撒母耳記下4:1-12

 

4:1 掃羅的兒子伊施波設聽見押尼珥死在希伯崙，手就發軟；以色列眾人也都驚惶。
4:2 掃羅的兒子伊施波設有兩個軍長，一名巴拿，一名利甲，是便雅憫支派、比錄人臨門的兒子。比錄也屬便雅憫。
4:3 比錄人早先逃到基他音，在那裡寄居，直到今日。
4:4 掃羅的兒子約拿單有一個兒子名叫米非波設，是瘸腿的。掃羅和約拿單死亡的消息從耶斯列傳到的時候，他才五歲。他乳母抱著他逃跑；因為跑得太急，孩子掉在地上，腿就瘸了。
4:5 一日，比錄人臨門的兩個兒子利甲和巴拿出去，約在午熱的時候到了伊施波設的家；伊施波設正睡午覺。
4:6 他們進了房子，假作要取麥子，就刺透伊施波設的肚腹，逃跑了。
4:7 他們進房子的時候，伊施波設正在臥房裡躺在床上，他們將他殺死，割了他的首級，拿著首級在亞拉巴走了一夜，
4:8 將伊施波設的首級拿到希伯崙見大衛王，說：「王的仇敵掃羅曾尋索王的性命。看哪，這是他兒子伊施波設的首級；耶和華今日為我主我王在掃羅和他後裔的身上報了仇。」
4:9 大衛對比錄人臨門的兒子利甲和他兄弟巴拿說：「我指著救我性命脫離一切苦難、永生的耶和華起誓：
4:10 從前有人報告我說，掃羅死了，他自以為報好消息；我就拿住他，將他殺在洗革拉，這就作了他報消息的賞賜。
4:11 何況惡人將義人殺在他的床上，我豈不向你們討流他血的罪、從世上除滅你們呢？」
4:12 於是大衛吩咐少年人將他們殺了，砍斷他們的手腳，掛在希伯崙的池旁，卻將伊施波設的首級葬在希伯崙押尼珥的墳墓裡。

 

When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed. ² Now Saul’s son had two men who were leaders of raiding bands. One was named Baanah and the other Rekab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite from the tribe of Benjamin—Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin, ³ because the people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim and have resided there as foreigners to this day.

⁴ (Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became disabled. His name was Mephibosheth.)

⁵ Now Rekab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out for the house of Ish-Bosheth, and they arrived there in the heat of the day while he was taking his noonday rest. ⁶ They went into the inner part of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rekab and his brother Baanah slipped away.

⁷ They had gone into the house while he was lying on the bed in his bedroom. After they stabbed and killed him, they cut off his head. Taking it with them, they traveled all night by way of the Arabah. ⁸ They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, your enemy, who tried to kill you. This day the Lord has avenged my lord the king against Saul and his offspring.”

⁹ David answered Rekab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, ¹⁰ when someone told me, ‘Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news! ¹¹ How much more—when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed—should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!”

¹² So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them. They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb at Hebron.

 

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    「伊施波設」這個名字的意義是「羞愧的男人」，而他本身也是一個羞恥的男子，是因為靠父親的名望成為以色列王。而他的王位是靠押尼珥來支撐的，他聽見押尼珥死在希伯崙，手就發軟，真是沒有擔當！怪不得被自己的下屬，也就是軍長利甲和巴拿二人所殺！

 

    而這兩人比伊施波設更羞恥男人，竟然殺了自己的主子還跑到大衛那裏邀功，真是毫無道義可言！還好大衛也是明理之人，不接受這兩人的作為，在他們臨死之前告訴他們：「我指著救我性命脫離一切苦難、永生的耶和華起誓：從前有人報告我說，掃羅死了，他自以為報好消息；我就拿住他，將他殺在洗革拉，這就作了他報消息的賞賜。何況惡人將義人殺在他的床上，我豈不向你們討流他血的罪、從世上除滅你們呢？」

 

