Tuesday, 19th January 2021
From Judges 1 to 13, we saw the Israelites sinned then cried out to God again and again, God continued to answer them and when they turned back to seek God, God saved them. But in Chapter 13, we saw something interesting here. When the previous judge, Abdon, died, Israelite continued to sin.
The Philistines were also foreigners to Canaan, but this time, they took over the people of Israelite for 40 years. Canaan is the land God promised to Israelite, but now they are being oppressed and controlled by the Philistines. The meaning of Philistines is ‘homeless’, they came from outside of Canaan, and by their own strength they took over some cities in the west. Israelite took the land by the power of God, but because of their unbelief, God handed them over to these foreigners, who did not rely on God and fought in their own strength.
Section One: V1-7 To Rest and To Set Apart
The Israelite were compromised with the culture of being oppressed by the Philistines. When we move to New Zealand, a lot of us still lived in the old lifestyle as how we lived back in our hometown, and therefore we built up the mindset of foreigners, who fight for the rights and work hard for the living. In the same way, God led the Israelite into Canaan to possess the land, but here in Judges 13, the Israelite still had the foreigner mindset. They tried to live by their own strength.
The Angel of God appeared before the wife of Manoah, and she told her husband her encounter with ‘a Man of God’. After 40 years the Israelite forgot about God, when they faced troubles, they used their own strength to fight instead of seeking God. We are also the same when we face challenges and difficulties, we will use our own strength to try solving it. Our target is only to take care of ourselves, take care of our own families, we all have the mindset of foreigners.
The meaning of the name ‘Manoah’ is ‘to rest’, in the time when everyone worked hard for themselves, God chose the man, whose name is ‘to rest’. Why God did not do anything when the Israelite cried out? We need to know that God is preparing, He is always waiting for someone, who can bring changes to the world. God is giving people an opportunity to turn back and this time before the people seek God, God already chose the Judge for them. God came to this family and raised up the last Judge of Israel.
In the Garden of Eden, the devil talked first to Eve then Eve talked to Adam. Here God talked to the wife first then the wife went home and told her husband. When God give people a gift, He also gives the conditions. He asked the wife of Manoah to not drink any wine, so she can be set apart from the people of Canaan. God gave them a son to be a Nazirite. Nazirites are not Levites nor Priests, they are willing to give their lives to God and serve Him with their lives.
Why do we come close to God? Only to get what we cannot get by our own hands.
Section Two: V8-23 To Seek and To See
Manoah and his wife did not recognize it was the Angel of God, who was talking to them. If they were true followers of God, then they would not offer to prepare the young goat for the Angel of God to eat. The Angel of God rejected their offer and taught them it was supposed to be offered to God, not for people to enjoy. The people of Israelite confused offering to God with Canaan’s the culture of worshipping idol. People of this world are walking further away from God; we no longer understand what the truth is. Therefore, it’s very important to study the Word of God in our morning devotion, so we can learn the culture of Jesus.
The Angel of God taught them the truth, when someone walks away from the truth of God, we also need to teach them and guide them to the right path. Then Manoah asked for the name of the Angel of God, who answered, “my name is wonderful”, therefore, when they give offering, God did a wonderful thing to show them He’s the true God.
Manoah knew they were uncleaned and sinned against God, he thought they would die after seeing the wonders of God. But his wife was smart, and she recognized that if God wanted them dead, He would not give them all these revelation and teaching. What is our situation right now? Can we see God’s work in our lives?
Section Three: V24-25 To Offer
After we rest, set apart, seek, and see, if we don’t offer then everything happened beforehand would be in vain. Why did the wife name their child instead of the husband? It seemed that the husband was absent a lot during this encounter with the Angel of God. The meaning of Samson is ‘Child of the Sun’, which was one of the gods Canaanite worshipped.
As husbands, have we protected our family, our wives, and children? As shepherds, God has given us sheep to look after but are we with them when they need us? Are we giving them teaching and instructions from the Word of God?
Don’t let us become the absent father, the absent husband, the absent leader, when God gives us the spiritual family, we need to offer ourselves and to treasure it. We need to focus, to humble ourselves, to seek to find God. We should also ask God to cut off and break the mindset of foreigners in us, so we can live out freedom and enable God’s presence to be always with us!
Response Prayer:
We saw that the conditions of the Israelites back then were just like our Christians in New Zealand. We are in this land with the mentality of a settler. Our hearts are too confused. Although God is there, we forget to rely on God when in oppression but rely on our own efforts to survive. Lord, we come to you and ask for Your help, give us a chance to change, let us strengthen our faith once again. We admit that we often confuse the truth of God with the world. Help us see You with our eyes, talk to You, and experience You. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask the Lord to help us get rid of the mindset of immigrants, draw a clear line between this identity and the culture of this world, raise children in the truth, and shepherd the sheep around us. Help us from this generation to no longer be suppressed, but to transform and become a blessing.
