Manna issue 81 - What Happened to Samson 參孫怎麼了？
Why did this specially blessed man
fail to live up to his potential?
為什麼這個特別有恩賜的人，不能把自已的潛能活出來？
Jachin—Singapore 新加坡 雅斤
Introduction 簡介
Samson is often called “the strongest
man to have ever lived.” He was a
man born for greatness, but as we
know, his life was defined by failure
rather than victory. Where did he go
wrong? Let us take a look at three
parts of his story: his birth, his
downfall, and his redeeming final
moment of faith.
參孫時常被稱為，"有史以來最強的男人"。
他是一個為了成就大業有出生的人，
但就我們知道，他的一生被認為是失敗，而不是勝利。
到底那裡他作錯了呢？
讓我們看看他故事裡的三個地方：
出生，墮落，信仰上最後救贖的時刻。
Samson’s Birth 參孫出生
Background 背景
The story of Samson is recorded in the
Book of Judges. During Israel’s early
history, the judges did not sit in a
court of law. They led the Israelites
into war against their oppressors and,
for judges such as Deborah, settled
disputes as a mediator between two
parties. However, Samson did neither
of these things.
參孫的故事記載在士師記。
在以色列的早期，士師並不是坐在法庭中。
他們帶領以色列人，衝入戰爭之中，來對抗欺壓他們的人，
若是談到其他的士師，如底波拉，
她在二方之中，扮演了協調者，來平息紛爭。
然而，參孫都沒有作這些事情。
Samson was a very different judge,
and his life story is unique. Not only is
he the twelfth and final judge recorded
in the Book of Judges, his story
(recorded in chapters 13 to 16) is also
given more space than any other
judge. Most pertinently, he was
specially chosen by God before his
birth to deliver the Israelites.
參孫是一個非常特異的士師，他一生的故事也非常的獨特。
不只是因為他是士師記裡面，所記載的第12個，且是最後一個士師，
他的故事(士師記13到16章記載)，也比其他的士師得到更多的篇幅。
更中肯一點的說，在他出生之前，就被神選召了，為的就是要拯救以色列人。
The Birth of Samson 參孫出生
Samson’s birth was a miracle.
Manoah’s wife was infertile, but the
Angel of the Lord appeared to her and
announced the birth of Samson, as
well as the manner of his life (Judg
13:2–5). He would be a Nazirite from
birth, and his hair was to remain
uncut.
參孫的出生是神蹟。
瑪挪亞的妻子已經不能生育了，
但神的天使向她顯現，宣告參孫的出生，
同時也宣佈他一生的生活方式(士 13：2-5)
他一出生就會成為拿細耳人，不能修剪頭髮。
Numbers 6:1–21 describes the
Nazirite vow in detail. It could be
taken by any Israelite man or woman
for a predetermined amount of time.
During the period of the vow, a
Nazirite was forbidden to cut his hair,
drink wine, and to have anything to
do with the grapevine, from the seed
to the skin. A Nazirite was not allowed
to touch a dead body—if he did, he
would have to purify himself and restart
the period of his vow. These
processes might seem troublesome on
first reading, but that is the exact
purpose of the Nazirite vow. God
wanted the Israelites to learn total
and absolute consecration to Him.
士師記6章1-21記，描寫發誓成為拿細耳人的細節。
任何一個以色列的男人或女人，都可以預先決定要用多久的時間來奉獻。
在起誓的這段時間裡，拿細耳人是禁止剪髮，渴酒，
碰到任何有關葡萄園的事，部到葡萄種子或外皮。
拿細耳人禁止碰到屍體 - 若他碰到了，
他就要再次潔淨自已，重新開始他起誓還願的時間。
一開始讀到這些內容的時間，這些程序的事情看起來很麻煩，
但這就是拿細耳人起誓的目的。
神要以色列人學會，絕對完全的專注在神身上。
The Angel who foretold Samson’s
birth repeated God’s instructions from
Numbers 6, but with two important
differences. First, Manoah’s wife was
to also abstain from unclean foods
(Judg 13:4). This instruction was given
explicitly because Israel had fallen into
such a bad state that eating unclean
food was deemed socially acceptable.
Second, unlike a normal Nazirite vow,
Samson’s Nazirite status was to last a
lifetime.
