歷代志上 6-9 章 1 Chronicles Intro 6-9
- 馬克牧師
- Jun 6
- 8 min read
各位弟兄姊妹平安。我們今天繼續來研究《歷代志上》第6到第9章的經文。我們提到這段記載的家譜中有兩條主線。一條呢，是關於大衛王室的血脈，另一條則是祭司的脈絡。
那今天我們聚焦的是從第六章開始講的利未人。利未人是以色列的祭司團隊。他們跟其他支派不一樣，沒有自己分配到土地，他們的「職業」就是全職事奉上帝，負責聖殿裡的大小事務。換句話說，他們不種田不打仗，專心服事，還分佈在以色列各地，幫各支派執行聖殿中獻祭的職分。
那這條線的源頭呢，就是從最早的祭司兄弟檔——亞倫和摩西開始，然後一代一代傳承下來。直到大衛安放約櫃後，才有比較完整的敬拜系統。當時還安排人專門負責音樂和歌唱的工作。
聽起來是不是有點像早期的教會音樂部門？其實《詩篇》很多本來就是歌詞，是可以唱的，而且我們的詩篇金曲歌王——大衛王本人，不只會打仗，還是個才華洋溢的作曲家兼詞人。他常常自己創作詩篇，用音樂敬拜上帝，他自己也是一個高明的豎琴手，掃羅都聽他的音樂來驅走魔鬼。音樂敬拜這條線其實從大衛開始就已經很有根基了。
這一章可以說是資料庫等級的精細記錄——不只是講利未人的家譜，還標示了每一個宗族底下的家族住在哪裡。接著到了第7章，紀錄擴展到以色列其他支派的紀錄了。這裡有幾位非常值得一提的人物，像是——你應該耳熟能詳的——約書亞。他來自以法蓮支派，是摩西的得力助手，也是神揀選來帶領新一代以色列人進入應許之地的領袖。
說到以法蓮支派，這個支派在以色列歷史中地位相當關鍵，他們不只人多，出的人才也不少。
然後還有一群很特別的人 – 女人們 ——西羅非哈的女兒們。她們在第7章中出現（7:15），來自瑪拿西支派，當時她們的父親沒有兒子，結果她們勇敢地向摩西爭取產業繼承權，居然成功了！在那個時代，女性能在族譜中留下名字，這真的不是小事，堪稱是舊約的女權先鋒。
到了第8章，主角換成便雅憫支派，而這一章最重要的人物非掃羅莫屬——以色列歷史上的第一位君王。說實話，他一開始的出現滿有英雄氣息的，長得又高又帥，感覺氣場強大。但我們也知道，外表終究不是一切，他在性格上的脆弱和錯誤選擇，最終讓他陷入了困境，甚至導致國家的動盪。
不過，在掃羅的故事裡，我們也不能忽略他的兒子——約拿單。他跟大衛之間的深厚友誼真的令人動容。雖然他沒能親眼看到大衛登基，卻是忠誠與信任的代表人物。他的後代後來也得到了大衛的看重，並且被延續記錄在族譜中，這也算是對他生命的一種肯定吧。當你注意看第八章，會看到便雅憫出現在各個支派的地方，好像沒有自己的一片地方？你回去看《士師記》第19到21章，就會發現曾經發生過一件非常重大的事件 —— 便雅憫支派曾經和其他11個支派爆發了一場內戰衝突。
這起事件的起因，是一位利未人的妾在基比亞（當時便雅憫支派的地區）被當地的一些壞人強暴致死。這件事激起了以色列其他支派的公憤，他們集合起來要求便雅憫支派交出兇手。但便雅憫支派不知道吃錯什麼藥，不但不交人，還決定與全以色列其他支派開戰。這場內戰非常慘烈，便雅憫支派最終幾乎被滅，只剩下600個男人倖存。後來，以色列其他支派為了避免這個支派完全斷絕血脈，還特別設法讓他們能夠娶妻生子、延續後代。
這段歷史對便雅憫支派來說是個非常深的傷痕，也顯示了以色列在士師時期「各人任意而行」的混亂狀態。這段也常被用來反思信仰與道德敗壞對社會的影響。
到了第九章的開頭，首先講到的是從被擄之地回歸的人。這裡作者一開始就定下了基調——猶大人是因為犯罪才被擄到巴比倫。這個觀點其實是一個非常正確、清晰的歷史詮釋，也說明作者從歷史的角度把滅國這一件事情看得很透徹：是以色列人自己的錯誤，導致上帝決定使用巴比倫來懲罰他們，讓他們悔改。
所以這裡的定調，不是說上帝放棄他們、不再顧念他們，而是相反，這是一種導正的過程。接下來的經文也提到，那些回歸的人中，特別強調了在耶路撒冷聖殿裡服侍的群體——祭司、利未人、守門人、歌唱者，甚至管理聖殿器皿的。這是一個很重要的伏筆：即便國家滅亡了，上帝並沒有讓整個以色列民族完全消失。
反而透過這些人，我們看到聖殿的獻祭體系、知識、傳統，依然有被保留下來，甚至延續到了羅馬時代。這是猶太人文化的一個獨特之處 —— 即使在極大的災難中，核心的信仰與實踐還是被傳承下來，這也是其他文化所沒有的。
而第九章的結尾，也交代了掃羅的家譜。雖然掃羅並不是出自猶大的王族，結局也不是那麼光彩，但他仍然被記作以色列的第一任王。這裡的記錄並不在於王權的延續，而是保留掃羅這一家的歷史，給予他一個尊重的位置。
我們從第六、七、八、九章這樣一路看下來，會發現《歷代志》的作者非常用心地把整個以色列的家譜脈絡整理出來。他記錄了大衛家族的家譜、祭司的家譜，也沒有漏掉十二支派的系譜與他們的遷移分佈。甚至連掃羅王的地位，也被妥善地放進這段歷史之中。
