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士師記 3

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1 すべてカナンのもろもろの戦争を知らないイスラエルの人々を試みるために、が残しておかれた民は次のとおりである。

2 これはただイスラエルの代々の孫、特にまだ戦争を知らないものに、それを教え知らせるためである。

3 すなわちペリシテびとの五人の君たちと、すべてのカナンびとと、シドンびとおよびレバノンに住んで、バアル・ヘルモンからハマテの入口までを占めていたヒビびとなどであって、

4 これらをもってイスラエルを試み、モーセによって先祖たちに命じられた命令に、彼らが従うかどうかを知ろうとされたのである。

5 しかるにイスラエルの人々はカナンびと、ヘテびと、アモリびと、ペリジびと、ヒビびと、エブスびとのうちに住んで、

6 彼らのにめとり、また自分たちのを彼らのむすこに与えて、彼らの神々に仕えた。

7 こうしてイスラエルの人々は主の前に悪を行い、自分たちのを忘れて、バアルおよびアシラに仕えた。

8 そこでイスラエルに対して激しく怒り、彼らをメソポタミヤの王クシャン・リシャタイムのに売りわたされたので、イスラエルの人々は八年の間、クシャン・リシャタイムに仕えた。

9 しかし、イスラエルの人々がに呼ばわったとき、イスラエルの人々のために、ひとりの救助者を起して彼らを救われた。すなわちカレブの弟、ケナズのオテニエルである。

10 主の霊がオテニエルに臨んだので、彼はイスラエルをさばいた。彼が戦いに出ると、はメソポタミヤの王クシャン・リシャタイムをそのにわたされたので、オテニエルのはクシャン・リシャタイムに勝ち、

11 四十年のあいだ太平であった。ケナズのオテニエルはついに死んだ。

12 イスラエルの人々はまた主の前に悪をおこなった。すなわち彼らが主の前に悪をおこなったので、モアブの王エグロンを強めて、イスラエルに敵対させられた。

13 エグロンはアンモンおよびアマレクの人々を集め、きてイスラエルを撃ち、しゅろのを占領した。

14 こうしてイスラエルの人々は十八年の間モアブの王エグロンに仕えた。

15 しかしイスラエルの人々がに呼ばわったとき、は彼らのために、ひとりの救助者を起された。すなわちベニヤミンびと、ゲラの、左ききのエホデである。イスラエルの人々は彼によってモアブの王エグロンに、みつぎ物を送った

16 エホデは長さ一キュビトのもろ刃のつるぎを作らせ、それを衣の、右のももの上にびて、

17 モアブの王エグロンにみつぎ物をもってきた。エグロンは非常に肥えた人であった。

18 エホデがみつぎ物をささげ終ったとき、彼はみつぎ物をになってきた民を帰らせ、

19 かれ自身はギルガルに近い石像のある所から引きかえして言った、「王よ、わたしはあなたに申しあげる機密をもっています」。そこで王は「さがっておれ」と言ったので、かたわらに立っている者は皆出て行った。

20 エホデが王のところにはいって来ると、王はひとりで涼みの高殿に座していたので、エホデが「わたしは神の命によってあなたに申しあげることがあります」と言うと、王は座から立ちあがった。

21 そのときエホデは左のを伸ばし、右のももからつるぎをとって王のを刺した。

22 つるぎのつかも刃と共にはいったが、つるぎをから抜き出さなかったので、脂肪が刃をふさいだ。そして汚物が出た。

23 エホデは廊下に出て、王のおる高殿の戸を閉じ、錠をおろした。

24 彼が出た後、王のしもべどもがきて、高殿の戸に錠のおろされてあるのを見て、「王はきっと涼み殿のへやでをおおっておられるのだ」と思った。

25 しもべどもは長いあいだ待っていたが、王がなお高殿の戸を開かないので、心配してかぎをとって開いて見ると、王は床にたおれて死んでいた。

26 エホデは彼らのためらうまに、のがれて石像のある所を過ぎ、セイラに逃げていった。

27 彼が行ってエフライムの地にラッパを吹き鳴らしたので、イスラエルの人々は彼と共に地から下ってエホデに従った。

28 エホデは彼らに言った、「わたしについてきなさい。はあなたがたのモアブびとをあなたがたのにわたされます」。そこで彼らはエホデに従って下り、ヨルダンの渡し場をおさえ、モアブびとをひとりも渡らせなかった。

29 そのとき彼らはモアブびとおおよそ一万人を殺した。これはいずれも肥え太った勇士であって、ひとりも、のがれた者がなかった。

30 こうしてモアブはそのイスラエルのに服し、八十年のあいだ太平であった。

31 エホデの、アナテのシャムガルが起り、牛のむちをもってペリシテびと人を殺した。この人もまたイスラエルを救った。

   

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Exploring the Meaning of Judges 3

Napsal(a) New Christian Bible Study Staff, Julian Duckworth

Judges 3: In which we hear about the nations who remain in the land; and about the judges Othniel, Ehud, and Shamgar.

