旧约 - 士师记(Judges)第13章

Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, so the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.
A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless.
The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, "You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son.
Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean,
because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines."
Then the woman went to her husband and told him, "A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God, very awesome. I didn't ask him where he came from, and he didn't tell me his name.
But he said to me, 'You will conceive and give birth to a son. Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from birth until the day of his death.'"
Then Manoah prayed to the LORD: "O Lord, I beg you, let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born."
God heard Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was out in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her.
The woman hurried to tell her husband, "He's here! The man who appeared to me the other day!"
Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, "Are you the one who talked to my wife?" "I am," he said.
So Manoah asked him, "When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule for the boy's life and work?"
The angel of the LORD answered, "Your wife must do all that I have told her.
She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her."
Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, "We would like you to stay until we prepare a young goat for you."
The angel of the LORD replied, "Even though you detain me, I will not eat any of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the LORD." (Manoah did not realize that it was the angel of the LORD.)
Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the LORD, "What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?"
He replied, "Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding."
Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock to the LORD. And the LORD did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched:
As the flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground.
When the angel of the LORD did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it was the angel of the LORD.
"We are doomed to die!" he said to his wife. "We have seen God!"
But his wife answered, "If the LORD had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this."
The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the LORD blessed him,
and the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
士师记第十三章   第 13 章 

  士 13 章 > 以色列人怎么那么冥顽不灵…… 

  13 章 以色列人再一次陷入犯罪、受神审判、继而悔改的循环之中( 3:8-9 , 14-15 ; 4:1-4 ; 6:1-14 ; 10:6-11:11 )。他们除非因受苦、受仇敌欺压、受死亡惊吓,否则不肯归向神。这并不是神要他们受苦,而是他们不理会神所致;祂是他们的审判主,也是君王。你若顺服神,应怎样对待祂呢?圣经清楚地警告我们:如果我们继续硬着心不顺服神,就必然遭遇和以色列人同样的噩运。 

  士 13:1> 非利士人在哪些方面胜过以色列人? 

  13:1 非利士人住在迦南地以西、地中海沿岸,从参孙到大卫的时代,一直是以色列人的主要仇敌,时常威胁以色列人。他们骁勇善战;在人数、作战技术的熟练和工艺上,皆胜过以色列人。他们善用铁铸造兵器(参撒上 13:19-22 )。但是神为以色列人争战时,这一切就都派不上用场了。 

  士 13:5> 作拿细耳人有些什么条件限制? 

  13:5 参孙要作的拿细耳人是许下分别为圣、事奉神之愿的人。他的父母为他许下这愿。这种愿可以是暂时性的,但参孙则是终生作拿细耳人。既然作拿细耳人,他就不可剃头、触摸死尸和饮清酒浓酒等等。 

  参孙虽然常常作错误的判断,犯下严重的罪,但在他立志将自己分别为圣、归于神的时候,仍然有很大的成就。他在这方面好像以色列人;只要这民族继续分别为圣归于神,国势就兴旺,但是他们一旦不理神就陷入可怕的罪中。 

  士 13:5> “起首拯救”是什么意思? 

  13:5 耶和华的使者告诉玛挪亚的妻子,她所生的儿子必起来拯救以色列人脱离非利士人的欺压。直到大卫的时代,非利士人的势力才被彻底粉碎(参撒下 8:1 )。参孙制伏非利士人虽只是开端,却很重要。这是神吩咐他去做的工作。即使你不能看出工作的即时果效,仍要忠心地顺从神,因为这可能仅是重要工作的开始,其余将由别人去完成。 

  士 13:18> 耶和华的使者为什么不肯透露他的姓名呢? 

  13:18 那时的人相信,如果你知道一个人的名字,就会知道他的性格,以及制伏他的方法。这位使者不肯说出他的名字,就是不让玛挪亚制伏他。不过他也说出他的名字是人所不能明白的奥秘,奇妙得不可想像。玛挪亚求这位使者给他的答覆其实是他不能明白的。我们有时求问神,但是得不到答案。这可能不是因为神不肯说,而是那已超乎我们的理解力或领受力的范围,故神不会赐下。 

  士 13:19> 玛挪亚所献的祭有何意义? 

  13:19 玛挪亚向上帝献上燔祭和素祭。他把面粉加上油调和做成无酵饼,与燔祭牲山羊羔一同烧在祭坛上。利未记第二章所说的素祭,是献给神表示尊崇、敬拜祂;也是承认以色列人的食物是神所赐的,蒙神养活。玛挪亚既献上素祭,就表示他深愿事奉神并显出他的敬意。 

  参孙 

  士 13:25> 还记得神的灵是如何感动你,使你归向祂的吗? 

  13:25 参孙所属的但支派继续寻地居住( 18:1 ),那是他们尚未占领的应许之地(参书 19:47-48 )。他在这尚武的支派中长大,渴望得到永久性的安居之所。就在他去但支派兵营参观的时候,内心受到激励,神的灵开始准备他担当士师和领导者的任务,去攻击非利士人。 

  也许有些事激动你的心,这可能表示神要使用你。祂可使用各式各样的方法,包括遗传的特点,环境的感染,个人的经验等来培养我们,准备我们。好像对参孙一样,这种准备常常在成人之前就装备完成。对神给你的使命要有所警觉。你的过去可能比你所想像的对你更为有益。──《灵修版圣经注释》