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旧约 - 士师记(Judges)第9章

Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to his mother's brothers in Shechem and said to them and to all his mother's clan,
"Ask all the citizens of Shechem, 'Which is better for you: to have all seventy of Jerub-Baal's sons rule over you, or just one man?' Remember, I am your flesh and blood."
When the brothers repeated all this to the citizens of Shechem, they were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, "He is our brother."
They gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, and Abimelech used it to hire reckless adventurers, who became his followers.
He went to his father's home in Ophrah and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerub-Baal, escaped by hiding.
Then all the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo gathered beside the great tree at the pillar in Shechem to crown Abimelech king.
When Jotham was told about this, he climbed up on the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted to them, "Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, so that God may listen to you.
One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, 'Be our king.'
"But the olive tree answered, 'Should I give up my oil, by which both gods and men are honored, to hold sway over the trees?'
"Next, the trees said to the fig tree, 'Come and be our king.'
"But the fig tree replied, 'Should I give up my fruit, so good and sweet, to hold sway over the trees?'
"Then the trees said to the vine, 'Come and be our king.'
"But the vine answered, 'Should I give up my wine, which cheers both gods and men, to hold sway over the trees?'
"Finally all the trees said to the thornbush, 'Come and be our king.'
"The thornbush said to the trees, 'If you really want to anoint me king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, then let fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!'
"Now if you have acted honorably and in good faith when you made Abimelech king, and if you have been fair to Jerub-Baal and his family, and if you have treated him as he deserves--
and to think that my father fought for you, risked his life to rescue you from the hand of Midian
(but today you have revolted against my father's family, murdered his seventy sons on a single stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his slave girl, king over the citizens of Shechem because he is your brother)--
if then you have acted honorably and in good faith toward Jerub-Baal and his family today, may Abimelech be your joy, and may you be his, too!
But if you have not, let fire come out from Abimelech and consume you, citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and let fire come out from you, citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and consume Abimelech!"
Then Jotham fled, escaping to Beer, and he lived there because he was afraid of his brother Abimelech.
After Abimelech had governed Israel three years,
God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, who acted treacherously against Abimelech.
God did this in order that the crime against Jerub-Baal's seventy sons, the shedding of their blood, might be avenged on their brother Abimelech and on the citizens of Shechem, who had helped him murder his brothers.
In opposition to him these citizens of Shechem set men on the hilltops to ambush and rob everyone who passed by, and this was reported to Abimelech.
Now Gaal son of Ebed moved with his brothers into Shechem, and its citizens put their confidence in him.
After they had gone out into the fields and gathered the grapes and trodden them, they held a festival in the temple of their god. While they were eating and drinking, they cursed Abimelech.
Then Gaal son of Ebed said, "Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should be subject to him? Isn't he Jerub-Baal's son, and isn't Zebul his deputy? Serve the men of Hamor, Shechem's father! Why should we serve Abimelech?
If only this people were under my command! Then I would get rid of him. I would say to Abimelech, 'Call out your whole army!'"
When Zebul the governor of the city heard what Gaal son of Ebed said, he was very angry.
Under cover he sent messengers to Abimelech, saying, "Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem and are stirring up the city against you.
Now then, during the night you and your men should come and lie in wait in the fields.
In the morning at sunrise, advance against the city. When Gaal and his men come out against you, do whatever your hand finds to do."
So Abimelech and all his troops set out by night and took up concealed positions near Shechem in four companies.
Now Gaal son of Ebed had gone out and was standing at the entrance to the city gate just as Abimelech and his soldiers came out from their hiding place.
When Gaal saw them, he said to Zebul, "Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains!" Zebul replied, "You mistake the shadows of the mountains for men."
But Gaal spoke up again: "Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, and a company is coming from the direction of the soothsayers' tree."
Then Zebul said to him, "Where is your big talk now, you who said, 'Who is Abimelech that we should be subject to him?' Aren't these the men you ridiculed? Go out and fight them!"
So Gaal led out the citizens of Shechem and fought Abimelech.
Abimelech chased him, and many fell wounded in the flight--all the way to the entrance to the gate.
Abimelech stayed in Arumah, and Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem.
The next day the people of Shechem went out to the fields, and this was reported to Abimelech.
So he took his men, divided them into three companies and set an ambush in the fields. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he rose to attack them.
Abimelech and the companies with him rushed forward to a position at the entrance to the city gate. Then two companies rushed upon those in the fields and struck them down.
All that day Abimelech pressed his attack against the city until he had captured it and killed its people. Then he destroyed the city and scattered salt over it.
On hearing this, the citizens in the tower of Shechem went into the stronghold of the temple of El-Berith.
When Abimelech heard that they had assembled there,
he and all his men went up Mount Zalmon. He took an ax and cut off some branches, which he lifted to his shoulders. He ordered the men with him, "Quick! Do what you have seen me do!"
So all the men cut branches and followed Abimelech. They piled them against the stronghold and set it on fire over the people inside. So all the people in the tower of Shechem, about a thousand men and women, also died.
Next Abimelech went to Thebez and besieged it and captured it.
Inside the city, however, was a strong tower, to which all the men and women--all the people of the city--fled. They locked themselves in and climbed up on the tower roof.
Abimelech went to the tower and stormed it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire,
a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull.
Hurriedly he called to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and kill me, so that they can't say, 'A woman killed him.'" So his servant ran him through, and he died.
When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home.
Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimelech had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers.
God also made the men of Shechem pay for all their wickedness. The curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal came on them.
士师记第九章   第 9 章 

