士師記6:33-40

 

6:33 那時，米甸人、亞瑪力人，和東方人都聚集過河，在耶斯列平原安營。

6:34 耶和華的靈降在基甸身上，他就吹角；亞比以謝族都聚集跟隨他。

6:35 他打發人走遍瑪拿西地，瑪拿西人也聚集跟隨他；又打發人去見亞設人、西布倫人、拿弗他利人，他們也都出來與他們會合。

6:36 基甸對上帝說：「你若果照著所說的話，藉我手拯救以色列人，

6:37 我就把一團羊毛放在禾場上：若單是羊毛上有露水，別的地方都是乾的，我就知道你必照著所說的話，藉我手拯救以色列人。」

6:38 次日早晨基甸起來，見果然是這樣；將羊毛擠一擠，從羊毛中擰出滿盆的露水來。

6:39 基甸又對上帝說：「求你不要向我發怒，我再說這一次：讓我將羊毛再試一次。但願羊毛是乾的，別的地方都有露水。」

6:40 這夜上帝也如此行：獨羊毛上是乾的，別的地方都有露水。

 

³³ Now all the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel. ³⁴ Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. ³⁵ He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, so that they too went up to meet them.
³⁶ Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised— ³⁷ look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” ³⁸ And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.
³⁹ Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” ⁴⁰ That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.

 

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    基甸在個性上是屬於謹慎小心的人，雖然情勢很明顯他是上帝所揀選的士師，正如經文所描述：「耶和華的靈降在基甸身上，他就吹角；亞比以謝族都聚集跟隨他。他打發人走遍瑪拿西地，瑪拿西人也聚集跟隨他；又打發人去見亞設人、西布倫人、拿弗他利人，他們也都出來與他們會合。」(6:34-35)

 

    他仍向上帝要「憑證」，正如有一些基督徒認為有「憑證」才是上帝的引導。而且他不只要一次，還要了兩次。然而上帝仍然耐心對待他，就給了他兩次的「憑證」。他的做為讓人感覺故意刁難上帝，上帝仍然每次都照他的要求達成，顯明祂堅決的心意。

 

    從基甸這樣的作為，更是提醒我們要勇敢向上帝求，不要擔心上帝會不會生氣，也不要害怕上帝不會答應，我們得責任就是勇敢向上帝求，正如保羅所說：「應當一無掛慮，只要凡事藉著禱告、祈求，和感謝，將你們所要的告訴上帝。」(肥立比書4:6)

 

士師記6:25-32

 

6:25 當那夜，耶和華吩咐基甸說：「你取你父親的牛來，就是（或譯：和）那七歲的第二隻牛，並拆毀你父親為巴力所築的壇，砍下壇旁的木偶，

6:26 在這磐石（原文是保障）上整整齊齊地為耶和華─你的上帝築一座壇，將第二隻牛獻為燔祭，用你所砍下的木偶作柴。」

6:27 基甸就從他僕人中挑了十個人，照著耶和華吩咐他的行了。他因怕父家和本城的人，不敢在白晝行這事，就在夜間行了。

6:28 城裡的人清早起來，見巴力的壇拆毀，壇旁的木偶砍下，第二隻牛獻在新築的壇上，

6:29 就彼此說：「這事是誰做的呢？」他們訪查之後，就說：「這是約阿施的兒子基甸做的。」

6:30 城裡的人對約阿施說：「將你兒子交出來，好治死他；因為他拆毀了巴力的壇，砍下壇旁的木偶。」

6:31 約阿施回答站著攻擊他的眾人說：「你們是為巴力爭論嗎？你們要救他嗎？誰為他爭論，趁早將誰治死！巴力若果是神，有人拆毀他的壇，讓他為自己爭論吧！」

6:32 所以當日人稱基甸為耶路‧巴力，意思說：「他拆毀巴力的壇，讓巴力與他爭論。」

 

²⁵ That same night the Lord said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. ²⁶ Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.”
²⁷ So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.
²⁸ In the morning when the people of the town got up, there was Baal’s altar, demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar!
²⁹ They asked each other, “Who did this?”
When they carefully investigated, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.”
³⁰ The people of the town demanded of Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”
³¹ But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.” ³² So because Gideon broke down Baal’s altar, they gave him the name Jerub-Baa that day, saying, “Let Baal contend with him.”

