士師記20:1-48

20:1 於是以色列從但到別是巴，以及住基列地的眾人都出來，如同一人，聚集在米斯巴耶和華面前。
20:2 以色列民的首領，就是各支派的軍長，都站在上帝百姓的會中；拿刀的步兵共有四十萬。
20:3 以色列人上到米斯巴，便雅憫人都聽見了。以色列人說：「請你將這件惡事的情由對我們說明。」
20:4 那利未人，就是被害之婦人的丈夫，回答說：「我和我的妾到了便雅憫的基比亞住宿。
20:5 基比亞人夜間起來，圍了我住的房子，想要殺我，又將我的妾強姦致死。
20:6 我就把我妾的屍身切成塊子，使人拿著傳送以色列得為業的全地，因為基比亞人在以色列中行了兇淫醜惡的事。
20:7 你們以色列人都當籌劃商議。」
20:8 眾民都起來如同一人，說：「我們連一人都不回自己帳棚、自己房屋去。
20:9 我們向基比亞人必這樣行，照所掣的籤去攻擊他們。
20:10 我們要在以色列各支派中，一百人挑取十人，一千人挑取百人，一萬人挑取千人，為民運糧，等大眾到了便雅憫的基比亞，就照基比亞人在以色列中所行的醜事征伐他們。」
20:11 於是以色列眾人彼此連合如同一人，聚集攻擊那城。
20:12 以色列眾支派打發人去，問便雅憫支派的各家說：「你們中間怎麼做了這樣的惡事呢？
20:13 現在你們要將基比亞的那些匪徒交出來，我們好治死他們，從以色列中除掉這惡。」便雅憫人卻不肯聽從他們弟兄以色列人的話。
20:14 便雅憫人從他們的各城裡出來，聚集到了基比亞，要與以色列人打仗。
20:15 那時便雅憫人從各城裡點出拿刀的，共有二萬六千；另外還有基比亞人點出七百精兵。
20:16 在眾軍之中有揀選的七百精兵，都是左手便利的，能用機弦甩石打人，毫髮不差。
20:17 便雅憫人之外，點出以色列人拿刀的，共有四十萬，都是戰士。
20:18 以色列人就起來，到伯特利去求問上帝說：「我們中間誰當首先上去與便雅憫人爭戰呢？」耶和華說：「猶大當先上去。」
20:19 以色列人早晨起來，對著基比亞安營。
20:20 以色列人出來，要與便雅憫人打仗，就在基比亞前擺陣。
20:21 便雅憫人就從基比亞出來，當日殺死以色列人二萬二千。
20:22 以色列人彼此奮勇，仍在頭一日擺陣的地方又擺陣。
20:23 未擺陣之先，以色列人上去，在耶和華面前哭號，直到晚上，求問耶和華說：「我們再去與我們弟兄便雅憫人打仗可以不可以？」耶和華說：「可以上去攻擊他們。」
20:24 第二日，以色列人就上前攻擊便雅憫人。
20:25 便雅憫人也在這日從基比亞出來，與以色列人接戰，又殺死他們一萬八千，都是拿刀的。
20:26 以色列眾人就上到伯特利，坐在耶和華面前哭號，當日禁食直到晚上；又在耶和華面前獻燔祭和平安祭。
20:27 那時，上帝的約櫃在那裡；亞倫的孫子、以利亞撒的兒子非尼哈侍立在約櫃前。以色列人問耶和華說：「我們當再出去與我們弟兄便雅憫人打仗呢？還是罷兵呢？」耶和華說：「你們當上去，因為明日我必將他們交在你們手中。」
20:28 【併於上節】
20:29 以色列人在基比亞的四圍設下伏兵。
20:30 第三日，以色列人又上去攻擊便雅憫人，在基比亞前擺陣，與前兩次一樣。
20:31 便雅憫人也出來迎敵，就被引誘離城；在田間兩條路上，一通伯特利，一通基比亞，像前兩次，動手殺死以色列人約有三十個。
20:32 便雅憫人說：「他們仍舊敗在我們面前。」但以色列人說：「我們不如逃跑，引誘他們離開城到路上來。」
20:33 以色列眾人都起來，在巴力‧他瑪擺陣，以色列的伏兵從馬利‧迦巴埋伏的地方衝上前去。
20:34 有以色列人中的一萬精兵，來到基比亞前接戰，勢派甚是凶猛；便雅憫人卻不知道災禍臨近了。
20:35 耶和華使以色列人殺敗便雅憫人。那日，以色列人殺死便雅憫人二萬五千一百，都是拿刀的。
20:36 於是便雅憫人知道自己敗了。先是以色列人；因為靠著在基比亞前所設的伏兵，就在便雅憫人面前詐敗。
20:37 伏兵急忙闖進基比亞，用刀殺死全城的人。
20:38 以色列人預先同伏兵約定在城內放火，以煙氣上騰為號。
20:39 以色列人臨退陣的時候，便雅憫人動手殺死以色列人，約有三十個，就說：「他們仍像前次被我們殺敗了。」
20:40 當煙氣如柱從城中上騰的時候，便雅憫人回頭觀看，見全城的煙氣沖天。
20:41 以色列人又轉身回來，便雅憫人就甚驚惶，因為看見災禍臨到自己了。
20:42 他們在以色列人面前轉身往曠野逃跑；以色列人在後面追殺。那從各城裡出來的，也都夾攻殺滅他們。
20:43 以色列人圍繞便雅憫人，追趕他們，在他們歇腳之處、對著日出之地的基比亞踐踏他們。
20:44 便雅憫人死了的有一萬八千，都是勇士。
20:45 其餘的人轉身向曠野逃跑，往臨門磐去。以色列人在道路上殺了他們五千人，如拾取遺穗一樣，追到基頓又殺了他們二千人。
20:46 那日便雅憫死了的共有二萬五千人，都是拿刀的勇士。
20:47 只剩下六百人，轉身向曠野逃跑，到了臨門磐，就在那裡住了四個月。
20:48 以色列人又轉到便雅憫地，將各城的人和牲畜，並一切所遇見的，都用刀殺盡，又放火燒了一切城邑。

