God gives us the power and the privilege to enjoy the rewards of doing things His way.

上帝赐我们能力按祂旨意行，
也让我们享受顺服祂所带来的恩典。

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. Judges 21:25

那时以色列中没有王，各人任意而行。-士师记21章25节

After attacking my husband with hurtful words when a situation didn’t go my way, I snubbed the Holy Spirit’s authority as He reminded me of Bible verses that revealed my sinful attitudes. Was nursing my stubborn pride worth the collateral damage in my marriage or being disobedient to God? Absolutely not. But by the time I asked for forgiveness from the Lord and my spouse, I’d left a wake of wounds behind me—the result of ignoring wise counsel and living as if I didn’t have to answer to anyone but myself.

因为事情没有按我的意思进行，我便用伤人的话责难了我的丈夫。圣灵用圣经经文提醒我，我的态度是有罪的，但我却置之不理。为了维护我倔强的自尊心而伤害我的婚姻，或不顺服上帝，值得吗？完全不值得。等到我开口请求上帝和丈夫的原谅时，我已经造成了许多伤害。这是我忽视明智忠告的后果，是我这种随心所欲，我行我素的生活态度所造成的。

There was a time when the Israelites had a rebellious attitude. After the death of Moses, Joshua led the Israelites into the promised land. Under his leadership, the Israelites served the Lord (Judg. 2:7). But after Joshua and the generation that outlived him died, the Israelites forgot God and what He’d done (v. 10). They rejected godly leadership and embraced sin (vv. 11–15).

以色列人也曾经怀着悖逆的态度。当摩西死后，约书亚带领以色列人进入应许之地。在他的领导下，以色列人都事奉耶和华（士师记2章7节）。但在约书亚及与他同一世代的人死后，以色列人便忘了上帝，以及上帝为他们所行的事（10节）。他们离弃上帝，并行祂眼中看为恶的事（11-15节）。

Things improved when the Lord raised up judges (vv. 16–18), who served like kings. But when each judge died, the Israelites returned to defying God. Living as if they didn’t have anyone to answer to but themselves, they suffered devastating consequences (vv. 19–22). But that doesn’t have to be our reality. We can submit to the sovereign authority of the eternal Ruler we were made to follow—Jesus—because He is our living Judge and King of Kings.

每当上帝兴起一个士师如君王治理他们时，情况就会有所好转（16-18节）。可是当士师死后，以色列人再次蔑视上帝，他们又随心所欲、我行我素地生活，因此他们也遭受严重的后果（19-22节）。但我们不必重蹈覆辙。我们可以顺从永恒的统治者耶稣的至高主权，我们受造便是为此，因为祂是我们永活的审判者和万王之王。

Jesus, please help us remember

 You are our living King of Kings and Lord of Lords, 

and worthy of our loving obedience and trust.

亲爱的主耶稣，求祢帮助我们记得，
祢是永活的万王之王、

万主之主、全能真神，
祢配得我们全心的顺服和信靠。

Judges 2:11-23New International Version (NIV)

11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various godsof the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord’s anger 13 because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14 In his angeragainst Israel the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. 15 Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.

16 Then the Lord raised up judges,[a] who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them. 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

20 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22 I will use them to testIsrael and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.” 23 The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.

士师记 2:11-23Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Simplified) (CUVMPS)

11 以色列人行耶和华眼中看为恶的事，去侍奉诸巴力， 12 离弃了领他们出埃及地的耶和华他们列祖的神，去叩拜别神，就是四围列国的神，惹耶和华发怒； 13 并离弃耶和华，去侍奉巴力和亚斯她录。 14 耶和华的怒气向以色列人发作，就把他们交在抢夺他们的人手中，又将他们付于四围仇敌的手中，甚至他们在仇敌面前再不能站立得住。 15 他们无论往何处去，耶和华都以灾祸攻击他们，正如耶和华所说的话，又如耶和华向他们所起的誓。他们便极其困苦。

16 耶和华兴起士师，士师就拯救他们脱离抢夺他们人的手。 17 他们却不听从士师，竟随从叩拜别神，行了邪淫，速速地偏离他们列祖所行的道，不如他们列祖顺从耶和华的命令。 18 耶和华为他们兴起士师，就与那士师同在，士师在世的一切日子，耶和华拯救他们脱离仇敌的手；他们因受欺压扰害，就哀声叹气，所以耶和华后悔了。 19 及至士师死后，他们就转去行恶，比他们列祖更甚，去侍奉叩拜别神，总不断绝顽梗的恶行。 20 于是耶和华的怒气向以色列人发作，他说：“因这民违背我吩咐他们列祖所守的约，不听从我的话， 21 所以约书亚死的时候所剩下的各族，我必不再从他们面前赶出， 22 为要借此试验以色列人，看他们肯照他们列祖谨守遵行我的道不肯。” 23 这样，耶和华留下各族，不将他们速速赶出，也没有交付约书亚的手。

整理：于姊妹