Manna issue 81 - Lessons from Samson’s Life 參孫一生的教訓
Reflecting on the parallels
between Samson and ourselves.
反省自已和參孫相對應的情況
Shane Yeoh—Singapore 新加坡 Shane Yeoh
The story of Samson is one of
paradoxes and contrasts. It is the
simple story of a man who hopes for
greatness, and in whom great hope is
placed. Yet he consistently disappoints,
just as he is himself disappointed.
Importantly, however, within these
paradoxes lies the clear answer to a
notoriously difficult question: What
does God want from me?
參孫的故事，不但很矛盾，而且也很對比。
這是一個人的小故事，他希望可以成就大事，在他身上也被安置了很大的期待。
然而他不斷失望，就如他自已的行為也很另人失望。
然而最重要地是，在這些矛盾之中，有一個最困難問題很清楚的答案：
神到底要我作什麼？
The answer can be summed up in
several key lessons from the life of the
lion-slaying, jawbone-swinging judge
of Israel. And it is one that is especially
pertinent to Christians in the True
Jesus Church (TJC) today.
從這個可以殺獅子，揮舞驢腮骨殺人，的以色列士師的一生之中，
我們所要的答案，可以歸結成幾個重要的教訓。
對於今日真耶穌教會(TJC) 的基督徒而言，
這是和我們有特別相關的。
SPECIALLY CHOSEN OR CHOSEN
TO BE SPECIAL?
特別被選出來，或是被選來要成為特殊的人？
The first paradox in the Samson saga
lies in the circumstances of his birth.
Through it we see the crucial
difference between being specially
chosen and being chosen to be
special. Acknowledging the potential
gulf between these two ideas leads to
a better understanding of what it
means to be a TJC Christian.
在參孫傳奇的第一矛盾就是他出生的環境。
透過他的例子，我們看到在特別揀選，及被選要成為很特別，是有很決定性的不同。
能夠在這兩個想法之間，深入了解其中潛在的分岐，
讓我們有更清楚的了解，對真耶穌教會的信徒而言 其中代表了什麼意思。
Samson’s birth was an intensely
cinematic affair. In the Bible, God (or
His messengers) rarely visited
unsuspecting parents-to-be to inform
them of a child’s imminent birth. But
when such a visit did happen, these
children would go on to do great
things and eventually be immortalized
in the pages of the Bible as spiritual
heroes. Examples which come to mind
are Isaac and Jesus Christ. On this
basis, the Angel’s visitation of Manoah
and his wife immediately placed
Samson within the ranks of the great
workers of God. Furthermore, the
divine demands of strict sanctity
imposed on both Samson and his
mother affirm our suspicions that God
had incredible plans for Samson’s
future.
參孫的出生是一個很緊湊的戲劇情結。
在聖經裡，神(或是祂的使者)，很難得地來訪問這對不疑有他將要成為父母的夫婦，
告訴他們將有一個小孩快要來臨。
但是當這種訪問發生的時候，
這些小孩子會去作大事，到最後成為聖經篇章裡面永遠的屬靈模範。
所能想到的例子，就是以撒和耶穌基督。
若以這樣的思考點為基礎，天使來訪瑪挪亞和他太太，
立刻就把參孫放在神偉大工人的行列了。
不僅如此，來自神的要求，要參孫和他媽媽要嚴格遵守聖潔的條例，
更確認了我們的猜想，就是神對參孫的未來，有奇妙的安排。
Great things were expected of this
child.
這個小孩被期待作大事
It is here that the paradox surfaces.
While Samson’s birth and childhood
were closely supervised by both God
and his parents to ensure that this
chosen child would realize his Nazirite
destiny, to be pure and mighty before
God, Samson’s adult life was
everything his birth was not. As seen
in the previous character study,
Samson was, through and through, a
worldly man driven by impulse and
vice.
