旧约 - 撒母耳记上(1 Samuel)第2章

Then Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.
"There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.
"Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.
"The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry hunger no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away.
"The LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up.
The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. "For the foundations of the earth are the LORD'S; upon them he has set the world.
He will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness. "It is not by strength that one prevails;
those who oppose the LORD will be shattered. He will thunder against them from heaven; the LORD will judge the ends of the earth. "He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed."
Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the LORD under Eli the priest.
Eli's sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD.
Now it was the practice of the priests with the people that whenever anyone offered a sacrifice and while the meat was being boiled, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand.
He would plunge it into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot, and the priest would take for himself whatever the fork brought up. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh.
But even before the fat was burned, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give the priest some meat to roast; he won't accept boiled meat from you, but only raw."
If the man said to him, "Let the fat be burned up first, and then take whatever you want," the servant would then answer, "No, hand it over now; if you don't, I'll take it by force."
This sin of the young men was very great in the LORD'S sight, for they were treating the LORD'S offering with contempt.
But Samuel was ministering before the LORD--a boy wearing a linen ephod.
Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.
Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, "May the LORD give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the LORD." Then they would go home.
And the LORD was gracious to Hannah; she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.
Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
So he said to them, "Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours.
No, my sons; it is not a good report that I hear spreading among the LORD'S people.
If a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?" His sons, however, did not listen to their father's rebuke, for it was the LORD'S will to put them to death.
And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men.
Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, "This is what the LORD says: 'Did I not clearly reveal myself to your father's house when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh?
I chose your father out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your father's house all the offerings made with fire by the Israelites.
Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?'
"Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: 'I promised that your house and your father's house would minister before me forever.' But now the LORD declares: 'Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.
The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in your family line
and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, in your family line there will never be an old man.
Every one of you that I do not cut off from my altar will be spared only to blind your eyes with tears and to grieve your heart, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life.
"'And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you--they will both die on the same day.
I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his house, and he will minister before my anointed one always.
Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a crust of bread and plead, "Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat."'"
撒母耳记上第二章   第 2 章 

  撒上 2:1-10> 感恩不知如何祷告?看哈拿的── 

  2:1-10 哈拿因神垂听祷告,赐下麟儿而赞美神。她以诗歌的形式来祷告,其主题是对神的掌管与主权充满信心,并为神成就的一切感谢祂。耶稣的母亲马利亚仿效哈拿的祷告,发出她的赞歌,称为尊主颂(参路 1:46-55 )。我们应当像马利亚与哈拿一样,确信神必管理我们的一生,顺服神为我们所定的道路,也要因祂用自己的方法赐福给我们而感谢祂。我们颂赞祂百般美善的赏赐,就是承认祂有权管理我们的一生。 

  撒上 2:2> 神是我的磐石吗?我怎样倚靠这个磐石呢? 

  2:2 哈拿颂赞神是磐石──稳固、坚强、永不变迁。今天的世界步调急速,朋友来来去去,环境变换不定,很难找到稳固不变的根基。人若一生贪求成就、但求拥有,以财富作为安全的根基,所得的既有限又无常。我们拚命争取,得到的财产却皆会失去,只有神永远存在。你要以神为指望,祂永不叫你失望。 

  撒上 2:3> 用人的方法伸冤,符合神的心意吗?遭遇不公平的对待也要…… 

  2:3 哈拿讲这些话时,一定想到毗尼拿的傲慢与责骂。她不需要与毗尼拿看齐,也毋需报复;她知道神监察一切,要审判人的罪恶与骄傲,哈拿很有智慧地等候神伸冤。当避免为自己伸冤;神既会衡量你的行为,也会衡量欺压你之人的行为。 

  撒上 2:10> 在物质世界里,我能在各种境遇中都记得神是公义的主宰吗? 

  2:10 我们活在邪恶充斥的世界,又受核武的威胁,很可能忘记神仍然作王。哈拿看出神( 1 )像磐石一样坚定( 2:2 );( 2 )察验我们的作为( 2:3 );( 3 )管理人的大小事务( 2:4-8 );( 4 )是最高的审判主宰,施行完全的公义( 2:10 )。切记神正在作王掌权,会使我们对世界和个人事务都有恰当的看法。 

  2:11 童子撒母耳“在祭司以利面前事奉耶和华”,换句话说,他是以利的帮手或助理。他既然担当这种角色,工作就包括每天开会幕的门( 3:15 )、扫地、清洁器物;到他长大以后,就会协助以利献祭。他穿上细麻布的以弗得(这是只有祭司才可穿上的衣服),显示他是见习祭司( 2:18 )。因为他是以利的助手,所以也是神的助手。在你服事别人的时候,即使是做一般的事务,你也是事奉神。我们最终都是事奉神的,所以任何工作都有它的尊严。 

  撒上 2:12-36> 以利的二忤逆子给我们的领袖敲了什么警钟? 

