Wednesday, 18th January 2023
Rev Daniel Poon
Section One V1-4 Walk in the Desires
V1 ‘Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines.’ Samson is seeking to fulfil his own life’s desires, something that he is missing in his life. His father was absent in Samson’s life, and therefore he’s been searching for things in this world to fill his emptiness. When Samson fell in love with the Philistine woman, his parents did not stop him, instead they were helping him to marry the woman. Samson’s parents did not teach him the truth, why did Samson had darkness over him? Because his parents did not reveal the truth to him.
Samson had God’s favours and blessings, but when he was walking in the lustful and worldly desires and when his parents did not take the authority to guide his path back to God, then he continued to walk astray, which led to his death. God does not want us to draw a line with those who are not willing to listen to our teaching, but when God’s Word comes, can we stay committed to God’s vision? If we choose to continue walking in our desires, then we will become self-centered and walk further and further away from God.
Section Two V5-18 Walk in the Selfishness
V5 ‘So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Now to his surprise, a young lion came roaring against him.’ Samson was more and more selfish, in order to get whatever he wanted, he would get rid of all the obstacles in front of him. He torn apart the lion just like how he torn apart a young goat. God wanted the people to offer the sheep and goat to Him at the time, but Samson did not set apart for God. He seemed to be very familiar with tearing apart animals. He tried to solve his own problems according to his own ways, and gradually he walked in the darkness.
V9 ‘He took some of it in his hands and went along, eating. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they also ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion.’ Samson thought the lion meat was good for his parents, but he did not realised that it’s unclean in God’s eyes. They sinned against God without even realising it. A lot of times we would do things to others because we thought it’s good for them. But often this is out of our selfish desires, not from God.
V11 ‘And it happened, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.’ They brought thirty people to Samson to help him in accordance with the customs of the Philistine wedding. But Samson was not grateful, he still tried to rely on his own strength.
V12-13 ‘Then Samson said to them, “Let me pose a riddle to you. If you can correctly solve and explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing. But if you cannot explain it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.”’ Samson gave them a riddle and wanted to receive something from them. Samson used the worldly ways to achieve his worldly desires, he wanted people to look up to him and to praise him. But he did not have the wisdom from God, and every decision he made out of his selfishness became snares to his life.
Samson was walking in his death. When the Philistines went to ask Samson’s wife-to-be the answer of Samson’s riddle, she also used the worldly way to get the answer, then Samson called her a heifer. Samson walked in his lustful desires, even for his beloved wife, when he did not get what he wanted, he rejected her and was disrespectful for her.
Section Three V19-20 Walk in Wilfulness
V19 ‘Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave the changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle. So his anger was aroused, and he went back up to his father’s house.’ God’s Spirit was still with Samson, he knew that he had to keep his promise. There were still some decisions Samson made that were righteous in God’s eyes. But after he’d done something right, his selfish desires and wilfulness were greater and made him sin against God again.
V20 ‘And Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.’ Samson acted out from his anger, he walked in his desires, his selfishness, and his wilfulness. At the end he even lost his wife. The darkness has covered the earth, we will be blinded from the truth. Why did Samson fall? It was not in one day, but because of his lifetime decisions. Let us follow God wholeheartedly, not just for one moment, but continue to see God’s providence for us that are full of abundance.