也就是在這個地方出現了矛盾。
雖然參孫的出生和小時候，受到了神和父母的緊緊的看顧，
來確保這個被揀選的小朋友會了解到他身為拿細耳人的命運，
能夠在神面前保持純潔並且大有能力，
然而參孫長大成人之後，卻完全過著和他出生相反的情況。
就如同我們之前在他性格的研究之中所看到的，
參孫徹徹底底就是一個世上帶有肉體的世人，
完全依著自已的衝動和惡習在行動。
What are we to make of this?
我們對這個的了解是什麼？
First, our calling does not guarantee
our salvation. The phrase “ born into
the church” is common TJC parlance,
articulating a widely shared experience
of having been baptized as an infant
and subsequently raised as a churchgoing
Christian. For many of us, we
did not find the church, the church
found us. All we had to do was follow
the lead of our parents and guardians.
Even those who came to Christ later
in their adult lives may have
experienced being nudged to embrace
the truth when they had not been
diligently seeking a god to believe in.
They, too, feel that God had found
them. Those in this category enjoy the
Samsonic privilege of having God’s
calling thrust upon us—without merit,
without effort. However, Samson’s
tragedy teaches us that our
consecration does not guarantee a life
of walking with God, it merely permits
it. It remains our imperative duty to
continue to “work out our salvation”
(Phil 2:12) with diligence and loyalty
to Christian principles. We cannot
take our election for granted—too
much is at stake.
第一，我們受到呼召，並不保証我們就一定會得救。
"生在教會裡"這個詞句，是很平常的真耶穌教會信徒的說法。
所要清楚表達的一種普遍共享的經驗，
就是嬰兒時就受洗，接著就被養成一種會去教會聚會的基督徒。
對我們許多人而言，並不是我們去找教會，而是教會找到了我們。
我們所要作的，就是遵守父母和長輩的帶領。
即使是後來才在成人時來信主的人，
當他們並沒有努力尋求來信主的時候，也會被人勸勉要追求真理。
他們也同樣發現，是神找到了他們。
在這種分類裡的這些人，他們同享了像參孫一樣的特權，
有神的呼召來就近他們-並不是因為佳德善行，也沒有一點個人的努力付出。
然而參孫的悲劇教了我們，我們的成聖稱義，
並不保証我們會一生和神同行，這不過是允許我們可以這麼作而已。
這仍是我們必要的責任，要一直努力殷勤，並且忠於基督徒的原則，來"努力達成得救的工夫"。
我們不能把自已得到揀選視為理所當然 - 因為有許多人這樣而非常的危險。
Secondly, raising the youth of our
church requires vigilance and effort
from the entire church. Manoah and
his wife could have easily yielded to
the apostasy and degeneration of the
Israel they knew. But Samson’s parents
remembered the God of their fathers.
They were incredibly attentive to the
instructions of the Angel, displaying
no doubt, challenging no order.
Samson’s time—when walking
according to God’s way seemed futile
and outdated—is no different from
the time in which we now live. The
church, the religious education
teachers, and the family must thus
work together to secure the child’s
election and calling. Every child of
God is precious. We must take our
consecration as seriously as God does.
第二，要把我們教會的青年扶養起來，
需要整個教會的警醒和努力。
因為以色列人已經背道及墮落，
瑪挪亞和他太太可以輕易地向他們所知道的情況妥協。
但是參孫的父母記得他們祖先的神。
另人難以置信的是，他們很專注於天使的指示，
並沒有顯示出任何懷疑，及反抗命令的情況發生。
在參孫的時代 - 根據神的方式來行事為人，似乎是無用且過時的方式 -
和我們現今所居住的時代，情況並沒有什麼不同。
因此教會，宗教教育老師，和家庭都要一起工作，來確保孩子的揀選和呼召。
每一個神的小孩都是珍貴的。
我們一定要把自已的得救，像神一樣很認真的看待。
Samson believed that he was
“specially chosen.” Taken wrongly, it
may cause one to labor under the
self-indulgent and misguided notion
that one is somehow better than
others. God’s calling for the true
church today, as it was for Samson,
was a “choosing to be special.”
