第八篇 基甸作神大能勇士的内在意义
The Intrinsic Significance of Gideon as God's Valiant Warrior
读经：士六~九
壹 基甸被神兴起作神大能的勇士，为神所差，以拯救以色列人（士六12~14，参约八29）脱离米甸人的欺压（士六1~八32）；我们必须看见基甸成功的内在意义：─引用经文
I. Gideon was raised up by God as His valiant warrior and sent by God to save Israel (Judg. 6:12-14; cf. John 8:29) from the oppression of the Midianites (Judg. 6:1—8:32); we must see the intrinsic significance of Gideon's success:
一 基甸仔细听神的话，这在当时以色列人中间是少有的：
A. Gideon listened carefully to the word of God, something that was rare among the children of Israel at that time:
1 主总是愿意开通我们的耳朵，好听见祂的声音，使我们能照着祂的经纶看事物─启一10、12，伯三三14~16，赛五十4~5，出二一6。
1. The Lord always wants to open our ears to hear His voice so that we may see things according to His economy—Rev. 1:10, 12; Job 33:14-16; Isa. 50:4-5; Exo. 21:6.
2 那灵向众召会说话时（启二7上），我们的耳朵都必须被开通，受割礼（耶六10，徒七51），得洁净（出二九20，利八23~24，十四14），且被膏抹（17、28），好听见那灵说话。─引用经文
2. As the Spirit is speaking to the churches (Rev. 2:7a), we all need an opened, circumcised (Jer. 6:10; Acts 7:51), cleansed (Exo. 29:20; Lev. 8:23-24; 14:14), and anointed ear (vv. 17, 28) to hear the Spirit's speaking.
二 基甸顺从神的话，照着神的话行动─参来十一32~33上：
B. Gideon obeyed God's word and acted on it—cf. Heb. 11:32-33a:
1 在新约里我们有基督顺从并服从的生命，我们若照着灵而行，就会自然而然满足律法义的要求─腓二5~11，罗八4。
1. In the New Testament we have Christ's life of obedience and submission, and if we walk according to the spirit, we will spontaneously fulfill the righteous requirement of the law—Phil. 2:5-11; Rom. 8:4.
2 我们来就近律法的态度，若只是关切字句的诫命，我们所有的就是律法在杀死人的字句这一面；然而，我们若将律法的每一部分当作我们所爱之神呼出的话，我们就会有律法赐生命之灵的这一面；然后，律法会发挥功用，将神自己作为生命，分赐到我们这些爱祂的寻求者里面─诗一一九25、116、130，林后三6，提后三16~17。
2. If our attitude in coming to the law is to care only for the commandments in letters, we will have the law in the aspect of the killing letter; however, if we take every part of the law as the word breathed out by the God whom we love, we will have the law in the aspect of the life-giving Spirit; then the law will function to dispense God Himself as life into us as His loving seekers—Psa. 119:25, 116, 130; 2 Cor. 3:6; 2 Tim. 3:16-17.
3 有活力就是活而满了活动的，里外都被那灵充满且充溢，并深入主的话，随时随处传扬福音并教导真理，使主得着扩增和繁殖─但十一32下，徒十三52，四8、31，十三9，二38，五32下，提后四1~2。
3. To be vital is to be living and active by being filled with the Spirit inwardly and outwardly and by preaching the gospel and preaching the truths at any time and in any place by diving into the Word for the increase and propagation of the Lord—Dan. 11:32b; Acts 13:52; 4:8, 31; 13:9; 2:38; 5:32b; 2 Tim. 4:1-2.
三 基甸拆毁巴力（迦南人主要的男神）的坛，砍下木像（或，亚舍拉，主要的女神）；这摸着神的心，因为神恨恶偶像，认为偶像都是与祂妻子以色列行淫的男人；就内在一面说，偶像就是我们里面所爱的任何事物，超过了主，并在我们的生活中顶替了主─士六25~28，结十四1~3。
C. Gideon tore down the altar of Baal (the chief male god of the Canaanites) and cut down the Asherah (the chief female goddess); this touched God's heart because God hated the idols, which He regarded as men with whom His wife Israel had committed harlotry; intrinsically, an idol is anything within us that we love more than the Lord and that replaces the Lord in our life—Judg. 6:25-28; Ezek. 14:1-3.
