旧约 - 申命记(Deuteronomy)第1章

These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
(There are eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadeshbarnea.)
And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them;
After he had slain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, which dwelt at Astaroth in Edrei:
On this side Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Moses to declare this law, saying,
The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:
Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates.
Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.
And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:
The LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.
(The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!)
How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?
Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.
And ye answered me, and said, The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do.
So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes.
And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him.
Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.
And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do.
And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadeshbarnea.
And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the LORD our God doth give unto us.
Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.
And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.
And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe:
And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out.
And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the LORD our God doth give us.
Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God:
And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.
Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.
Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.
The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;
And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.
Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,
Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.
And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying,
Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers,
Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD.
Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither.
But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.
But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.
Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill.
And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.
So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill.
And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah.
And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.
So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there.
申命记第一章   第 1 章 

  申 1:1-2> 只要十一天的路程,神为何要他们走四十年?属灵路,挺漫长,如何过?我主,你…… 

  1:1-2 以色列人用了四十年,才走完实际上只需要走十一天的路程。不是由于他们与应许之地距离太远,而是他们的内心出了问题。神不但要把这一大群人安置到新的地方,祂的旨意其实是预备他们,在进入应许之地以后过顺服的生活。假使以色列人跟当地的人一模一样邪恶不仁,祂应许把地赐给他们又有什么益处呢?长途跋涉实在使他们苦不堪言,对磨炼他们的心志却是不可少的。神藉这事教导他们,要认识祂是怎样的一位神──祂乃是永生神,是全民的领袖。祂也教导百姓认识自己是败坏、犯罪、又悖逆又怀疑神的人。祂将律法赐给这些悖逆之民,使他们晓得应该怎样敬畏神、与人相处。你的属灵旅程虽然漫长,可能有痛苦失望与艰难,但是请你切记,神不但要使你存活,祂更要你过事奉祂、敬爱祂的生活。 

  申 1:1-5> 以色列人在旷野四十年,申命记所记载的却只有…… 

  1:1-5 以色列人在旷野飘流四十年,本书只记载他们在这最后一年的第十一个月之中 一两 个礼拜的经历( 1:3 )。第十二个月,就是最后一个月,他们为摩西哀哭( 34:8 )。他们在出埃及以后第四十一年的正月,进入应许之地(参书 4:19 )。 

  申 1:6-7> 摩西从何烈山说起,此山必定意义重大,是──如果神也要我面对以色列人所面对的…… 

  1:6-7 请留意看摩西述说以色列人四十年行程的摘要,不是从埃及而是从何烈(西奈)山开始。他为什么将出埃及的头一部分略去?因为他并不是要列出详尽的行程,只是摘述民族的发展。他认为,以色列族不是在埃及,乃是在西奈山下开始形成的,因为神在那里与祂百姓立约(参出 19 , 20 )。他们与神立约后,就有了全备的知识与责任。他们既自愿选择信服神,就必须知道怎样信从祂。因此神赐下详细的律法与原则,说明祂期望百姓过怎样的生活(这些律例典章记载在出埃及记、利未记和民数记中),从此他们不能再推诿,说不懂得分辨是非。他们既答应顺从神,也知道该怎样做,就有责任谨守遵行。神若吩咐你拔营起程,面对祂所赐的新挑战,你是否准备顺命呢? 

  申 1:9-13> 千斤担子,独自一人,怎能当?摩西能找人帮忙,我们还站着犹豫什么? 

  1:9-13 摩西若独力引领全族,确是个极大的重担,他一个人难以完成任务。好像其他民族、机构与教会的增长一样,以色列民中的事务变得越来越复杂。纷争时起,意见纷纭,一位领导人已无法决断全局。你可能像摩西一样倾向独揽一切工作,不敢或者不好意思请人帮助。摩西作了明智的决定,叫别人与他一同担负领导工作。不要一个人负起全部的责任,当找别人共同负担,使他们也可以运用神所赐的才干与能力。 

  申 1:13-18> 有智慧、有见识、为众人所认识?啊,在今天的领袖选举中,这些素质怎么都不见了? 

  1:13-18 摩西列出卓越领袖必备的内在素质:( 1 )有智慧;( 2 )有见识;( 3 )为众人所尊敬。这些特点跟现在人常用以遴选领袖的资格,有显着的差别。现代人注重仪表、财富、声望,有出人头地的抱负。身为领导的,应当令人看出具有摩西所列的素质,在选举贤能的时候,也要物色这类才德之士。 

  申命记中发生的事件 

  申 1:22> 探子回报,应许之地不宜攻取──他们很小信不是?你我呢? 

  1:22 摩西打发探子去窥探迦南地,不是决定应否进入应许之地,而是察探应当从何处进入。但是探子回来以后,大多数皆认为不值得付代价去冒险犯难。神必定赐攻地的能力,但是他们不敢冒险,决定放弃。神虽然赐我们能力以胜过一切障碍,但是我们常常像以色列人一样满怀疑惧,让困难控制一生。顺从神,不理会诸般艰难,必能因信而英勇得胜。 

  申 1:23-40> 前有困阻,惧而不敢前进──你说他们是小信,我就说他们谨慎,你说…… 

  1:23-40 摩西讲述探子侦察应许之地的情形(参民 13-14 章)。探子回来报告那地有巨人(亚衲族人),城市墙垣高大,百姓就惧怕而不敢前进,开始怨天尤人,陷入进退两难的困境。但是约书亚与迦勒二人指出,这地不仅肥沃,而且敌人脆弱,是可以击败的,因为有神帮助他们。我们若只消极地专注难处,就会畏首畏尾,不敢行动。尽量专注于正面──那是神的指示与应许。在你面对重要抉择并明白当做的事时,要凭信心迈步向前,别让困难阻碍你得胜。 

  申 1:28> 心都消化了!他们怕什么? 

  1:28 迦南地有巨人和高大的坚固城邑。巨人就是亚衲族人,可能身高 2.1 到 2.7 公尺。那地有许多坚固城,城墙约有 9 公尺高。以色列人的惧怕虽然可以理解,但却不成理由,因为全能的神已经应许他们能胜过那里的人。──《灵修版圣经注释》