This chapter begins with a very important set of statements about the nations still undefeated in the land. First, it says that the Lord would test Israel by means of these nations; secondly, that this test would “teach [the new generations] war”; and finally, that this would reveal whether or not Israel would obey the Lord. The text goes on to say that Israel now took the daughters of other nations to be wives, and also gave their own daughters to the sons of other nations.

Being ‘tested’ by the Lord refers to the temptations and spiritual conflicts we must experience during regeneration. The Lord does not test in order to make us falter, or to see how much we can endure. Rather, the testing is to make us stronger and more steadfast in our intention to follow the Lord (see Swedenborg’s work, True Christian Religion 126).

The new generations who would not have known war stand for those future states, in which we might begin to let go, and forget what the Lord has done for us. While all external wars should cease, we will always need to quell the spiritual wars within us. The key to victory is in our willingness to obey the Lord’s commandments. This wish to obey the Lord must be imprinted in our hearts and minds (see Swedenborg’s work, Doctrine of Faith 50).

‘Taking the daughters of other nations as wives’ describes the ways in which the spiritual marriage of good and truth in us becomes perverted. When our evil desires harm truths, and false ideas harm genuine loves, our sense of what is right becomes so distorted that we have no principles left to follow.

Because Israel kept forgetting the Lord and worshipping other gods, the Lord raised judges to deliver Israel. This chapter tells the stories of three judges, and we will examine the spiritual meaning of each.

The first judge discussed in this chapter was Othniel (see Judges 1). Israel was taken by Chushan-Rishathaim, the king of Mesopotamia, for eight years. His name means ‘the blackness of injustice”. Othniel delivered Israel from captivity, and there was peace for forty years. Spiritually, this describes our power, given to us by the Lord, to break free from evil wishes and thoughts. The number ‘forty’ describes the temptations we must overcome in doing this (see Swedenborg’s work, Arcana Caelestia 8098).

The next judge, Ehud, ruled at the time when Eglon, a Moabite king, took Israel captive for eighteen years. Ehud made a long, double-edged dagger and went to the king to pay tribute. When those with him were leaving, he stayed and said to King Eglon, “I have a gift for you from God”, and plunged the dagger into the king’s belly so that his fat covered the blade. Then he left, locking the doors behind him, and Eglon’s servants eventually found their king dead. Ehud then attacked, and freed Israel from the Moabites.

The meaning of this graphic event is to show the power of the truth when it is used to combat evil. Eglon was fat, representing the seemingly large and imposing nature of evils. The double-edged dagger stands for the power of the Word. It went straight into the king’s fat belly, which stands for the absolute power of the Word to tear down evils and falsities. This then allows us to reassert our leading intentions, and return to our service for the Lord (see Apocalypse Revealed 52).

The third and final judge mentioned in this chapter was Shamgar, who killed six hundred Philistines with an ox goad and delivered Israel. The Philistines – who later became a major enemy of Israel – stand for the belief that faith alone will save us, without any need for good actions in life. This can have an insidious influence on us and needs constant attention, represented by the number six hundred. The ox goad (prodder) indicates that we need to keep pushing ourselves to do good, just as an ox is prodded to work strenuously (Arcana Caelestia 1198).

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Judges 1

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1 Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?

2 And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.

3 And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.

4 And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.

5 And they found Adoni-bezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

6 But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.

7 And Adoni-bezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.

8 Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.

9 And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites, that dwelt in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley.

10 And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron: (now the name of Hebron before was Kirjath-arba:) and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.

11 And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjath-sepher:

12 And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.

13 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife.

14 And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou?

15 And she said unto him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; Give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs.

16 And the children of the Kenite, Moses' father in law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.

17 And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah.

18 Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the coast thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof.

19 And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.

20 And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said: and he expelled thence the three sons of Anak.

21 And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.

22 And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel: and the LORD was with them.

23 And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.)

24 And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Shew us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will Shew thee mercy.

25 And when he shewed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let go the man and all his family.

26 And the man went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz: which is the name thereof unto this day.

27 Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and her towns, nor Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns: but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.

28 And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out.

29 Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them.

30 Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries.

31 Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob:

32 But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for they did not drive them out.

33 Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, nor the inhabitants of Beth-anath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became tributaries unto them.

34 And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley:

35 But the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became tributaries.

36 And the coast of the Amorites was from the going up to Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.