四 基甸因着拆毁父亲为巴力所筑的坛，砍下木像，就牺牲了他与父亲的关系，以及他在社会的享受，为要跟从耶和华；基甸要作这样的事，就需要牺牲他自己的权益，而他的牺牲是他成功的有力因素─士六28~32。
D. By tearing down the altar of Baal and cutting down the Asherah that belonged to his father, Gideon sacrificed his relationship with his father and his enjoyment of society to follow Jehovah; for Gideon to do such a thing required that he sacrifice his own interests, and his sacrifice was a strong factor of his success—Judg. 6:28-32.
五 由于以上这四个因素，基甸得了赏赐─经纶的灵降在他身上（34）；因此，他成为一个大能的人，只带着三百人，就击败两个首领和两个王；他们的人“像蝗虫那样多”，并且“骆驼无数”（5，七25，八10~12）；在基甸身上有一幅图画，给我们看见一个与神联结的人，就是神人，如何实行神的话并完成神的经纶。─引用经文
E. As a result of the above four factors, Gideon received a reward—the economical Spirit came upon him (v. 34); hence, he became powerful and with only three hundred men defeated two princes and two kings, who had people "like a locust swarm in number" and "camels…without number" (v. 5; 7:25; 8:10-12); with Gideon we have a picture of a man who lived in union with God, a Godman, to fulfill God's word and to carry out God's economy.
贰 得胜者如何蒙拣选，见于神如何拣选基甸，以及与他一同争战，击败米甸人的那三百人─六1~6、11~35，七1~8、19~25，八1~4：
II. The selection of the overcomers is seen with God's selection of Gideon and the three hundred men to fight with him to defeat the Midianites—6:1-6, 11-35; 7:1-8, 19-25; 8:1-4:
一 基甸的故事给我们看见如何成为得胜者：
A. The account of Gideon shows us how to be an overcomer:
1 我们必须认识己，看见我们自己是至微小的─六15，弗三8，太二十27~28，加六3。
1. We must know the self, realizing ourselves to be the least—6:15; Eph. 3:8; Matt. 20:27-28; Gal. 6:3.
2 我们必须看见属天的异象，就是基督乃是神永远经纶的中心与普及─士六12，徒二六16~22，西一17下、18下，提前一3~4，腓三8、10。
2. We must see the heavenly vision of Christ as the centrality and universality of God's eternal economy—Judg. 6:12; Acts 26:16-22; Col. 1:17b, 18b; 1 Tim. 1:3-4; Phil. 3:8, 10.
3 我们必须照着神那美好、可喜悦并纯全的旨意，将自己献上给神，当作活祭，有基督身体的实际和生活（罗十二1~5，参士六21~24）；我们必须是听见并回应启示录二、三章里主对得胜者之呼召的人─二7、11、17、26~28，三5、12、20~21，诗歌六四七首。
3. We must offer up ourselves to God as a living sacrifice according to His good, well-pleasing, and perfect will to have the reality and living of the Body of Christ (Rom. 12:1-5; cf. Judg. 6:21-24); we must be those who hear and answer the Lord's call in Revelation 2 and 3 for the overcomers—2:7, 11, 17, 26-28; 3:5, 12, 20-21; Hymns, #894.
4 我们必须为着主的见证，拆毁我们心中、生活中、工作中的偶像，领悟一面神引导我们进入对基督作生命、亮光、能力的享受，另一面神是信实的，容许我们有经济上的困难、情感上的痛苦、身体上的痛苦，失去天然的长处，好使我们接受基督作我们的满足，被基督充满，并让祂在凡事上居首位─士六25~28，约十10，八12，提后二1，西一17下、18下，约壹五21，伯二二24~26，太十35~39，林后十二7~9，伯一1、22，二9~10，三1、11，林后四5，林前二2。
4. We must tear down the idols in our heart, in our life, and in our work for the Lord's testimony, realizing that on the one hand, God leads us into the enjoyment of Christ as life, light, and power, and on the other hand, God is faithful to allow us to have financial difficulties, emotional sufferings, physical sufferings, and the loss of natural goodness in order that we would take Christ as our satisfaction, be filled with Christ, and allow Him to have the first place in all things—Judg. 6:25-28; John 10:10; 8:12; 2 Tim. 2:1; Col. 1:17b, 18b; 1 John 5:21; Job 22:24-26; Matt. 10:35-39; 2 Cor. 12:7-9; Job 1:1, 22; 2:9-10; 3:1, 11; 2 Cor. 4:5; 1 Cor. 2:2.
