旧约 - 士师记(Judges)第3章

These are the nations the LORD left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan
(he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience):
the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath.
They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the LORD'S commands, which he had given their forefathers through Moses.
The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.
They took their daughters in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.
The anger of the LORD burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim, to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years.
But when they cried out to the LORD, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, who saved them.
The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, so that he became Israel's judge and went to war. The LORD gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him.
So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.
Once 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.
Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms.
The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.
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.
Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing.
He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man.
After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way the men who had carried it.
At the idols near Gilgal he himself turned back and said, "I have a secret message for you, O king." The king said, "Quiet!" And all his attendants left him.
Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his summer palace and said, "I have a message from God for you." As the king rose from his seat,
Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king's belly.
Even the handle sank in after the blade, which came out his back. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it.
Then Ehud went out to the porch; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.
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 house."
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.
While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah.
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.
"Follow me," he ordered, "for the LORD has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands." So they followed him down and, taking possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab, they allowed no one to cross over.
At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not a man escaped.
That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years.
After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.
士师记第三章   第 3 章 

  士 3:1-4> 神会否也在我的生活中留下了“仇敌”,以试验我对祂的忠诚? 

  3:1-4 第一章讲到以色列人未能顺服神,将敌人逐出迦南地。本章则讲到神留下这些仇敌,好“试炼”以色列人,给他们操练顺服神的机会。现在,新一代长大了,他们虽然没有经历攻占迦南的重大战争,但要去完成征服全地的使命。在他们的土地上,仍有许多亟待胜过的拦阻。对付这种拦阻,就成为对他们信心的考验。 

  神也许在你的生活之中留下一些障碍,用以培养你对祂的信心与顺服。它可能是憎恶你的人,是困难的情势,或是你所不明白的问题。 

  士 3:5-7> 我不是要背弃神,只是尝试一下新鲜事物而已,不过…… 

  3:5-7 以色列人看出与当地人相处会影响到他们的信仰。不过,当地人对他们很有吸引力,很快他们就与当地人通婚,并去拜异教的假神了。神曾明令禁止这件事(参出 34:15-17 ;申 7:1-4 )。以色列人既然把假神接到家中,就逐步效法他们不道德的习俗。大多数以色列人并不是一开始就决心拜偶像,只是在敬拜耶和华神之外加上拜偶像,但渐渐地他们就全神贯注去拜异教之神了。 

  我们也面对类似的危险。我们与不认识神的人做朋友时,可能使我们染上不良的习俗。与不信主之人为友并没有错,但是不可以因此改变自己的信仰,更不能采纳他们的生活方式。 

  士 3:7> 亚舍拉又是何方神只? 

  3:7 大多数迦南人都拜巴力,常将巴力铸成公牛的形像,象征能力与丰收,代表农业之神。亚舍拉是巴力的配偶,是海上的女神,人用木柱刻成像来敬拜,用以代替青翠树。迦南人遭遇饥荒,就认为是巴力发怒,以不降雨来处罚他们。考古学家在以色列地发掘出许多巴力偶像。我们很难想像以色列人竟不敬拜耶和华,反而愚昧地去拜那木头、石头与铁造的偶像。可是当我们不敬拜神,反而崇尚其他的活动、嗜好,或者把某些事放在神之先时,也就犯了同样的罪。我们的偶像虽不具有木石所雕刻的形体,但本质上却是一样的。 

  士 3:9> 关于以色列的第一位士师俄陀聂,你知道些什么? 

  3:9 俄陀聂是以色列人的第一位士师, 1 章 13 节说他自告奋勇,率领军兵攻打一座坚固城。这一段经文则说他领以色列全族悔改归向神。他有世袭的属灵渊源──他的伯父迦勒,对神有坚定的信心(参民 13:30 ; 14:24 )。他作士师时,领百姓归向神,脱离美索不达米亚王的欺压。可惜他死后不久,以色列人又随从当地人过那种犯罪的生活。 

  士 3:10> 如何理解“耶和华的灵降在他身上”?这灵与降到我们身上的圣灵有无不同? 

  3:10 “耶和华的灵降在他身上”这句话也用在了基甸、耶弗他、参孙等其他士师身上。它意指人在肉体、灵性与精神上的力量有短暂增强。这是神预备人从事特别任务的时候,所发生的不平常、超自然的现象。现在所有的信徒都可以得到圣灵,不过祂会以特别的方式临到一些人,并做特别的工作。我们无论是面对日常的问题还是应付一生重大的挑战,都当求圣灵帮助。 

  士 3:12-13> 3:12-13 摩押人、亚扪人与亚玛力人全是游牧民族,住在迦南地之东及东南部,彼此邻近,骁勇善战,惯于劫掠。这是圣经记载以色列人在自己的地上,初次受迦南以外的民族攻击。 

  以笏 

  士 3:15> “一位拯救者”,是按字面意思理解吗? 

  3:15 这一节经文称以笏为拯救者。按照广义的看法,所有的士师都可以看作是耶稣基督的预表,祂是完全的拯救者。以笏拯救以色列人脱离仇敌之手,耶稣则救我们脱离最大的仇敌──罪恶。 

  士 3:15-20> 你有身体上的缺陷吗?你是否为此自卑呢? 

  3:15-20 这是一件奇异的事,但它教导我们,神能创造我们,也能随意使用我们。在以笏所处的时代,左手便利被视为缺陷( 20:16 ),以笏的“弱点”是明显可见的,但神仍使用他使以色列人得胜。要让神使用你,随祂的方式来成全祂的工作。 

  以笏救以色列人脱离摩押的欺压 

  士 3:31> 用赶牛棍打死六百人,听来好像不可信…… 

  3:31 用赶牛棍打死六百非利士人是不平常的武艺。赶牛棍是一条长棍,一头钉有尖锐的铁钉,一边是平滑的铁片;尖端在耕地时用来赶牛,平滑的一端则用来清理农具。考古发掘出的赶牛棍有的长达两公尺半。以色列人在遭遇危难时,很容易把它当作武器来使用,珊迦就是用它杀敌。今日在中东,人仍然用它赶牛。──《灵修版圣经注释》