這樣看，你可能就會覺得這段家譜雖然還是有點難讀，但不是毫無意義的了 – 作者在記錄歷史的同時，也為他的文筆和接下來的故事定了一個調子：大衛的家譜（王族）沒有斷，亞倫摩西的家譜（祭司）也沒有斷，而且被擄歸回的人延續著以色列的聖殿傳統，代表雖然災難來到，一切看似絕望，但上帝從未遠離，還有未完成的故事。
接下來，從第十章開始，作者就要帶我們進入另一個重點：從掃羅的死亡，到大衛正式登基為王的過程。我們之前也提過，其實《歷代志上》的主軸，就是大衛王朝的建立與發展。
那麼從第十章開始，讓我們繼續查考歷代志上，來看看作者想要透過這段歷史，給我們什麼樣的啟示與反思。感謝各位的聆聽，願上帝祝福大家。
Peace to you, brothers and sisters. Today, we continue our study of 1 Chronicles, focusing on chapters 6 through 9.
We mentioned that within these genealogies, there are two main threads. One is the bloodline of King David, and the other is the lineage of the priests. Today, we’ll be focusing on the Levites, as introduced in chapter 6.
The Levites were Israel’s priestly tribe. Unlike the other tribes, they weren’t assigned a specific territory. Their "occupation" was to serve God full-time, taking care of everything related to the temple. In other words, they didn’t farm or fight; they were solely dedicated to ministry and were distributed throughout Israel to carry out their priestly duties on behalf of the tribes.
This lineage traces all the way back to the earliest priestly brothers—Aaron and Moses—and was passed down generation after generation. It wasn't until David placed the Ark of the Covenant in its resting place that a more structured worship system was established, including the appointment of musicians and singers dedicated to worship.
Sounds a bit like an early version of the modern church’s worship team, right? In fact, many of the Psalms were originally written as songs. And King David himself—our "Psalms hitmaker"—wasn’t just a warrior, but also a talented composer and lyricist. He often wrote Psalms to worship God with music, and was such a skilled harpist that Saul would summon him to play and drive away evil spirits. So, the tradition of musical worship has very deep roots going back to David’s time.
This chapter reads like a finely organized database—not only listing the Levite genealogy, but also noting where each clan lived.
