2020年7月5日 星期日

士師記2:1-23


2:1 耶和華的使者從吉甲上到波金,對以色列人說:「我使你們從埃及上來,領你們到我向你們列祖起誓應許之地。我又說:『我永不廢棄與你們所立的約。
2:2
你們也不可與這地的居民立約,要拆毀他們的祭壇。你們竟沒有聽從我的話!為何這樣行呢?』
2:3
因此我又說:『我必不將他們從你們面前趕出;他們必作你們肋下的荊棘。他們的上帝必作你們的網羅。』」
2:4
耶和華的使者向以色列眾人說這話的時候,百姓就放聲而哭;
2:5
於是給那地方起名叫波金(就是哭的意思)。眾人在那裡向耶和華獻祭。
2:6
從前約書亞打發以色列百姓去的時候,他們各歸自己的地業,佔據地土。
2:7
約書亞在世和約書亞死後,那些見耶和華為以色列人所行大事的長老還在的時候,百姓都事奉耶和華。
2:8
耶和華的僕人、嫩的兒子約書亞,正一百一十歲就死了。
2:9
以色列人將他葬在他地業的境內,就是在以法蓮山地的亭拿希烈,在迦實山的北邊。
2:10
那世代的人也都歸了自己的列祖。後來有別的世代興起,不知道耶和華,也不知道耶和華為以色列人所行的事。
2:11
以色列人行耶和華眼中看為惡的事,去事奉諸巴力,
2:12
離棄了領他們出埃及地的耶和華他們列祖的上帝,去叩拜別神,就是四圍列國的神,惹耶和華發怒;
2:13
並離棄耶和華,去事奉巴力和亞斯她錄。
2:14
耶和華的怒氣向以色列人發作,就把他們交在搶奪他們的人手中,又將他們付與四圍仇敵的手中,甚至他們在仇敵面前再不能站立得住。
2:15
他們無論往何處去,耶和華都以災禍攻擊他們,正如耶和華所說的話,又如耶和華向他們所起的誓;他們便極其困苦。
2:16
耶和華興起士師,士師就拯救他們脫離搶奪他們人的手。
2:17
他們卻不聽從士師,竟隨從叩拜別神,行了邪淫,速速地偏離他們列祖所行的道,不如他們列祖順從耶和華的命令。
2:18
耶和華為他們興起士師,就與那士師同在。士師在世的一切日子,耶和華拯救他們脫離仇敵的手。他們因受欺壓擾害,就哀聲歎氣,所以耶和華後悔了。
2:19
及至士師死後,他們就轉去行惡,比他們列祖更甚,去事奉叩拜別神,總不斷絕頑梗的惡行。
2:20
於是耶和華的怒氣向以色列人發作。他說:「因這民違背我吩咐他們列祖所守的約,不聽從我的話,
2:21
所以約書亞死的時候所剩下的各族,我必不再從他們面前趕出,
2:22
為要藉此試驗以色列人,看他們肯照他們列祖謹守遵行我的道不肯。」
2:23
這樣耶和華留下各族,不將他們速速趕出,也沒有交付約書亞的手。

The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.’ Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this? And I have also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; they will become traps for you, and their gods will become snares to you.’”
When the angel of the Lord had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud, and they called that place Bokim. There they offered sacrifices to the Lord.
After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to their own inheritance. The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.
Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres[b] in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord’s anger 13 because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14 In his anger against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. 15 Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.
16 Then the Lord raised up judges,[c] who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them. 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.
20 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22 I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.” 23 The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.

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    《士師記》是敘述以色列人的失敗歷史,使我們看見保羅在羅馬書718-20節所說的人性之問題:「我也知道,在我裡頭,就是我肉體之中,沒有良善。因為,立志為善由得我,只是行出來由不得我。故此,我所願意的善,我反不做;我所不願意的惡,我倒去做。若我去做所不願意做的,就不是我做的,乃是住在我裡頭的罪做的。」

    也因為如此以色列人就在犯罪受上帝懲罰上帝設立士師拯救士師過世繼續犯罪的循環中一代過一代雖然有祭司成為他們的教師教導摩西的律法去不將上帝的話放在心中仍然我行我素以自我為中心並受四圍的迦南人影響

    其實基督徒的生命成長過程也會遇見類似的情形若不是聖靈的幫助我們真的會向下沉淪因為人受到罪行的影響是悖逆上帝的並且被罪惡敗壞使人遠離上帝最後命運就是死亡而聖靈是要將耶穌基督的拯救實現在我們身上使我們與上帝和好繼續得到上帝的供應就像一棵樹在溪水旁永遠常青因此我們要存感謝的心來順服上帝要不是祂預備這樣的救恩,我們怎麼會有永生之福?




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