Thursday 28th January 2021
After Samson, there was no more judges raised up and people did whatever they pleased. They built up their own idols, tried to bring God’s temple into their own house, lost their direction and stole the land and things do not belong to them. In the generation without a leader appointed by God, people walk in the flesh and wilfulness.
Section One: V1-9 The Wrong Start
It’s always important to start well, but when we didn’t start well, we will see lots of problems. In original scripture, it says the Levites ‘took for himself a concubine’, which means he found himself an affair outside marriage and took the affair home. A Levite should serve in the temple of God, but during that time the Levite did not serve faithfully in the temple of God, he went to Judah and took a concubine.
In a wilful generation, God’s people did not live in God’s destiny for them and even the servants of God walked in their flesh. If we let the worldly values enter our lives at the start even if we are servants of God, we will be affected by this world.
The concubine could not live in a committed relationship, so she went back to her father’s household, but after four months the Levite came for her. During that time, any people committed adultery should be put to death by the stones, but not only she didn’t receive any judgment, she was wilful and did whatever she wanted to do.
The Levite should not leave his post in the temple, but in a wilful generation, this Levite followed his flesh desires and stayed with the concubine’s family. When the concubine’s father asked him to stay then he stayed for another day then another day. As a Levite, he had no principles and was easily influenced by others.
Section Two: V10-21 The Wrong Decision
In a generation of wilfulness, people make wrong decisions, which confused themselves. The Levite should have left the concubine’s house in the morning, but he left when it was late and it was dangerous to walk a long distance at night. Then when they were looking for a place to stay, the Levite refused to stay in a foreign place. The Levite had the pride of an Israelite but in the confused generation, he was unable to make the right decision, he went to the place he wanted to go. With the wrong start, every decision we make will be wrong. Therefore, when we realise that we started wrong, we must turn back and make it right. Otherwise a lot of problems will emerge afterwards.
The Levite met with an old man and told him that he was with his ‘servant and female servant’. When he showed himself as a Levite, who was going to the temple of God, he called his concubine his ‘female servant’. We must align with ourselves, not having double standards. At the start the Levite was wrong to take the concubine with him because there was no marriage commitment.
Section Three: V22- 30 The Wrong Action
The Levite and the old man were enjoying themselves eating and drinking. Then the thieves came for the Levite. The thieves often come when we are less alert. In a wilful generation without God, all the decisions and judgement were wrong. The old man did not speak the truth, he only protected the Levite, in exchange of his own daughter. He would rather save his guest and gave up his own daughter. It was like a flow of wrong things, when the start was wrong, there will be all the wrong decisions and actions followed afterwards. In order to protect himself, the Levite sacrificed his concubine.
In the next day, the Levite (note here the scripture mentions him as “her master”) saw this woman outside the door, he told her ‘get up and we need to go’. After all the things happened in the night before, all the Levite thought was himself and how to hurry to finish his business. He had no love for his concubine, he even cut her into pieces when he found out she was dead. All he wanted was to avenge for himself and let the twelve tribes fight with each other.
This Levite did not seek God when he encountered problems, instead, he solved them using his own way. When we leave God, our lives become confused, when our society is in chaos, we need to call out to God to save this generation, not to be compromised with the sins of this world.
Respond Prayer
Lord, when we are in this chaotic world of wilfulness, may Your Word come into our lives and become the light. So we will not follow our flesh desire, we will not follow the ways of the world. We want to start right at the very beginning, not to go after this world but to go after You. It may not be easy for us to leave this world, but we ask Your Holy Spirit to shine upon us. When we confess, turn back, You will lead us.
In the Name of Jesus, we bind all the sins of the flesh. Forgive us for our pride, our wilfulness, our sinful desires, our confusions, our wrongdoings… We will reject the temptation and the wrong standards of this world. We declare that we belong to the Lord, we are set apart from this world. We are determined to live in the temple of God, not in our flesh desires. We want to start right, to make the right decisions and take the right actions. Let Your Word today release us to true freedom, and live out a holy life in God‘s love. Amen.
