罗五17　　若因一人的过犯，死就借着这一人作了王，那些受洋溢之恩，并洋溢之义恩赐的，就更要借着耶稣基督一人，在生命中作王了。

　　21　　使罪怎样在死中作王，恩典也照样借着义作王，叫人借着我们的主耶稣基督得永远的生命。

　　撒母耳记上、下的中心思想乃是，神经纶的成就需要人的合作，由撒母耳的母亲哈拿、撒母耳、和大卫在积极一面的历史，以及以利和扫罗在消极一面的历史所例证。这样的合作与个人对美地的享受有关；美地乃是包罗万有并延展无限之基督的预表。因此，撒母耳记上、下接续约书亚记、士师记和路得记，说到关于享受神所赐美地的细节。与神合作的人所享受的美地，成了神的国，使他们在其中作王掌权。这是新约信徒对基督之享受的预表，其结果乃是他们在永远的生命中作王。（罗五21。）（撒母耳记生命读经，八页。）

　　Rom. 5:17 For if, by the offense of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

　　21 In order that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

　　The central thought of 1 and 2 Samuel is that the fulfillment of God’s economy needs man’s cooperation, as illustrated by the history of Samuel’s mother Hannah, Samuel, and David, in the positive sense, and by the history of Eli and Saul, in the negative sense. Such a cooperation is related to the personal enjoyment of the good land, which typifies the all-inclusive and all-extensive Christ. Hence, 1 and 2 Samuel are a continuation of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth, giving us the details concerning the enjoyment of the God-given good land. The good land enjoyed by the cooperators with God became the kingdom of God, in which they reigned as kings. This is a type of the New Testament believers’ enjoyment of Christ, which issues in their reign in the eternal life (Rom. 5:21). (Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, pp. 5-6)

　　神经纶的成就需要我们的合作。与神合作，意思就是与神绑在一起。…〔在〕二人三足的比赛〔中〕，参赛者两人一组，一个人把他的一只脚和另一个人的一只脚绑在一起；两个人要一同跑，彼此就必须合作，不能单独行动。这是正当基督徒生活的一幅图画。作基督徒就是与基督绑在一起，凭同一个生命，与祂同过一个生活。

　　撒母耳的出生，跟哈拿与神合作有关。老旧的祭司体系变得陈腐、衰微，所以神要有另一个新的起头。为着撒母耳的出生，神在幕后发起了一些事情。一面，祂使哈拿不能生育；另一面，祂预备一个激动她的人。（撒上一5~7。）这迫使哈拿祷告，求主给她一个男孩子。她在祷告中向神许愿说，“万军之耶和华啊，你若垂顾你婢女的苦情，…赐你的婢女一个男孩，我必将他终身献与耶和华，不用剃刀剃他的头。”（11。）这个祷告不是哈拿发起的，乃是神发起的。神拣选哈拿，因为她愿意与神合作。神答应她的祷告，使她生育。哈拿怀孕，生了一个儿子。（20。）然后哈拿照着她所许的愿，将她的儿子献给神，交在以利的监护之下。从这里我们看见，撒母耳的母亲哈拿是一个非常与神合作的人。她的例子给我们看见，今天神所期望要得着的是哪一种人。

　　我们从戴德生的…传记里得知，有一天戴德生在祷告中向主说，他愿意为中国人献上他的性命和一切。神尊重这个愿，结果中国内地会〔非常属灵的差会，曾被神大大使用〕就形成了。

　　虽然我不把自己和戴德生相比，但我能见证，我的经历和他非常相似。在我十几岁，努力要完成学业时，神抓住了我，我就得救了。随后，我走在路上时，抬头望天告诉主说，我只要祂，并要服事祂，带着圣经走遍各地传扬基督。虽然我那时不明白，但事实上我是在向神许愿。神也尊重那个愿。

　　今天各大洲和许多国家向主的恢复敞开，因此需要有人像哈拿那样许愿。我盼望有许多年轻人能许这样的愿。你们必须说，“主啊，我是属你的，我把自己给你。”神就要接纳你的心愿；祂要完成一些事，来成就你向祂所许的愿。（撒母耳记生命读经，八至一○页。）

　　参读：撒母耳记生命读经，第一篇。

　　The fulfillment of God’s economy requires our cooperation. To cooperate with God means to be bound together with God…. [In] a three-legged race…the runners… must run in pairs, with each partner having one leg bound to one of his partner’s legs. In order for the partners to run, they must cooperate with each other and not move independently. This is a picture of the proper Christian life. To be a Christian is to be bound together with Christ and to have one living with Him by one life.

　　The birth of Samuel involved Hannah’s cooperation with God. The old priesthood had become stale and waning, and God wanted to have another beginning. For Samuel’s birth, God initiated things behind the scenes. On the one hand, He shut up Hannah’s womb; on the other hand, He prepared a provoker (1 Sam. 1:5-7). This forced Hannah to pray that the Lord would give her a male child. In her prayer she made a vow and said, “O Jehovah of hosts, if You will indeed look upon the affliction of Your female servant and…give to Your female servant a male child, then I will give him to Jehovah for all the days of his life, and no razor will come upon his head” (v. 11). This prayer was initiated not by Hannah but by God. God chose Hannah because she was willing to cooperate with Him. God answered her prayer and opened her womb, and Hannah conceived and bore a son (v. 20). Then according to her vow, she offered her son to God, placing him in the custody of Eli. From this we see that Hannah, Samuel’s mother, was one who cooperated very much with God. Her case shows us the kind of persons God expects to have today.

　　In [Hudson Taylor’s] biography…we are told that one day he said to the Lord in prayer that he was willing to give his life and everything for the people of China. This vow was honored by God and resulted in the forming of the China Inland Mission, [a very spiritual mission that was much used by God].

　　Although I do not compare myself with Hudson Taylor, I can testify that my experience was very similar. In the last of my teenage years, while I was endeavoring to get my education, God caught me, and I was saved. Immediately afterward, while I was walking on the street, I looked up to the heavens and told the Lord that I wanted only Him and that I wanted to serve Him and travel from place to place bringing the Bible and preaching Christ. Although I did not realize it at the time, I was actually making a vow to the Lord. That vow has been honored by Him.

　　Today many continents and countries are open to the Lord’s recovery. There is the need for some to make a vow like Hannah. I hope that many of the young people will make such a vow. You need to say, “Lord, I am Yours. I just lend myself to You.” God will take your heart and accomplish something to fulfill what you vow to Him. (Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, pp. 6-7)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, msg. 1