二 得胜者如何蒙拣选，见于那三百人如何被选上；神告诉基甸，跟随他的人太多，指明神要为以色列人争战；第一次挑选的结果，有二万二千人离开：
B. How the overcomers are selected is seen with the selection of the three hundred; by telling Gideon that he had too many people, God was indicating that He would fight for Israel; the first selection resulted in twenty-two thousand leaving:
1 那些离开的人想要荣耀自己─士七1~2，约五41、44。
1. Those who left wanted to glorify themselves—Judg. 7:1-2; John 5:41, 44.
2 那些离开的人是惧怕胆怯的─士七3，太二五25，参申二十5~8。
2. Those who left were fearful and afraid—Judg. 7:3; Matt. 25:25; cf. Deut. 20:5-8.
三 第二次的挑选，由百姓怎样喝水而决定；凡直接用嘴喝水的人，被神剔除；凡用手捧到嘴边喝水的人被神选上，因为他们是否认己的人；借着这样喝水，他们能殷勤留意仇敌的任何攻击─士七4~6：
C. The second selection was determined by how the people drank; those who drank directly with their mouth were eliminated by God; those who drank by bringing water in their hand to their mouth were selected by God because they were self-denying persons; by drinking in this way, they were able to watch diligently for any attack by the enemy—Judg. 7:4-6:
1 那些有机会放纵自己，却不这样作的人，乃是已借着十字架受过对付而否认自己的人，他们为着神定旨的缘故，在主争战的日子，牺牲个人的安适─7节，诗一一〇3。
1. Those who have the chance to indulge themselves but will not do so are self-denying persons who have been dealt with by the cross, sacrificing their personal rest and comfort for the sake of God's purpose in the day of His warfare—v. 7; Psa. 110:3.
2 得胜者绝对为着神的荣耀，他们除了怕得罪主和失去祂的同在之外，什么都不畏惧（出三三14~16）；他们让十字架对付己（约壹三8，来二14，罗六23，加二20）。─引用经文
2. The overcomers are absolute for God's glory and are afraid of nothing except offending the Lord and losing His presence (Exo. 33:14-16); they allow the cross to deal with the self (1 John 3:8; Heb. 2:14; Rom. 6:23; Gal. 2:20).
四 神给基甸三百人，使他们成为一体，由辊入米甸营中的“一个大麦圆饼”所表征，使米甸人被击败，并使神得胜─士七9~25：
D. God gave Gideon three hundred men and made them one body, signified by a "round loaf of barley bread" tumbling through the camp of the Midianites for their defeat and God's victory—Judg. 7:9-25:
1 基甸和他的三百人同心合意，举动一致，作法一样，如同一人，表征在那灵里的合一，与在身体里的生活；他们在复活里，由先熟的谷物大麦所表征（六16，撒下二一9，利二三10，林前十五20），调和在一起，成为一饼，表征召会（十17）。─引用经文
1. Gideon and his men moved and acted together in one accord as one man, signifying the oneness in the Spirit and the living in the Body; they were blended together in resurrection, signified by barley, the first-ripe grain (6:16; 2 Sam. 21:9; Lev. 23:10; 1 Cor. 15:20), to be one bread, signifying the church (10:17).
2 保罗认为召会是一个饼，这种想法乃是取自旧约里的素祭（利二4~5）；我们是许多子粒（约十二24），使我们可以被磨成细面，用油调和，好作成饼，就是召会（林前十二24~25）。─引用经文
2. Paul's thought of the church being one bread was taken from the Old Testament with the meal offering (Lev. 2:4-5); we are the many grains (John 12:24) so that we may be ground into fine flour mingled with oil for making the cake, the bread, of the church (1 Cor. 12:24-25).
