15.士師記 9:9

15. The Faithful Olive Tree
But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? Judges 9:9
THE fable teaches that temptations will come to us all, however sweet, or useful, or fruitful, even as they came to the fig, the olive, and the vine. These temptations may take the shape of proffered honors; if not a crown, yet some form of preferment or power may be the bribe. The trees were under God's government and wanted no king; but in this fable they "went forth" and so quitted their true place. Then they sought to be like men, forgetting that God had not made them to be conformed to a fallen race. Revolting themselves, they strove to win over those better trees which had remained faithful.
No wonder they chose the olive, so rich and honored; for it would give their kingdom respectability to have such a monarch; but the olive wisely declined, and gave its reason.
I. APPARENT PROMOTIONS ARE NOT TO BE SNATCHED AT.
The question is to be asked, Should I? Let us never do what would be unbecoming, unsuitable, unwise (Gen. 39:9).
Emphasis is to be laid on the I Should I? If God has given me peculiar gifts or special grace, does it become me to trifle with these endowments? Should I give them up to gain honor for myself (Neh. 6:11)?

• A higher position may seem desirable, but would it be right to gain it by such cost (Jer. 45:5)?

• It will involve duties and cares. "Go up and down among the trees" implies that there would be care, oversight, traveling, etc.

• These duties will be quite new to me; for, like an olive, I have been hitherto planted in one place. Should I run into new temptations, new difficulties, etc., of my own wanton will?

• Can I expect God's blessing upon such strange work? Put the question in the case of wealth, honor, power, which are set before us. Should we grasp at them at the risk of being less at peace, less holy, less prayerful, less useful?

II. ACTUAL ADVANTAGES ARE NOT TO BE TRIFLED WITH.

• "Should I leave my fatness?" I have this great boon, should I lightly lose it?

• It is the greatest advantage in life to be useful both to God and man "By me they honor God and man." We ought heartily to prize this high privilege.

• To leave this for anything which the world can offer would be great loss. "Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon?" etc., (Jer. 18:14; 2:13).
• Our possession of fatness meets the temptation to become a king. We are happy enough in Christ, in his service, with his people, and in the prospect of the reward. We cannot better ourselves by the move; let us stay as we are.
• We may also meet it by the reflection.
• That the prospect is startling — "Shall I leave my fatness?" For an olive to do this would be unnatural: for a believer to leave holy living would be worse (John 6:68).
• That the retrospect would be terrible--"leave my fatness." What must it be to have left grace, and truth, and holiness, and Christ? Remember Judas.
• That even an hour of such leaving would be a loss. What would an olive do even for a day if it left its fatness?
• That it would all end in disappointment; for nothing could compensate for leaving the Lord. All else is death (Jer. 17:13).
• That to abide firmly and reject all baits is like the saints, the martyrs, and their Lord; but to prefer honor to grace is a mere bramble folly.

III. TEMPTATION SHOULD BE TURNED TO ACCOUNT.

• Let us take deeper root. The mere proposal to leave our fatness should make us hold the faster to it.

• Let us be on the watch that we lose not our joy, which is our fatness. If we would not leave it, neither can we bear that it should leave us.

• Let us yield more fatness, and bear more fruit: he who gains largely is all the further removed from loss. The more we increase in grace the less are we likely to leave it.

• Let us feel the more content, and speak the more lovingly of our gracious state, that none may dare to entice us. When Satan sees us happily established he will have the less hope of overthrowing us.

Memoranda
Many to obtain a higher wage have left holy companionships, and sacred opportunities for hearing the word and growing in grace. They have lost their Sabbaths, quitted a soul-feeding ministry, and fallen among worldlings, to their own sorrowful loss. Such persons are as foolish as the poor Indians who gave the Spaniards gold in exchange for paltry beads. Riches procured by impoverishing the soul are always a curse. To increase your business so that you cannot attend week-night services is to become really poorer; to give up heavenly pleasure, and receive earthly cares in exchange is a sorry sort of barter.
Sir Edward Coke, Chief Justice of England in the time of James I., was a man of noble spirit, and often incurred the displeasure of the king by his
patriotism. On one occasion, when an unworthy attempt was made to influence his conduct, he replied, "When the case happens I shall do that which shall be fit for a judge to do." Oh, that all Christians in trying moments would act as shall be fit for followers of Christ to do!
In Tennyson's story of the village maiden, who became the wife of the Lord of Burleigh, we see how burdensome worldly honors may prove, even when though unsought they have been honorably gained:
"But a trouble weighed upon her,
And perplexed her, night and morn,
With the burthen of an honor
Unto which she was not born.
"Were it not better to bestow
Some place and power on me?
Then should thy praises with me grow,
And share in my degree.
"How know I, if thou shouldst me raise,
That I should then raise thee?
Perhaps great places and thy praise
Do not so well agree"
—George Herbert
Say not this calling and vocation to which God has appointed me is too small and insignificant for me. God's will is the best calling, and to be faithful to it is the worthiest. God often places great blessings in little things. Should thy proud heart learn humility and resignation by this humble work, wouldest thou not have high wages for thy low service? —From the German
Charles Hadden Spurgeon

