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撒母耳记生命读经 · 第6篇

撒母耳的历史（五）他的职事（二）

The History Concerning Samuel (5) His Ministry (2
1读经：撒母耳记上八章。在本篇信息中，我们要继续来看撒母耳职事的历史。
1Scripture Reading: 1 Sam. 8 In this message we will continue to consider the history concerning Samuel’s ministry
贰 、撒母耳职事的结束
II. The Ending Of Samuel’s Ministry
2在八章我们看见撒母耳职事的结束。
2In chapter eight we see the ending of Samuel’s ministry
一 、立他儿子作以色列的士师
A. Making His Sons Judges over Israel
3撒母耳立他儿子作以色列的士师。（1～。）但他儿子不行他的道，（3上，）反而贪图不义的财利，收受贿赂，屈枉正直。（3下。）这在神的眼中是恶的，（出十八21，二三8，申十六19，）与他们父亲一生纯净正直的道路相反。（撒上十二3～5。）因此，撒母耳的儿子不该被视为以色列人中的士师。他们的父亲撒母耳该被视为最后一位士师。所以，撒母耳结束了士师的职分。
3Samuel made his sons judges over Israel (vv. 1-3). However, they did not follow in his ways (v. 3a) but 3 went after unjust gain and took bribes and perverted justice (v. 3b). This was evil in the sight of God (Exo. 18:21; 23:8; Deut. 16:19) and contrary to their father’sp ure and just way in his whole life (1 Sam. 12:3-5). Hence, the sons of Samuel should not be considered judges among the people of Israel, and their father Samuel should be considered the last judge. Hence, Samuel terminated the judgeship.
二 、使以色列人有理由，要他为他们立王治理他们，像列国一样
B. Giving the People of Israel Cause to Ask Him to Appoint a King to Judge Them like All the Nations
4撒母耳的儿子不正直的行径，使以色列人有理由，要撒母耳为他们立王治理他们，像列国一样。以色列的长老对他说，『看哪，你年纪老迈了，你儿子不行你的道。现在求你为我们立一个王治理我们，像列国一样。』（八5。）
4The unjust ways of Samuel’ss ons gave the people of Israel cause to ask him to appoint a king to judge them like all the nations. The elders of the people said to him, “Behold, you are old, and your sons do not follow in your ways. Appoint now for us a king to judge us like all the nations” (8:5
１ .以色列人要撒母耳为他们立王治理他们，令撒母耳不喜悦
1. By Asking Him to Appoint a King, the People of Israel Displeasing Samuel
5以色列人要撒母耳为他们立王治理他们，令撒母耳不喜悦；他就为他们祷告。（6。）
5By asking Samuel to appoint a king to judge them, the people of Israel displeased him and caused him to pray for them (v. 6
ａ.撒母耳不喜欢看见神的选民厌弃神作他们的王
a. Samuel Not Liking to See God’sElect Rejecting God as Their King
6撒母耳不喜欢看见神的选民厌弃神作他们的王。从人类的第一代起，人就厌弃神作他的王、他的头、他的丈夫。
6Samuel did not like to see that God’select would reject God as their King. From the first generation of the human race, man has been rejecting God as the King, the Head, and the Husband.
ｂ.他也不喜欢看见神的选民跟从列国的道路
b. Samuel Not Wanting to See God’sElect Following the Way of the Nations
7撒母耳也不喜欢看见神的选民跟从列国的道路。以色列蒙神拣选，在这地上作特别的一班人；因此，他们该在各方面都与列国完全不一样。然而，他们所走的路，却是跟从列国厌弃神。
7Samuel also did not want to see that God’select would follow the way of the nations. Israel had been chosen by God to be a particular people on earth, and therefore they should have been absolutely different in every respect from the nations. Yet, they took the way of following the nations by rejecting God
２ .以色列人厌弃神作他们的王，
2. The People of Israel Offending God
8而要一个代替者，因此也得罪神
8by Rejecting Him as Their King for a Replacement
9以色列人不仅令撒母耳不喜悦，也因著厌弃神作他们的王，要一个代替者而得罪神。『耶和华对撒母耳说，百姓向你说的一切话，你只管依从；因为他们不是厌弃你，乃是厌弃我，不要我作他们的王。』（7。）ａ.事实上，神是以色列人的王
9The people of Israel not only displeased Samuel but also offended God by rejecting Him as their King for a replacement. “Jehovah said to Samuel, Listen to the voice of the people according to all that they have said to you; for it is not you whom they have rejected, but they have rejected Me from being King over them” (v. 7). a. Actually, God Being the King of the People of Israel
10在十二章十二节撒母耳说，『你们…就对我说，不，我们定要一个王治理我们；其实耶和华你们的神是你们的王。』从这里我们看见，事实
10In 12:12 Samuel said, “You said to me, No; but a king will reign over us, though Jehovah your God was your King.” From this we see that actually God was the King over the people of Israel
11上，神才是以色列人的王。
11
ｂ.要求立王等于厌弃神，要一个代替者