  亚比米勒 

  士 9:1-3> 亚比米勒与基甸有何不同之处? 

  9:1-3 基甸(又名耶路巴力,参 6:32 )死后,他的儿子亚比米勒想取代他的位置。为实行他的计划,他到母亲家乡示剑,争取人民支持。他与这里的居民有亲戚关系,他们是迦南人,当然喜欢联合起来对付以色列人。示剑是重要城市,是贸易要道,是迦南地海岸平原与约旦河谷的自然连系之处。凡是能控制示剑的人,也就能控制它的周围地区。 

  士 9:2-5> 权力欲可使人疯狂,亚比米勒就是一个例子…… 

  9:2-5 以色列人的君王应当是耶和华而非任何人,但亚比米勒想谋篡神所当有的地位。他出于自私,弑杀同父异母的弟兄 70 人,只有一人逃脱。有私欲之人,常常以残忍的手法来实行他们的计划。所以要检讨你的抱负,看是出于以自己为中心,还是以神为中心。必须以神所悦纳的方式,来成全你的愿望。 

  士 9:4> 你的信仰是出于真诚,还是因为方便、舒适,或有利可图呢? 

  9:4 在异教中,政治占有重要的地位,例如示剑人敬拜巴力比利土一事;政府也常常雇用庙妓来增加收入。在许多情形之下,政府设立并支持某种宗教,以便用宗教的献金作社会活动的经费,使宗教变成牟利的行业;神严禁以色列人行这事。神的宗教制度是要人出于内心的真诚,而不是精打细算求取商业上的机会。宗教是用来服事百姓、帮助穷人,而不是欺压穷人。 

  士 9:6> 你记得在示剑发生过的一些较大的历史事件吗? 

  9:6 亚比米勒在示剑被立为以色列的王,示剑也是圣经中许多重要事件发生之处。亚伯拉罕刚来到迦南的时候,曾住过示剑(参创 12:6-7 );雅各住在那里的时候,因那地之主的儿子奸污了他的女儿,他的两个儿子杀了全城的男子(参创 34 );约瑟的骸骨葬在那里(参书 24:32 );以色列人在那里与神重新立约(参书 24 );北国以色列在该城跟犹大分裂(参王上 12 )。 

  士 9:7-15> 众树代表什么?荆棘又代表什么?这些比喻象征了什么? 