Then all Israel from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came together as one and assembled before the Lord in Mizpah. ² The leaders of all the people of the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of God’s people, four hundred thousand men armed with swords. ³ (The Benjamites heard that the Israelites had gone up to Mizpah.) Then the Israelites said, “Tell us how this awful thing happened.”

⁴ So the Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, said, “I and my concubine came to Gibeah in Benjamin to spend the night. ⁵ During the night the men of Gibeah came after me and surrounded the house, intending to kill me. They raped my concubine, and she died. ⁶ I took my concubine, cut her into pieces and sent one piece to each region of Israel’s inheritance, because they committed this lewd and outrageous act in Israel. ⁷ Now, all you Israelites, speak up and tell me what you have decided to do.”

⁸ All the men rose up together as one, saying, “None of us will go home. No, not one of us will return to his house. ⁹ But now this is what we’ll do to Gibeah: We’ll go up against it in the order decided by casting lots. ¹⁰ We’ll take ten men out of every hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred from a thousand, and a thousand from ten thousand, to get provisions for the army. Then, when the army arrives at Gibeah^[a] in Benjamin, it can give them what they deserve for this outrageous act done in Israel.” ¹¹ So all the Israelites got together and united as one against the city.

¹² The tribes of Israel sent messengers throughout the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What about this awful crime that was committed among you? ¹³ Now turn those wicked men of Gibeah over to us so that we may put them to death and purge the evil from Israel.”

But the Benjamites would not listen to their fellow Israelites. ¹⁴ From their towns they came together at Gibeah to fight against the Israelites. ¹⁵ At once the Benjamites mobilized twenty-six thousand swordsmen from their towns, in addition to seven hundred able young men from those living in Gibeah. ¹⁶ Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred select troops who were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

¹⁷ Israel, apart from Benjamin, mustered four hundred thousand swordsmen, all of them fit for battle.

¹⁸ The Israelites went up to Bethel^[b] and inquired of God. They said, “Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Benjamites?”

The Lord replied, “Judah shall go first.”

¹⁹ The next morning the Israelites got up and pitched camp near Gibeah. ²⁰ The Israelites went out to fight the Benjamites and took up battle positions against them at Gibeah. ²¹ The Benjamites came out of Gibeah and cut down twenty-two thousand Israelites on the battlefield that day. ²² But the Israelites encouraged one another and again took up their positions where they had stationed themselves the first day. ²³ The Israelites went up and wept before the Lord until evening, and they inquired of the Lord. They said, “Shall we go up again to fight against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites?”

The Lord answered, “Go up against them.”

²⁴ Then the Israelites drew near to Benjamin the second day. ²⁵ This time, when the Benjamites came out from Gibeah to oppose them, they cut down another eighteen thousand Israelites, all of them armed with swords.

²⁶ Then all the Israelites, the whole army, went up to Bethel, and there they sat weeping before the Lord. They fasted that day until evening and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord. ²⁷ And the Israelites inquired of the Lord. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there, ²⁸ with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, ministering before it.) They asked, “Shall we go up again to fight against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites, or not?”