參孫認為，自已是"特別揀選的"。
這完完全全是認知錯誤了，
這會導致人在一種自我放縱及偏差想法中作工，
他會認為自已在某些方式比別人更好。
對今日真教會而言，神的呼召就如同給參孫的呼召是一樣的，
就是要揀選你們，成為一種與眾不同的人。
We were elected for a purpose. Our
membership of the true church is not
a privilege for us to bask in during our
earthly lives and then brandish at the
gates of heaven. It is a call to be
different to the world, to be special, to
be the city set on a hill, a light in the
darkness, and the salt of the earth (Mt
5:13–15). Samson’s failure resulted
from his conviction that he was a
“specially chosen” and invincible
Hercules, destined to take everything
he wanted with his strength. But in
reality, he was “chosen to be
special”—a son of God destined to
save others with God’s strength. Our
election is not a convenience, but a
commission to bless the lives of those
around us for as long as we are able to
work.
我們會被選，都有原因的。
我們成為真教會的信徒，不是我們在地上生活拿出來炫耀的一種特權，
也不是將來在天國門口之前向人打招呼用的。
這是一種呼召，要與世界有所差異，要成為一種特別的存在，
就好像是山頂上的城市一樣，漆黑中的亮光，世上的鹽。
(太 5：13-15)
參孫的失敗源自於他確信，自已是"特別被揀選的"，
像希臘神話裡戰無不勝的大力士海克力斯，
註定要用他的力量，來奪取他想要的任何事物。
但事實上，他要"被選出來要成為與眾不同的存在" -
註定是一個要用神力量，來解救別人的神之子。
我們被揀選不是只是圖自已的方便而已，
而是有使命在我們身上，只要我們可以作工的話，
就要祝福那些在我們身旁所有的生命。
THE FOLLY OF THE POWERFUL
有能力的愚蠢
Samson’s adventures also teach us
about using our talents for God.
參孫的冒險，也教導了我們有關如何為神使用自已的恩賜。
Firstly, we can only achieve true and
lasting happiness if we offer our
talents in service to the Lord, instead
of scheming to use our gifts to buy
ourselves fleeting moments of bliss.
第一 若我們用自已的恩賜來服事神的話，
就能達到最後真正的幸福和快樂，
而不是反過來，用恩賜來謀劃，
讓自已取得那些稍縱即逝的瞬間幸福。
This is the second paradox: Samson
the polymath wore many hats—
strongman, sage and poet, among
others. How did a man of unequalled
strength, quick wit, literary creativity,
and boundless courage end up leading
a life plagued by disappointment,
loneliness, and despair?
這是第二個矛盾：
參孫是個通才的人，他有許多的頭銜 -
大力士，賢人，詩人，等等。
一個擁有無與倫比力量的人，有機智，有文學創意，及無畏的勇氣，
到底為何到最後過著充滿失望，孤獨及絕望的災難性一生呢？
It was because Samson the
Nazirite—a man dedicated to God
from birth—was more dedicated to
pleasing himself. Every time he made
a decision, Samson asked himself:
What would make me happiest? In a
sense, Samson had made himself his
own god; he used his God-given
capabilities to indulge his fleshly
desires.
這是因為參孫是拿細耳人 - 從出生就獻給神的人 -
而不是獻給自已來享樂。
每當他作決定的時候，參孫問自已：
要作什麼事才能讓我最快樂呢？
就某種意義上來說，參孫把自已當成的自已的神一樣；
他用神給他的能力，讓自已沉溺於自已肉體的情慾。
Today, most of us, if not all, have
been blessed with many advantages:
a strong family, a caring church, loyal
friends, and talents of all stripes. The
temptation to use our gifts solely for
the purposes of office politics or
outperforming our rivals is difficult to
resist. Many of us think we have
struck a happy balance if we use some
of our talents for divine service. On
honest introspection, it is often the
case that God can have what is left
over when all is said and done. We
still harbor the happy delusion that
we can safely navigate between the
kingdom of God and Satan’s domain,
and have the best of both worlds.