2021年1月19日
士师记 13
趁耶和华可寻找的时候去寻找
潘锡安牧师
从士师记1到12章，神不断应允作恶的以色列人的呼求。但是今天这章我们看到以色列人又行恶，因为押顿时代的8年他们没有被好好的教导。非利士人不是迦南本地人-神却将以色列人交到他们手中40年。同样都是从迦南地之外来的民族，以色列竟在神给他们的应许之地被这些外来的人压制！“非利士”就是居无定所的意思，他们靠自己的力量占据迦南地西岸的城市。以色列人本来是靠神来得地为业，但因为他们的不信，神就将他们交到那靠自己的力量的外族人手里。我们要思想自己是如何从靠神争战得胜变成被这些居无定所、只靠自己力量的人所带来的黑暗权势压制的。
一，v1-7：要安息 要分别
在非利士人的管辖和文化的影响之下，以色列人过了40年。之前以色列人受苦的时候都会认罪呼求神，但现在，以色列人麻木了，没有呼求神。他们被移居的文化影响，就好像我们移聚到这个地方，却没办法落地生根，我们的心都还是在自己的老家，这就是寄居者心态，只想要靠自己的努力去争取、改变。当我们这样的时候我们就无法安静，无法真正信靠神。这个心态不是神要给以色列人的，他们本是靠神争战得胜，就如在旷野40年被神带领，只能单单倚靠神。但如今他们被非利士人洗脑了。
2-7，妇人听到耶和华的使者说话之后，告诉她的丈夫说“有一个神人”- 说明他们已经不认识神，在非利人的文化中以色列人忘记神，遇到困难没有呼求神，而是自己处理。这也是我们今天的光景。如果不是神给我们机会，我们可能只是星期天来教会寻求神，其他时间就只顾着自己的生活。
非利士人带给以色列人的是移居者心态，就是靠自己的力量来努力。玛挪亚的名字意思是“安息”，神在一切混乱中拣选这个人，有特别的意义。神在预备一个带来改变的人，使以色列人有可以改变的机会，就好像耶稣基督降世给世人带来的机会。这个人是以色列最后一个士师。虽然人没有寻求神，但神还是给人一个机会，亲自来寻找玛挪亚一家。神是先跟妇人说，她才回去跟丈夫说，要这妇人谨慎（v4)。神给人一个祝福的时候，也要人谨慎看守，与迦南地的文化分别为圣。这是对拿细耳人的要求（民数记6章）。之前的士师都不需要做这件事，但这次，神要他的母亲谨慎，先分别为圣。我们如何能脱离非利士人的压制，就是要从我们这一代开始。要祝福我们的下一代，就要从现在从自己开始，不被世俗文化沾染，离开移居者的心态。拿细耳人不是祭司利未人，是自己决定跟随神的人，就如我们当时决志信主耶稣一样。
然而，玛挪亚的妻子面对神的使者，她不在乎神是谁，只想要自己的东西，就是能生小孩。我们是否也是这样对神？我们与神的关系是否只是要神为我们做事？
二，v8-23：要寻求 要看见
8-16，当玛挪亚听到妻子的话之后，他立刻祷告。不过，他虽然说“主啊。。。”，他却不认识神。如果他真的知道圣经的话， 就知道这使者是从神而来。神的使者反复跟他们说的就是那妇人要谨慎。玛挪亚也不知道燔祭是只能献给耶和华的，不是给任何其他人的，正如之前耶弗他随便要将人献给神做燔祭。这是因为他们已经被迦南地敬拜偶像的风俗混淆了，没有在神的话语里面扎根。神的使者在回应玛挪亚的时候，将真理教导给他。
17-21，神的使者说他的名字是“奇妙的”，因为他们不认识神，他就行“奇妙的事”，让玛挪亚夫妇观看，才知道这是从耶和华神而来。当我们不谨慎守住我们的信仰，就会像他们那样被周围的文化影响，不认识神。
23，玛挪亚的妻子很聪明。其实玛挪亚夫妻二人都过着违背神的生活，所以玛挪亚才害怕(v22), 但他的妻子知道神若要杀他们，早就杀了。我们是否能在生命中见证神的作为？
三，v24-25：要摆上
如果没有摆上，我们所知道所经历的都只是知识。
24，这个孩子的名字是这妇人给他起的，可是他的爸爸在哪里？之前神的使者两次来造访都是先跟妻子说话，因为玛挪亚不在。参孙这个名字是迦南人的名字，跟太阳神有关。玛挪亚虽然之前也懂得祷告，但他似乎都是一个缺席的父亲。做弟兄的，做牧养的，我们是否看顾着神所赐给我们的人，是否有将真理教导他们？如今以色列人面对的问题不是迦南地的问题，是从外面来的，就好像我们来到新西兰，面对很多不知道的问题，只想用自己的方式来解决。当神给我们一个属灵的家时，我们要珍惜，要摆上。
25，琐拉, 他们居住的地方；以实陶, “很丑”；在这两地之间，耶和华的灵才感动参孙。
让我们不要浪费神所给我们的机会，趁耶和华可寻求的时候寻求他，离开自己的移居者心态，活出神给我们的自由。
追求：
我们看见当年以色列人的光景就如我们现在在新西兰的基督徒一样，我们以一个移居者的心态在这片土地，心太混乱，虽有神，却忘记倚靠神，在压制中靠自己的努力去生存。主，我们来到你面前求你出手，给我们一个改变的机会，让我们再一次立定心志。我们承认我们常把神的真理与世界混淆。帮助我们亲眼见你，与你对话、经历你。奉耶稣基督的名，求主帮助我们除去移居者的心态，与这个身份、这个世界的文化划清界限，在真理中教养孩子，牧养身边小羊。帮助我们从这一代开始不再被压制，而是转化，成为祝福。