The Lord responded, “Go, for tomorrow I will give them into your hands.”

²⁹ Then Israel set an ambush around Gibeah. ³⁰ They went up against the Benjamites on the third day and took up positions against Gibeah as they had done before. ³¹ The Benjamites came out to meet them and were drawn away from the city. They began to inflict casualties on the Israelites as before, so that about thirty men fell in the open field and on the roads—the one leading to Bethel and the other to Gibeah. ³² While the Benjamites were saying, “We are defeating them as before,” the Israelites were saying, “Let’s retreat and draw them away from the city to the roads.”

³³ All the men of Israel moved from their places and took up positions at Baal Tamar, and the Israelite ambush charged out of its place on the west^[c] of Gibeah.^{[d] 34} Then ten thousand of Israel’s able young men made a frontal attack on Gibeah. The fighting was so heavy that the Benjamites did not realize how near disaster was. ³⁵ The Lord defeated Benjamin before Israel, and on that day the Israelites struck down 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords. ³⁶ Then the Benjamites saw that they were beaten.

Now the men of Israel had given way before Benjamin, because they relied on the ambush they had set near Gibeah. ³⁷ Those who had been in ambush made a sudden dash into Gibeah, spread out and put the whole city to the sword. ³⁸ The Israelites had arranged with the ambush that they should send up a great cloud of smoke from the city, ³⁹ and then the Israelites would counterattack.

The Benjamites had begun to inflict casualties on the Israelites (about thirty), and they said, “We are defeating them as in the first battle.” ⁴⁰ But when the column of smoke began to rise from the city, the Benjamites turned and saw the whole city going up in smoke. ⁴¹ Then the Israelites counterattacked, and the Benjamites were terrified, because they realized that disaster had come on them. ⁴² So they fled before the Israelites in the direction of the wilderness, but they could not escape the battle. And the Israelites who came out of the towns cut them down there. ⁴³ They surrounded the Benjamites, chased them and easily^[e] overran them in the vicinity of Gibeah on the east. ⁴⁴ Eighteen thousand Benjamites fell, all of them valiant fighters. ⁴⁵ As they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, the Israelites cut down five thousand men along the roads. They kept pressing after the Benjamites as far as Gidom and struck down two thousand more.

⁴⁶ On that day twenty-five thousand Benjamite swordsmen fell, all of them valiant fighters. ⁴⁷ But six hundred of them turned and fled into the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, where they stayed four months. ⁴⁸ The men of Israel went back to Benjamin and put all the towns to the sword, including the animals and everything else they found. All the towns they came across they set on fire.

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    這樣的記載讓我們感受到以色列人除惡務盡的決心，一定要便雅憫人將基比亞的惡徒交出來，但是便雅憫人卻上下一心，要保護他們的弟兄，不惜和以色列其他支派的聯軍對戰！

    第一天被殺的以色列軍隊有二萬二千人，他們就在上帝面前哀哭禱告！但是這樣做有沒有果效？沒有！第二天又被殺死一萬八千，使他們更慌了！以色列眾人就上到伯特利，坐在耶和華面前哭號，當日禁食直到晚上；又在耶和華面前獻燔祭和平安祭。以色列人問耶和華說：「我們當再出去與我們弟兄便雅憫人打仗呢？還是罷兵呢？」

    可見以色列人已經喪膽了，要不是上帝應允他們：「你們當上去，因為明日我必將他們交在你們手中。」他們大概不會打下去，就沒有第三天的勝利！

    我們其實很容易像以色列人這樣的情形，以為自己盡力了，也求了上帝，沒有看見果效就放棄了，殊不知再努力一下就會成就！所以，不要輕言放棄，要堅持下去！正如常言道：「成功是屬於堅忍和有屹立的人！」

    更何況，我們有上帝的同在！不要憑感覺，要憑信心！

詩篇128:1-6

128:1 （上行之詩。）凡敬畏耶和華、遵行他道的人便為有福！
128:2 你要吃勞碌得來的；你要享福，事情順利。
128:3 你妻子在你的內室，好像多結果子的葡萄樹；你兒女圍繞你的桌子，好像橄欖栽子。
128:4 看哪，敬畏耶和華的人必要這樣蒙福！
128:5 願耶和華從錫安賜福給你！願你一生一世看見耶路撒冷的好處！
128:6 願你看見你兒女的兒女！願平安歸於以色列！

A song of ascents.

¹ Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
    who walk in obedience to him.
² You will eat the fruit of your labor;
    blessings and prosperity will be yours.
³ Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
    within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
    around your table.
⁴ Yes, this will be the blessing
    for the man who fears the Lord.