預言參孫出生的天使，從士師記六章開始，重覆神的指示，
但有二個不同重要之處。
第一，瑪挪亞之妻子也禁絕不吃不潔的食物。(士 13：4)
這個指示是很明確的，因為以色人已經步入了不好的情況，
吃到不潔的食物，已經被社會上認為是可接受的。
第二，不同於一般拿細耳人的誓言，
參孫要一生都維持他拿細耳人的狀態。
Even though Samson was to be
consecrated his entire life, he failed to
adopt the Nazirite lifestyle. He would,
instead, pursue the pleasures of the
flesh.
即使參孫他的一生並沒有都要保持聖潔，
因他不能接受拿細耳人的生活方式，
相對的，他去追求肉體的快樂。
Were Manoah and His Wife Godly Parents?
瑪挪亞和他太太是敬虔的父母嗎？
We may wonder why Samson failed
to live out his Nazirite status—perhaps
his parents were ungodly and failed to
raise him according to God’s
instructions. But Judges 13:8 tells us
otherwise. Manoah was absent when
the Angel appeared to his wife, so he
prayed to God to re-send the Angel to
teach them how to raise the child. He
asked, “What will be the boy’s rule of
life, and his work?” (Judg 13:12b).
We see that this couple cared how
Samson was to be raised. How many
of us would actually pray to God
asking what we should do for our
child, or what our child's rule of life
will be?
我們或許會想，為什麼參孫會不能照著拿細耳人的情況來過活 -
或許是他的父母不敬虔，不能依照神的指示來扶養他。
但士師記13章8節告訴我們一些其他的事情。
當天使向瑪挪亞顯現的時候，他並不在，
所以他向神禱告，求神在派天使來教他們如何扶養這個孩子。
他求問神，
12我們當怎樣待這孩子，他後來當怎樣呢？
(士 13：12b)
我們看見，這對夫妻關心要如何扶養參孫。
我們之中，到底有多少人會真的向神禱告，
求神告訴我們應該要為小孩子作麼作呢？
或者是求問小孩子的生活准則是什麼呢？
The time of the judges was a dark
age for Israel, as they had fallen into
the vicious cycle of sin. Whenever the
people’s lives became comfortable,
they would turn to sin and idolatry.
God would then punish them,
prompting them to call out to Him.
Each time, God would deliver them
from their oppressors, only for them
to sin again. Samson was born during
another of these sinful periods, for
“[a]gain the children of Israel did evil
in the sight of the Lord” (Judg 13:1a).
士師的時代是以色列的黑暗時代，
他們已經掉入各種的罪的循環。
無論何時百姓生活變得舒適之時，
他們就會走向罪和拜偶像的生活。
然後神就會處罰他們，促使他們來呼求祂。
每一次，神都會拯救他們脫離欺壓者，
但這只會讓他們又去犯罪。
參孫是出生在這些罪惡時代的其中之一，因為，
1以色列人又行耶和華眼中看為惡的事，
(士 13：1a)
Furthermore, Manoah belonged to
the tribe of Dan, a tribe that stands
out as one of the least faithful to God.
Judges 1 records that many Israelite
tribes failed to drive out the Canaanites
from the land, as God had
commanded. But the Danites fared
worse than the rest—they themselves
were driven back into the mountains
by the Amorites (Judg 1:34). Another
incident is recorded in Judges 18,
where the Danites took the idols of
Micah’s house and worshipped them
as if they were the Lord God of Israel.
而且，瑪挪亞屬於但支派，這個支派特別是對神信心最小為著名。
士師記第一章記載，許多以色列人不能從迦南地趕出那些迦南人，就如神所說。
但是但支派的情況是比其他支派更加遭糕-
他們自已被亞摩利人趕到山上去。(士 1：34)
另一個事件記載在士師記18章，
但支派搶了米迦家中的許多偶像，
敬拜這些像，就如同在敬拜以色列的神一樣。
In the midst of Israel’s spiritual
depravity, the Danites proved to be
the weakest in faith. Yet, here is a
Danite couple who was intent on
going against the grain. Manoah
prayed to the Lord, enquired about
how to raise the boy, and, with his
wife, offered a young goat with the
grain offering to the Lord (Judg 13:8,
12, 19). If we consider the godless
times in which Samson’s parents lived,
and the fact that they had every
intention to raise the child according
to the Angel’s instructions, we can
infer that they were, indeed, godly
parents.