  9:7-15 约坦的比喻之中,几种好树代表基甸的七十个儿子,荆棘则代表亚比米勒。约坦认为对民族有益的人会忙于做有益的事,无暇计较政治与权力。毫无用处之人则完全相反,喜欢这种尊荣,但是会毁灭他所统治的百姓。亚比米勒就好像荆棘,不能给以色列人真正的保护或安全。在他毁灭示剑城( 9:45 ),又烧毁“示剑楼”(巴力米罗城, 9:46-49 )的时候,约坦的比喻遂告应验,亚比米勒最后在提备斯被杀( 9:53-54 )。 

  士 9:16> 约坦的比喻有哪些可为作领袖之人的鉴戒? 

  9:16 约坦讲出结佳果之树的比喻,为要使百姓可以作出正确的抉择,不愿意他们选立人格卑劣的首领。我们若作领袖,要常检讨自己的动机,是否只希望得人称赞,有声望又有权力?约坦的比喻中,好树宁愿选择多结果子而有益于人。你要想作领袖,就该依此原则而行。 

  士 9:22-24> 亚比米勒作王三年后受到惩罚,你认为三年是长是短? 

  9:22-24 亚比米勒与神心目中的士师相反,不过在三年以后,神才攻击他,应验了约坦所比喻的。这三年时间对约坦来说,似乎是漫漫长夜,不见黎明。亚比米勒为什么不因他的恶行早点受罚呢? 

  在我们觉得罪恶似乎得胜的时候,我们不明白原因(参伯 10:3 ; 21:1-18 ;耶 12:1 ;哈 1:2-4 , 12-17 )。神应许要审判罪,不过那是按祂的时间,不是按我们的时间。实际上,神没有立刻处罚我们,对我们是好事。因为我们都犯了罪,应当受祂的刑罚,但神因祂的怜悯,常免除我们立刻受罚,给我们时间悔改,离弃罪并归向祂。信靠神的公平,我们必须先认罪悔改,并等候恶人受罚,这也许要一段时间,但是当神的时间一到,所有的邪恶都要被除灭。 

  士 9:23> 恶魔就是鬼吧── 

  9:23 这种恶魔(或作邪灵)并不仅仅是一种争竞的态度,乃是污鬼;它不是撒但本身,乃是受撒但所影响的犯罪天使。神使用这个恶魔,降在亚比米勒与示剑人中间,刑罚他们。撒母耳记上 16 章 14 节记载,神以同样方式处罚扫罗。 

  士 9:45> 将城拆毁,撒上盐,这是干什么…… 

  9:45 将攻取的城拆毁、撒上盐,是一种仪式,象征该城永远荒凉。示剑城有一百五十年之久没有重建。 

  士 9:53> 亚比米勒的死颇为独特…… 

  9:53 古代战争中有时请妇女和男子一同站在城墙上,将檑木石头等重物向下面的兵士抛掷。磨石是理想的重物,它是一块圆盘形的石头,直径大约有 46 公分,中间有个洞,人将谷物放在两块磨石之间,上磨石转动,将谷粒磨成面粉。 

  亚比米勒死得特别羞耻,他是被妇人砸死,而不是在争战中被兵士所杀;是被农具打死,而不是死于兵器之下。他被磨石击中受了重伤以后,请求拿他兵器的人在他咽气前用刀把他杀死。 

  士 9:56-57> 基甸的家庭悲剧中有哪些教训? 

  9:56-57 亚比米勒的父亲基甸,在战场上虽然得胜,在个人的生活上却失败。圣经没有谴责他娶妾( 8:31 ),但清楚说明家庭问题因此而产生。 

  亚比米勒杀死他父亲六十九个儿子,使民族分裂,自己也被杀。我们从基甸一生看见前车之鉴,不管我们为神的国度做了多少大事,罪总会产生巨大的恶果。 

  士 9:56-57> 9:56-57 约坦对亚比米勒的咒诅见 9 章 16 至 20 节。 

  亚比米勒之败亡──《灵修版圣经注释》