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Sudije 15

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1 A posle nekoliko dana, o pšeničnoj žetvi, dođe Samson da pohodi ženu svoju donesavši joj jare, i reče: Idem k ženi svojoj u ložnicu. Ali mu otac njen ne dade da uđe.

2 Jer reče otac njen: Ja mišljah zacelo da ti nije po volji, pa je dadoh drugu tvom; nego mlađa sestra njena nije li lepša od nje? Uzmi nju mesto one.

3 A Samson im reče: Ja neću biti kriv Filistejima kad im učinim zlo.

4 I otišavši Samson uhvati trista lisica, i uze luča, i sveza po dve u repove, i metnu po jedan luč među dva repa.

5 Pa zapali lučeve, i pusti u letinu filistejsku, i popali letinu požnjevenu i nepožnjevenu, i vinograde i maslinike.

6 Tada Filisteji rekoše: Ko je to učinio? I odgovoriše: Samson zet Tamnaćaninov, jer mu uze ženu i dade je drugu njegovom. Tada dođoše Filisteji i spališe ognjem nju i oca njenog.

7 A Samson im reče: Ako ste i učinili tako, opet ću vam se osvetiti, pa ću se onda okaniti.

8 I polomi ih ljuto nogama po bedrima: Potom otide i nastani se u pećini od stene Itama

9 Tada iziđoše Filisteji i stadoše u logor prema Judi, i raširiše se do Lehije.

10 A ljudi od Jude rekoše: Što ste izašli na nas? I odgovoriše: Izašli smo da svežemo Samsona i da mu učinimo kako je on nama učinio.

11 Tada iziđe tri hiljade ljudi iz Jude k pećini u steni Itamu, i rekoše Samsonu: Ne znaš li da Filisteji vladaju nad nama? A on im reče: Kako su oni meni učinili tako ja učinih njima.

12 Oni mu rekoše: Došli smo da te svežemo i predamo u ruke Filistejima. A Samson im reče: Zakunite mi se da nećete vi uložiti na me.

13 Oni mu odgovoriše i rekoše: Nećemo; nego ćemo te samo svezati i predati u njihove ruke, ali te nećemo pogubiti. I svezaše ga u dva nova uža i odvedoše ga iz stene.

14 I kad on dođe do Lehije, Filisteji ga sretoše vičući od radosti; a Duh Gospodnji siđe na nj, i uža na rukama njegovim postaše kao konci izgoreli od vatre, i spadoše sveze s ruku njegovih.

15 I on nađe čeljust magareću još sirovu, i pruživši ruku svoju uze je, i pobi njom hiljadu ljudi.

16 Potom reče Samson: Čeljušću magarećom jednu gomilu, dve gomile, čeljušću magarećom pobih hiljadu ljudi.

17 A kad izreče, baci čeljust iz ruke svoje, i nazva ono mesto Ramat-Lehija.

18 I beše žedan jako, te zavapi ka Gospodu i reče: Ti si učinio rukom sluge svog ovo izbavljenje veliko; a sad hoću li umreti od žeđi, ili ću pasti u ruke neobrezanima?

19 Tada Bog rascepi stenu u Lehiji, i poteče voda iz nje, te se napi, i povrati mu se duh i ožive. Zato se prozva onaj izvor En-Akore, koji je u Lehiji do današnjeg dana.

20 I bi sudija Izrailju za vremena filistejskog dvadeset godina.

   

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Exploring the Meaning of Judges 15

Ni New Christian Bible Study Staff, Julian Duckworth

Judges 15: Samson defeats the Philistines.

At the beginning of this chapter, we learn that the one who gave Samson’s wife to another man was his father-in-law, who thought that Samson truly hated her. He then offered Samson her younger sister instead, saying, “Is she not better? Take her.”

Samson, enraged, took three-hundred foxes and tied them tail-to-tail in pairs, with a lit torch between them. He then released them in the Philistines’ standing grain, vineyards and olive groves to burn up their crops, as revenge for the loss of his wife. In retaliation, the Philistines went and burned her and her father. In a final act of vengeance, Samson killed very many of the Philistines, then went to dwell in the cleft of the rock of Etam.

The Philistines went to Judah, stating their intent to arrest Samson, and the men of Judah passed on the message to him. Samson made the Judeans promise not to kill him themselves, but only to bind him with two new ropes before giving him to the Philistines as a prisoner.

When the Philistines came, Samson broke apart the ropes, and killed a thousand of them with the jawbone of a donkey. Then he threw the jawbone away, and complained to the Lord that he was thirsty. The Lord answered his cry for help by splitting the ground where the jawbone fell, so that Samson could drink the water that flowed from it.

