旧约 - 撒母耳记上(1 Samuel)第15章

Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.
And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.
And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.
And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,
It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.
And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.
And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.
And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.
And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?
And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.
Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?
And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.
And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.
And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.
And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.
And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.
And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.
Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.
So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD.
Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.
And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.
Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.
And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented 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》