在這以色列靈命墮落的時刻，但支派被証明是信仰上最軟弱的。
然而，這一對但的夫婦，他們卻想要違背素祭的規則。
瑪挪亞和他太太向神禱告，詢問要如何扶養這個男孩，
獻上一隻山羊和素祭，奉獻給神。(士 13：8，12，19)
若我們想到參孫父母住的這個不敬神的時代背景，
事實是，他們跟據天使的指示來扶養這個孩子，
是的，我們可以推論他們是一對敬虔的父母。
God’s Blessings and Abidance 神的祝福和同在
Not only was Samson born into a
godly household, God was also with
him as he grew up: “So the woman
bore a son and called his name
Samson; and the child grew, and the
Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of
the Lord began to move upon him at
Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and
Eshtaol” (Judg 13:24–25; emphasis
added). God was with Samson so that
he could consecrate and dedicate his
life as a Nazirite for the work of God,
to fulfill his calling.
參孫不只在一個敬虔的家庭中出生，
隨著他的長大，神也與他同在：
24後來婦人生了一個兒子，給他起名叫參孫。孩子長大，耶和華賜福與他。
25在瑪哈尼但，就是瑣拉和以實陶中間，耶和華的靈才感動他。
(士 13：24-25，加入強調)
神和參孫同在，這樣他才可以潔淨自已，獻上自已的生命，
為了神的工作成為一個拿細耳人，來完成他所承受的呼召。
At this point of the story, Samson
was a man whose birth had been
twice announced by the Angel, he
was consecrated by God as a Nazirite
from his mother’s womb, brought up
by godly parents, and blessed by
God’s movement. Could a servant of
God have asked for more? In fact, the
root word for the name Samson
means “sun,” which is apt for a man
who was to shine as bright as the sun,
and had all he needed to accomplish
this. But why did he fail so
spectacularly?
故事中在這個時刻，參孫是一個男人，他的出來已經被天使宣告了兩次，
他被神潔淨從母腹之中，就成為一個拿細耳人，
被敬虔的父母扶養長大，受到祝福得到神的感動。
難道身為一個神的僕人，還能要求再得到更多了嗎？
事實上，參孫名字的字根，意思是"sun 太陽"，
這個名字適合用於男人，他們像太陽一樣的發出光輝，
並且他擁有一件所需要的條件，來完成這些事。
但是他為何會這麼引人注意式的自已墮落呢？
Samson’s Downfall 參孫的墮落
As Samson’s story unfolds, we see a
man dedicated not to his calling, but
to satisfying his flesh. One example of
this is when he attempted to marry a
Philistine woman in Timnah.
隨著揭開參孫的故事，
我們看到一個人不專注於自已的呼召，
反而自在意滿足於自已肉體的需求。
這樣的例子，就是當他在亭拿被引誘要娶腓利士的女子為妻。
In Judges 14:1–4, Samson told his
father, “I have seen a woman in
Timnah of the daughters of the
Philistines; now therefore, get her for
me as a wife.” Of course, Samson’s
godly parents objected to his
demands, but their objections fell on
deaf ears. Samson was adamant: “Get
her for me, for she pleases me well.”
The New Living Translation1 translates
this as, “Get her for me! She looks
good to me.” When Samson later
spoke to her, again, he was well
pleased (Judg 14:7).
在士師記14章1-4節中，參孫告訴父親說，
"我在亭拿看見一個女子，是非利士人的女兒，願你們給我娶來為妻。"(2)
當然，參孫敬虔的父母會反對他的要求，
但是他們的反對在參孫的裝聾作啞之中而失效 。
參孫很頑固，
"願你給我娶那女子，因我喜悅他。"(3)
英文聖經新普及譯本，把這一句話翻譯成，
"願你給我娶那女子，因她看起來與我相配。"
後來當參孫和她說話的時候，再一次，他覺得很樂。
Samson was clearly a man of the
flesh. It did not matter that God had
forbidden the Israelites from marrying
the Canaanites (Deut 7:3–4). Worse
still, his consecration as a Nazirite
meant nothing to him. Samson saw
what he liked and took it. He did
whatever was good in his own eyes—
the same pair of eyes that would be
gouged out at the end of his story.
