Friday, 20th January 2023
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-3 He Lived in the Sin
God has already chosen Samson and told his parents what he could do and what he could not do. But Samson had been living in his own anger his own desires and did a lot of things that displeased God.
V1 ‘Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her.’ Samson came to the city of the Philistines and made himself in danger. We should never let ourselves fall into temptations and always seek the place of God’s presence.
V2-3 ‘When the Gazites were told, “Samson has come here!” they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. They were quiet all night, saying, “In the morning, when it is daylight, we will kill him.” And Samson lay low till midnight; then he arose at midnight, took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two gateposts, pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.’ In the morning we should be spending time with God, not to indulge in our flesh desires.
Section Two V4-22 No God in His Eyes
V4 ‘Afterward it happened that he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.’ Samson made the same mistake again and again. He didn’t learn from the past because he’s been chasing after his own desires and doing what he thought was right. As a judge he didn’t stand in the right place doing the right thing.
V16-17 ‘And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was vexed to death, that he told her all his heart, and said to her, “No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”’ What was really inside Samson’s heart? What he cared the most was that his strength would leave him, not that God’s presence would leave him. From the very beginning Samson only looked at his strength instead of looking upon God. Because Samson’s strength gave him what he wanted, and he failed to see the God who gave him strength in the first place.
Samson was chosen by God, he had the strength of God, but he did not honour God. We are the same, Jesus has already given us all the strength and authority, He has chosen us, we are the priests of the New Testimony, but are we living in the destiny of God? Or do we continue to walk in the ways of this world?
V21 ‘Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison.’ Samson was a judge, God’s chosen one, but he did not have God in his eyes. The Philistines also knew this, so they took out his eyes. When he could not see, the light could not come into his life and he was living in darkness.
Section Three V23-31 Give Up on His Calling
Samson was living in his sins, he did not have God in his eyes, and at the end, he gave up on the calling and the destiny God has given to him for his life.
V28 ‘Then Samson called to the Lord, saying, “O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!”’ Even until the end, God gave Samson a second chance and allowed his hair to grow back. Samson also knew that God was still with him. When God’s presence is not there, it’s not because God doesn’t want us anymore, but it’s because we don’t want God anymore. Samson lived his life in blindness, he was selfish, and he was ungrateful. At the end, he only saw what the Philistines did to him, he blamed on others and never saw his own problems. He did not see that he was the one, who put himself in the path leading to death.
V30 ‘Then Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life.’ Samson treated God like his servant, he wanted God to do what he wanted to do. He did not glorify God and honour God. Samson killed many Philistines, but when he died, he still did not see how God led him all this way, he did not walk into his destiny, which was to help the Israelites to leave the captivity of the Philistines.
Let us learn from Samson’s mistakes, to see God’s love in our lives, to honour God and to continue living in the presence of God.
士师记 16 – 失去神同在的参孙
2023年1月20日 星期五
潘锡安牧师
参孙最大的损失不是失去妻子，而是失去神。参孙还在母腹中的时候就被神拣选，本该一生分别为圣，但他一生都活在自己的情欲中，一旦愤怒就做出不当行的事。
一、v.1-3 活在罪中
罪使我们与神隔绝，无法与神连接。
V1 参孙来到非利士人的的城市加沙，又看上了当地一个妓女并与她亲近，将自己的身份、神的嘱咐抛诸脑后，只为满足自己的情欲。
V2 当地人想等参孙在夜晚耗尽精力之后来偷袭他。夜晚是我们最软弱的时候，我们是选择亲近神、靠神重新得力，还是像参孙一样纵欲享乐？
V3 参孙是一个有神呼召、有命定也有能力的士师，却活在罪中，只想靠着做这些事显露自己的力气，让自我不断膨胀，不再理会神的心意，以为靠着自己的力量能够处理一切问题。我们身为基督徒，是否也会认为倚靠自己还能有神的保守？“罪”不一定是伤天害理的恶事，而是不达标（miss the target）, 没有按照神的旨意去行，只是过自己想要的生活。
二、v.4-22 目中无神
V4 参孙不仅不怕敌人的埋伏，还继续上到另一个地方喜欢另一个非利士的妇人。他没有从之前的经历学到功课，反到不断追逐自己的情欲。“大利拉”名字的意思是“脆弱”，参孙不管自己是否会因此变脆弱，只选择眼目所看到的。
V5 参孙在他所爱的女人眼里只值“一千一百舍客勒银子”。很多时候我们看为比神更重要的东西，到头来还是无用的。求神帮助我们学会先神后人再大地。
V6-15 参孙身为士师，本该有智慧和判断力，但如今他失去警惕心、无法判断，因他只倚靠自己，以为有力气就可以赶走非利士人。
V16 连一个非利士女子都知道，当她自己不断要求的时候，她就会得到自己想要的东西，然而参孙不愿意有这样的耐心，只想当下就得到自己想要的东西，不理会神的时间或教导。
V17 参孙心里一直看重的都是自己的“力气”，当他的头发被剃掉时，其实不是他的力气离开，而是神离开他。我们看重的是什么呢？是神同在还是自己的智慧或者身边人的帮助？
V18-19 参孙没有珍惜神同在，所以他不理睬神的命定、不屑于活出生命树气息。当我们里面没有神，撒旦就会趁我们以为自己什么都有的时候来偷窃、杀害、毁坏。
V20 不是参孙的力气离开他，而是耶和华神离开了他。有时候我们对未来有很多幻想，却不知道自己已经失去了神同在了。我们岂不是也有从神而来的呼召、祭司的身份、有释放和捆绑的力量？但我们是否像参孙一样失去命定、睡在“大利拉”的膝上以为自己很“幸福”？其实那时神已经离开我们了！
V21 参孙当初将非利士人城里的门框都拆下来，然而当神离开后，撒旦就让他一败涂地。一个神所拣选的、有能力的人，因为目中无神，就失去这一切，并且被敌人挖了眼睛，再也看不见光，看不清脚前的路。
V22 神仍然给参孙机会，施恩怜悯他，让他的头发一点点的长出来。
三、v.23-31 放弃呼召
V28 失去神同在的原因不是神不要我们，而是我们自己不要神。参孙知道神还在（V22），所以向神祈求。他没有跟神认罪悔改，因为他一生以自己为首。他跟神祷告只是想得到力量来跟非利士人报仇，没有看到他眼瞎的根本原因出在自己身上。参孙只想要神为自己做事。
V30 参孙至死都活在自己的情欲和愤怒中，没有理会神给他一生的呼召，不再理会他所带领的以色列人，最后选择的只是报仇和死亡，所以完全失去神同在。虽然他死的时候杀了三千非利士人，却没有帮助以色列脱离非利士人的压制。
失去神同在不会一下就发生，而是我们在一点点的麻痹中逐渐失去神同在，在新的一年、领受新的祝福前，我们要好好鉴察自己的生命。神借着参孙的一生来帮助我们更认识自己的生命和光景，我们要愿意谦卑，看到自己的问题，活在神的命定和天父的爱里面。