旧约 - 约书亚记(Joshua)第22章

Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh
and said to them, "You have done all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded.
For a long time now--to this very day--you have not deserted your brothers but have carried out the mission the LORD your God gave you.
Now that the LORD your God has given your brothers rest as he promised, return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan.
But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul."
Then Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their homes.
(To the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in Bashan, and to the other half of the tribe Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan with their brothers.) When Joshua sent them home, he blessed them,
saying, "Return to your homes with your great wealth--with large herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze and iron, and a great quantity of clothing--and divide with your brothers the plunder from your enemies."
So the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in Canaan to return to Gilead, their own land, which they had acquired in accordance with the command of the LORD through Moses.
When they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan.
And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side,
the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.
So the Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead--to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
With him they sent ten of the chief men, one for each of the tribes of Israel, each the head of a family division among the Israelite clans.
When they went to Gilead--to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh--they said to them:
"The whole assembly of the LORD says: 'How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the LORD and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now?
Was not the sin of Peor enough for us? Up to this very day we have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the community of the LORD!
And are you now turning away from the LORD? "'If you rebel against the LORD today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel.
If the land you possess is defiled, come over to the LORD'S land, where the LORD'S tabernacle stands, and share the land with us. But do not rebel against the LORD or against us by building an altar for yourselves, other than the altar of the LORD our God.
When Achan son of Zerah acted unfaithfully regarding the devoted things, did not wrath come upon the whole community of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin.'"
Then Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel:
"The Mighty One, God, the LORD! The Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows! And let Israel know! If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the LORD, do not spare us this day.
If we have built our own altar to turn away from the LORD and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the LORD himself call us to account.
"No! We did it for fear that some day your descendants might say to ours, 'What do you have to do with the LORD, the God of Israel?
The LORD has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you--you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no share in the LORD.' So your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the LORD.
"That is why we said, 'Let us get ready and build an altar--but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.'
On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the LORD at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, 'You have no share in the LORD.'
"And we said, 'If they ever say this to us, or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica of the LORD'S altar, which our fathers built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.'
"Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD and turn away from him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings and sacrifices, other than the altar of the LORD our God that stands before his tabernacle."
When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community--the heads of the clans of the Israelites--heard what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased.
And Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, said to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, "Today we know that the LORD is with us, because you have not acted unfaithfully toward the LORD in this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the LORD'S hand."
Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders returned to Canaan from their meeting with the Reubenites and Gadites in Gilead and reported to the Israelites.
They were glad to hear the report and praised God. And they talked no more about going to war against them to devastate the country where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived.
And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us that the LORD is God.
约书亚记第廿二章   第 22 章 

  书 22:2-4> 虎头蛇尾,有始无终,你有没有这样对待神的工作? 

  22:2-4 攻占迦南地以前,摩西已将约旦河以东之地给了这三个支派。不过他们在那儿安居以前,要先应承帮助其他支派攻占河西之地(参民 32:20-22 )。他们忠心尽力地履行了自己的承诺。约书亚称赞他们言出必行,最后准许他们回去与家人团聚,建造他们的城邑。做神的工作必须要有始有终,最重要的是防备引诱,免得半途而废,误了神的工作。 

  书 22:5> 我已经参与事奉神的工作了──是尽心尽性的吗? 

  22:5 约书亚简单复述了摩西在申命记中给百姓的中心信息:应当存心爱神且顺服祂。以色列民虽然完成了军事任务,约书亚却提醒他们,还要尽上属灵的责任。我们有时只想到自己要做的事,忽略了思想自己应当成为怎样的人。我们若看见自己是神的儿女,就会爱祂,欢欢喜喜地事奉祂;不过不要让日常的事奉取代你爱神的心。 

  书 22:11-34> “他是不是想压我一头?”“他是不是和我作对?”你经常怀疑别人吗? 

  22:11-34 吕便,迦得,与玛拿西半支派的人,在约旦河东岸建造了一个祭坛,其余的支派以为他们要创立自己的宗教,悖逆神。正在他们想轻率地全面开战以前,大祭司的儿子非尼哈率领一个代表团前去查明真相;这是依据摩西在申命记所教导的原则做的( 13:12-18 )。非尼哈准备去进行和谈,若非必要便不开战。当他听到这祭坛是作为纪念之用,而不是为异教的献祭,战争就得以消弭,全民又再复团结一致,不至分裂。 

  无论是民族,或是个人,都应当以类似的方式,化干戈为玉帛,追求和睦。如果总怀疑别人存心不良,那就只会带来麻烦。以色列人在开始攻击那两个半支派以前,问明真相,遂免去内战的爆发。在得窥全豹以前,要谨慎小心,不可采取过激的行动。 

  书 22:17> 从哪里我可知以色列人曾拜巴力毗珥? 

  22:17 对于以色列人偏离神,拜巴力毗珥的事,可参看民数记第 25 章。 

  书 22:20> 22:20 关于亚干因贪欲犯罪的事,请参看本书第 7 章。 

  书 22:26-28> 子孙信不信主由不得我,我帮得了他们吗? 

  22:26-28 在约旦河东的两个半支派担心,如果在这河的两岸没有一个全民团结的明证,子孙后代会产生误解。他们造的祭坛,是按照耶和华祭坛的样式而造,为要使以后的百姓记住,河东河西之民,都是敬拜同一位神的。你以什么行为向子孙显明你倚靠神,并叫他们想起祂所行的大事呢?你要花时间建立一些可以帮助子孙记念神的家庭传统。──《灵修版圣经注释》