參孫很明顯地是一個注重肉體情慾的人。
對他來說，神禁止以色列人不可以聚迦南女子的命令，一點都不重要。
(申 7：3-4)
而更糟的是，他奉獻為拿細耳人這件事，對他一點也不重要。
參孫只要看到他愛的，就順手拿了。
他只作在自已眼中任何喜愛的事情-
而這一雙眼，在故事的後頭裡，將會被挖出來。
Honey in the Lion’s Carcass 獅子屍體中的蜂蜜
On the journey down to Timnah, a
young lion attacked Samson out of
nowhere (Judg 14:4–6). Of course,
Samson would not be deterred, and
God’s word that he would eventually
deliver the Israelites would surely
come to pass. The Spirit of God came
upon Samson and, for the first time,
we read of his incredible strength—he
tore the lion from limb to limb. He
then rejoined his parents as if nothing
had happened.
往亭拿的路途中，突然冒出來一隻年輕的獅子攻擊參孫。(士 14：4-6)
當然，參孫是不會被阻止的，
而神的話說，他最後會拯救以色列人，則一定會應驗。
神的靈臨到了參孫，這是第一次，我們讀到有關他令人難以置信的強大力量 -
他把獅子也撕裂成一塊一塊。
然後他再回到父母身邊，彷彿都沒事一樣。
Some time later, he returned to see
what had happened to the lion’s
carcass, perhaps to admire his own
handiwork (Judg 14:8–9). He found a
bee nest inside the carcass, and took
some honey to eat. He then gave
some to his parents without informing
them where it had come from.
一段時間之後，他回去看看到底獅子的屍子怎麼了，
或許是想要看看自已的傑作。
(士 14：8-9)
他發現有蜜蜂把屍體當成窩，並且從其中拿了一些蜜來吃。
然後也給他父母吃了一些蜜，並沒有告訴他們，這些蜜是怎麼來的。
Now, let us remind ourselves that
the Israelites were forbidden from
eating anything unclean. The lion was
an unclean animal, and anyone who
touched the carcass of an unclean
animal would be defiled (Lev 11:24–
28). An unclean animal could not
defile an Israelite while it was still
alive, but when it died, whatever
came in contact with it would also
become unclean (Judg 11:32). Hence,
the honey from the lion’s carcass was
unclean. Samson not only defiled
himself, but his parents too. Worse,
Samson and his mother had been
explicitly prohibited by God from
eating anything unclean. But Samson
did not consider any of these things.
The sweetness of the honey
outweighed the fact that he would be
defiled by the carcass.
現在，讓我們提醒一下自已，
以色列人是不被允許吃任何不潔的東西。
獅子是不潔之動物，有人若碰到不潔動物的屍體，就會被沾污。
(利 11：24-28)
不潔的動物還活著的時候，不會沾污以色列人，
但獅子死了的時候，若有任何人碰到它就會變得不潔。
(士 11：32)
因此，從獅子屍體裡面拿到的蜂蜜，也是不潔淨的。
參孫不只沾污自已，而且也害到他的父母。
更糟的是，參孫和她媽媽特別被神禁止吃到不潔淨的東西。
但是參孫並沒有想到這些事情。
蜂蜜的甜美，勝過了他會被屍體沾污。
The image of the honey in the lion’s
carcass neatly encapsulates the phrase
“the passing pleasures of sin” (Heb
11:25). Sin is like the lion’s carcass
that defiles, but it also has its moments
of pleasure, like the taste of honey.
This represents Samson’s fatal flaw:
he would always choose to eat sweet
honey over preserving his holiness.
Throughout his life, he did not concern
himself with keeping to the restrictions
of the Nazirite vow. In fact, he never
chose to be a Nazirite, it was forced
upon him from birth. He was a Nazirite
by name, but not in spirit.
