旧约 - 历代记下(2 Chronicles)第5章

When all the work Solomon had done for the temple of the LORD was finished, he brought in the things his father David had dedicated--the silver and gold and all the furnishings--and he placed them in the treasuries of God's temple.
Then Solomon summoned to Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the LORD'S covenant from Zion, the City of David.
And all the men of Israel came together to the king at the time of the festival in the seventh month.
When all the elders of Israel had arrived, the Levites took up the ark,
and they brought up the ark and the Tent of Meeting and all the sacred furnishings in it. The priests, who were Levites, carried them up;
and King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.
The priests then brought the ark of the LORD'S covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim.
The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and covered the ark and its carrying poles.
These poles were so long that their ends, extending from the ark, could be seen from in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today.
There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.
The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions.
All the Levites who were musicians--Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives--stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets.
The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: "He is good; his love endures forever." Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud,
and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God.
历代志下第五章   第 5 章 

  5 章 旧约里为什么如此注重圣殿? 

  ( 1 )这是宗教权威的象征。神藉圣殿使耶路撒冷成为敬拜的中心,好使世世代代都保持纯正不变的信仰。 

  ( 2 )那是神圣洁的象征。圣殿的荣美,令人对神肃然起敬;先知们看见许多伟大异象,就是在这样的背景之中。 

  ( 3 )那是神与以色列人立约的记号。圣殿使百姓注重神的律法(刻有十条诫命的两块法版,放在圣殿约柜之内)胜于看重君王的功绩。这也是神特别临在祂百姓中的地方。 

  ( 4 )那是神赦免祂百姓的记号。圣殿的设计、器物以及敬拜的习俗,对全体百姓来说,都是意义深长的实物教材,使他们想起犯罪的严重性、沾染罪污所招致的惩罚、以及他们是何等需要罪的赦免。 

  ( 5 )它预备百姓的心,好迎接弥赛亚的来临。在新约中基督说,祂来是成全律法、并不是要废掉它。希伯来书使用圣殿的习俗,来解释主基督为我们受死时所成就的大事。(参来 8:1-2 ; 9:11-12 ) 

  ( 6 )它是人类努力创造的明证。人类因神性荣美的启发,专心致志于科学、技术以及艺术方面的高度成就,为要赞美祂。 

  ( 7 )那是一个祷告的地方。百姓可以花时间在圣殿里向神祷告。 

  代下 5:1-3> 圣殿的建造历时多久? 

  5:1-3 这圣殿用了七年时间来建造。列王纪上说它是在所罗门作王的第十一年第八月(即公元前 959 年阳历十一月,参王上 6:38 )完成的。而历代志下说百姓在七月聚集到所罗门王那里,举行献殿礼,那不是在圣殿完成之前一个月,就是在完成后的第十一个月举行的( 5:3 )。 

  代下 5:3> “七月节”即“住棚节”,以色列人选择在这节期献殿,是否有特别的意义? 

  5:3 百姓在第七月所守的节期是住棚节,纪念他们列祖进入应许之地以前,在旷野飘流时神对他们的保护。他们每年守这节期,为的是重申对神的委身,信靠祂的引导与保护。这一次的节期与奉献圣殿礼结合有双重意义,他们一面纪念祖先在旷野飘流时住过帐棚,另一面更因这个永远荣美的圣殿发出感谢。 

  应当小心地顺服神 

  代下 5:7-12> 以色列人自发地赞美神的同在;当我经历神的恩典时,我又会怎样回应? 

  5:7-12 祭司把约柜抬进圣殿,放在至圣所以后,便从圣所中出来。外间的圣所有桌子,其上放有陈设饼,圣所内还有香炉与金灯台。通常至圣所只有大祭司一年一次在赎罪日那天可以进去。在这个独特的时刻,还有几个祭司也必须进入至圣所,将约柜抬到新的安放之处。他们进去的时候,利未人就赞美神,因为知道神悦纳了为约柜所预备的新地方( 5:13 )。 

  代下 5:9> “直到如今还在”的“如今”反映了历代志下写作背景的什么资料? 

  5:9 圣经里有几卷书是在神的感动之下,从不同的资料取材编写成的。历代志所记载的事件经历好几百年,是由单独一位作者汇集几卷书而编成。其中有一句“直到如今还在那里”(参王上 8:8 ),是取材于公元前 586 年犹大人被掳以前所写的史料。尽管历代志上下编写完成,是在被掳和所罗门的圣殿被毁以后,但作者似乎认为应该在这卷书中保留这句话。 

  代下 5:13> 在我的敬拜生活中,能否反映昔日圣殿敬拜中的丰盛? 

  5:13 圣殿举行第一次敬拜聚会,以赞美神、宣告祂的同在和美善开始。我们敬拜的时候,也应当以见证神的慈爱作为开始,首先要赞美祂,然后就能预备自己的心,向祂陈明内心的需要。回想神的慈爱与怜悯,你就能心被恩感,天天敬拜祂。诗篇 107 篇,是大卫如何回忆神永存慈爱的范例。──《灵修版圣经注释》