旧约 - 士师记(Judges)第16章

One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her.
The people of Gaza were told, "Samson is here!" So they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They made no move during the night, saying, "At dawn we'll kill him."
But Samson lay there only until the middle of the night. Then he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate, together with the two posts, and tore them loose, bar and all. He lifted them to his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.
Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah.
The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, "See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver."
So Delilah said to Samson, "Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued."
Samson answered her, "If anyone ties me with seven fresh thongs that have not been dried, I'll become as weak as any other man."
Then the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh thongs that had not been dried, and she tied him with them.
With men hidden in the room, she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" But he snapped the thongs as easily as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame. So the secret of his strength was not discovered.
Then Delilah said to Samson, "You have made a fool of me; you lied to me. Come now, tell me how you can be tied."
He said, "If anyone ties me securely with new ropes that have never been used, I'll become as weak as any other man."
So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them. Then, with men hidden in the room, she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads.
Delilah then said to Samson, "Until now, you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied." He replied, "If you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric on the loom and tighten it with the pin, I'll become as weak as any other man." So while he was sleeping, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, wove them into the fabric
and tightened it with the pin. Again she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric.
Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when you won't confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven't told me the secret of your great strength."
With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was tired to death.
So he told her everything. "No razor has ever been used on my head," he said, "because I have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man."
When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, "Come back once more; he has told me everything." So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands.
Having put him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him.
Then she called, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his sleep and thought, "I'll go out as before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had left him.
Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison.
But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.
Now the rulers of the Philistines assembled to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to celebrate, saying, "Our god has delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hands."
When the people saw him, they praised their god, saying, "Our god has delivered our enemy into our hands, the one who laid waste our land and multiplied our slain."
While they were in high spirits, they shouted, "Bring out Samson to entertain us." So they called Samson out of the prison, and he performed for them. When they stood him among the pillars,
Samson said to the servant who held his hand, "Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them."
Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform.
Then Samson prayed to the LORD, "O Sovereign LORD, remember me. O God, please strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes."
Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other,
Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.
Then his brothers and his father's whole family went down to get him. They brought him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had led Israel twenty years.
士师记第十六章   第 16 章 

  大利拉 

  士 16:5> 非利士人的首领是些什么人? 

  16:5 非利士人有五个首领,而不是由一个人统治。每个首领统治一个城市──亚实突、亚实基伦、以革伦、迦特及迦萨。每个城市皆是商业贸易的重要中心。以大利拉的品格来说,既然这些城市有钱有势的首领亲自去见她,她诱哄参孙也就毫不出奇了。 

  士 16:15> 从参孙身上,可以总结出哪些择偶的原则? 

  16:15 参孙因为相信大利拉的谎言受了欺骗。他虽然能杀死狮子,却不能遏止自己的情欲和识破大利拉究竟是何许人也。你怎能使自己不受爱欲与性的逸乐所欺骗呢?( 1 )在你被情焰控制以前,先决定爱怎样的人。对方的性格以及对神的信仰,是否与外貌一样的合你心意。( 2 )你与配偶在一起的大多数时间,并非只在享鱼水之乐;你终生伴侣的人格、性情及灵命等各方面,都应在仔细考虑之列。( 3 )必须忍耐。仔细地观察,常常会发现你在表面上看不出来的真相,甜美的容貌与深深的爱意常常会掩盖人的本性。 

  士 16:16-17> 我的心很软,最怕别人死缠滥打,遇到这种事该怎么处理? 

  16:16-17 大利拉不住地问参孙大力的秘密。三番五次地死缠不休,令他不胜其烦而吐露秘密。这是他让自己在疲劳轰炸求问之下,第二次忍受不住而回答( 14:17 )。但这怎能成为不顺服神的藉口?不管人怎样有魅力,或是善于说服,不要让任何人劝服你做错事。 

  士 16:19> 英雄难过美人关,人如何能胜过情欲的诱惑? 

  16:19 大利拉是个口蜜腹剑的女人,她冷静狡狯,戏弄参孙于掌股之间,假意说爱他,实际上图谋本身的利益。参孙怎么能笨到这样的地步?大利拉有四次取了他的巧,占他的便宜。即使他不明白第一、第二次所经历的事之后果,总应当明白第四次的处境。我们认为参孙愚昧,但我们本身岂不也是常受动听的话欺骗,屈从于错误信仰的试探吗?你应当求神帮助,使你能分辨真假,而不至于受人欺骗。 

  士 16:21> 一失足成千古恨──参孙的一生就是最好的借镜,我今日的抉择应建基于什么之上? 

  16:21 参孙本来是大能的勇士,如今变成奴隶。非利士人与其杀他,不如剜了他的眼睛,叫他在狱中推磨、羞辱他。他现在有充分的时间来回想,大利拉的美色是否值得令他余生受尽羞辱。 

  神虽然没有完全放弃参孙( 16:28-30 ),但并没有改变他的抉择以及严重的后果。我们可以选择与神亲近,或是偏行己路,但随着抉择必有其后果。参孙并不想被捉拿,但他选择大利拉作配偶,他就不能逃脱自己抉择的后果。 

  士 16:21> 参孙已和过去不可同日而语,我的人生道路也是在走下坡路吗? 

  16:21 参孙被剜去双目、毫无力气,被非利士人带到迦萨,度其苦短的余生。迦萨是非利士人五个主要城邑之一,以多井而闻名。它也是南由埃及,北往叙利亚的交通要道。非利士人可能让许多过往的路人参观他们捉获的劲敌参孙。 

  参孙以前在迦萨拆毁这城的城门,显示他的大力气( 16:1-3 ),现在在这里成为软弱的标志,这是何等鲜明的对比。 

  士 16:23-24> 非利士人拜的是什么偶像? 

  16:23-24 大衮为非利士人主要的神,司五谷及收成。他们为它造了许多庙宇,在那里敬拜并且杀人献祭。这个庙也是当地的娱乐中心。现代人多去戏院,那时非利士人也常群集在本地庙宇之中。他们坐在庙宇的平台上,观看下面的院子。他们常常看到的,是对囚犯施苦刑与羞辱。 

  由于非利士人制伏了以色列人,他们就以为自己的神大衮胜过以色列人的神耶和华。但是他们将神的约柜掳来,放在大衮庙里的时候,这偶像大衮便倒下跌断了头和两手(参撒上 5:1-7 )。神的力量人无法衡量,也远胜于人的力量。 

  士 16:28-30> 我已经很久没有听神的话了,我现在祷告,祂会听吗? 

  16:28-30 参孙的过去虽乏善可陈,神仍垂听他的祷告,毁灭异教的庙宇和参拜偶像之人。祂仍然爱他,喜欢垂听他悔改认罪的祷告,最后一次使用他。犯罪对生活的影响之一,是使我们因觉得有罪而不想祷告。完美高尚的行为,并不是祷告的条件。不要让罪疚感使你停止与神和好。不管你偏离神多久,祂总喜欢立刻垂听你的祷告,使你重新与祂恢复正常的关系。只要你肯回转归向祂,一切的情势皆可以挽救。既然神仍然能在参孙的处境之中动工,祂也一定会在你的处境之中做出值得称颂的事。 

  参孙与大利拉──《灵修版圣经注释》