⁵ May the Lord bless you from Zion;
    may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
    all the days of your life.
⁶ May you live to see your children’s children—
    peace be on Israel.

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    說到這樣的安定和平安的生活似乎是人人期盼的，但是在當時的以色列人這樣的平安似乎有點奢侈，因為他們一直是在戰亂之中，雖然他們生活在應許之地，旁邊卻有許多強權，早先是迦南地的各族，後來是埃及、亞述和巴比倫！

    在這樣的環境之中，隨時都有生命危險，雖時要面對家破人亡！還好上帝設立了明君大衛，因著他敬畏上帝，國勢興榮高過附近的各國家，到了所羅門王時達到鼎盛的狀態！

    但是在所羅門王去世以後，以色列分裂成兩國，王一個比一個更遠離上帝，使得國家又越來越沒有平安，最後還分別滅國，以色列人就被擄到外邦去了！12支派只剩下猶大和便雅憫，真是慘烈啊！

    因此讀到這首詩，表面是平安，其實是一種渴想得狀態！也因為如此，我們要為家庭幸福來感謝上帝，要不是上帝的保守，我們也會像以色列人一般慘烈！所以，我們要為我們的平安感謝上帝，尤其是台灣面對虎視眈眈的中共，更是要求上帝保守我們的平安！

馬可福音 12:35-37

12:35 耶穌在殿裏教訓人，就問他們說：「文士怎麼說，基督是大衛的子孫呢？
12:36 大衛被聖靈感動，說：『主對我主說：你坐在我的右邊，等我使你仇敵作你的腳凳。』
12:37 大衛既自己稱他為主，他怎麼又是大衛的子孫呢？」眾人都喜歡聽他。

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    耶穌在在殿裏教訓人，讓他們思考文士所教導之基督﹙彌賽亞﹚是大衛的子孫和聖經詩篇110篇1節作比較。

    其實基督是神人二性聯合於一位格，正如保羅於羅馬書1章2-4節：『這福音是上帝從前藉眾先知，在聖經上所應許的。論到他兒子，我主耶穌基督，按肉體說，是從大衛後裔生的；按聖善的靈說，因從死裏復活，以大能顯明是上帝的兒子。』

    耶穌藉由聖經詩篇110篇1節強調基督有上帝的屬性，是永恆的君王，祂要勝過仇敵撒旦，罪和死不再轄制人，屬上帝的人要得永生。

    耶穌如此之教導使人有永生的盼望，所以眾人都喜歡聽祂。當然今日，我們也樂意聽祂，因祂就是基督，祂已從死裡復活、升天、坐在上帝的右邊，他日祂要再來審判世界，屬祂的人要復活和被提到空中與祂相遇，要承受上帝的國。

雅各書3:17-18

3:17 惟獨從上頭來的智慧，先是清潔，後是和平，溫良柔順，滿有憐憫，多結善果，沒有偏見，沒有假冒。
3:18 並且使人和平的，是用和平所栽種的義果。

¹⁷ But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸ Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

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    《雅各書》作者既然提到「屬地的，屬情慾的，屬鬼魔的」的智慧所帶來的問題，就是「擾亂和各樣的壞事」，也因此相對上要提到「上頭來的智慧」 比較兩者的不同和結局，如此才能夠引導人捨棄「屬地的，屬情慾的，屬鬼魔的」的智慧，追求「上頭來的智慧」。

    而「上頭來的智慧」就是從上帝而來的智慧，因此首先提到它的屬性是「清潔」，也就是「聖潔」的意思，也就是沒有罪惡，是要彰顯上帝的榮耀的，因此是使人與上帝和好、人與人和好，也因此與「屬地的，屬情慾的，屬鬼魔的」的智慧只求自己的好處不管他人是不同的！也因此，「上頭來的智慧」更是「溫良柔順，滿有憐憫，多結善果，沒有偏見，沒有假冒。並且使人和平的，是用和平所栽種的義果。」

    這樣的智慧和《箴言》所談的智慧是相通的，而這至會更是「上帝的道」用肉身向人顯明的，也就是透過耶穌基督已經完成了！所以保羅說：「但在那蒙召的，無論是猶太人、希臘人，基督總為上帝的能力，上帝的智慧。」（哥林多前書:1:24）

     因此，我們信靠耶穌基督為救主，就是得著「上頭來的智慧」，就可以開始過真正有「上頭來的智慧」的能力，雖然還不完全，但是一生開始有方向、有目標，並且相信我們必定會栽種出和平的義果，也就是上帝所要賜給我們的永生之福！