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撒母耳記上 15

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1 撒母耳對掃羅耶和華差遣我你為王,治理他的百姓以色列;所以你當耶和華的

2 萬軍之耶和華如此以色列人埃及的時候,在上亞瑪力人怎樣待他們,怎樣抵擋他們,我都沒忘。

3 現在你要去擊打亞瑪力,滅盡他們所有的,不可憐惜他們,將女、孩童、吃奶的,並牛、羊、駱駝,和盡行殺死。

4 於是掃羅招聚姓在提拉因,數點他們,共有步兵二萬,另有猶大一萬。

5 掃羅到了亞瑪力的京城,在谷中設下埋伏。

6 掃羅對基尼人:你們離開亞瑪力人去罷,恐怕我將你們和亞瑪力人一同殺滅;因為以色列人埃及的時候,你們曾恩待他們。於是基尼人離開亞瑪力人去了。

7 掃羅擊打亞瑪力人,從哈腓拉直到埃及前的書珥,

8 生擒了亞瑪力王亞甲,用刀殺盡亞瑪力的眾民。

9 掃羅和百姓卻憐惜亞甲,也愛惜上的牛、、牛犢、羔,並一切美物,不肯滅絕。凡下賤瘦弱的,盡都殺了。

10 耶和華的臨到撒母耳

11 我立掃羅為王,我悔了;因為他去不跟從我,不遵守我的命令。撒母耳便甚憂愁,終夜哀求耶和華

12 撒母耳清起來,迎接掃羅。有人告訴撒母耳說:掃羅到了迦密,在那裡立了記紀念碑,又轉身吉甲

13 撒母耳到了掃羅那裡,掃羅對他:願耶和華賜福與你,耶和華的命令我已遵守了。

14 撒母耳:我耳中見有叫、牛鳴,是從哪裡來的呢?

15 掃羅:這是百姓從亞瑪力人那裡帶來的;因為他們愛惜上好的牛,要獻與耶和華─你的;其的,我們都滅盡了。

16 撒母耳對掃羅:你住口罷!等我將耶和華昨夜向我所的話告訴你。掃羅:請講。

17 撒母耳對掃羅:從前你雖然以自己為小,豈不是被立為以色列支派的元首麼?耶和華你作以色列的王。

18 耶和華差遣你,吩咐你,你去擊打那些犯罪的亞瑪力人,將他們滅絕淨盡。

19 你為何沒有耶和華的命令,急忙擄掠財物,行耶和華眼中看為惡的事呢?