The final verse of this chapter tells us that Samson judged Israel twenty years.

*****

Samson’s marriage to a Philistine woman speaks to the appealing, or even enticing, nature of ‘faith alone’ spirituality, represented by the Philistines. We must stay on our guard, to ensure that we are not caught up in thinking that faith alone will save us. The father offers Samson his wife’s younger sister, saying she is even better, but Samson had already learned to be wary by that point.

The foxes, tied together with their tails lit on fire, vividly describes the twisted and destructive nature of faith alone, and the way it consumes our potential to lead a fruitful life. The Word often depicts the state of a nation or religion through a story illustrating its true nature (True Christian Religion 130)

The cycle of revenge between Samson and the Philistines represents our personal struggles during temptation and our wish to regenerate. Our whole effort during regeneration is to resist sins that might lure us in, and to maintain our intention to live the Word (see Swedenborg’s work, Divine Providence 83[6]). The men of Judah who bind Samson represent our love for the Lord and for everything of the Lord, although this seems contradictory on a surface level. In this case, being ‘bound up’ means to be bound in our commitment to the Lord, so that we are restrained from doing evil (see Swedenborg’s work, Heaven and Hell 577[4]).

Samson stands for the power of the Word acting in our lives to assert what is true, to protect what must be upheld, and to defend against evils. He uses the jawbone of a donkey because a jawbone allows us to eat food (spiritually, nourishment from the Word), and also to proclaim the Lord’s truths. This gives us the power to expose and reject the belief that spirituality consists of faith alone (see Swedenborg’s work, Arcana Caelestia 9049[6]).

Mula sa Mga gawa ni Swedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia # 1950

Pag-aralan ang Sipi na ito

  
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1950. 'His hand will be against all' means that it will fight against those things that are not true, and 'the hand of all against him' means that falsities will fight back. This is clear from the fact that 'Ishmael', as has been stated, means rational truth separated from good; and when it is said, referring to this truth, that 'his hand will be against all and the hand of all against him', it is clear that such is the meaning of these words. It has been shown above that 'Abram' represents the Lord's Internal Man, or what amounts to the same, His Divine Celestial and Spiritual; 'Isaac' the Lord's Interior Man, or His Divine Rational; and 'Jacob' the Lord's Exterior Man, or His Divine Natural. Described here is the nature of the rational if it were not united to the Internal Man, or Divine Celestial and Spiritual. Because the rational derived its nature from the life belonging to the affection for knowledge, that is, from Hagar, Sarai's Egyptian servant-girl, and because that life belonged to the external man and possessed a heredity from the Lord's mother which had to be fought against and cast out, the nature of the rational if devoid of rational good is therefore described. But after the Lord had humbled, or afflicted and subdued, that heredity by means of conflicts brought about by temptations, and by victories, and He had with Divine good brought life to the Rational itself, the latter at that point became Isaac, that is, it is represented by Isaac, after Ishmael has been cast out of the house together with Hagar his mother.

[2] The whole of the genuine rational consists of good and truth, that is, of what is celestial and what is spiritual. Good or what is celestial is its actual soul or life, truth or what is spiritual is that which draws its life from that good. A rational devoid of life received from celestial good is as is described here, that is to say, it fights with all, and all fight with it. Rational good never fights, no matter how much it is assailed, because it is gentle and mild, long-suffering and yielding, for its nature is that of love and mercy. But although it does not fight, it nevertheless conquers all. It does not ever think of combat, nor does it glory in victory. It is of this nature because it is Divine and is of itself immune from harm; for no evil can assail good, indeed it cannot even remain in the sphere where good is. Just as soon as it approaches, evil retreats of itself and falls back; for evil is of hell, while good is of heaven. Much the same is the case with that which is celestial-spiritual, that is, with truth from a celestial origin, or truth that derives from good, for such truth is truth formed from good - insomuch that one may call it the form of good.

[3] But truth separated from good, which is represented here by Ishmael and is described in this verse, is altogether different, for it is like a wild ass, fighting with all and all with it. Indeed it hardly does anything else than think about and long for conflict. Its general delight or ruling affection is conquest, and when it conquers, it glories in victory. This is why it is described as a wild ass, that is, as a mule living in the wilderness or an ass in the wild, that is unable to live with others. A life such as this is what the life of truth devoid of good is like, and indeed what the life of faith devoid of charity is like. When therefore a person is being regenerated the regeneration is achieved, it is true, by means of the truth of faith, yet it is being achieved at the same time by means of the life of charity which the Lord instills in proportion to the increases in the truths of faith.

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