
And the border came down to the end of the mountain that lieth before the valley of the son of Hinnom, and which is in the valley of the giants on the north, and descended to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of Jebusi on the south, and descended to Enrogel,
And was drawn from the north, and went forth to Enshemesh, and went forth toward Geliloth, which is over against the going up of Adummim, and descended to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben,
And passed along toward the side over against Arabah northward, and went down unto Arabah:
And the border passed along to the side of Bethhoglah northward: and the outgoings of the border were at the north bay of the salt sea at the south end of Jordan: this was the south coast.
And Jordan was the border of it on the east side. This was the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by the coasts thereof round about, according to their families.
Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, and Bethhoglah, and the valley of Keziz,
And Betharabah, and Zemaraim, and Bethel,
And Avim, and Parah, and Ophrah,
And Chepharhaammonai, and Ophni, and Gaba; twelve cities with their villages:
Gibeon, and Ramah, and Beeroth,
And Mizpeh, and Chephirah, and Mozah,
And Rekem, and Irpeel, and Taralah,
And Zelah, Eleph, and Jebusi, which is Jerusalem, Gibeath, and Kirjath; fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families.
约书亚记第十八章   第 18 章 

  书 18:1-2> 神的会幕终于结束了“漂流”!你看── 

  18:1-2 以色列人将许多尚未攻占之地暂且搁下,将宗教中心由吉甲(参 5:8-9 的经文注释)搬到示罗。这可能是设立永久性会幕的头一个地方。神的会幕直译应为 " 神与人会面的地方 " ,神在那里住在祂的百姓中间(参出 25:8 )。会幕设立在全地的中央,使百姓更容易去参加特别的敬拜,并守一年一度的几个宗教节期。 

  以色列人伟大的祭司兼先知撒母耳的家人,就常常去示罗。当撒母耳还是童子的时候,就被母亲带到那里,在会幕里事奉耶和华(参撒上 1:3 , 22 )。在整个士师时代(大约三百年),会幕一直设在示罗。在神的约柜被非利士人夺去的时候(参撒上 4 、 5 两 章),这城显然也被他们毁灭。这个城从来未能名副其实地成为以色列人的宗教中心,以后的经文记述了这城的罪恶和偶像敬拜(参诗 78:56-60 ;耶 7:12-15 )。 

  书 18:2-10> 还未分到地的七个支派,他们的心情如何? 

  18:2-10 以色列人其余的七个支派还没有分到地业,他们聚集到示罗,约书亚在那里给他们拈阄,来决定哪块地归与谁。神使用这种神圣的方法作出选择,而不是由约书亚或任何作领袖的来决定。 

  到这个时候,大多数地区的迦南人势力已被削弱,他们已不再成为威胁。可惜,百姓并没有遵照神的吩咐,除灭残余的迦南人,因这七个支派的人不想惹事生非,遭遇抵抗。也许作为游牧民族,他们不想在一个地方定居,宁可在经济上倚靠那些他们所应当除灭之人。另外有些人可能害怕继续争战要付出重大的代价,且断绝供应。和敌人交易获利,要比靠自己张罗更容易,也更合算。 

  书 18:3-6> 有没有什么工作令我畏惧,拖延不做的? 

  18:3-6 约书亚责问这几个支派不积极准备、前去得地的原因。我们常常因为工作看似重大艰难、令人生厌,而迟迟不做。但是如果持续把工作放下,就显出愚昧,未能善尽管家的职分,更有可能是不顺服神。即使做自己不太喜爱的工作,也需要专心一意,与别人合力同心,多多地打起精神,好好地负起责任。你若想迟延怠慢,请记住这个教训。 

  书 18:8> 拈阄的结果能否代表神的心意? 

  18:8 由拈阄(也可以称为掣签)来决定,是以色列人的一般风俗。我们对于约书亚的时代,究竟用什么方法拈阄所知不多。一种可能是掷骰子,另一种可能是使用两个瓶子,一个瓶里放有各支派的名字,另一个则放所要得之地名,从瓶里取出一个支派,与这支派所得之地相合。他们也可能使用乌陵和土明来决疑(参利 8:8 的经文注释)。不管他们怎样做,这种方法可免去以人的方式选择,让神随祂的心意,把每一块土地分给每个支派。 

  约旦河西的支派 

  书 18:11> 便雅悯地处于…… 

  18:11 便雅悯分得一个狭长的地带,作为犹大和以法莲之间的缓冲区,犹大和以法莲后来统治了这地。 

  书 18:16> 欣嫩子谷,好像跟小孩子有些关系── 

  18:16 在耶利米的时代,欣嫩子谷变成拜摩洛(亚扪人的神)之地。在那些可怕的礼仪之中,有时要将自己的儿女献上为祭。后来,以色列人就在这个谷中焚烧垃圾,及罪人与牲畜的尸体。于是这个地名就成了地狱的同义词。──《灵修版圣经注释》