20 掃羅對撒母耳:我實在聽從了耶和華的命令,行了耶和華所差遣我行的,擒了亞瑪力王亞甲來,滅盡了亞瑪力人。

21 百姓卻在所當滅的物中取了最好的牛,要在吉甲獻與耶和華─你的

22 撒母耳耶和華喜悅燔祭和平安祭,豈如喜悅人從他的話呢?命勝於獻祭;順從勝於公羊的脂油。

23 悖逆的與行邪術的相等;頑梗的與拜虛神和偶像的相同。你既厭棄耶和華的命令,耶和華也厭棄你作王。

24 掃羅對撒母耳:我有了,我因懼百姓,從他們的,就違背了耶和華的命令和你的言語。

25 現在求你赦免我的,同我回去,我好敬拜耶和華

26 撒母耳對掃羅:我不同你回去;因為你厭棄耶和華的命令,耶和華也厭棄你作以色列的王。

27 撒母耳轉身要走,掃羅就扯住他外袍的衣襟,衣襟就撕斷了。

28 撒母耳對他:如此,今日耶和華使以色列國與你斷絕,將這國賜與比你更好的人。

29 以色列的大能者必不致謊,也不致後悔;因為他迥非世人,決不後悔。

30 掃羅:我有罪了,雖然如此,求你在我百姓的長老以色列人面前抬舉我,同我回去,我好敬拜耶和華─你的

31 於是撒母耳轉身跟隨掃羅回去,掃羅就敬拜耶和華

32 撒母耳:要把亞瑪力王亞甲帶到我這裡來。亞甲就歡歡喜喜地來到他面前,心裡,死亡的苦難必定過去了。

33 撒母耳:你既用刀使婦人喪子,這樣,你母親在婦人中也必喪子。於是,撒母耳在吉甲耶和華面前將亞甲殺死。

34 撒母耳回了拉瑪掃羅上他所住的基比亞,回自己的家去了。

35 撒母耳直到死的日子,再沒有見掃羅;但撒母耳為掃羅悲傷,是因耶和華後悔立他為以色列的王。

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 9409

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9409. 'And on the children of Israel who had been set apart' means those restricted to the outward sense, separated from the inward. This is clear from the representation of 'the children of Israel who had been set apart' - that is, those who had been separated from Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders, and about whom verse 2 above says 'they shall not come up' - as those restricted to the outward sense of the Word, separated from the inward, dealt with above in 9380. Something brief must be stated here about who exactly those people are, and what they are like, who are restricted to the outward sense of the Word, separated from the inward. They are those who draw no teachings about charity and faith from the Word but confine themselves to the sense of the letter. Teachings about charity and faith compose the inward substance of the Word, while the sense of the letter composes its outward form. The worship too of those restricted to the outward sense of the Word without the inward is something outward devoid of anything inward. They venerate outward things as being holy and Divine, and also believe that these things are in themselves holy and Divine, when in fact they are holy and Divine by virtue of inner realities. This was what the children of Jacob were like, see 3479, 4281, 4293, 4307, 4429, 4433, 4680, 4844, 4847, 4865, 4868, 4874, 4899, 4903, 4911, 4913, 6304, 8588, 8788, 8806, 8871.

[2] But let some examples serve to illustrate this matter. They believed that they were pure, free from all sin and all guilt, when they offered sacrifices and ate from them. For they thought that the sacrifices in their outward form alone, without the inward, were the most holy things of worship, that when used in those sacrifices the oxen, young bulls, lambs, she-goats, sheep, rams, and he-goats were holy, and that the altar was the most holy thing of all. And they thought of the bread of the minchahs and the wine of the drink-offerings in a similar way. They also believed that when they had washed their clothes and their bodies they were altogether clean, and in like manner that the perpetual fire on the altar and the fires in the lamps were in themselves holy, also the loaves of the presence, the anointing oil, and all else. This was what they believed because they rejected everything internal, so completely that they were unwilling even to hear about internal things, such as that they should love Jehovah for His sake and not their own, that is to say, not in order that they might be raised to important positions and wealth above all nations and peoples throughout the world. Nor therefore were they willing to hear that the Messiah was going to come for the sake of their eternal salvation and happiness, only for the sake of their pre-eminence over all in the world. Nor were they willing to hear about mutual love and charity towards the neighbour for the neighbour's sake and good, only for their own, so far as the neighbour was favourably disposed towards them. They thought nothing of entertaining feelings of enmity, harbouring hatred, taking vengeance, acting savagely, so long as they could lay hold of some reason.

[3] Their beliefs and actions would have been altogether different if they had been willing to accept teachings about love to and faith in the Lord and charity towards the neighbour. They would then have known and believed that burnt offerings, sacrifices, minchahs, drink-offerings, and feasting on sacrifices would not purify them from any guilt or sin, but that worship of God and heartfelt repentance would do so, Deuteronomy 33:19; Jeremiah 7:21-23; Micah 6:6-8; Hosea 6:6; Psalms 40:6, 8; 51:16-17; 1 Samuel 15:22. They would in a similar way have known that the washing of clothes and body rendered no one clean, only purification of the heart; and in like manner that the fire on the altar and fires in the lamps, also the loaves of the presence, and the anointing oil were not holy of themselves but by virtue of the inner realities which they were the signs of. They would have known too that when they were governed by those holy and inner realities they would be holy people, not on their own account, but on that of the Lord from whom everything holy springs. The children of Israel would have known these inner realities if they had received teachings about love and charity, because these declare what it is that outward things include within them. Those teachings also provide knowledge of the internal sense of the Word, because the internal sense of the Word constitutes true teachings about love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour. It is also what the Lord teaches, when He says that on both these commands all the Law and the Prophets depend, Matthew 22:36, 40.

[4] The situation is virtually the same today in the Christian world. Here people are restricted to outward things, without anything inward, because teachings about love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour are lacking, so much so that there is scarcely any knowledge of what celestial love is and what spiritual love is, which is charity. For the good of celestial and spiritual love, and consequently the truth of faith, constitute the inner level in a person. So it is that even at the present day the outward sense of the Word, without doctrinal teachings as regulator and guide, can be distorted as much as anyone likes. For teachings about faith without teachings about love and charity are like the darkness of night, whereas teachings about faith arising out of teachings about love and charity are like the light of day. For the good that belongs to love and charity is like the flame, while the truth of faith is like the light radiating from it.

[5] This being what people in the Christian world are like at the present day, that is to say, people restricted to outward things without anything inward, scarcely any have an affection for truth for its own sake. Here also is the reason why they are not even aware of what good, charity, or the neighbour is. They are not even aware of what the inner level in a person is, nor of what heaven is and hell is, nor of the fact that everyone is alive immediately after death. And those among them who keep to the teachings of their Church do not care whether those teachings are false or true. They learn them and endorse them not for the sake of exercising the good of charity from the heart, nor for the sake of the salvation of their soul and eternal happiness, but for the sake of getting on in the world, that is, to earn reputation, important positions, and wealth. For this reason they receive no enlightenment when they read the Word, and so will altogether deny the existence of anything inwardly present in the Word apart from what stands out in the letter. But more on this subject from experience will in the Lord's Divine mercy be stated elsewhere.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.