今日，若不是全部的人，至少也是我們之中大部份的人，
有受過祝福得到許多的優勢：
穩固的家庭，很關心的教會，忠心的朋友，各種形形色色的才能。
我們所會面的對引誘，就是特別把恩賜用在處理辨公室關係的各方面事情，
或是用恩賜來顯出，我們比對手更加出色，遇到這些情況時，都很難拒絕。
我們許多人認為，若我們用一些自已的恩賜來作聖工，
就可以達到一種世俗和屬靈的平衡。
若是好好認真自我反省一番，
但結果的情況常常會是，神到底能得到什麼剩下的事物呢？
我們仍然抱有一種幸福的錯覺，
認為我們可以安全的遊走在神國和撒旦領域之間，
而且能夠得到這兩個世界中最好的東西。
Paul punctures this delusion in his
letter to the Ephesians, declaring, “For
we are His workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus for good works, which
God prepared beforehand that we
should walk in them” (Eph 2:10). To
attain a true sense of fulfillment and
joy, we must not solely invest divinely
conferred gifts in the fleeting ventures
of the world. Only when we commit
our talents to blessing those around
us and bringing souls to Christ can we
experience the otherworldly joy that
comes from knowing that we have
fulfilled our true calling as God’s elect.
保羅寫信給以弗所教會的書信中，就刺破了這種錯覺，
宣佈說，
"10我們原是他的工作，在基督耶穌裡造成的，為要叫我們行善，就是神所預備叫我們行的。"
(弗 2：10)
要得到真正的成就感及喜樂的感覺，
我們一定不可只把從神所領受的恩賜，
用在世上稍縱逝的探險樂趣中。
只有當我們完全把自已的恩賜用來帶給身邊的人得到祝福之時，
把人的靈魂帶來歸向基督，我們才能體驗到超脫世俗的喜樂，
而這種快樂是來自於，當我們受到神揀選的時候，
自已所要真正完成的呼召。
Samson’s tragedy shows that the
road of self-indulgence leads straight
to the cliff of self-destruction.
參孫的悲劇代表了，自已沉溺在享樂的道路上，
最後會直接走到自我毀滅的懸崖。
THE POWER OF THE FOOLISH
愚拙的力量
Lastly, we examine the third major
paradox of Samson’s life. Throughout
the Samson saga, the Israelite
champion used his great might to
antagonize and defeat the Philistines,
Israel’s arch-nemesis. Yet, he won his
greatest victory over Israel’s foe not
by virtue of a dramatic feat of
strength. Instead, Samson’s greatest
victory was achieved as he leaned
weakly against pagan pillars, blinded
and alone, the resident clown of his
sneering Philistine captors. Once
upon a time, the heaving, mighty
Samson felled hundreds. In his final
moments, after a murmured prayer,
the dying, sightless Samson felled
thousands.
最後，我們來看看第三個參孫生命中主要的矛盾。
在整個參孫的故事中，這個以色列的優勝者用他偉大的力量，
來反抗，並且打敗腓利士人，這個以色列人一種勢均力敵的種族。
然而，他贏得了最大的勝利，打敗以色列人的仇敵，
不是由於他有力量這個戲劇般技藝，
參孫得到最大的勝利的時候，他很虛弱地靠著異教偶像的柱子，
眼又瞎，人又孤獨，在抓住他，嘲笑他的腓利士人面前，是常駐在那裡的小丑。
從前，這個抬頭挺胸，大能大力的參孫，可以打倒幾百個人。
在他最後的時刻，在默禱之後，
這個已經快死，又看不見的參孫，殺死了幾千個人。
And that is how God likes to work.
然後，這就是神所喜愛的作工方式
But God has chosen the foolish
things of the world to put to shame
the wise, and God has chosen the
weak things of the world to put to
shame the things which are mighty.
(1 Cor 1:27)
27神卻揀選了世上愚拙的，叫有智慧的羞愧；又揀選了世上軟弱的，叫那強壯的羞愧。
(林前 1：27)
God is not concerned about what
we can or cannot do. It is what we
will or will not do for Him that matters
most. The True Jesus Church had
humble beginnings. A hundred years
later, we still do not have many rich,
powerful or influential members.
When others look at us, they see a
church not charismatic enough, not
fast enough, not sophisticated
enough. But these attributes matter
little to God. All God needs are hearts
that are willing enough. Just like
Samson’s at his end.