15．忠心的橄欖樹

一、表面的升遷不可貪圖

問題必須先被提出來：「我豈可？」
我們切不可去做不合宜、不適當、不明智的事（創 39:9）。
重點在於「我豈可？」
若神賜給我特殊的恩賜或特別的恩典，我豈能輕忽這些托付？
我是否該為了自己的榮耀而犧牲這些恩賜呢？（尼 6:11）
更高的位置也許看來吸引人，但付出這樣的代價是否正當？（耶 45:5）
那將帶來新的責任與重擔。
「在眾樹中飄搖」意味著操心、監督、奔波等等。
這些責任對我而言全然陌生；我一直像橄欖樹一樣，被栽種在固定之處。
我是否該出於自己的任性，投身新的試探與困境？
我能指望神賜福這樣「不尋常」的工作嗎？
把這問題應用在財富、名譽、權力上——
若因此更不平安、更不聖潔、更少禱告、更不結果子，我們還該去抓取嗎？

二、真實的優勢不可輕棄

「我豈可離開我的肥美？」
我已擁有這樣的福分，怎能輕易放棄？
人生最大的優勢，就是同時對神、對人有益——
「藉我人尊榮神，也尊重人。」
我們理當全心珍惜這極高的特權。
為了世界所能給的東西而放棄這一切，將是極大的損失。
「人豈可離開黎巴嫩的雪呢？」（耶 18:14；2:13）
我們已擁有的「肥美」，正是抵擋稱王試探的力量。
我們在基督裡、在祂的事奉中、在祂的百姓中，並在將來的賞賜盼望中，已經足夠滿足。
這樣的改變不會使我們更好；不如留在原處。
進一步思想：

• 前景令人震驚：「我豈可離開我的肥美？」
  橄欖若如此行，是違反本性；信徒若離開聖潔生活，更是可怕（約 6:68）。
• 回顧將是可怕的——「離開我的肥美」。
  離開恩典、真理、聖潔與基督，會是什麼光景？
  想想猶大。
• 即便只是一小時的離開，也是損失。
  橄欖樹若一天不供油，將如何？
• 結局必然令人失望。
  沒有任何事物能補償離開主的代價；其餘一切都是死亡（耶 17:13）。
• 堅定站立、拒絕誘餌，這是聖徒、殉道者和主自己的道路；
  以尊榮換取恩典，不過是荊棘的愚行。

三、當把試探轉為益處

讓我們更深扎根。
僅僅是「要離開肥美」這個提議，就該使我們更緊緊抓住它。
當謹慎守望，免得失去我們的喜樂——那正是我們的肥美。
若我們不願離開它，也不可容它離開我們。
讓我們供應更多油脂，結出更多果子；
得著越多的人，離失去就越遠。
恩典越長進，離棄的可能就越小。
讓我們更滿足於現狀，更溫柔地述說神的恩典，
使任何人都不敢引誘我們離開。
當撒但看見我們穩固、喜樂地站立，他的盼望就越小。

備忘錄（應用）

許多人為了更高的薪資，離開了聖潔的團契與屬靈機會，
失去了安息日，離開了滋養靈魂的講道，
落入屬世之人中，終至自取憂傷。
這樣的人，正如那些可憐的印第安人，
用黃金換取西班牙人廉價的玻璃珠。
以貧乏靈魂換得的財富，總是咒詛。
若你為了擴展事業而無法參加平日晚間聚會，
你其實是變得更貧窮了；
用天上的喜樂換取地上的重擔，是極其糟糕的交易。
英王詹姆士一世時代的英國首席大法官愛德華·科克爵士，
因其愛國精神屢次得罪國王。
有一次，有人試圖不正當地影響他的判斷，他回答說：
「事情發生時，我必做一個法官所當做的事。」
願所有基督徒在關鍵時刻，都做合乎基督門徒身份的事！
丁尼生《伯利之主》中的鄉村少女，
即使光榮地嫁入貴族，也承受著世俗榮耀的重擔：
「有一重憂愁壓在她身上，
日夜困擾著她，
因為那份尊榮的重擔，
原不是為她而生。」
喬治·赫伯特也寫道：
「誰知道，若你高舉我，
我是否也能高舉你？
或許高位與你的稱讚，
並不那麼相稱。」
不要說神所指派給你的呼召太小、太卑微。
神的旨意是最好的呼召，忠心於其中是最尊貴的事。
神常把大祝福放在小事上。
若你的驕傲之心在卑微的工作中學會謙卑與順服，
這豈不是以低微的服事，換得極高的工價嗎？
——摘自德文著作
查爾斯．海登．司布真（Charles Haddon Spurgeon）