3 同工们和长老们必须彼此牧养，彼此相爱，作身体生活的模型，就是那些学习被调节、被调和、被除去，好为着实际的身体生活，凭着那灵作一切事，将基督分赐到彼此里面之人的模型─罗十二1~5，参代下一10。
3. All the co-workers and elders should shepherd one another and love one another to be a model of the Body life, a model of those who are learning to be tempered, blended, and crossed out in order to do everything by the Spirit to dispense Christ into one another for the practical Body life—Rom. 12:1-5; cf. 2 Chron. 1:10.
五 基甸和他的三百人争战劳苦，但全会众追赶仇敌，收获成果，表征我们得胜时，基督的全身体都要得复兴，直到耶和华作平安，耶和华沙龙（士六24），在地上掌权─七22~25，八1~4，西一24，诗一二八5，赛三二17，六六12。
E. Gideon and his three hundred men fought the battle and labored, yet the whole congregation chased the enemy and reaped the harvest, signifying that when we overcome, the whole Body is revived until Jehovah as peace, Jehovah-shalom (Judg. 6:24), reigns on the earth—7:22-25; 8:1-4; Col. 1:24; Psa. 128:5; Isa. 32:17; 66:12.
六 基甸和他的三百人追赶米甸诸王时，“虽然疲乏，还是追赶”（士八4下）；因着我们蒙了神的怜悯，在神永远经纶的实际里尽职并生活，我们就不丧胆（林后四1、16~18）；我们可能劳苦到疲乏的地步，但我们的劳苦是照着神在我们里面大能的运行（西一28~29，林前十五58）。─引用经文
F. As Gideon and his men were pursuing the kings of Midian, they were "weary yet pursuing" (Judg. 8:4b); because we have received God's mercy to minister and live in the reality of God's eternal economy, we do not lose heart (2 Cor. 4:1, 16-18); we may labor to the point of exhaustion, but our labor is according to God's operation, which operates in us in power (Col. 1:28-29; 1 Cor. 15:58).
叁 我们必须看见基甸失败的关键内在的意义：
III. We must see the intrinsic significance of the secret of Gideon's failure:
一 第一，基甸不仁慈；他杀了那些不支持他的同胞（士八16~17），干犯了神的第六条诫命（出二十13）；基督是神的恩慈，领我们悔改（罗二4，多三4，弗二7）。─引用经文
A. First, Gideon was not kind; he killed those countrymen who did not support him (Judg. 8:16-17), breaking the sixth commandment of God (Exo. 20:13); Christ as the kindness of God led us to repentance (Rom. 2:4; Titus 3:4; Eph. 2:7).
二 第二，他放纵肉体的情欲（参加五16，罗八4），对肉体的情欲毫不约束；这由士师记八章三十节所指明，那里告诉我们，基甸有七十个儿子，“因为他有许多妻子”；此外，他在示剑的妾，也给他生了一个儿子（31）；借此基甸干犯了第七条诫命（出二十14）。─引用经文
B. Second, he indulged in the lust of the flesh (cf. Gal. 5:16; Rom. 8:4), not exercising any restriction over his fleshly lust; this is indicated by Judges 8:30, which tells us that Gideon had seventy sons, "for he had many wives"; in addition, his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son (v. 31); by this Gideon broke the seventh commandment (Exo. 20:14).
三 第三，虽然基甸在拒绝管理百姓的事上作得正确（士八22~23），却贪恋百姓所夺的掠物（他们所夺的耳环），因而干犯了第十条诫命，百姓就将掠物交给他；基甸用他从百姓取得的金子制造了一个以弗得，这以弗得成了以色列人的偶像（24~27，出三二1~4与2注1）；结果，基甸的家和整个以色列社会都败坏了。─引用经文
C. Third, although Gideon did a good thing in refusing to rule over the people (Judg. 8:22-23), he coveted the spoil of his people (their golden earrings), thereby breaking the tenth commandment, and they surrendered it to him; Gideon made an ephod with the gold he had taken from the people, and this ephod became an idol to the children of Israel (vv. 24-27; Exo. 32:1-4 and footnote 1 on v. 2); as a result, Gideon's family and the entire society of Israel were corrupted.
