2025-07-12

July 12¶

Reading for Today:
今日读经：

2 Chronicles 19:1–20:37
历代志下 19:1–20:37
Psalm 82:1-8
诗篇 82:1-8
Proverbs 20:29-30
箴言 20:29-30
Acts 17:1-15
使徒行传 17:1-15

Notes:
注解：

2 Chronicles 19:1–3 Having faced possible death that was diverted by God (18:31), Jehoshaphat was rebuked because of his alliances. The prophet condemned the king’s alliance with God’s enemy, Ahab (1 Kin. 22:2), yet there was mercy mingled with wrath because of the king’s concern personally and nationally for the true worship of God.
历代志下 19:1-3 约沙法经历了神的拯救，从险些丧命（18:31）中脱险。然而，他因与亚哈结盟而受到先知责备。先知谴责他与神的仇敌结亲（王上22:2），但因他个人及国中对真敬拜的关注，神的忿怒中也显出怜悯。

Psalm 82:1 congregation of the mighty. The scene opens with God having called the world leaders together. among the gods. Some have taken this psalm to be about demons or false pagan gods. The best interpretation is that these “gods” are human leaders, such as judges, kings, legislators, and presidents (Ex. 22:8, 9, 28; Judg. 5:8, 9).God the Great Judge presides over these lesser judges.
诗篇 82:1 “大能者的会中”。 画面一开始，神召集世上的掌权者。“在诸神中间”。有些人认为此诗篇是指邪灵或外邦假神，更准确的解释应为“诸神”指的是地上的领袖，如审判官、君王、立法官与总统（出22:8,9,28；士5:8,9）。神这位大审判者居于众主管之上。

Psalm 82:6 I said. Kings and judges are set up ultimately by the decree of God (Ps. 2:6). God, in effect, invests His authority in human leaders for the stability of the universe (Rom. 13:1–7). But God may revoke this authority (v. 7). “You are gods.” Jesus, in quoting this phrase in John 10:34, supported the interpretation that the “gods” were human beings. In a play on words, He claims that if human leaders can be called “gods,” certainly the Messiah can be called God.
诗篇 82:6 “我曾说”。 君王和审判官终归是神设立的（诗2:6）。神把祂的权柄托付给人间的领袖，使世界得以安定（罗13:1-7）；但神也能收回这权柄（7节）。“你们是神”。耶稣在约翰福音10:34引用此处，表明“诸神”指世上的人领袖。祂用双关法指出，若人都可被称为“神”，弥赛亚被称为神便更无可非议。

Psalm 82:8 You shall inherit all nations. The psalmist prayerfully anticipates the future when God will set up His kingdom and restore order and perfect justice to a sin-cursed world (Pss.96; 97; Is.11:1–5).
诗篇 82:8 “你要得万邦为业”。 诗人满有信心地祷告，展望将来神要建立自己的国度，在罪恶咒诅的世界中重新带来秩序与完美的公义（参诗96、97；赛11:1-5）。

Acts 17:7 contrary to the decrees of Caesar. One of the most serious crimes in the Roman Empire was to acknowledge allegiance to any king but Caesar (John 19:15).
使徒行传 17:7 “违背该撒的命令”。 在罗马帝国，承认除该撒以外的王，是极其严重的罪行（约19:15）。

Acts 17:15 Athens. The cultural center of Greece. At its zenith, Athens was home to the most renowned philosophers in history, including Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, who was arguably the most influential philosopher of all. Two other significant philosophers taught there: Epicurus, founder of Epicureanism, and Zeno, founder of Stoicism—two of the dominant philosophies in that day (v. 18).
使徒行传 17:15 “雅典”。 雅典是希腊的文化中心，鼎盛时期曾诞生历史上最著名的哲学家，如苏格拉底、柏拉图、亚里士多德——后者堪称最具影响力的哲学家。另有两位重要思想家在此讲学：伊壁鸠鲁（伊壁鸠鲁学派创始人）和芝诺（斯多葛学派创始人），这两派是当时流行的主流哲学（18节）。

DAY 12: How did Jehoshaphat express his faith in the face of adversity?
第十二天：约沙法在逆境中如何表达信心？

Second Chronicles 20:1–30 is one of the great stories of faith in the Old Testament. Attacked by a great multitude from Moab and Ammon, Jehoshaphat made the appropriate spiritual response, i.e., the king and the nation appealed to God in prayer and fasting. The fast was national, including even the children (v. 13). Jehoshaphat stood in the redecorated center court praying for the nation, appealing to the promises, the glory, and the reputation of God which were at stake since He was identified with Judah (vv. 5–12). In his prayer he acknowledged God’s sovereignty (v. 6), God’s covenant (v. 7), God’s presence (vv. 8, 9), God’s goodness (v. 10), God’s possession (v. 11), and their utter dependence on Him (v. 12).
历代志下20:1-30是旧约中信心的伟大见证。面对摩押人、亚扪人巨大军队的入侵，约沙法作出了属灵回应：全王国与他一同禁食祷告。此次禁食是全国性的，甚至包括孩童（13节）。约沙法站在新修饰的院中，为国家祈祷，呼求神的应许、荣耀与名声，因为这些与犹大的命运息息相关（5-12节）。在祷告中，他承认神的主权（6节）、神的约（7节）、神的同在（8,9节）、神的恩惠（10节）、神所赐的产业（11节），以及百姓完全倚靠神的事实（12节）。

The Lord responded immediately, sending a message of confidence through the prophet Jahaziel. “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them…. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD” (v. 15–17).
神立刻回应，通过先知雅哈悉传达安慰的信息：“不要因这大军恐惧惊惶，因为胜败不在乎你们，乃在乎神。明日你们要下去迎敌……这次你们不必作战，只要摆阵站住，看耶和华怎样施行拯救”（15-17节）。

Here was the praise of faith (vv. 18–21). They were confident enough in God’s promise of victory to begin the praise before the battle was won. So great was their trust that the choir marched in front of the army, singing psalms. People were appointed who should “praise the beauty of holiness” (v. 21). The Lord is beautiful in holiness (Ex. 15:11; Ps. 27:4), but the text here would better be translated “in holy attire,” which was referring to the manner in which the Levite singers were clothed in symbolic sacred clothing (1 Chr. 16:29) in honor of the Lord’s holiness.
接着是信心的赞美（18-21节）。他们对神应许的胜利笃信不疑，在未开战前就开始颂赞神。他们如此信靠，以致唱诗班走在军队前面，唱诗赞美。有人被派“赞美神圣的荣耀”（21节）。耶和华确实以圣洁为美（出15:11；诗27:4）；但此处更确切的翻译应为“穿着圣洁的服装”，意指利未的歌者穿上特制的圣衣敬拜神，以显明对神圣洁的尊崇（代上16:29）。

Similar to God’s intervention in Gideon’s day (Judg. 7:15–23), God caused confusion among the enemy, who mistakenly turned upon themselves and slaughtered each other (vv. 22–24). Some think this may have been done by angels who appeared and set off this uncontrolled and deadly panic. The destruction was complete before Jehoshaphat and his army ever met the enemy (v. 24).
就如神在基甸时代所行的（士7:15-23），神又使仇敌混乱，自相残杀，互相击溃（22-24节）。有人认为，可能有天使显现，激起敌军无法控制且致命的恐慌。在约沙法和大军还未与敌人交锋前，仇敌就已全然覆灭（24节）。

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