神並不會考慮我們到底能不能作事。
而是我們會不會願意為祂作事，才是祂的最大考量。
真耶穌教會一開始很卑微。
一百年之後，我們仍然沒有很多有錢，有力，有勢的信徒。
當別人看我們的時候，他們看見一個沒有很有吸引力的教會，
發展沒很快，教會看起來也不精緻。
但是這些特質對神來說都不重要。
神所要的，就是要有非常樂意的心。
就像參孫在最後的情況。
It is interesting to note that in his
final prayer, Samson called upon God
using three different terms. First, he
invoked Jehovah (YHWH), the
covenantal name of God, the name
revealed to Moses as God promised
the deliverance of His people. Then
Samson uttered Adonai, referring to
God’s authority and ownership over
all things. Lastly, Samson cried out to
Elohim, the plural of El, meaning
"Strong One."
我們可以注意到，很有趣的是，參孫在他最後的禱告中，
用了三種不同的名字來呼求神。
第一次，他叫喚耶和華(YHWH),神在律法中的名字，
神用這個名字像摩西顯現，應許他神會拯救百姓。
然後後參孫說 Adonai，指的是參對於所有的萬事萬物，都有權柄和主權。
最後，大哭叫出 Elohim, 神的複數名詞，意思是"全能的神"。
We can infer from this sequence
that, first, Samson remembered the
covenant of his birth—his original
destiny as performer of good works.
Second, the great and mighty
Samson—one of the strongest men to
have roamed the face of the earth—
finally acknowledged that God was
the ultimate Sovereign in all creation
and that He was the true source of all
strength, including his own. Finally,
after everything that he had been
through, Samson called upon a God
that he finally fully understood. In
doing so, Samson also came to fully
understand himself. All that was asked
of him, and all he had to do, was to
trust and obey.
從這個的結果中，我們可以推論，
第一，參孫記得他出生的律法之約 -
他原本是聖工執行者的命運。
第二，這偉大又有力量的參孫 -
所有出現在地表上的最強者之一 -
最後他承認，神對萬物才有最終的主權，
祂是所有力量的真正源頭，包含參孫身上的力量。
最後，在他經歷了所有事情之後，
參孫呼求神，最後他才完全了解神。
要能夠了解神之前，參孫也一定要先了解自已。
而最後他一切所求的，他一切所作的，就只有信靠和順服。
CONCLUSION 結論
What does God want from us? The
same thing He wanted from Samson
and anyone else who calls upon His
name: obedience. All three paradoxes
of Samson’s life point towards this
one thing. Samson squandered a
consecrated life of promise because
he did not obey his vows. He
perennially sought, but never found,
happiness, because he did not obey.
Only at the very end, when he finally
learned to trust and obey, did he
redeem himself.
神到底在我們身上想要什麼呢？
這也是在參孫和其他任何人身上，祂所想要同樣的東西，
就是要呼求祂的名：順服。
參孫一生中所有三個矛盾都指向這一件事。
參孫浪費了受到應許神聖的一生，因為他並沒有服從自已的誓言。
他一直都在尋找幸福，但卻找不到，因為他並沒有順服。
只有在那最終最後的時刻之時，
當他最後終於學會信靠順服的時候，
他才得到自已救贖。
To truly participate in what God has
in store for the royal priesthood, i.e.
the True Jesus Church (1 Pet 2:9), we
have to be weak and foolish before
God—to always obey, and always
trust. The summary lesson of the life
of one of the mightiest men in
history—it is when we are weak that
we are truly strong (2 Cor 12:10).
若要真心的參與神所事先預備，像君尊祭司般高貴的職份，
也就是，進入真耶穌教會(彼前 2：9)，
在神面前我們一定要顯得愚拙和軟弱 -
永遠順服，永遠信靠。
從這段歷史中，在這個最強大的人之一，經由他的一生，
我們可以歸結出一些教訓 -
就是因為我們什麼時候軟弱，什麼時候就剛強了。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
歡迎主內同靈來信加入翻譯
留言列表
