歷代志上 3-5章 1 Chronicles Intro 3-5

各位平安！這一講呢，我們繼續來談《歷代志上》第三、四、五章。

昨天我們聊過，《歷代志》的主軸其實就是在鋪陳那位即將來臨的彌賽亞。你如果從頭到尾把《歷代志上》和《歷代志下》讀一遍，注意那條主線，就會發現裡頭記錄了兩個非常關鍵的家譜。

其中最重要的，就是大衛的家譜。為什麼呢？因為大衛是那位未來彌賽亞的祖先。這位以色列人苦苦盼望的君王，他要從大衛的後裔而來。所以，整個《歷代志》不只是族譜大集合，而是歷史長河裡的彌賽亞伏筆展開。

你會發現，《歷代志上》用了大篇幅在記載大衛、所羅門，以及整個大衛王朝的點點滴滴。每一個人幾乎都有名字登錄，像是在參加一場天國版的選民報到大會。而且有趣的是，這裡對大衛的描述，和《撒母耳記》相比，有點「美化」效果。

在《撒母耳記》裡的大衛，常常給人一種「落魄流浪王子」的感覺，被掃羅追殺整整二十年，看起來一點也不威風。甚至他和拔示巴的那段不堪往事也被詳細記錄，絲毫不留情面。但到了《歷代志》，咱們的大衛形象有點像是經過剪輯的精華版——仍然真實，但比較聚焦在他作王的榮耀與對神的敬虔，和預備建造聖殿的事情。不是說他沒犯錯，而是選擇把聚光燈打在他那顆尋求神的心這件事情上。

說到這裡，就不得不提這個核心訊息：未來要來的彌賽亞，會像大衛。你有沒有發現，在所有的君王裡，只有大衛被上帝稱為「合我心意的人」。這句話讓人好奇——明明他也說過謊、犯過錯，為什麼上帝還這麼說呢？

答案很簡單也很感動：因為大衛一直在追求上帝的心。他不是完美的人，但他是真誠的人。當他跌倒，他立刻悔改。他不是那種「錯了還硬拗」的王，他是會披麻蒙灰、寫詩唱詩認罪的那種。

最經典的例子，就是他和拔示巴生下的第一個孩子去世後，他沒有怨天尤人。他知道，這是他該負的責任。他的認罪不是表面功夫，而是發自內心的回轉。所以上帝說：他是合我心意的人。

所以我們來看看，從第三章開始，經文記載了從大衛的兒子們，一路到所羅門的後代，再到耶哥尼雅的後裔。整段家譜其實都集中在猶大國——也就是我們熟悉的南國，不是北國以色列喔。從南北國分裂之後，《歷代志》基本上就鎖定在猶大這一支，也就是大衛的後裔這條線。

到了第四章，家譜又繼續，不過你會發現——嗯？怎麼又來一次猶大的後裔？沒錯，這邊跟第二章有些內容是重複的，接下來到了第四章第11節以後，我們繼續往下看，在第15節有個重點人物出現了——耶孫尼的兒子，他是迦勒家族的成員，而迦勒是誰？這名字一出場，有在讀《出埃及記》和《約書亞記》的朋友應該會「叮」一聲想起來：沒錯！這正是那位跟約書亞搭檔，南征北討、不畏艱險的勇士迦勒！

聖經裡的迦勒可不是一般的角色，他在那個「大家都說不行」的時候，堅定地說「可以！」他的信心和膽識，讓他成為以色列歷史上非常有代表性的一位人物。所以在家譜中再次提到他，就不只是「列名」，而是在提醒我們，這一支血脈裡曾經出過這樣一位信心猛將。

我們在這裡也可以注意到，迦勒其實在血統上並不是以色列人。他是外邦人，是後來加入以色列民的。但有趣的是，在整個「進迦南」的過程中，真正展現最大信心的兩個人，竟然就是約書亞和——外邦出身的——迦勒。

摩西那一代的人，除了這兩位，全都沒能踏進應許之地。他們只能遠遠地望著美地，卻不能進去。唯有約書亞和迦勒，他們帶領新一代的以色列人征戰迦南，是整個進入應許之地的重要領袖。

所以從這裡你會發現，其實在這些家譜裡，已經悄悄地埋了一個很深的福音伏筆：外邦人一樣可以得救！只要有信心，身份不是問題。迦勒就是最好的例子——血統不是重點，信心才是入場券。

除了講家族，這裡也特別記錄了他們住在哪些地方。你會發現，這位歷代志的作者就像是一位超認真的歷史學家，他不只記名字，還記地名，連誰是誰的祖宗、誰住哪一區，都鉅細靡遺地寫下來。整個就是一部「古代以色列房地產地圖＋家族史大全」。

接下來到了第五章，開頭就講到了呂便。他雖然是以色列的長子，但因為污穢了父親的床，長子的名分就被轉給了約瑟。作者特別點出，雖然名分給了約瑟，但君王卻不是從約瑟來，而是從猶大出。也因此，大衛是猶大支派的後裔，而這條君王的血脈，也會一路延續到未來那位真正的君王——彌賽亞。