四 士师记是关于享受那预表基督的美地；基甸的成功指明得着绝佳的机会享受基督，而他的失败指明失去享受基督的机会。
D. Judges is a book concerning the enjoyment of the good land, which is a type of Christ; Gideon's success indicates the gaining of an excellent opportunity to enjoy Christ, but his failure indicates the losing of the opportunity to enjoy Christ.
肆 基甸放纵性欲并贪恋金子，导致拜偶像；贪婪就是拜偶像（西三5），淫乱和贪婪都连于拜偶像（弗五5）；基甸的失败给我们看见，我们在对付性欲和钱财的事上，必须施行严格的管制：─引用经文
IV. Gideon's indulgence in sex and his greediness for gold led to idolatry; greediness is idolatry (Col. 3:5), and both fornication and greediness are linked to idol worship (Eph. 5:5); his failure shows us that we need to exercise strict control in dealing with the matters of sex and wealth:
一 甚至在以色列国和以色列国最高峰的威荣里得荣耀的所罗门王（王上四34，八10~11），起初是敬畏神、爱神的人，至终由于娶了许多外邦妻子，也成了拜偶像的人（十一1~13，见43注1）。─引用经文
A. Even King Solomon, who was glorified in the kingdom of Israel with the splendor of that kingdom at its highest peak (1 Kings 4:34; 8:10-11) and began as a God-fearing and God-loving person, eventually became an idol worshipper through his many foreign wives (11:1-13; see footnote 1 on v. 43).
二 基甸死后，以色列人的堕落开始于离弃耶和华他们的神，并且敬拜迦南人的偶像；结果他们就放纵肉体的情欲；此外，基甸的妾的儿子亚比米勒，杀了基甸的其他七十个儿子，而另一个儿子约坦逃跑了─士八33~九57。
B. After Gideon died, Israel's degradation was initiated in their forsaking of Jehovah their God and their worshipping the idols of the Canaanites, which issued in their indulgence in fleshly lust; also, the son of Gideon's concubine, Abimelech, slew seventy of Gideon's other sons, whereas Jotham, another son, escaped—Judg. 8:33—9:57.
三 约坦大胆宣告，将亚比米勒的掌权比喻为荆棘的掌权，与那些拒绝野心并成为神子民供应管道，像橄榄树、无花果树和葡萄树的人相对（8~13）；神报应亚比米勒向他父亲所行的恶（14~55），就是杀了自己弟兄七十个人；神也将示剑人一切的恶报应在他们头上；耶路巴力（基甸─六32）的儿子约坦的咒诅都归到他们身上（九56~57）。─引用经文
C. Jotham boldly declared a parable of Abimelech's reign as the reign of the bramble versus those who are like olive trees, fig trees, and vine trees, who reject ambition and become a channel of supply to God's people (vv. 8-13); God repaid the evil of Abimelech (vv. 14-55), which he had done to his father by slaying his seventy brothers; and God brought all the evil of the men of Shechem back upon their own heads, and the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal (Gideon—6:32) came upon them (9:56-57).
四 在基甸的成功里，他将自己联于神，但在他的失败里，他将自己联于撒但；离弃神而与撒但联结，就是进入这恶者里面内在的野心里─赛十四13~14。
D. In Gideon's success he joined himself to God, but in his failure he joined himself to Satan; to forsake God and join with Satan is to enter into the intrinsic ambition within this evil one—Isa. 14:13-14.
五 我们没有权利与主离婚，没有理由离弃祂；我们必须接受祂，爱祂，尊重祂，尊敬祂，看重祂，高举祂，紧联于祂，并弃绝撒但到极点；这样我们就必蒙福；以耶和华为主、为头、为王、为丈夫的每一国家、每一社会、每一团体和每一个人，是有福的─诗三三12。
E. We have no right to divorce the Lord and no reason to forsake Him; we must take Him, love Him, honor Him, respect Him, regard Him, exalt Him, and cling to Him, rejecting Satan to the uttermost; then we will be blessed; blessed is everyone—nation, society, group, and individual—whose Lord, Head, King, and Husband is Jehovah—Psa. 33:12.