    其實這兩人的行徑也讓一些追求今生有「豐盛生命」，也就是貪愛世界的好處，不肯為主受苦或為主成為貧窮的人的借鏡。我們的主雖然是天上的主，卻捨棄天上的寶座，情願過卑微和貧窮的生活，為要將上帝的福音傳給世上卑微和貧窮的人，情願沒有安居之處！

 

    我們是主的跟隨者，是祂的門徒，豈可貪愛世界的富足呢？使徒約翰說：「不要愛世界和世界上的事。人若愛世界，愛父的心就不在他裡面了。」(約翰一書2:15)

 

    若是我們貪愛世界而背離主，和這兩位軍長的行徑有何不同呢？這也是為什麼我們不可以追求那根本不是神學的「成功神學」之原因！

 

 

詩篇5:3

 

耶和華啊，早晨你必聽我的聲音；早晨我必向你陳明我的心意，並要警醒！

 

O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.

 

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    「早晨」對我們而言是一天活動的開始；雖然我們的一天開始是凌晨零點，猶太人是太陽下山的時候，這都和人的作息有關係：日出而作，日落而息。所以，詩人在這裡用「早晨」的用意是指睡醒起來的時候，表示人養精蓄銳開始活躍的時刻！

 

    而詩人在這裡說到：「耶和華啊，早晨你必聽我的聲音；早晨我必向你陳明我的心意，並要警醒！」

 

    表是一天開始活動的第一件事就是向上帝禱告，也就是一早就來見上帝的面，將今天的計畫向上帝報告，希望上帝引導並成全，因為上帝是我們的倚靠也是我們力量的來源。

 

    然而我們道上帝面前，不只是將自己的想法和計畫向上帝報告，更重要的是要「等候」上帝，也就是「警醒」的意義！這裡的「警醒」就是要查驗上帝的作為，那我們如何「查驗」呢﹖就是要透過上帝的話語。這也就是說，我們早晨不只要禱告，也要讀聖經。

 

    讀聖經就要面對解釋的問題，正如衣索匹亞對腓利說：「沒有人指教我，怎能明白呢？」（使徒行傳8:31）

 

    也因此我們需要不斷的學習，透過教會的傳統教義（信條和信經）和註釋書等等來明白經文的意義，而這些都是來自聖靈引導的產物。因此，我們要參照這些來明白上帝話語的意義；若是偏離這些太遠的觀念不要太高興，這些自以為創新的看法通常是異端的開始，真的要「警醒」免得入了迷惑！

 

    親愛的弟兄姊妹，上帝設立傳道人的用意，就如保羅教導提摩太所說的：「你當竭力在上帝面前得蒙喜悅，作無愧的工人，按著正意分解真理的道。」

 

    也因為這樣，要敬重教會的傳道人，他們若是「按著正意分解真理的道」，我們就可以明白上帝話語的意義！也因此保羅說：「弟兄們，我們勸你們敬重那在你們中間勞苦的人，就是在主裡面治理你們、勸戒你們的；又因他們所做的工，用愛心格外尊重他們。你們也要彼此和睦。」（帖撒羅尼迦前書5:12-13）

 

約伯記16章

    約伯記16:1-22  ,

約伯記16:1-22

 

