旧约 - 尼希米记(Nehemiah)第2章

In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before;
so the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart." I was very much afraid,
but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?"
The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven,
and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it."
Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.
I also said to him, "If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah?
And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king's forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?" And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.
So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king's letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.
I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days
I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.
By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire.
Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through;
so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate.
The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.
Then I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace."
I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work.
But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. "What is this you are doing?" they asked. "Are you rebelling against the king?"
I answered them by saying, "The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it."
尼希米记第二章   第 2 章 

  尼希米返回耶路撒冷 

  尼 2:2> 尼希米为什么那么害怕? 

  2:2 王察觉到尼希米的愁容,令尼希米甚是惧怕,因为任何人露出愁颜令王不悦的话,王都有权赐他死罪,因为穿麻衣的不可进朝门,而愁容满面与披麻蒙灰无异(参斯 4:2 )。 

  尼 2:2-3> 尼希米没有因惧怕而畏惧不前,通常我在害怕时会怎么做呢? 

  2:2-3 尼希米不因惶恐而感到耻辱,也未因此停止了神交托的工作。若我们让恐惧控制自己,便等于承认恐惧胜过神。当神呼召你时,你畏缩了吗?神已胜过恐惧;你先要找出惧怕的原因,并要明白,只要是出于神的,祂必定帮助你完成这工。 

  尼 2:4> 在那种情况下,尼希米仍不忘求问神的旨意,我和他有没有差距?为什么? 

  2:4 尼希米没多考虑,便立刻跪下祷告。在尼希米记中,先后有八次他发自内心的祈祷( 2:4 ; 4:4-5 , 9 ; 5:19 ; 6:14 ; 13:14 , 22 , 29 )。尼希米随时祷告,因他知道神掌管一切,与他同在并乐意聆听和回应他的祈求。尼希米有信心地祈祷,因为恒常祷告,使他与神更亲密了( 1:4-7 )。若我们想祷告达到神面前,必须花时间深入地祈祷,才能与神建立亲密的关系。 

  尼 2:6> 尼希米知道他要回去多久吗?他会怎么回答王?换了你呢? 

  2:6 王问尼希米要去多少日子,圣经没有记载他即时的答覆,结果他在耶路撒冷住了十二年( 5:14 ; 13:6 )。 

  尼 2:7-8> 求人帮助应该吗?找谁帮助? 

  2:7-8 尼希米祈祷后,便求王准他返回犹大。王答应了,尼希米再求王提供更多的帮助。当我们需要帮助的时候,常常害怕接触适当的人,踌躇是否该向他们提出请求。尼希米直接找那最能帮他的人。不要犹疑,去找那最能帮你的人吧!他们可能比你想像中更容易接近,或者神正要透过别人的帮助,来回应你的祈求。 

  尼 2:8> “这件事多亏了我……”──有没有想到神的帮助? 

  2:8 尼希米有地位和权力,也有优秀的组织能力,但他明白如果没有神施恩的手,他的努力都是枉然。你知道你的力量和天赋都是从神而来的吗? 

  尼 2:9-10,19> 开展神的事工总会遇到阻力,你有没有足够的应对办法? 

  2:9-10,19 尼希米一回到犹大,便立刻遇到阻挠。外邦人反对犹太人重建耶路撒冷,已历时九十年。每一个世代都有人敌视神的儿女,要阻碍神的旨意。当你为神做工时,也可能有人来搅扰你,盼你一败涂地。如果你能预计将临的阻力,便可以先作准备,避免到时惊慌失措(参约壹 3:13 )。明白神在掌管一切,便是激发你勇往直前、驱走仇敌的最强动力。 

  尼 2:10> 参巴拉、多比雅是何许人也? 

  2:10 参巴拉是撒马利亚的省长,多比雅可能是河东的省长。这些政府官员,对尼希米和少数回归的以色列人十分关注,原因如下:( 1 )所罗巴伯领首批以色列人回归时(参拉 1:2 ),拒绝撒马利亚人的帮助,双方关系闹僵了。( 2 )尼希米并非一般俘虏,他是王的私人顾问和酒政,他带着王的谕旨回耶路撒冷,要重建全城和加强圣城的防御力量。自犹大人被掳后,撒马利亚人便接手管理他们的土地。现在耶路撒冷重建,意味着撒马利亚人的治权受到威胁。( 3 )这次是第三批人回国,耶路撒冷的人口渐增令参巴拉和多比雅愤怒,因他们不想以色列人控制该地,而威胁自己的地位。 

  尼 2:11-17> 尼希米如何制定工作计划的?有哪些地方值得学习? 

  2:11-17 尼希米悄悄地回到耶路撒冷,用了几天时间,察看城墙的损毁程度。经过深思熟虑,他充满信心地提出了一套计划。他示范了一个解决问题的好途径──先搜集资料,详细分析形势,然后提出可行的策略。你应该学习尼希米,开始工作前预先作周详计划,查考所有资料,肯定你的建议是切实可行的,再充满信心地介绍你的方案。 

  尼 2:14> 2:14 城墙损毁不堪,尼希米所骑的牲口无法通过,只好徒步上山视察。 

  尼 2:15> 尼希米为何要在夜里视察?为何要保密? 

  2:15 尼希米对身负的使命保持缄默,在深夜视察城墙,是为了避免他的巡视引起各种不利谣言,并防止敌人对他的计划起戒心。惟有审慎计划,一切准备就绪,他才将神托付的使命公诸于世。若时机未成熟便公布计划,可能会导致犹太人的反对。尼希米不愿被冗长费时的计划会议耽误时间,他要的是一个能够坐言起行的计划。 

  尼 2:17-18> 异象一定要用眼睛看到才算吗? 

  2:17-18 异象常叫人灵性复兴。尼希米领受了异象,满怀热诚与耶路撒冷的领袖们分享,激动他们重建城墙。 

  我们常低估别人,所以不常将神在地上的旨意宣告出来以激励别人。神给你异象去为祂工作,你只管与人分享,相信圣灵会感动他们有同样的意念。不要以为你是神惟一的仆人。神常藉着一个人宣讲异象,而动员其他人去实现异象,当你激励别人、鼓舞别人时,就是以团队事奉来完成神的旨意。 

  尼 2:19> 对敌人的指责应该怎样反击?尼希米是怎样作的? 

  2:19 参巴拉和多比雅指责重建城墙是叛乱行为,甚至威胁要告御状。他们指责参与建造的人是卖国贼。仇敌们还嘲讽尼希米,说城墙损毁严重,根本无法重建。尼希米没有告诉他们其实王早已批准重建,只说这是神的意思。其实这样的一句话便已足够了。──《灵修版圣经注释》