撒母耳記上4:1-11

 

4:1 以色列人出去與非利士人打仗，安營在以便以謝；非利士人安營在亞弗。
4:2 非利士人向以色列人擺陣。兩軍交戰的時候，以色列人敗在非利士人面前；非利士人在戰場上殺了他們的軍兵約有四千人。
4:3 百姓回到營裡，以色列的長老說：「耶和華今日為何使我們敗在非利士人面前呢？我們不如將耶和華的約櫃從示羅抬到我們這裡來，好在我們中間救我們脫離敵人的手。」
4:4 於是百姓打發人到示羅，從那裡將坐在二基路伯上萬軍之耶和華的約櫃抬來。以利的兩個兒子何弗尼、非尼哈與上帝的約櫃同來。
4:5 耶和華的約櫃到了營中，以色列眾人就大聲歡呼，地便震動。
4:6 非利士人聽見歡呼的聲音，就說：「在希伯來人營裡大聲歡呼，是甚麼緣故呢？」隨後就知道耶和華的約櫃到了營中。
4:7 非利士人就懼怕起來，說：「有神到了他們營中」；又說：「我們有禍了！向來不曾有這樣的事。
4:8 我們有禍了！誰能救我們脫離這些大能之神的手呢？從前在曠野用各樣災殃擊打埃及人的，就是這些神。
4:9 非利士人哪，你們要剛強，要作大丈夫，免得作希伯來人的奴僕，如同他們作你們的奴僕一樣。你們要作大丈夫，與他們爭戰。」
4:10 非利士人和以色列人打仗，以色列人敗了，各向各家奔逃，被殺的人甚多，以色列的步兵仆倒了三萬。
4:11 上帝的約櫃被擄去，以利的兩個兒子何弗尼、非尼哈也都被殺了。

 

Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines at Aphek. ² The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield. ³ When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the Lord bring defeat on us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh, so that he may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies.”

⁴ So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim. And Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

⁵ When the ark of the Lord’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook. ⁶ Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, “What’s all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?”

When they learned that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp, ⁷ the Philistines were afraid. “A god has^[a] come into the camp,” they said. “Oh no! Nothing like this has happened before. ⁸ We’re doomed! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness. ⁹ Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!”

¹⁰ So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. ¹¹ The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

 

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    真是不可思議，上帝竟然讓他的約櫃被非力士人擄走！在一般人看來，這樣的上帝太沒有面子了！但是對上帝而言，並沒有什麼損失和影響！因為約櫃並不是上帝，約櫃不是廟裡的神像，只是一個象徵物，因為以色列人不是拜約櫃，是敬拜在施恩座上的上帝！正如基督徒不是拜聖經，也不是拜十字架！有沒有這些物品是沒有關係的，因為這些不是上帝！

 

    但是對於不同信仰的人，因為偶像拜習慣，或是依靠一些象徵物習慣，甚至倚靠人習慣，沒有這些人和象徵物就受不了！因為他們沒有安全感，無所倚靠的感覺！然而這時候的以色列人，也受到這些不信上帝的人影響，把約歸當作是上帝的同在，而且敬拜上帝一定要有祭司！所以才會產生這樣荒謬的事情，約櫃被擄、祭司被殺！而且這樣正應驗撒母耳所傳的預言，以利的兩個兒子同一天死亡！

 

    其實今日有些基督徒也和當時的以色列人一般，一定要有「十字架」、「聖經」，才覺得有信心！要有傳道人來幫忙禱告，自己不敢禱告！這些都和「改教運動」的精意不同，也不合乎聖經的教導！主耶穌告訴他的門徒，只要奉祂的名就可以向上帝禱告了，不一定要有傳道人在場！因為每一位上帝的兒女，都是有君尊的祭司！

 

    也因此，即使發生再大災難，我們也要確信上帝的應許永不改變，如此心中才會有真正的平安！而這個確信是來自在基督裡，聖靈將上帝的大愛澆灌在我們心中！