b. Asking for a King Equal to Rejecting God for a Replacement
12以色列人要求立王等于厌弃神，要一个代替者；这在神眼中是极大的罪，极大的恶。（17，19。）
12Their asking for a king was equal to rejecting God for a replacement. This was a great wickedness, a great evil, in the sight of God (vv. 17, 19
ｃ.神吩咐撒母耳只管依从百姓的话，
c. God Charging Samuel to Listen
13只是当郑重的警戒他们神吩咐撒母耳只管依从百姓的话，只是当郑重的警戒他们，告诉他们将来那王要严苛的管辖他们，以及将来那王管辖他们的惯例。（八9。）
13to the People’s Voice but to Warn Them Solemnly God charged Samuel to listen to the people’s voice but to warn them solemnly and declare to them the king’s cruel reign over them, telling them of the custom of the king who would reign over them (8:9
ｄ.撒母耳照神吩咐他的去行
d. Samuel Doing What God Charged Him
14撒母耳照神吩咐他的去行，『将耶和华的话，都传给求他立王的百姓。』（10～18。）
14Samuel did what God charged him, speaking “all the words of Jehovah to the people, who had asked him for a king” (vv. 10-18
ｅ.百姓竟不肯听撒母耳的话
e. The People Refusing to Listen to the Voice of Samuel
15百姓竟不肯听撒母耳的话，（19上，）说，『不然，我们定要一个王治理我们，使我们像列国一样，使我们有王治理、统领我们，为我们争战。』（19下～20。）
15The people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel (v. 19a). Instead, they said, “No; but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles” (vv. 19b-20).
ｆ.撒母耳求问耶和华，为他们立王
f. Samuel Consulting Jehovah and Appointing a King to Them
16撒母耳听见百姓这一切话，就将这话说给耶和华听，求问耶和华。耶和华对他说，只管依从他们的话，为他们立王。（21～22。）ｇ.神的选民从神转向人因著坚持要有王，神的选民就从神转向人。我们在这里该学个功课：不论我们作什么，不论事情多好、多『属灵』，甚至多合乎圣经，只要我们有了顶替神的东西，那就是恶的。我们所作的也许是好事，但只要我们弃绝神作我们的头、我们的丈夫、我们的王，这些好事在神眼中就都是恶的。问题不在于好坏、对错，乃在于我们到底是接受神为我们的王，还是弃绝祂。甚至在诸如购物的小事上，我们也常有代替品，而不是接受神自己。这就是为什么拿细耳人一直要留长头发，以神自己作他的权柄，遮盖他的头。我们需要学习在婚姻生活中以神作我们的头。当我们与配偶吵嘴时，惟一解决的路，就是停下我们的争吵，来到我们的王、我们的头这里。虽然我是作丈夫的，但我不愿运用我作头的权柄；反之，我要与我的妻子一同到我的丈夫，也是我们的丈夫那里，看我们的丈夫，就是神自己，要对我们说什么。祂无论说什么，我们都接受。这就解决一切难处，而维持美好、正确的婚姻生活。
16Samuel heard all the words of the people and then consulted Jehovah, speaking their words in the hearing of Jehovah. Then Jehovah told him to listen to their voice and appoint a king to them (vv. 21-22). g. The Elect of God Turning from Him to a Man By insisting on having a king, the elect of God turned from God to a man. From this we should learn the lesson that no matter what we do, no matter how good, “spiritual,” and even scriptural it may be, as long as we have a replacement for God, that is evil. We may do good things, but those good things are evil in the sight of God as long as we reject Him as our Head, our Husband, and our King. It is not a matter of good or bad, right or wrong; it is a matter of whether we take God as our King or reject Him. Even in small matters such as shopping, we often take a replacement rather than God Himself. This is why the Nazarite must always keep his hair long, covering his head with God Himself as his authority. We need to learn to take God as our Head in our married life. When we argue with our spouse, the only way to settle the disagreement is to stop arguing and come to our King, our Head. Although I am the husband, I would not exercise my headship. Rather, I would go with my wife to my Husband, to our Husband, to see what our Husband, the very God, would say to us. Whatever He would say, we would take. This settles every problem and maintains a good and proper married life
17在召会生活中有关事奉神的事上，我们也必须学同样的功课。对于任何与神经纶有关的难处，我们该停下我们的争吵、挣扎、辩驳、争论，而到我们的头那里去。我们该站在留长头发的地位上，持守我们拿细耳人的愿。已过四十四年，我至少有三次面对背叛的人。每一次我都对这些弟兄们说，『让我们停下来，一同到主面前祷告。让我们召聚主恢复中领头的人，来在一起祷告交通。』但他们总是不肯。我们都必须学习接受主作我们的头、我们的丈夫、我们的王。这是惟一的路，使我们有分于神永远经纶的完成。参、撒母耳是在神行政里转移时代的人，把祭司时代转移到申言者和君王时代撒母耳是在神行政里转移时代的人，把祭司时代转移到申言者和君王时代。这不仅在以色列历史上是件大事，甚至在人类历史上也是如此。