這邊有個特別值得一提的點：以色列人一直期待的彌賽亞，是那種「大衛」的王 ——想到的第一個事蹟可能就是他打死巨人歌利亞，後來南征北伐打平了周圍的非利士人和世仇們，英勇威猛、能征善戰，一出場就能橫掃敵軍、統一國土、讓萬民俯首稱臣的那種猛將。

所以當耶穌來到這世上，他們怎麼看都覺得不對勁——這位看起來溫柔又不帶軍隊的「君王」，怎麼可能是彌賽亞？

但耶穌所實現的，是一個全然不同的國度。祂不是只征服疆土，而是征服人心；祂不是建立邊界，而是拆除隔閡；祂的國度沒有疆界，沒有敵對，反而是萬民同居、和平共處，所以舊約應許的那一位君王的確就是耶穌。但這種「君王」，對當時的以色列人來說，真的太難接受了。

他們難以轉念，難以想像這竟然才是真正的拯救者。我相信保羅在被耶穌拯救後，隱居自己家鄉大數十年，重新研究舊約聖經，我想他才獲得啟示，從這一切的歷史之中和舊約經文之中看明白了這樣的啟示，所以後來他出來宣教的時候有全面性的理解，因為他熟讀舊約，精通以色列歷史，所以他後來能夠被上帝使用，寫出這麼多的啟示書信，成為新約重要的神學教義，這一點可能是其他使徒所做不到的。

我們接著看到在《歷代志上》第4章9到10節，有一個人物叫做雅比斯。

經文說，雅比斯比他的眾兄弟更尊貴。他母親給他起名叫「雅比斯」，意思是「我生他甚是痛苦」。但你如果仔細看，其實「雅比斯」這個名字原文的意思比較像是「不痛苦」或者「脫離痛苦」。也就是說，他的名字雖然源自痛苦，卻蘊含一個反轉——一種從苦難中釋放出來的祝福。

然後，這位雅比斯向神禱告說：「甚願你賜福與我，擴張我的境界，常與我同在，保佑我不遭患難，不受艱苦。」而神就應允了他所求的。

這個禱告在後來被很多人看重，也被當作屬靈生命中的一個禱告榜樣。因為我們心中常常也渴望這樣的祝福：生活穩定、事業擴張、身體平安、遠離災難、走在神的同在中。

不過到了新約，我們看到耶穌的教導卻好像有點反差。他說：

「若有人要跟從我，就當捨己，天天背起他的十字架來跟從我。」

所以我們要有正確的理解：上帝不是保證我們一生都不會遇到痛苦，而是保證祂會與我們同在。祂的愛有時是溫柔慈悲的引領，有時則是帶著紀律和管教——特別當我們走偏時，祂的懲治反而是一種深沉的愛。

因此，我們可以懷著雅比斯那樣的信心來禱告，求神賜福、擴張境界，也可以同時帶著堅定的心，面對人生的苦難，知道上帝使萬事互相效力，為的是要叫愛祂的人得益處。

讓我們既有雅比斯的信心，也有耶穌門徒的堅持。相信祂所做的一切，無論是祝福還是管教，都是出於對我們最深的愛。

好啦，我們今天對《歷代志上》第三、四、五章的分享，就先告一個段落。

明天我們要進入《歷代志》裡的另一個重點家譜——也就是祭司的家譜。除了大衛王室這條「君王線」，第六章開始，就轉向了「祭司線」，也就是利未家族，特別是從亞倫和摩西開始，一路延續下來的重要祭司族系。

這是整本歷代志裡非常核心的一條脈絡，因為它不只是講血緣，更在講神與人之間的橋樑怎麼被建立起來。

感謝各位今天的聆聽，我們下一講再見，一起來繼續查考第六章後的經文。願上帝賜福大家！

 Peace to you all! In this session, we continue exploring 1 Chronicles chapters 3, 4, and 5.

Yesterday, we discussed how the main thread of Chronicles is really pointing toward the coming Messiah. If you read through both 1 and 2 Chronicles with that lens, you'll notice it documents two key genealogies.

The most important one is the genealogy of David. Why? Because David is the ancestor of the future Messiah. The king that Israel had long been waiting for would come from David's line. So, Chronicles isn't just a big list of family trees; it's a long, unfolding prelude to the Messiah.

You'll notice 1 Chronicles devotes a huge portion to David, Solomon, and the details of the Davidic dynasty. Practically everyone is named, like they’re attending a heavenly roll call. And interestingly, the portrayal of David here is a bit more polished than in Samuel.

In Samuel, David often comes across as a struggling, hunted fugitive—on the run from Saul for twenty years, not exactly the picture of a mighty king. His dark moments, like the story with Bathsheba, are laid bare with brutal honesty.

