士師記2:16-19

 

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。

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.

 

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    雖然上帝對以色列人發怒，但是上帝仍是憐憫的上帝！正如《士師記》作者所說：「他們因受欺壓擾害，就哀聲歎氣，所以耶和華後悔了。」

 

    當然上帝不是「後悔」自己做錯事，而是出於憐憫而有所作為，在審判之後彰顯恩典，為他們興起「士師」來拯救。「士師」通常是有戰鬥力，可以用武力拯救又可以教導人民敬畏上帝。但是，他們並非先知與祭司無法維持信仰的純正，所以他們去世以後，以色列民又離開上帝。

 

    從他們的經歷讓我們在一次認識到聖靈在信仰的建立是很重要的，人無法靠自己的堅持來維持信仰，不管靠自己或別人。這也是為什麼需要基督完成救恩，聖靈實踐救恩，來完成上帝所設立的救恩，因為人無法一信耶穌就成為義，就如同上帝完全！