16:1 約伯回答說：
16:2 這樣的話我聽了許多；你們安慰人，反叫人愁煩。
16:3 虛空的言語有窮盡嗎？有甚麼話惹動你回答呢？
16:4 我也能說你們那樣的話；你們若處在我的境遇，我也會聯絡言語攻擊你們，又能向你們搖頭。
16:5 但我必用口堅固你們，用嘴消解你們的憂愁。
16:6 我雖說話，憂愁仍不得消解；我雖停住不說，憂愁就離開我嗎？
16:7 但現在上帝使我困倦，使親友遠離我，
16:8 又抓住我，作見證攻擊我；我身體的枯瘦也當面見證我的不是。
16:9 主發怒撕裂我，逼迫我，向我切齒；我的敵人怒目看我。
16:10 他們向我開口，打我的臉羞辱我，聚會攻擊我。
16:11 上帝把我交給不敬虔的人，把我扔到惡人的手中。
16:12 我素來安逸，他折斷我，掐住我的頸項，把我摔碎，又立我為他的箭靶子。
16:13 他的弓箭手四面圍繞我；他破裂我的肺腑，並不留情，把我的膽傾倒在地上，
16:14 將我破裂又破裂，如同勇士向我直闖。
16:15 我縫麻布在我皮膚上，把我的角放在塵土中。
16:16 我的臉因哭泣發紫，在我的眼皮上有死蔭。
16:17 我的手中卻無強暴；我的祈禱也是清潔。
16:18 地啊，不要遮蓋我的血！不要阻擋我的哀求！
16:19 現今，在天有我的見證，在上有我的中保。
16:20 我的朋友譏誚我，我卻向上帝眼淚汪汪。
16:21 願人得與上帝辯白，如同人與朋友辯白一樣；
16:22 因為再過幾年，我必走那往而不返之路。

 

Then Job replied:

² “I have heard many things like these;
    you are miserable comforters, all of you!
³ Will your long-winded speeches never end?
    What ails you that you keep on arguing?
⁴ I also could speak like you,
    if you were in my place;
I could make fine speeches against you
    and shake my head at you.
⁵ But my mouth would encourage you;
    comfort from my lips would bring you relief.

⁶ “Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved;
    and if I refrain, it does not go away.
⁷ Surely, God, you have worn me out;
    you have devastated my entire household.
⁸ You have shriveled me up—and it has become a witness;
    my gauntness rises up and testifies against me.
⁹ God assails me and tears me in his anger
    and gnashes his teeth at me;
    my opponent fastens on me his piercing eyes.
¹⁰ People open their mouths to jeer at me;
    they strike my cheek in scorn
    and unite together against me.
¹¹ God has turned me over to the ungodly
    and thrown me into the clutches of the wicked.
¹² All was well with me, but he shattered me;
    he seized me by the neck and crushed me.
He has made me his target;
¹³     his archers surround me.
Without pity, he pierces my kidneys
    and spills my gall on the ground.
¹⁴ Again and again he bursts upon me;
    he rushes at me like a warrior.

¹⁵ “I have sewed sackcloth over my skin
    and buried my brow in the dust.
¹⁶ My face is red with weeping,
    dark shadows ring my eyes;
¹⁷ yet my hands have been free of violence
    and my prayer is pure.

¹⁸ “Earth, do not cover my blood;
    may my cry never be laid to rest!
¹⁹ Even now my witness is in heaven;
    my advocate is on high.
²⁰ My intercessor is my friend^[a]
    as my eyes pour out tears to God;
²¹ on behalf of a man he pleads with God
    as one pleads for a friend.

²² “Only a few years will pass
    before I take the path of no return.

 

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     約伯回應得好實在：「這樣的話我聽了許多；你們安慰人，反叫人愁煩。虛空的言語有窮盡嗎？有甚麼話惹動你回答呢？我也能說你們那樣的話；你們若處在我的境遇，我也會聯絡言語攻擊你們，又能向你們搖頭。但我必用口堅固你們，用嘴消解你們的憂愁。」

 

    約伯的三個朋友忘記自己來探訪約伯的目的是甚麼，也忘記約伯真正的處境是怎樣，竟然和約伯爭吵，在那裏議論約伯和他的家人多麼不義，他們多麼有智慧、多麼討上帝的喜悅，真的很奇怪呢！

 

    其實很多自以為是的人真多呢！還有人宣稱：「上帝用苦難來家增祂的兒女的「神性」，所以我們受苦受難都是上帝的賜福！」

 

    你能接受這樣的論調嗎？當然一看就覺得是異端，請問人有「神性」嗎？當然沒有！我們使用任何神學名詞都要小心，不要自己高興怎樣說就怎樣說，這是對教義的混亂，是混亂教會的行為，豈可不小心呢！

 

 

 

撒母耳記下3章

      撒母耳記下3:1-39 ,