士师记 14 – 幽暗如何遮盖参孙
2023年1月18日 星期三
潘锡安牧师
士师们一开始靠着敬畏耶和华而来的智慧来管理以色列，但参孙一生没有真正敬畏神，就没有智慧来管理、审判十二支派。参孙有从神而来的力气，他靠着自己的能力行事，却也被神使用，成就他对以色列的计划。我们要借鉴参孙的生命，鉴察我们里面有什么东西影响了神对我们的呼召。
一、v.1-4 在情欲中行走
V1-2 神在参孙母亲怀孕前就跟他的父母清楚指示，这个孩子是被拣选的，他的一生有神的计划。神驱使、催促参孙进入他的命定(士13:25)，然而在这个旅途中，参孙看到一个非利士女人，就想要娶她为妻。参孙所追求的不是神给他的呼召、命定，而是自己的情欲，是他心里所缺乏的东西。他的父亲是一个与神没有连接的、缺席的父亲，因此带出来的就是追逐情欲的儿子。当参孙跟父母说话的时候，原文并没有尊敬的语气，而是直接跟父母说自己要“你们给我娶来为妻”。
V3 参孙的父母看似在讲真理，然而却没有走在权柄里面。他们后来还和儿子一起下到亭拿，可以看出他们教养儿子是在一个doing的模式，表面讲一下道理，若见孩子不听话，就觉得这不是自己的责任了，只会顺着儿子的心意行。他们并没有认真看待神给他们的托付, 反而宠溺自己的儿子。参孙本来有神的同在，却因为走在情欲中而跌倒，这也是与他的父母没有走在神的话语中有关系。我们是否对待我们的儿女或属灵儿女、或神给我们的使命也是这样一个“不关我的事”的态度？求神帮助我们不要有这个doing的态度，不要对我们的儿女有划清界限的心态。耶稣基督来到世上活出的是为羊舍命的生命，摩西被呼召后也是带着以色列百姓一起走，直到生命的尽头。神给了我们使命，我们就要栽种在里面。我们若高举自己的情欲，就看不见神的呼召。
V4 参孙的父母不明白神的旨意，只会跟着自己的儿子走。我们作为父母，是被自己儿女带着走偏，还是在神的旨意中带领他们？参孙的家庭没有活在生命树的气息中，没有真理真光，以致参孙被幽暗遮盖了，在情欲中行走。我们要相信，世上虽然有幽暗，但神的光永不离开我们，只要我们愿意弃暗投明。当我们不靠自己的力气，而是跟着神行走，神就会为我们负责到底。
二、v.5-18 在自我中行走
V5-6 在情欲中行走最后带来的就是自我中心。参孙并没有想到别人，心里只有自己，他里面的“我”不断膨胀。参孙不允许任何东西阻挡他要做的事，所以“将狮子撕裂，如同撕裂山羊羔一样”。从这件事可以看到参孙以前是撕裂过山羊羔的。那时的以色列用山羊羔来献祭，可是参孙将本来要献给神的的祭物据为己有，满足自己肉体的需要。参孙的大力是神赐给他的，他能打败非利士并非靠着神给的智慧，而是他的蛮力。可惜，他用这个力量来满足自己的欲望。参孙一不开心就用自己的恩赐去处理事情，并且在事后也没有告知父母。
V7 参孙知道以自己的身份是不能与外族的人结婚的，然而他被自己的情欲冲昏头，对神的教导置之不理。
V8-9 参孙不只活在自我里，也不管自己的父母是否有做出违反律法的事 – 当时的以色列人是不能触碰死尸的。参孙只管自己开心，甚至带着父母一起做出了得罪神的事。
V10-11 参孙的父亲是一个没有与神连接的父亲，他生命中没有神，只有自己晚年得到的儿子，不仅为他娶了外邦女子，还请了三十个非利士人当参孙的伴郎。信与不信不能同负一轭, 我们不能因为自己的儿女行在情欲中也跟着他们走。
V12-14 参孙没有感恩别人来帮他，反而只想耍小聪明，在别人身上取乐，这不是从神而来的智慧，而是从这个世界、从死尸而来的不洁的“聪明”，这种小聪明最后就害死了参孙。
V17 参孙的妻子用世界的方法在参孙面前哭闹，致使参孙心烦，讲出了谜语的答案。
V18 参孙的父亲看不起自己的妻子，参孙也看不起自己刚娶的太太，之前表面说自己很爱她，实际却将她看为“母牛犊”。求神帮助我们看见，当我们活在情欲里的时候，幽暗就会遮盖我们，我们会再次走回死亡和历代的咒诅里。
三、v.19-20 在任性中行走
任性就是不听神的话。神本来给参孙的能力是要他活在正义里，所以参孙虽然活在情欲中，但心里仍有一把尺，知道不能食言，就将三十套衣服给了猜出谜语的人。然而他自己因为“发怒”，抛弃自己的妻子，回到父家，因此参孙的妻子就归给了参孙的其中一个伴郎。
幽暗能遮盖万民，不是一下子就发生，而是我们一步一步离开生命树的气息、追逐情欲、明知不对的事却一次次去行，最后就跌倒，被幽暗遮盖了。求神帮助我们，跟从神不是一时冲动，而是一生的跟随。神为我们所预备的是丰丰盛盛！