In chapter 7, the scope expands to include the genealogies of the other Israelite tribes. Here, we find some notable individuals, including someone you’ve probably heard of—Joshua. He came from the tribe of Ephraim, was Moses' trusted assistant, and was chosen by God to lead the next generation of Israelites into the Promised Land.
The tribe of Ephraim played a crucial role in Israel’s history. They were populous and produced many prominent leaders.
And then, there’s a remarkable group—women! Specifically, the daughters of Zelophehad, mentioned in 7:15, from the tribe of Manasseh. Their father had no sons, so they boldly approached Moses to claim their right to inherit land—and they succeeded! In that era, for women to be named in a genealogy was a big deal. These women were pioneers in asserting their rights—true trailblazers in Old Testament times.
Moving into chapter 8, the focus shifts to the tribe of Benjamin. The central figure here is Saul—the first king in Israel’s history. At first, Saul seems heroic—tall, handsome, and commanding. But as we know, appearances aren't everything. His personal weaknesses and poor decisions eventually led to national turmoil.
Still, Saul’s story isn’t complete without mentioning his son, Jonathan. His deep friendship with David is one of the most moving relationships in the Bible. Although Jonathan didn’t live to see David crowned king, he remains a powerful example of loyalty and trust. David later honored Jonathan’s lineage, which is preserved in these genealogical records—a lasting tribute to his character.
When you look closely at chapter 8, you might notice that members of the tribe of Benjamin appear scattered across different tribal territories. It’s almost as if they lost their own land. This ties back to a major event recorded in Judges 19–21, when the tribe of Benjamin was nearly wiped out in a brutal civil war.
That war began after a Levite’s concubine was raped and killed in Gibeah—a Benjamite town. The rest of Israel demanded justice, but the Benjamites refused to hand over the perpetrators and instead chose to go to war against the other eleven tribes. The conflict was devastating. In the end, only 600 Benjamite men survived. To keep the tribe from dying out, the other tribes arranged marriages for them so their lineage could continue.
This event was a deep scar in Benjamin’s history and illustrates the chaos of the Judges era—when “everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” It’s often cited as a sobering reminder of the consequences of moral and spiritual decline.
Then, in chapter 9, we begin with a record of those who returned from exile. The author sets a clear tone here: the people of Judah were exiled to Babylon because of their sins. This is a sound historical interpretation—it shows the author’s theological insight that it was Israel’s own wrongdoing that brought about God’s judgment through Babylon.
But this wasn’t abandonment by God—it was correction. And in this list of returnees, the writer highlights those who served in the Jerusalem temple: priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, and temple servants. This serves as an important narrative thread: despite the national collapse, God did not let Israel vanish.
Through these people, the temple worship system, knowledge, and traditions were preserved—even continuing into the Roman period. This is a unique strength of Jewish culture—despite catastrophic loss, their core faith and practices endured, something rarely seen in other ancient civilizations.
Chapter 9 ends with a note about Saul’s genealogy. Though Saul wasn’t from the royal tribe of Judah and his reign ended poorly, he’s still remembered as Israel’s first king. This record isn’t about establishing dynastic legitimacy, but rather honoring his historical significance.
Looking back at chapters 6 through 9, we see how intentionally the Chronicler arranged Israel’s genealogical record. David’s line is recorded, the priestly line of Aaron and Moses is maintained, and the twelve tribes are accounted for, including their migrations. Even Saul’s legacy is respectfully included.
So while genealogies can feel tedious to read, they’re far from meaningless. They set the stage for the main narrative that follows: the line of David continues, the priesthood is preserved, and the returning exiles are rebuilding the sacred traditions. It all signals this truth—though disaster struck and hope seemed lost, God never left. The story is not over.
From chapter 10 onward, we shift focus to Saul’s death and David’s rise to the throne. As we’ve noted before, the central theme of 1 Chronicles is the story of the Davidic monarchy.
So let’s continue into chapter 10 and see what insights and lessons the Chronicler wants to share with us through this history.
Thanks for listening, and may God bless you all.
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