士師記2:20-23

 

2:20 於是耶和華的怒氣向以色列人發作。他說：「因這民違背我吩咐他們列祖所守的約，不聽從我的話，
2:21 所以約書亞死的時候所剩下的各族，我必不再從他們面前趕出，
2:22 為要藉此試驗以色列人，看他們肯照他們列祖謹守遵行我的道不肯。」
2:23 這樣耶和華留下各族，不將他們速速趕出，也沒有交付約書亞的手。

 

²⁰ Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, ²¹ I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. ²² I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.” ²³ The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.

 

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    從《士師記》作者所的的啟示：「因這民違背我吩咐他們列祖所守的約，不聽從我的話，所以約書亞死的時候所剩下的各族，我必不再從他們面前趕出，為要藉此試驗以色列人，看他們肯照他們列祖謹守遵行我的道不肯。」

 

    來驗證現實狀態是上帝的作為，「樣耶和華留下各族，不將他們速速趕出，也沒有交付約書亞的手。」

 

    這也就是說現實中在迦南地有許多民族留下成為以色列的絆腳石或試金石，是出於上帝的心意。正如我們得救之後仍然軟弱會有時犯罪，也是上帝的心意。這些都是上帝要使人認識到：不可以倚靠自己，要依靠上帝，尤其是基督要在我們心中做王，讓聖靈來實踐救恩！

 

    我們若沒有這樣的認識，在信仰的路上會走得很辛苦且不得安慰呢！

 

 

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！

 

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！

 

 

 

士師記1:22-36

 

1:22 約瑟家也上去攻打伯特利；耶和華與他們同在。
1:23 約瑟家打發人去窺探伯特利（那城起先名叫路斯）。
1:24 窺探的人看見一個人從城裡出來，就對他說：「求你將進城的路指示我們，我們必恩待你。」
1:25 那人將進城的路指示他們，他們就用刀擊殺了城中的居民，但將那人和他全家放去。
1:26 那人往赫人之地去，築了一座城，起名叫路斯。那城到如今還叫這名。
1:27 瑪拿西沒有趕出伯‧善和屬伯‧善鄉村的居民，他納和屬他納鄉村的居民，多珥和屬多珥鄉村的居民，以伯蓮和屬以伯蓮鄉村的居民，米吉多和屬米吉多鄉村的居民；迦南人卻執意住在那些地方。
1:28 及至以色列強盛了，就使迦南人做苦工，沒有把他們全然趕出。
1:29 以法蓮沒有趕出住基色的迦南人。於是迦南人仍住在基色，在以法蓮中間。
1:30 西布倫沒有趕出基倫的居民和拿哈拉的居民。於是迦南人仍住在西布倫中間，成了服苦的人。
1:31 亞設沒有趕出亞柯和西頓的居民，亞黑拉和亞革悉的居民，黑巴、亞弗革與利合的居民。
1:32 於是，亞設因為沒有趕出那地的迦南人，就住在他們中間。
1:33 拿弗他利沒有趕出伯‧示麥和伯‧亞納的居民，於是拿弗他利就住在那地的迦南人中間；然而伯‧示麥和伯‧亞納的居民成了服苦的人。
1:34 亞摩利人強逼但人住在山地，不容他們下到平原；
1:35 亞摩利人卻執意住在希烈山和亞雅倫並沙賓。然而約瑟家勝了他們，使他們成了服苦的人。
1:36 亞摩利人的境界，是從亞克拉濱坡，從西拉而上。

 

²² Now the tribes of Joseph attacked Bethel, and the Lord was with them. ²³ When they sent men to spy out Bethel (formerly called Luz), ²⁴ the spies saw a man coming out of the city and they said to him, “Show us how to get into the city and we will see that you are treated well.” ²⁵ So he showed them, and they put the city to the sword but spared the man and his whole family. ²⁶ He then went to the land of the Hittites, where he built a city and called it Luz, which is its name to this day.

²⁷ But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land. ²⁸ When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely. ²⁹ Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, but the Canaanites continued to live there among them. ³⁰ Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron or Nahalol, so these Canaanites lived among them, but Zebulun did subject them to forced labor. ³¹ Nor did Asher drive out those living in Akko or Sidon or Ahlab or Akzib or Helbah or Aphek or Rehob. ³² The Asherites lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land because they did not drive them out. ³³ Neither did Naphtali drive out those living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath; but the Naphtalites too lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, and those living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath became forced laborers for them. ³⁴ The Amorites confined the Danites to the hill country, not allowing them to come down into the plain. ³⁵ And the Amorites were determined also to hold out in Mount Heres, Aijalon and Shaalbim, but when the power of the tribes of Joseph increased, they too were pressed into forced labor. ³⁶ The boundary of the Amorites was from Scorpion Pass to Sela and beyond.

 

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    從這段記載中看到：以色列的其他支派執行上帝命令得程度，和猶太支派比較起來更是不佳，竟然只貪一時的便利，竟然沒有將迦南人全然滅絕，還讓他們存在，就成了後的憂患，甚至受他們的影響，失去對耶和華上帝的信心。

 

    以色列這段歷史也給我們很大的警戒，我們除惡務盡，若是不能將造成生命重大的牽絆，使我們與上帝之間會有一些阻礙，不能不謹慎！

 

    然而，理想歸理想，我們的軟弱也大大使我們執行力變弱，造成像以色列人人無法除盡迦南人的狀況，導致罪惡的網羅絆在前頭，進而一再的犯罪、一再的跌倒，受上帝的管教，讓我們只好求主的寶血來遮蓋！