獅子屍體中蜂蜜的意象，完完整整地濃縮在
"暫時享受罪中之樂。"這句話之中。
(來 11：25)
罪就像獅子的屍體一樣，會讓人污染，也像是蜂蜜的滋味。
這代表了參孫的致命弱點：
他總會選擇吃甜美的蜂蜜，勝過要保守自已的聖潔。
縱觀他的一生，他並沒有想到，要遵守拿細耳人起誓的禁令。
事實上，他從沒有選擇要成為一個拿細耳人，
這是從他一出生之後就強加在他身上的。
他只是一個名稱上的拿細耳人，而不是一個屬靈的拿細耳人。
Samson’s Literary Gift 參孫的文學恩賜
Although Samson was immensely
blessed by God, he only used God’s
gifts to satisfy his own desires. In fact,
Samson was not only blessed with
brute strength, but also with a gift for
words. He posed this riddle to the
Philistines: “Out of the eater came
something to eat, and out of the
strong came something sweet” (Judg
14:14). Clearly, Samson had the brains
and the brawn. Later, he composed
another poem on the spot after killing
a thousand Philistines:
雖然參孫深受神的祝福，他只用神的恩賜來滿足自已的慾望。
事實上，參孫不只受祝福，有狂暴的力量，
而且也有詩詞文字的恩賜。
他作了這個謎題給腓利士人：
"14吃的從吃者出來；甜的從強者出來。"
(士 14：14)
很明顯地，參孫文武兼備。
後來，他在殺了一千個腓利士人的地方，又作了另外一首詩。
“With the jawbone of a donkey,
Heaps upon heaps,
With the jawbone of a donkey
I have slain a thousand men!”
(Judg 15:16)
16參孫說：我用驢恉骨殺人成堆，用驢腮骨殺了一千人。
(士 15：16)
What is poignant here is that God
blessed Samson with such potential.
Samson could have been a much
greater man—perhaps even a
precursor to David, the sweet Psalmist
of Israel. But unlike David, who used
his literary gift to compose psalms to
praise God, Samson used his gift for
his own ends. He posed the riddle to
the Philistines to win himself thirty
sets of clothing. And he composed
the poem not to praise God for giving
him a miraculous victory, but to glorify
himself for killing a thousand men
with only a donkey’s jawbone.
參孫本來可以成為一個更偉大的人 -
甚至或許會是大衛之前最偉的人，以色列最柔美的詩人。
但他不像大衛可以用文學天賦，作詩來讚美神，
參孫為了自已的目九來用神的恩賜。
他作謎語給腓利士人，為了替自已贏到30套衣服。
而且他作詩不是為了讚美神，給了他神蹟似的大勝利，
而是用來榮耀自已，只用一個根驢腮骨，就殺了一千個人。
Did God Cause Samson to Fall in
Love with the Philistine Woman?
是不是神讓參孫愛上腓利士人的女人？
When the Bible describes Samson’s
desire to marry the Philistine woman,
it adds: “But his father and mother
did not know that it was of the Lord—
that He was seeking an occasion to
move against the Philistines” (Judg
14:4). Hence, one might ask, is this
entire incident from God? Actually,
we have to understand that God did
not approve of Samson’s actions.
Rather, God was using Samson’s freely
made decisions to fulfill His will.
當聖經描寫參孫想要聚腓利士女人為妻的時候，
補充說：
4他的父母卻不知道這事是出於耶和華，因為他找機會攻擊非利士人。
(士 14：4)
因此，會有人問？這整個事件是來自於神嗎？
事實上，我們一定要知道，神並沒有允許參孫的行動。
反過來，神用參孫自已所作的決定，來完成他自已的希望。
Indeed, God had told Manoah’s
wife that Samson would deliver the
Israelites. However, Samson was not
like Moses, who was moved to deliver
the Israelites when he saw them
suffering. Samson simply acted on his
desires impulsively. He wanted to
marry the Philistine woman because
he was attracted to her. He posed the
riddle because he wanted thirty sets
of clothing for free. He killed thirty
Philistines in Ashkelon because he
was angry that he had lost the wager
and had to pay up. He set the
Philistines’ fields on fire because his
father-in-law had given his wife to his
best man. He killed yet more Philistines
because they had burned his wife and
her father. Everything he did was
based on the flesh and on impulse. In
fact, he had every intention of
marrying the Philistine woman, but
God would not allow him to
consummate the marriage. As a result,
Samson grew angry, and Samson
killed. Through this, Samson delivered
the Israelites and fulfilled the will of
God.