2021年1月28日 星期四
士师记 19
任意妄为 走在血气里
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没有王的时候，以色列人做什么呢？从第17章在个人家里拜偶像的堕落，到18章但支派抢夺兄弟的地盘，杀害无辜，到今天这一章，我们可以看到一个没有神拣选的领袖带领的世代，人是如何在血气中任意妄为。
一，v1-9：不对的开始
当我们的开始不对，之后就会引出很多问题。
1，本章开始中文翻译称这个妇人为利未人的“妾” – 其实也指情妇，因为后面也讲到这个利未人是这个妾的“主人”。“娶”的原文应该是took,就是“带”。利未人本该在圣殿（当时在示罗）服事神，现在却从外地为自己带回来一个情妇。在一个混乱的时代，神的仆人竟然也没有走在神的呼召里。
2，这个情妇离不开自己过去走在情欲里的生活，就回到犹大父家。利未人跟这个妇人没有婚姻的盟约，所以她来去都是自由的。这是一个不对的开始 – 本不该发生的关系，本不该将情妇带回家，妇人也无法过分别为圣的生活。我们若与这些属世的人亲近，自己也容易被影响。
3-4，利未人过了4个月才过来找她。其实在当时的世代，妇人行淫是要被被石头砸死的，但这利未人反而过去用好话劝她回来。从这女子的父亲对利未人的款待来看，他们之前是没见过面的（说明利未人与那妇人没有婚约)，于是父亲留下利未人三天，这相当于一个婚礼。利未人本不该离开圣所，但他随从自己的私欲而行。
5-8，妇人的父亲一直挽留利未人，他也就一直停留。可以看出这个利未人在生活中没有界限，极易受人影响。
二，v10-21：不对的决定
10-11，因为在那女子的父亲家逗留太久，利未人终于要走了，却是快天黑的时候才走。此时走山路是非常危险的，但当人在处在一个任意妄为的世代，人自己也会混乱。这利未人的警觉性就降低了，做出不对的决定。
12-15，这个利未人带着以色列人的骄傲，不愿住在附近但属于不洁净的外邦人的城里。于是他们一行人来到更远的便雅悯人的地盘。那时已经很晚了，所以很难在城里找到留宿的地方。当我们的开始不对时，后面的决定都是不对的，所以一定要找回源头，从根源解决问题。
16-19，这个利未人向愿意收留他们的老人家表明自己的身份（他说自己要去“耶和华的殿”），于是称他的妾/情妇为female servant（婢女），因为他知道他这样利未人的身份不能带着一个情妇。当我们没有跟自己对齐的时候，我们就会表里不一。
三，v22-30：不对的行为
22-25，当他们“心里正欢畅的时候”，也就是喝醉的时候，匪徒就来了。匪类通常就在我们失去警惕性的时候到来。这些匪徒要的是那个利未人，可以看出当时的便雅悯支派不仅没有分别为圣，还非常淫乱，男与男随意交合。然而，面对这群匪类，这位老人家没有讲真理，反而要交出自己的女儿和利未人的女仆，还以为自己是对的。这是何等完全扭曲的思想，为了救一个于自己无关的客人，居然可以把自己的女儿拿来交换。这一切都是从一个跟随世界、充满死亡的水流开始。这个利未人竟然也把他的情妇推出去，只为自保。一个任意妄为的世代，这些事司空见惯。
26-28，在这里，利未人被称作这妇人的“主人”。利未人完全不理这妇人的感受，还对她说“起来，我们走吧！” 在一个混乱、任意妄为的地方，我们只想着自己，只想着赶快做完自己的事。
29-30，利未人将情妇的尸首切成12块。这说明他对她是完全没有爱的 – 面对一个曾经的枕边人，他如何下得去手？这样的动力，是从仇敌来的。他不是为这妇人难过，他只想要报仇，就好像一个小孩子被人弄坏了玩具就回家讨公道一样。
一个利未人，遇到问题时，不仅没有求告神，反而是用自己的血气来解决。当时的便雅悯人也是充满混乱，不觉得他们做的事是羞耻的。当我们看见这个社会不公不义，我们不是同谋合污，而是呼求神，拯救这个世代。
追求：
主我们感谢你，当我们活在这个世界上，我们内心好像永远得不到满足，我们被这个淫乱、混乱的世界影响，求神的话语进入我们里面，成为我们的亮光，不要跟随世界，不要有一个错误的开始，求阿爸父帮助我们，追求神而不是这个世界。不要觉得舍不得这个世界，求圣灵来光照我们，我们要承认自己的罪，跟随世界，任意妄为，与这个淫乱、混乱的世界有关系。我们要回转归向神。
求圣灵光照我们，是否有不对的开始，活在血气中。求神帮助我们，奉耶稣的名捆绑一切这些混乱中的关系。我们宣告我们是属于主的，我们要活在神的殿中，不是自己的血气，不要像那个利未人那样贪图享乐，做错误的决定，又不能承担责任。求神饶恕我们的这些罪，饶恕我们内心骄傲的罪，帮助我们能够回转，找出错误的源头，活在神圣洁的殿中。帮助我们纠正所有错误的行为，帮助我们不跟这个世界的错误观念联合。我们是圣洁的。求神来帮助我们，在我们的生命里是有爱的。不要像那个利未人那样看不到 自己的罪，求神帮助我们能看见自己的罪，看见神，而不是这个世界。我们靠着神，在爱中得着自由！