17We need to learn the same lesson concerning the service of God in the church life. Concerning any problem related to God’secon o my, we should stop any quarreling, struggling, debating, and reasoning and go to our Head. We should stand on the position that we keep our hair long; we should keep our vow as a Nazarite. I encountered rebellious ones at least three times in the past forty - four years. Every time, I told the brothers, “Let us stop and go to the Lord and pray together. Let us gather the leading ones in the Lord’s recovery and come together to pray and fellowship.” But they would never agree. We all need to learn from this to accept the Lord as our Head, our Husband, and our King. This is the only way to participate in the fulfillment of God’s eternal economy. III. Samuel Being A Man Who Turned The Age In God’sAd ministration From The Age Of The Priesthood To The Age Of The Prophethood With The Kingship Samuel was a man who turned the age in God’s ad ministration from the age of the priesthood to the age of the prophethood with the kingship. This was a great thing not only in the history of Israel but even in the history of humankind.
18正确的申言者职分总是辅助君王职分，这对我们该是个功课。在今天的召会生活中，作长老的有君王职分。你若不是一个长老，但看见召会中有些事情不太对，你不该批评、反对或说闲话；你必须作申言者，藉著向主祷告，从祂领受话语。你若没有从主得著话语，就不该说什么。但主若怜悯祂的召会，给你申言的话，你就该到长老们跟前，向他们申言。长老们晓得自己有君王职分，就该学习知道他们不是全能的，他们会有缺欠；因此他们该听这一位弟兄的申言。这就是召会生活中正确的情形。
18The proper prophethood is always an assistant to the kingship. This should be a lesson to us. In the church life today, the elders hold the kingship. If you are not one of the elders and you see something in the church that is not so right, you should never criticize, oppose, or gossip. You need to be a prophet by praying to the Lord to receive a word from Him. If you do not receive a word from the Lord, you should not say anything. But if, in His mercy to His church, the Lord gives you a word, a prophecy, then you should go to the elders and prophesy to them. The elders, realizing that they hold the kingship, should learn that they are not all- capable, that they may be deficient. Therefore, they should listen to this brother’s prophecy. This is the proper situation in the church life
一 、在摩西以后，神的行政是以祭司职任为中心
A. After Moses, God’sAd ministration Being Centered on the Priesthood
19摩西是一位祭司；在他以后，神的行政是以祭司职任为中心。
19Moses was a priest, and after him God’sad ministration was centered on the priesthood
二 、祭司的职任是将神的话供应给祂的子民，并运用神的权柄，治理祂的子民
B. The Priesthood Being to Minister the Word of God to His People and to Exercise the Authority of God over His People
20祭司的职任是将神的话供应给祂的子民，并运用神的权柄，治理祂的子民。我们都需要学习这两件事。然而，有人可能是申言者，得著了基督丰富的异象，却不晓得如何运用神的权柄，用正确的方式来面对缺乏基督丰富之异象的情形。召会生活中的难处，常常是由那些不知道如何运用神权柄的人所引起的。
20The priesthood was to minister the word of God to His people and to exercise the authority of God over His people. We all need to learn to do these two things. However, one may be a prophet, having a vision of the riches of Christ, but he may not know how to exercise God’s authority to take the proper way to deal with the lack of vision concerning Christ’s riches. Troubles in the church life are often caused by those who do not know how to exercise God’s authority
21我愿意再次强调：撒母耳从未作任何背叛的事；他转移时代，不是藉著革命，乃是完全在于神圣的启示。他行事、工作、尽职、服事，完全是温和、适度、正确的凭著启示。他是一个有启示的人；凡他所作的，都是照著他所看见的。不仅如此，他是一个合乎神心的人；这就是说，他是神心的复制、翻版。他从来不作背叛的事。
21Once again I wish to emphasize the fact that Samuel never did anything rebellious, and his turning of the age was not through a revolution. Rather, it was absolutely a matter of the divine revelation. He behaved, worked, ministered, and served altogether in a mild, moderate, and proper way of revelation. He was a man of revelation, and he did everything according to what he saw. Furthermore, he was a man according to God’she art; that is, he was a copy, a duplicate, of God’she art. As such a person, he would never do anything rebellious.
