士師記2:10-15

 

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。

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.

 

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    《士師記》非常公正的將上帝的作為與人的敗壞表明清楚，也讓我們看見「信仰上帝」不是靠遺傳，即使有敬虔的祖先，不見得有敬虔的後代！尤其是舊約的時代，人只有外表的儀式，沒有內在的更新，更是如此。

 

    也因為這樣，在新約時代強調「聖靈的工作」，要在聖靈的引導下才會有敬虔的人！在舊約時代基督尚未降臨，用外表的儀禮來維持信仰，終究會失去信仰，落入沒有信仰的狀態，正如《士師記》作者的描述。

 

    在這裡《士師記》作者也述說了沒有上帝保護的慘狀：「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。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。他他們，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。」

 

    今日我們更當將這話為誡，彼此提醒，讓我們不要犯罪惹上帝的怒氣，維持教會的聖潔！