 

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    基甸在上帝的引導下，將巴利祭壇的偶像當成柴來燒，在上帝的面前獻牛為燔祭。被發現之後，想要將他殺死，他的父親却向攻擊他的眾人說：「你們是為巴力爭論嗎？你們要救他嗎？誰為他爭論，趁早將誰治死！巴力若果是神，有人拆毀他的壇，讓他為自己爭論吧！」

 

    也因為這樣眾人就沒有追究基甸所做，甚至心裡被曉悟過來，發現他們平常祭拜的巴力並不是上帝，而且是沒有能力的木頭，自己都不能保護自己，還可以保佑拜它的人嗎？正如俗話所說：「泥菩薩過江，自身難保！」

 

    這也告訴我們，只有敬拜耶和華上帝，不要去拜看得見的偶像！偶像再漂亮、好看也是人手做出來的，它怎能反過來成為人的保護與倚靠呢？這是萬萬不能的！

 

   相信這一切都是出於上帝的保護，也唯有上帝可以給人勇氣來反對這惡勢力的作為！求主賜給我們相同的勇氣，來為主做見證，使人離開偶像歸向真神！

 

士師記3:31

 

以笏之後，有亞拿的兒子珊迦，他用趕牛的棍子打死六百非利士人。他也救了以色列人。

 

 After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.

 

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    第三位士師是珊迦，是就義色列人脫離非力士人。

 

士師記3:12-30

 

3:12 以色列人又行耶和華眼中看為惡的事，耶和華就使摩押王伊磯倫強盛，攻擊以色列人。
3:13 伊磯倫招聚亞捫人和亞瑪力人，去攻打以色列人，佔據棕樹城。
3:14 於是以色列人服事摩押王伊磯倫十八年。
3:15 以色列人呼求耶和華的時候，耶和華就為他們興起一位拯救者，就是便雅憫人基拉的兒子以笏；他是左手便利的。以色列人託他送禮物給摩押王伊磯倫。
3:16 以笏打了一把兩刃的劍，長一肘，帶在右腿上衣服裡面。
3:17 他將禮物獻給摩押王伊磯倫（原來伊磯倫極其肥胖）；
3:18 以笏獻完禮物，便將抬禮物的人打發走了，
3:19 自己卻從靠近吉甲鑿石之地回來，說：「王啊，我有一件機密事奏告你。」王說：「迴避吧！」於是左右侍立的人都退去了。
3:20 以笏來到王面前；王獨自一人坐在涼樓上。以笏說：「我奉上帝的命報告你一件事。」王就從座位上站起來。
3:21 以笏便伸左手，從右腿上拔出劍來，刺入王的肚腹，
3:22 連劍把都刺進去了。劍被肥肉夾住，他沒有從王的肚腹拔出來，且穿通了後身。
3:23 以笏就出到遊廊，將樓門盡都關鎖。
3:24 以笏出來之後，王的僕人到了，看見樓門關鎖，就說：「他必是在樓上大解。」
3:25 他們等煩了，見仍不開樓門，就拿鑰匙開了，不料，他們的主人已死，倒在地上。
3:26 他們耽延的時候，以笏就逃跑了，經過鑿石之地，逃到西伊拉；
3:27 到了，就在以法蓮山地吹角。以色列人隨著他下了山地，他在前頭引路，
3:28 對他們說：「你們隨我來，因為耶和華已經把你們的仇敵摩押人交在你們手中。」於是他們跟著他下去，把守約旦河的渡口，不容摩押一人過去。
3:29 那時擊殺了摩押人約有一萬，都是強壯的勇士，沒有一人逃脫。
3:30 這樣，摩押就被以色列人制伏了。國中太平八十年。

¹² Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and because they did this evil the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. ¹³ Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms.^{[c] 14} The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.

¹⁵ Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab. ¹⁶ Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a cubit^[d] long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. ¹⁷ He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man. ¹⁸ After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way those who had carried it. ¹⁹ But on reaching the stone images near Gilgal he himself went back to Eglon and said, “Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.”

The king said to his attendants, “Leave us!” And they all left.

²⁰ Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his palace^[e] and said, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king rose from his seat, ²¹ Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly. ²² Even the handle sank in after the blade, and his bowels discharged. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it. ²³ Then Ehud went out to the porch^[f]; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.

²⁴ After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, “He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the palace.” ²⁵ They waited to the point of embarrassment, but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their lord fallen to the floor, dead.

²⁶ While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the stone images and escaped to Seirah. ²⁷ When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them.

²⁸ “Follow me,” he ordered, “for the Lord has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands.” So they followed him down and took possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab; they allowed no one to cross over. ²⁹ At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not one escaped. ³⁰ That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years.

 

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    第二位士師是以笏，是對付摩押王伊磯倫。