三 、亚伦的祭司职任在供应神的话和运用祂权柄的事上失败了
C. The Aaronic Priesthood Failing God in Ministering His Word and in Exercising His Authority
22亚伦的祭司职任在两件事上失败亏欠神：第一，在供应神话语的事上；第二，在运用神权柄的事上。这就是为什么新约嘱咐长老们要学习作两件事：教导圣徒，（提前三2，五17，）就是说神的话；以及在圣徒中间领头，（来十三7，彼前五1～3，）就是运用神的权柄。长老们若要教导圣徒，就必须领头实行他们所教导的。这就是藉著领头来运用神的权柄。当祭司职任的光景正确时，祭司是百姓的榜样。凡祭司所教导的，凡他们在神的权柄上所运用的，他们自己就领头去作，以完成一切与神永远经纶有关的事。例如，祭司领头把脚踏进约但河，后来又领头围绕耶利哥城。这是正确的运用神的权柄。今天，这也是照顾召会生活正确的路，就是教导和领头；教导是为神说话，领头是运用神的权柄。
22The Aaronic priesthood failed God in two things: in ministering God’sword and in exercising God’s authority. This is why the New Testament charges the elders to learn to do two things: to teach the saints (1 Tim. 3:2; 5:17), that is, to speak the word of God; and to take the lead among the saints (Heb. 13:7; 1 Pet. 5:1-3), that is, to exercise God’s authority. If the elders teach the saints, they must take the lead to practice whatever they teach. This is to exercise God’s authority by taking the lead. When the priesthood was proper, the priests were patterns to the people. What the priests taught and what they exercised in the authority of God, they themselves did, taking the lead to carry out all the things regarding God’s eternal economy. For example, the priests took the lead to step into the river Jordan and then to circle the city of Jericho. That was the proper way to exercise God’s authority. Today, this is the proper way to take care of the church—teaching to speak for God and taking the lead to exercise God’s authority
四 、神开始了新的时代，兴起撒母耳顶替衰微的祭司职任
D. God Beginning a New Age in Raising Up Samuel to Replace the Waned Priesthood
23在神命定的祭司职任衰微时，神开始了新的时代，兴起撒母耳这个年轻的拿细耳人作忠信的祭司，顶替衰微的祭司职任。（撒上二35。）神藉著建立撒母耳在拔高的申言者职分里作申言者，将祂的话供应给祂的选民；（三20～21；）神也藉著兴起撒母耳作士师，运用祂的权柄治理祂的选民。（七15～17。）
23At the waning of the God-ordained priesthood, God began a new age in raising up Samuel, a young Nazarite, as a faithful priest to replace the waned priesthood (1 Sam. 2:35). God ministered His word to His elect by establishing Samuel as a prophet in the uplifted prophethood (3:20-21), and He exercised His authority over His elect by raising up Samuel as a judge (7:15-17
五 、撒母耳结束士师的职分，带进君王职分并加强拔高的申言者职分
E. Samuel Terminating the Judgeship and Bringing In the Kingship with the Strengthening of the Uplifted Prophethood
24作为最后一位士师，撒母耳结束了士师的职分；作为新的祭司，他带进了君王职分并加强了拔高的申言者职分，在这职分上，他被立为第一位申言者。（徒三24，十三20，来十一32。）这意思是说，由于老旧之祭司职任的败落，神已经将它摆在一边。老旧的祭司职任有神的话，并运用神治理的权柄。神用拔高的申言者职分顶替老旧的祭司职任，向祂的子民讲说神的话；并用君王职分顶替老旧
24Samuel, as the last judge, terminated the judgeship, and, as the new priest, brought in the kingship with the strengthening of the uplifted prophethood, in which Samuel was established as the first prophet (Acts 3:24; 13:20; Heb. 11:32). This means that God had put aside the old priesthood due to its deterioration. The old priesthood had the word of God and exercised the ruling of God. God replaced it with the uplifted prophethood to speak God’sword to His people and the kingship to rule over God’sp eople.
25的祭司职任，为神治理神的百姓。
25
26藉著撒母耳，这样一种光景就在神的百姓中建立起来。他建立一种在神经纶中的行政管理，使神能成就祂向列祖的应许，并按著祂的经纶完成祂的心愿，就是产生一个谱系，把基督带到地上来。产生基督的确是最大的事。今天我们都得享撒母耳的服事所带进的益处，为此我们感谢神。
26Such a condition was built up among God’sp eople through Samuel. He set up a kind of governmental administration in God’secon o my that God could fulfill His promises to all the foregoing fathers and accomplish His desire according to His economy— that is, to have a lineage of genealogy to bring Christ to earth. Surely, the bringing forth of Christ was the greatest thing. Today we are participating in the benefit from Samuel’s service. Thank God for this