事的，神原本就告訴瑪挪亞的妻子，參孫以後會拯救以色列人。
然而，參孫並沒有像摩西一樣，當他看到以色列人受苦的時候，
就受到感動想要拯救他們。
參孫只是根據他自已的慾望衝動的行動。
他想要娶腓利士的女人，因為他覺得她很漂亮。
他創作謎題，只因為他想要30套免費的衣服。
他在亞實基倫殺了30個腓利士人，因為他很生氣，自已輸了賭注，所以要賠錢。
他在腓利士人的田裡放火，因為他岳父把他的太太送給了他的伴郎。
然而，他又殺了更多的腓利士人，因為他們殺了他太太和岳父。
他所作的每一個事，都來自於血氣和衝動。
事實上，他有強烈的意圖想要娶這腓利士的女人，
但神卻不允許他完成這個婚姻。
結果，參孫變的超生氣，所以參孫就到處殺人。
透過這件事，參孫救了以色列人，完成了社的旨意。
The Spiritual Decline of Samson 參孫屬靈的退步
From a spiritual viewpoint, Samson
had complete disregard for the word
of God. Throughout his life, he only
pursued Philistine women, those
whom God had expressly forbidden
the Israelites from marrying. In
Timnah, Samson was unwilling to
marry any Israelite, but was adamant
on marrying a Philistine woman just
because she “looked good” to him.
Later, he saw a prostitute in Gaza and
paid to sleep with her (Judg 16:1).
Finally, he fell in love with Delilah, and
lived with her out of wedlock. Samson
had no qualms with defiling his body,
whether it was paying a prostitute or
cohabiting with Delilah, to satisfy his
fleshly desires. This failure to resist the
honey in the lion’s carcass ultimately
led to his demise.
若從屬靈的觀點來看，參孫完全忽略神的話。
他整個人生，只在追求腓利士的女人，
而這些人是神很清楚明白的禁止以色列人通婚。
在亭拿的時候，參孫不願意娶其他的以色列人，
但卻很頑固地想娶腓利士的女人，只因為她"看起來對他很好"。
後來，他看見一個迦薩地的妓女，付錢和她同床。(士 16：1)
最後，他愛上大利拉，非婚和她同居。
參孫沾污了自已的身體，卻沒有良心不安，
不論他是花錢召妓，或和大利拉同居，都只為了滿足自已肉體的慾望。
因為不能避免吃獅子屍體裡面的蜂蜜的錯誤，
到最後導致了他的死亡。
As far as his Nazirite status was
concerned, Samson violated one
restriction after another with wanton
disregard. He ate unclean food—the
honey from the lion’s carcass. He also
threw a wedding feast at Timnah,
where it is likely that he drank wine
(in Hebrew, the root word for “feast”
is, literally, “drink.”) Now, the only
Nazirite restriction left unbroken was
the prohibited cutting of hair. And this
is the area where he played
dangerously close to the edge.
而就他拿細耳人身份而言，
參孫是肆意妄為，違犯很多條戒律。
他吃不潔的食物 - 獅子屍體中的蜂蜜。
他也在亭拿辨婚宴，在那裡他很可能喝了酒
(在希伯來文中，"婚宴"的字根，就字意來說就是"喝酒")。
現在，唯一沒有被打破的拿細耳規定，就只有禁止理髮。
這個地方，就是他在危險邊緣中玩弄之處。
Going to the Edge 靠近危險邊綠
In Judges 16, we read that the
Philistines paid Delilah to seduce
Samson. Indeed, she asked him
directly about the source of his power,
saying, “Please tell me where your
great strength lies, and with what you
may be bound to afflict you” (Judg
16:6). Samson must have realized
what Delilah was doing, because each
time he disclosed his supposed
weakness, she would use it to try to
subdue him and allow the Philistines
to attack. And yet, Samson was not
concerned; he continued to play with
fire by engaging with Delilah’s game.
He did not realize that he was drawing
closer and closer to the edge. First he
said “bind me with seven fresh
bowstrings” (Judg 16:7); then, “bind
me securely with new ropes” (v. 11);
then, “weave the seven locks of my
head into the web of the loom” (v.
13). He finally caved in and confessed,
“If I am shaven, then my strength will
leave me” (v. 17). This was the straw
that broke the camel’s back. When
the Philistines attacked, Samson did
not realize that he was powerless, and
that God had already departed from
him (v. 20).
