猶大王約蘭
（代下21‧1－20）
16 以色列王亞哈的兒子約蘭第五年，猶大王約沙法還在位的時候，約沙法的兒子約蘭登基作了猶大王。 17約蘭登基的時候年三十二歲，在耶路撒冷作王八年。 18他行以色列諸王所行的，與亞哈家一樣；因為他娶了亞哈的女兒為妻，行耶和華眼中看為惡的事。 19耶和華卻因他僕人大衛的緣故，仍不肯滅絕猶大，照他所應許大衛的話，永遠賜燈光與他的子孫。
20 約蘭年間，以東人背叛猶大，脫離他的權下，自己立王。 21約蘭率領所有的戰車往撒益去，夜間起來，攻打圍困他的以東人和車兵長；猶大兵就逃跑，各回各家去了。 22這樣，以東人背叛猶大，脫離他的權下，直到今日。那時立拿人也背叛了。
23 約蘭其餘的事，凡他所行的，都寫在猶大列王記上。 24約蘭與他列祖同睡，葬在大衛城他列祖的墳地裏。他兒子亞哈謝接續他作王。
猶大王亞哈謝
（代下22‧1－6）
25 以色列王亞哈的兒子約蘭十二年，猶大王約蘭的兒子亞哈謝登基。 26他登基的時候年二十二歲，在耶路撒冷作王一年。他母親名叫亞她利雅，是以色列王暗利的孫女。 27亞哈謝效法亞哈家行耶和華眼中看為惡的事，與亞哈家一樣，因為他是亞哈家的女婿。
28他與亞哈的兒子約蘭同往基列的拉末去，與亞蘭王哈薛爭戰。亞蘭人打傷了約蘭， 29約蘭王回到耶斯列，醫治在拉末與亞蘭王哈薛打仗的時候所受的傷。猶大王約蘭的兒子亞哈謝因為亞哈的兒子約蘭病了，就下到耶斯列看望他。
弟兄姊妹平安！今天我們讀到《列王紀》下半段第八章，這一段的記載涉及猶大、以色列和以東的一些歷史事件。經文中的人物名稱繁多，而且不少名字對我們來說比較拗口，這使得我們讀起來會感到有點困惑，不知道它的重點所在。
其實，我們可以用一個簡單的策略來理解這段經文：把其中關鍵的角色或事件挑出來，然後針對他們的行動和所扮演的角色進行深入研究，這樣就能掌握這一段的核心訊息。
我們所看到的這段時期，政局確實非常混亂。無論是以色列、猶大，還是以東，彼此之間的關係都非常緊張，經常處於爭戰狀態。有時，他們會因為政治利益而結盟，但這些聯盟卻沒有真正帶來和平或穩定。最讓人遺憾的是，他們並沒有專心敬拜上帝，也沒有遵循祂的律法。
首先，我們看到以色列和以東之間的戰爭。儘管這兩個國家曾經是同根同源（來自以撒的兩個兒子雅各和以掃），而且猶大國與以東國地理上非常接近，但這兩個國家從來沒有和平相處過。在大衛王的時代，以東曾經是猶大的附屬國，受猶大的統治。然而，隨著猶大國的逐漸衰弱，以東就趁機獨立，重新成為一個自主的國家，並且經常與以色列和猶大發生衝突。
這裡我們還需要關注的另一個重點是猶大王約蘭的兒子亞哈謝登基的背景。當提到亞哈謝登基時，特別指出他的母親是亞他利雅，而亞他利雅是以色列王亞哈的女兒，也就是暗利的孫女。這一點尤為重要，因為亞他利雅的母親正是耶洗別王后，也就是那位曾追殺先知以利亞並且一直崇拜邪神的王后。
耶洗別的影響極其深遠，不僅影響了以色列國，她的女兒亞他利雅也將這種邪教崇拜的影響帶到了猶大國。這導致了猶大國宗教和道德的敗壞，因為亞他利雅繼承了她母親對邪神的崇拜，並且影響了整個國家的信仰走向。我們會在《列王紀下》第九章看到耶洗別的結局，而這個結局也顯示了上帝對那些引導國家陷入罪惡和敗壞的人的審判。
所以，在這段經文中，我們看到猶大和以色列透過婚姻聯姻，短暫地維繫了一些聯盟關係。然而，隨著這種政治聯盟的形成，以色列拜偶像的壞風氣也通過這樣的聯姻傳到了猶大，導致猶大在道德上的一段時間內走向敗壞。
這段歷史提醒我們，當領導者在錯誤的道路上帶頭時，整個國家就會受到影響，成為共同犯罪的一個整體。這種屬靈上的墮落和錯誤的引導，不僅影響了當代，也留下了深遠的後果。提醒每一位領導者要非常謹慎，因為他們的選擇與行為會對整個國家或群體產生深遠的影響。
Jehoram King of Judah
16In the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat began his reign as king of Judah. 17He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. 18He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. 19Nevertheless, for the sake of his servant David, the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah. He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.