  2:12-36 按律法规定,由百姓作十一奉献来供养所有的利未人(参民 18:20-24 ;书 13:14 , 33 )。以利的两个儿子既是祭司,百姓自当如此照顾他们。但以利的儿子们利用职权,满足财富和权力之欲,藐视人民与敬拜神的事,损害了整个祭司制度的廉正。以利知道儿子的恶行,却未认真地去纠正或劝阻他们,甚至对神圣所的美誉受损也不加理会。他身为大祭司,应当将这两个劣子处死(参民 15:22-31 ),但他竟然袖手旁观,未有力制止歪风,任由他们自私自利的行为放任自流,使他们败坏了自己,也害了别人。许多时候我们要面对严重的问题,即使过程和结果都是痛苦的。 

  撒上 2:13-14> 以利二子的仆人令祭司罪上加罪…… 

  2:13-14 叉子是铜做的器具(参出 27:3 ),在圣殿里献祭时使用。它通常有三个齿,以叉祭坛上的肉。以利的儿子叫仆人用这叉子,从锅里取去超过自己当得的一分。 

  撒上 2:13-17> 祭司在献祭上任意妄为其影响及后果怎样? 

  2:13-17 以利的儿子所犯的是什么罪?他们在祭肉献给神之前,就从祭坛上取去一部分。他们在未烧脂油(献给神)以前吃献祭之肉,违背了神的律法(参利 3:3-5 ),实际上是藐视对神的献祭。献祭本来是人为了寻求神的赦罪,并表达对祂的尊敬的方式,但由于他们的不敬虔,所以在为人献祭时,实际上就是在犯罪。他们还有另一种罪行,就是与会幕门前伺候的妇人苟合( 2:22 )。 

  有些宗教领袖好像以利的儿子,轻看一般平信徒的信仰,也轻视他们对神的奉献。那些使人民走入歧途,又轻看奉献给神的礼物的,神必严厉地审判(参民 18:32 )。 

  撒上 2:18> 小撒母耳穿上的以弗得是── 

  2:18 撒母耳穿上祭司的制服──细麻布的以弗得(是用细麻布做的、没有袖子的长背心或外袍)。大祭司所穿的以弗得有其特殊意义,它是用多种色线绣的,上面还有一个围兜一般的胸牌,用金线绣的肩带系上。其上镶有十二块宝石,每块宝石代表以色列的一个支派;以弗得上有一个小口袋,里面装有乌陵和土明,遇上国家大事等悬疑不决时,大祭司就用它来判断神的旨意。 

  撒上 2:21> 哈拿为何能由不孕到得子,并得到六个子女? 

  2:21 神看重忠心的哈拿的心愿。在以后的经文里,再也找不到对毗尼拿和她儿女的记载,但是撒母耳则蒙神大大地使用,除了撒母耳以外,神又赐给哈拿五个儿女。神常常以出人意外的方式赐福给我们。哈拿从来没有想到,以她的年纪会有一个孩子,更遑论六个!不要埋怨神所定的时间。祂虽然未必立即赐福,但只要我们照祂在圣经中所说的忠心去做,祂赐的福终必来临。 

  撒上 2:23-25> 神是轻慢不得的!明知故犯,后果严重,如以利二子──有时我心也偷偷地想,神不会这样严厉吧…… 

  2:23-25 以利的两个儿子比别人更清楚神是轻慢不得的,但是他们继续欺诈、行淫、抢夺百姓的献祭,故意违背神,所以神定意要击杀他们。所有的罪都不该犯,而存心欺诈的罪恶则更严重。我们出于无知而犯罪固然该受惩罚,若存心犯罪后果就更严重。不要忽视神对犯罪的警告,要在罪恶变成习惯以前,就把它撇弃。 

  撒上 2:25> 以利二子不听父训,终遭神惩罚…… 

  2:25 慈爱的神是否定意要人死亡呢?试想在会幕之中,人献祭本为求罪得赦免,但是以利的儿子偷去祭物,使献祭者的悔改变成虚无。爱以色列人的神绝不容许这种情形继续下去,祂允许以利的两个儿子被杀,为的是惩罚他们的胆大妄为。他们将神的约柜带上战场,以为可得保护,但神并不施行保护,遂使他们被杀( 4:10-11 )。 

  撒上 2:29> 以利看子犯错竟不管教;若我看见我家人是如此,我会如何── 

  2:29 以利难以教养两个儿子。他知道二人犯错以后,显然并没有严加管教。当知道,他不但身为人父,应处理悖逆的儿子,他还是大祭司,竟不理会其管辖下的祭司们犯罪(他的儿子也是祭司)。他既不管教,耶和华就不得不施行管治了。 

  以利让儿子沉迷罪恶,溺爱儿子过于尊敬神,这是他的罪。在你的生活、家庭、或是工作之中,你是否明知错了,仍然听任情况继续下去呢?如果有的话,你就是与犯错的人同罪。 

  撒上 2:31,35,36> 神的惩罚最终临到以利家── 

  2:31,35,36 这个预言论到以利家,其应验见列王纪上(参王上 2:26-27 。)那里说所罗门革除大祭司亚比亚他的职位,使继承大祭司职任的以利子孙终止事奉。神在那时兴起撒督,在大卫王朝当祭司,到所罗门作王时他作大祭司。撒督的子孙可能持续到以斯拉的时代仍然作大祭司。 

  撒上 2:35> 2:35 神说“我的受膏者”是指君王而言( 2:10 )。意思是说祂忠心的祭司要永远事奉君王。──《灵修版圣经注释》