在士師記16章，我們讀到腓利士人付錢給大利拉去引誘參孫。
事的，她直接問他有關他力量的來源，
6求你告訴我，你因何有這麼大的力氣，當用何法捆綁剋制你。
(士 16：6)
參孫一定知道大利拉在作什麼，
因為每一次他暴露自已的假弱點，
她就會用這個弱點來控制他，讓腓利士人來攻擊。
然而參孫一點也不在意；他持續加入大利拉的遊戲，在玩火。
他並不了解，自已已經越來越靠近危險的邊緣了。
第一次他說，
7人若用七條未乾的青繩子捆綁我。
(士 16：7)
然後，
11人若用沒有使過的新繩捆綁我(11)；
然後，
13你若將我頭上的七條髮綹，與緯線同織就可以了。(13)
最後他認輸了，並且承認，
17若剃了我的頭髮，我的力氣就離開我(17)
這就是壓垮駱駝的最後一根稻草。
當腓利士攻擊的時候，參孫並不知道他已經失去力氣了，
神已經離開他了。(20)
It is just as the proverb warns: “Can
a man take fire to his bosom, and his
clothes not be burned?” (Prov 6:27)
When it comes to sin, man likes to
play with fire. We like to go to the
edge and test the boundaries, thinking
that we can always turn back in time.
就如同箴言裡面警告我們：
27人若懷裡搋火，衣服豈能不燒呢？
(箴 6：27)
當談到罪的時候，人就像玩火一樣。
我們愛走到危險邊緣，測試看看到底那裡是邊界，
會認為自已總是有時間可以走回來。
With regards to sexual sin, some
believers go to the edge without
thinking of the consequences. It is
only after they have indulged their
flesh that they ask, “Is this a mortal
sin?” Unfortunately, some go so close
to the edge that they inadvertently
fall off. They realize, too late, that the
Lord has already departed from them.
This is what happened to Samson—
he lived his life so close to the edge
that he fell off, and the Lord departed
from him.
關於姦淫的罪，有些信徒直接走向危險邊緣，而沒有考慮其後果。
只有在他們沉溺在情慾之後，他們才問，
"這是致死的大罪嗎？"
很不幸地是，有一些人走得很靠近這危險邊緣，他們不由自主地掉入其中。
他們明白的太晚，因為神已經離開他們了。
這就是參孫所遇到的事情 -
他的生活很靠近危險，結果他就墮落了，而神也離開了他。
The Silver Lining in Samson’s Life
參孫的生命初露曙光
Finally, we come to the last part of
Samson’s life—the silver lining of his
story. His sins had finally caught up
with him, and the very eyes he had
lived to satisfy had been blinded by
his enemies. He had used God’s
strength for his own purposes, and
now he had to use his own strength
to work as a grinder in prison. He had
always gratified his flesh and its
desires, but now he had to indulge
the desires of the Philistines by
performing for them. Yet, Samson
was like the man Jesus healed, who
said, “[T]hough I was blind, now I
see” (Jn 9:25b). Samson’s physical
eyes were blind, but his spiritual sight
was finally clear.
最後，我們來看看參孫生命最後的一部份 -他故事一線曙光初露。
他的罪最後找到了他，他活著用來滿足自已的雙眼，已經被敵人挖出來了。
他濫用神的力量來滿足自已的喜好，
如今他要用他的力氣在監牢裡，成為推磨的工人。
他總是滿足自已的肉體和情慾，
但現在要為了腓利士人的慾望，為他們表演。
但參孫就像耶穌所醫治的人一樣，會說，
25從前我是眼瞎的，如今能看見了。
(約 9：25b)
參孫肉體的眼睛已經瞎了，但他屬靈的眼睛最後終於看清楚了。
When the author of Hebrews lists
down the Old Testament heroes of
faith, Samson is included (Heb 11:32).
Some find it puzzling that Samson is
mentioned, while others explain it
away by saying that he demonstrated
some faith throughout his life. But let
us not forget, Samson was able to
achieve his final victory only because
God answered his prayer. Samson
called out: “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” (Judg 16:28). As
Isaiah says, it is our iniquities that
separate us from God (Isa 59:2).
Samson’s sins had alienated him from
God. Would God have answered his
final prayer if Samson had not truly
repented?