20In the time of Jehoram, Edom rebelled against Judah and set up its own king. 21So Jehoram went to Zair with all his chariots. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders, but he rose up and broke through by night; his army, however, fled back home. 22To this day Edom has been in rebellion against Judah. Libnah revolted at the same time.
23As for the other events of Jehoram’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 24Jehoram rested with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. And Ahaziah his son succeeded him as king.
Ahaziah King of Judah
25In the twelfth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign. 26Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. 27He followed the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was related by marriage to Ahab’s family.
28Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. The Arameans wounded Joram; 29so King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramoth in his battle with Hazael king of Aram.
Then Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab, because he had been wounded.
Dear brothers and sisters, peace be with you! Today we are reading the second part of 2 Kings, chapter 8. This section involves several historical events related to Judah, Israel, and Edom. There are many names and characters mentioned in this passage, and some of the names may seem unfamiliar or difficult for us, which can make it a bit confusing as we read and try to understand its main points.
To better understand this passage, we can use a simple strategy: identify the key figures or events and focus on their actions and the roles they play. This way, we can grasp the core message of this section.
During this period, the political landscape was indeed very chaotic. The relationships between Israel, Judah, and Edom were tense, and they were frequently at war with one another. Sometimes, they would form alliances for political reasons, but these alliances rarely brought about peace or stability. Unfortunately, what stands out most is that none of these nations were devoted to worshiping God wholeheartedly, nor were they following His laws.
First, we observe the ongoing conflict between Israel and Edom. Although these two nations were originally of the same lineage (descended from Isaac’s sons Jacob and Esau), and although Judah was geographically close to Edom, they never lived in peace with one another. During King David’s reign, Edom was a vassal state under Judah’s rule. However, as the Kingdom of Judah began to weaken, Edom seized the opportunity to break away and regain its independence, often clashing with both Israel and Judah.
Another important point we must focus on here is the background of the ascension of Ahaziah, the son of King Jehoram of Judah. When Ahaziah took the throne, it was specifically mentioned that his mother was Athaliah, the daughter of King Ahab of Israel and the granddaughter of Omri. This is a crucial detail because Athaliah’s mother was Jezebel, the infamous queen who had persecuted the prophet Elijah and led the nation in worshiping false gods.
Jezebel’s influence was far-reaching, corrupting not only the nation of Israel but also spreading to Judah through her daughter Athaliah. This resulted in the religious and moral decay of Judah, as Athaliah brought the same idolatrous practices into the kingdom. Her reign and influence contributed to Judah’s spiritual downfall, as she led the nation away from the worship of the one true God. In chapter 9 of 2 Kings, we will see the ultimate fate of Jezebel, which serves as a clear example of God’s judgment on those who lead their nations into sin and moral decay.
In this passage, we see that although Judah and Israel temporarily maintained an alliance through marriage, this political alliance also brought the corrupt practices of idolatry from Israel into Judah. As a result, Judah experienced a period of moral and spiritual decline.
This history reminds us that when leaders lead their nations down the wrong path, the entire nation is affected and becomes complicit in that sin. Such spiritual corruption and misguided leadership not only impact the present generation but leave a lasting legacy of destruction. This is a powerful reminder for leaders to be vigilant and cautious, as their decisions and actions have a profound impact on the future of the entire nation or community they lead.
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