旧约 - 撒母耳记上(1 Samuel)第13章

Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty- two years.
Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at Micmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes.
Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul had the trumpet blown throughout the land and said, "Let the Hebrews hear!"
So all Israel heard the news: "Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become a stench to the Philistines." And the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Micmash, east of Beth Aven.
When the men of Israel saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns.
Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear.
He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul's men began to scatter.
So he said, "Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings." And Saul offered up the burnt offering.
Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.
"What have you done?" asked Samuel. Saul replied, "When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Micmash,
I thought, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the LORD'S favor.' So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering."
"You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.
But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD'S command."
Then Samuel left Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin, and Saul counted the men who were with him. They numbered about six hundred.
Saul and his son Jonathan and the men with them were staying in Gibeah in Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Micmash.
Raiding parties went out from the Philistine camp in three detachments. One turned toward Ophrah in the vicinity of Shual,
another toward Beth Horon, and the third toward the borderland overlooking the Valley of Zeboim facing the desert.
Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, "Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!"
So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plowshares, mattocks, axes and sickles sharpened.
The price was two thirds of a shekel for sharpening plowshares and mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads.
So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.
Now a detachment of Philistines had gone out to the pass at Micmash.
撒母耳记上第十三章   第 13 章 

  撒上 13:3-4> 骄傲败坏了扫罗。在他身上,我得的鉴戒── 

  13:3-4 约拿单成功攻击非利士人的防营,扫罗却将一切的光荣归于自己。按昔日的社会风气,这种事虽然普通,却不算光明磊落。他的骄傲从小事上渐渐加增,先是夺取儿子胜利的光荣,又对自己的骄傲不加遏制,因此变得邪恶,不能自拔;骄傲毁灭了他自己,也使他家无宁日,甚至危害国家。窃取别人的成就,就表示你已经受骄傲辖制,若发觉骄傲正在你的生命中生根,你应当立刻将荣耀归于配得的人。 

  撒上 13:6> 新考验会临到,我们能否像过去得胜那样去靠主呢? 

  13:6 我们若忘记神与我们同在,只看见自己的微小,就会因敌人的强盛而惊惶。以色列人遇上强大的非利士军队就害怕,忘记了自己是立于不败之地的,因为他们有神的帮助。面对困难与试探,要专一仰望神,信靠祂的帮助(参罗 8:31-37 )。 

  撒上 13:9> 扫罗是好心做错事吗?为何神不原谅?单因此事吗? 

  13:9 扫罗不等祭司到就自行献祭,这事违背神的律法(参申 12:5-14 ),也违背撒母耳的明确吩咐( 10:8 )。扫罗因为非利士军队入侵的情势急迫,就公然违背神,办不应当由他办理的事。他虽然是做一件好事(在大战以前向神献祭),却是以错误的方式进行。我们像扫罗一样,受到压力的时候就显出属灵真相。要达到目的,但不能不择手段,因为目的和手段是同等重要的。 

  先知所传的审判信息 

  撒上 13:11-12> 礼仪与信心有何关系?危难之际就可以不靠神而任意妄为吗? 

  13:11-12 计穷力竭之时,很难信靠神。扫罗觉得时间紧急,就不等候神所定的时候。他以为尽了宗教礼仪就事事顺利,其实是用礼仪取代了信靠神的心。 

  面对难以抉择的情势,别因急躁而违背神。只要知道是神的心意,就要义无反顾,照祂的计划而行。神常常以延迟来考验我们的顺服与忍耐。 

  撒上 13:12-13> 为自己的错误找理由,其实是想为自己开脱吧…… 

  13:12-13 扫罗不肯服从神的命令有许多藉口,但是撒母耳一针见血地指出,“你没有遵守耶和华你神所吩咐的命令。”我们像扫罗一样,常常掩饰自己的错误与罪,亦用属灵术语来解释因由,但是,那些藉口不能减轻不顺服神的罪,祂鉴察我们真正的动机。只有坦率认罪,祂才赦免我们、复兴我们,赐福与我们。扫罗想找藉口为自己开脱,反而失去了王位( 13:14 )。 

  撒上 13:19-22> 没有武器怎能争战?但得胜在神── 

  13:19-22 以色列人无力去征服别人,军队没有铁制的武器,也没有改装武器的设备。实际上,如果以色列人想赶磨农具,就要付大量的工钱,请非利士的铁匠代他们打磨,因为非利士人早已垄断了铁匠的行当,而打磨农具收费很高。非利士人既严格地控制了兵工技术,一旦突袭以色列人,就会令对方士气低沉,乖乖就范。面对强敌,形势极其不利,他们怎能梦想可打败敌人?惟有靠神的帮助。神要以色列人不靠刀剑得胜,好使他们知道,力量的真正来源不在自己,而在于神。──《灵修版圣经注释》