當希伯來書作者列出舊約信仰上的英雄之時，
參孫被列在其中。(來 11：32)
有些人會覺得很疑惑，為什麼也提到參孫呢？
另有一些人會說，經過他的一生，他展示了一些信心。
但是我們不要忘了，參孫可以完成他最後的勝利，
只因為神回應了他的禱告。
參孫呼求神：
28主耶和華啊，求你眷念我。神啊，求你賜我這一次的力量，使我在非利士人身上報那剜我雙眼的仇。
(士 16：28)
就如以利亞所說，因為我們的罪孽，讓我們與神分開。(賽 59：2)
參孫的罪讓他遠離了神。
若參孫沒有真的悔改，神會垂聽他最後的禱告嗎？
The same God who had left Samson
in the Valley of Sorek would again
strengthen him, one last time. With
one push, Samson brought down the
temple of Dagon and killed 3,000
Philistines, including many prominent
leaders. This victory was to be
Samson’s greatest, but it was also his
last. He died along with the Philistines.
And after a lifetime of living with the
Philistines, Samson was brought back
to his own people to be buried in his
father’s tomb (Judg 16:31).
在梭烈谷離棄參孫的神，同樣也是再一次加添他力量的神，只不過那是最後一次了。
只用了一推，參孫把大袞廟推倒了，殺了三千個腓利士人，
其中包括了很多有名的頭頭。
這是參孫最大的勝利，但也是他最後的勝利。
他隨著這些腓利士人而死去。
在與腓利士人生活一段時間之後，
參孫終於被帶回到自已的族人之中，被人埋在他父親的墳墓裡。
(士 16：31)
Samson’s end reveals to us the
power of God’s forgiveness. The
greatest victory lies in overcoming our
past sins, and repenting with a broken
and contrite heart (Ps 51:17). For this
is when God hears and answers our
prayer.
參孫的結局告訴我們神憐恤的力量。
最大的勝利，在於我們可以克服過去的罪惡，
憂傷痛悔的心，你必不輕看。(詩 51：17)
就因為這樣，神才會垂聽，並且回應我們的禱告。
Conclusion 結論
Samson is like the worker who “will
be saved, yet as through fire” (1 Cor
3:15b). The conclusion of Samson’s
story is tinged with sadness. We see
his unfulfilled potential, like so many
athletes who show brilliant talent in
their youth, but indulge in the party
lifestyle and fizzle out before their
prime.
參孫就像有些工人，他們
15雖然得救，乃像從火裡經過的一樣。
(林前 3：15b)
參孫故事的結局，加添了幾許憂傷。
我們可以看到他有很多沒作到的潛能，
就像很多運動員一樣，他們在年輕的時候就表現的非常有天份，
但是後來沉溺在宴樂的生活中，在他們到達全盛時期之前，卻失敗告終。
Samson was a man who simply
indulged his flesh, used God’s gifts for
himself, and trampled his Nazirite
calling. He could have accomplished
so much for God, but his life ended
with many regrets and what-ifs. He
failed to live up to his name; he failed
to shine as bright as the sun.
參孫身為人，只是沉溺在肉體的情慾之中，
使用神給他的恩賜但卻只滿足自已的需求，
賤踏了他身為拿細耳人的呼召。
他本來可以為神完成許多的事情，
但他的生命卻以許多的悔恨，及或許沒有當初，就不會有現在這樣的結果，作為結束。
他不能活出符合他身份的生活方式；
他不能像太陽一樣發出強大的亮光。
The question for us to ponder is:
What about us? Will our Christian life
be one of regrets and tragic waste? Let
us learn from Samson’s mistakes and
seek to fulfill our potential. If we
embrace our calling and use our gifts
to shine for God, then we can do
mighty and victorious works for Him.
讓我們來思考的問題是：假如今天問題是發生在我們身上的時候，到底會怎麼呢？
難道我們身為基督徒的生活，會成為一種後悔，及悲慘的浪費嗎？
讓我們從參孫的錯誤中學習，努力尋求來完成自已最大的可能性。
若我們真能好好擁抱自已的使命，
使用自已的恩賜來為主發光，
那麼我們就能為主作些偉大又得勝的聖工。
1 Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright c 1996,
2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol
Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
1 聖經新普及譯本，版權所有 c 1996
2004, 2015 丁道爾之家出版社。
依丁道爾之家出版社公司，卡羅爾溪伊利諾州 60188
版權所有
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