旧约 - 撒母耳记上(1 Samuel)第15章

Sauel said to Saul, "I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the LORD.
This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt.
Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.'"
So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim--two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men from Judah.
Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine.
Then he said to the Kenites, "Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt." So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.
Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, to the east of Egypt.
He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword.
But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs--everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.
Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel:
"I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions." Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the LORD all that night.
Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, "Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal."
When Samuel reached him, Saul said, "The LORD bless you! I have carried out the LORD'S instructions."
But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?"
Saul answered, "The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest."
"Stop!" Samuel said to Saul. "Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night." "Tell me," Saul replied.
Samuel said, "Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel.
And he sent you on a mission, saying, 'Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.'
Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD?"
"But I did obey the LORD," Saul said. "I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king.
The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal."
But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king."
Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned. I violated the LORD'S command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them.
Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD."
But Samuel said to him, "I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you as king over Israel!"
As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore.
Samuel said to him, "The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors--to one better than you.
He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind."
Saul replied, "I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD your God."
So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD.
Then Samuel said, "Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites." Agag came to him confidently, thinking, "Surely the bitterness of death is past."
But Samuel said, "As your sword has made women childless, so will your mother be childless among women." And Samuel put Agag to death before the LORD at Gilgal.
Then Samuel left for Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul.
Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the LORD was grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel.
撒母耳记上第十五章   第 15 章 

  撒上 15:2-3> 神为什么吩咐要彻底除灭亚玛力人? 

  15:2-3 因为他们是游击部队、恐怖分子,靠攻击、掳掠人口与财物为生。以色列人出埃及以后,他们首先攻击以色列人,以后凡有机会,都劫掠以色列人的营地。神知道只要亚玛力人存在,以色列人就不能在应许之地安居;祂也知道他们败坏的、拜偶像的习俗,会危害以色列人与祂的关系。保护以色列人身体与灵魂的惟一方法,就是将这个好战的民族,连同他们的一切财物,包括偶像在内,都彻底毁灭。 

  撒上 15:9> 扫罗错在哪儿了? 

  15:9 扫罗和他的军队并没有按照神的吩咐,将所有的战利品毁灭( 15:3 )。以色列人清楚知道,神吩咐将战争中夺取的财物分别出来归于祂,并且完全毁灭。凡是神禁止存留的,都要完全毁灭,这是一条律法(参申 20:16-18 )。神定出这律法,为要防止人舍不得毁灭偶像,因为有许多贵重财物皆是金银做的偶像。违背这条律法的,可能处以死刑(参书 7 章)。这里显出扫罗对神的不敬不理,因为保留战利品直接违背祂的命令。 

  我们掩饰自己的罪行,想保护自己所有的,或想在物质上获益,就违背了神的律法。因为有限度地顺服神,其实是另一种形式的不顺服。 

  撒上 15:11> 神说祂立扫罗为王“后悔了”,这是否说神也犯了错误呢? 

  15:11 神说这话是内心忧愁的意思,并不是承认错误(参创 6:5-7 )。全知的神不可能有错,可见神并没有改变祂的心意,只不过扫罗既然变坏了,祂就改变对扫罗的态度。扫罗的心已不再属于神,只想到一己的私利。 

  撒上 15:12> 把名字刻在石头上又会怎样?扫罗想得到的是── 

  15:12 扫罗为自己立了纪念碑。他与摩西及约书亚有何等大的差别!他们将一切的荣耀归与神。 

  撒上 15:13-14> 撒个小谎无关紧要吧……这符合圣经教导吗? 

  15:13-14 扫罗以为大胜亚玛力人,但是神看他是大大的失败,因为他没有听从神的命令,又向撒母耳谎报战果。他可能以为自己的谎言不会被人揭穿,或者以为所作所为不算是错,其实乃是自欺。 

  人心术不正,慢慢就会相信自己编造的谎言,难以看出真话与谎言的分别。相信自己的谎言就是自欺,使你自己与神疏远,也使你在别人面对失去信用,诚实才是得胜之钥。 

  撒上 15:22-23> “听命胜于献祭”,我注重“献祭”过于听命于神吗? 

  15:22-23 圣经多次提到“听命胜于献祭”这个主题(参诗 40:6-8 ; 51:16-17 ;箴 21:3 ;赛 1:11-17 ;耶 7:21-23 ;何 6:6 ;弥 6:6-8 ;太 12:7 ;可 12:33 ;来 10:8-9 ),这里是头一次。撒母耳是否说献祭的事不重要呢?不是,他乃是劝扫罗检讨自己献祭的原因,胜过献祭本身。献祭是人与神之间的礼仪,以物质的行动,表明双方的关系。但是如果人的内心没有真正的悔改,没有真心爱神,献祭就是虚仪。除非人能表现出爱神及顺服祂的态度,否则的话,宗教礼仪或仪式就一点用也没有。如果我们行事不是出于对神的专一与顺服,单单外表“虔敬”(去教会做礼拜,担任教会职务,奉献钱财等)是不够的。 

  撒上 15:23> 我们都有自我,是否为悖逆顽梗留下了空间?怎样警惕? 

  15:23 悖逆与顽梗都是重罪,这些罪绝非忽略神、任意而行、个性倔强那样简单。圣经将这两项看作与行邪术(占卜)和拜偶像的罪相等,都是死罪。(参出 22:18 ;利 20:6 ;申 13:12-15 ; 18:10 ;弥 5:10-14 )。 

  扫罗既悖逆又顽梗,难怪神终于弃绝他,将他的王位取去。悖逆神可能是众罪之中最严重的,因为只要人继续悖逆神,就封了蒙赦免、与祂和好之门。 

  撒上 15:26> 如果神终止了我的前程,我会怎么想,怎么做?今天我该怎样警惕? 

  15:26 扫罗的推诿,已到了无辞可辩的地步,轮到神向他追究的时刻了。神并没有弃绝他,他仍可以求祂赦免,与祂恢复关系,不过他要想得回国度,则为时太晚了。假使你没有把神交托你的任务尽心尽力地做好,到末后必然设法推诿。将来有一天,我们众人都要将自己所做的,向神陈明(参罗 14:12 ;启 \cs15 22:12 )。 

  撒上 15:30> 我做事是否如扫罗一样重视人对我的看法过于一切呢? 

  15:30 扫罗关心别人对他的看法过于他与神的关系( 15:24 )。他请求撒母耳与他一同去敬拜神,以公开表示撒母耳仍然支持他。假使撒母耳不从,百姓就会对扫罗失去信心。──《灵修版圣经注释》