But in Chronicles, David is more like the highlight reel version—still real, but the emphasis is on his kingship, his devotion to God, and his preparations for the temple. It doesn’t hide his faults, but the spotlight is clearly on his heart for God.

Which brings us to a central point: the Messiah would be like David. Among all the kings, only David was called "a man after God’s own heart." That’s a curious phrase—David lied, sinned, and made major mistakes. So why would God say that?

The answer is simple and moving: because David kept pursuing God's heart. He wasn't perfect, but he was sincere. When he fell, he repented. He didn’t double down on his wrongs—he put on sackcloth, wrote psalms, and truly repented.

One classic example: after his child with Bathsheba died, he didn’t complain. He knew it was his responsibility. His repentance wasn’t performative—it was heartfelt. And that’s why God called him a man after His own heart.

Starting in chapter 3, the genealogy traces from David’s sons, to Solomon’s descendants, down to the line of Jeconiah. This line centers on the kingdom of Judah—the southern kingdom, not the northern kingdom of Israel. After the kingdom split, Chronicles zooms in on Judah, the line of David.

Then in chapter 4, the genealogy continues. And you might think, “Wait, didn’t we already see Judah’s line?” Yes, there is some overlap with chapter 2.

Moving to chapter 4, verse 15, we encounter an important figure—Caleb, son of Jephunneh. If you’ve read Exodus or Joshua, that name should ring a bell. Yep, that’s the same Caleb who, along with Joshua, fearlessly scouted the land and led military campaigns.

Caleb was no ordinary man. When everyone else said, "We can’t do it," Caleb said, "Yes, we can!" His faith and courage made him a standout in Israel’s history. So his mention in this genealogy isn’t just a name—it’s a reminder that this bloodline includes faith-filled warriors.

And here’s a key point: Caleb wasn’t even ethnically Israelite. He was a foreigner who joined the Israelite community. Yet, among all who left Egypt, only Joshua and Caleb entered the Promised Land. That means these two were the real faith giants of that generation.

Everyone else from Moses' generation died without entering the land. Only Joshua and Caleb led the next generation into Canaan. This genealogy subtly includes a gospel preview: salvation isn’t just for those with the right bloodline, but for those with faith. Caleb is the perfect example—faith is the real qualification.

Beyond family names, the genealogies also note where people lived. The Chronicler was like a top-tier historian—not just recording who begat whom, but also who lived where. It’s like an ancient Israelite census meets real estate record.

Then in chapter 5, we begin with Reuben. Though Reuben was Israel’s firstborn, because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to Joseph. Still, the kingship did not come from Joseph, but from Judah. This sets up the line of David—and ultimately, the Messiah.

Here’s something interesting: the Messiah that Israel longed for was expected to be a “David-type” king—a warrior hero who slayed Goliath, conquered the Philistines, and united the kingdom. They imagined a Messiah who’d ride in and wipe out their enemies.

So when Jesus came, meek and without an army, many couldn’t accept Him. They thought, “This can’t be our king.”

But Jesus brought a very different kingdom. Not one of land and armies, but of hearts and reconciliation. He didn’t draw borders—He erased them. His kingdom had no boundaries, no enemies, just peace and unity. So yes, Jesus is that promised king, but not in the way they expected.

Paul, after his dramatic conversion, likely spent years in Tarsus studying the Old Testament. That’s probably when he began to truly see how all these genealogies, prophecies, and stories pointed to Jesus. His deep understanding of Scripture allowed him to write many foundational letters of New Testament theology—something few others could do.

Now, back to chapter 4, verses 9–10. We meet a man named Jabez.

The Bible says Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” But interestingly, the name “Jabez” could also mean “he causes pain to stop” or “relief from pain.” So his name carries a redemptive twist.

Jabez prayed to the God of Israel:

“Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.”

And God granted his request.

This prayer has inspired many people. We all long for blessing, expansion, safety, and God’s presence. But in the New Testament, Jesus offers another perspective:

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

This shows us: God doesn’t promise a life without pain, but He does promise to be with us in it. Sometimes His love is gentle guidance; sometimes it’s loving discipline. When we stray, His correction is love too.

So, yes—pray like Jabez. Ask boldly. But also walk in faith, knowing that trials shape us and God works all things together for the good of those who love Him.

Let’s have the faith of Jabez and the perseverance of Jesus’ disciples. Whatever He does—whether blessing or discipline—it comes from His deep, perfect love.

Alright, that’s where we’ll pause for today’s look at 1 Chronicles chapters 3, 4, and 5.

Tomorrow, we’ll move into another key genealogy: the priestly line. Starting in chapter 6, the focus shifts from the royal line of David to the priestly line of Levi, particularly the descendants of Aaron and Moses.

This is a crucial thread in Chronicles—not just about family, but about how God built a bridge between Himself and His people.

Thanks for listening today. We’ll see you next time as we continue into chapter 6. May God bless you all!