04月02日 一年的第093天 筆者:黃哲輝牧師
讀經:撒上25-28章
第25章主要在講:「大衛與兇惡的拿八」。
1.撒母耳死了,以色列人為他哀哭,把他葬在拉瑪,2.大衛平常幫大富戶拿八保護他們牧羊,於是派人來跟他要一些食物,拿八是個為人剛愎兇惡的人,說:「大衛是誰?近來悖逆主人奔跑的僕人甚多,我不可以食物和肉給不認識的人」,於是大衛帶刀帶人來找拿八,2.拿八的妻子亞比該帶禮物,出來迎接大衛,送給他禮物,請求大衛不要報仇,於是大衛回去,3.拿八快樂大醉,次日亞比該把大衛來的事告訴他,他就魂不附體,身僵如石頭,過了十天就死了,4.大衛稱頌神,替他伸了拿八的羞辱,也阻止他行惡,大衛妻了亞希暖、亞比該二人為妻,因為掃羅把他女兒米甲,給別人為妻。
◎心得分享:拿八是個「惡人無膽」的人,只會說大話,真正遇到問題就掛了,大部份愛生氣的人,血壓比較容易升高,加上拿八愛喝酒,難怪他知道真象以後,就就魂不附體,身僵如石頭,過了十天就死了,所以「不要喝酒,喝酒對身體不好」。
第26章主要在講:「掃羅要殺大衛,大衛不害掃羅」。
1.掃羅繼續追殺大衛,來到曠野安營,2.大衛潛入掃羅的營裡,第二次有機會殺掃羅,卻沒有殺他,只拿也他的槍和水瓶,就走了,3.大衛再一次勸掃羅不要作惡事,追殺他,掃羅也再一次向大衛認錯,並且祝福大衛得福,作大事必得勝,之後他們回去他們的本處。
◎心得分享:大衛沒殺掃羅,饒了掃羅一命,讓上帝親自為他伸冤,這是何等不容易的事,事實上大衛也是有脾氣的,從上一章就知道,大衛差一點就殺了,拿八的全家,但是他卻一而再的原諒要殺他的掃羅,為什麼大衛能這樣作呢?我想是上帝給他有原諒人的心,求神也把饒恕人的心,放在我們身上,叫我們能夠饒恕得罪我們的人。
第27章主要在講:「大衛逃到非利士地」。
1.大衛心裡說,必有一日我死在掃羅手裡,不如逃奔到非利士人的地,就可以脫離他的手,2.大衛王帶6百人投奔迦特王,掃羅就不再尋索大衛,亞吉將「洗革拉」地賜給大衛,那地就屬猶大王的,大衛在非利士地住了1年4個月,侵奪了基述人、基色人、亞瑪力人, 把所奪來的,都交給迦特的王子亞吉,3.亞吉就信了大衛,必永遠作我的僕人。
◎ 心得分享:大衛這一次,不得不投奔在非利士人的營裡,因為他無論到那裡,掃羅總是一直追殺,直到他到了非利士地,掃羅就不再尋索大衛,而大衛在非利士人地,住了1年4個月,也在非利士迦特的王子亞吉面前蒙恩典,實在說很苦,但卻是有神的恩典,正如經上所記:「我們在受試探時,上帝總是為我們開一條出路」 。
第28章主要在講:「掃羅招撒母耳的鬼魂」。
1.非利士人聚集軍旅,要與以色列人打仗,非利士人王亞吉立大衛為永遠的護衛長,2.撒母耳死了以後,掃羅曾下令,不可有交鬼和行巫術的,但是掃羅求問耶和華,耶和華卻不回答他,於是他夜裡,去求問交鬼行巫術的婦人,叫他招撒母耳上來,3.撒母耳說:「上帝已經離開你,與你為敵,神必明日把你交在非利士人的手裡,掃羅猛然仆倒挻身在地,甚是懼怕,一晝一夜沒月吃毫無氣力,4.婦人就宰了牛犢,烤無酵餅給掃羅吃,他吃完了,當夜就起身回去。
◎心得分享:掃羅真的是走頭無路,「叫天,天不應,叫地,地不靈」,最後竟然去找「交鬼行巫術的婦人」,事實上,他不用去找那婦人,他自己應該早就知道答案了,只是他不喜歡這個答案,他想聽好聽的答案,但是他卻不想改變自己,讓好答案出現,結果越問的答案越對他不利,最後答案,竟然只有一個就是「死路一條」,我們是神的僕人使女,要緊的不是求問好答案,而是求神能掌權,讓一切答案都變好的。
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"God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."(Gal. 6:14)
THEY were living to themselves; self with its hopes, and promises and dreams, still had hold of them; but the Lord began to fulfill their prayers. They had asked for contrition, and had surrendered for it to be given them at any cost, and He sent them sorrow; they had asked for purity, and He sent them thrilling anguish; they had asked to be meek, and He had broken their hearts; they had asked to be dead to the world, and He slew all their living hopes; they had asked to be made like unto Him, and He placed them in the furnace, sitting by "as a refiner and purifier of silver," until they should reflect His image; they had asked to lay hold of His cross, and when He had reached it to them it lacerated their hands.
They had asked they knew not what, nor how, but He had taken them at their word, and granted them all their petitions. They were hardly willing to follow Him so far, or to draw so night to Him. They had upon them an awe and fear, as Jacob at Bethel, or Eliphaz in the night visions, or as the apostles when they thought that they had seen a spirit, and knew not that it was Jesus. They could almost pray Him to depart from them, or to hide His awfulness. They found it easier to obey than to suffer, to do than to give up, to bear the cross than to hang upon it. But they cannot to back, for they have come too near the unseen cross, and its virtues have pierced too deeply within them. He is fulfilling to them His promise, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me" (John 12:32).
But now at last their turn has come. Before, they had only heard of the mystery, but now they feel it. He has fastened on them His look of love, as He did on Mary and Peter, and they can but choose to follow.
Little by little, from time to time, by fitting gleams, the mystery of His cross shines out upon them. They behold Him lifted up, they gaze on the glory which rays from the wounds of His holy passion; and as they gaze they advance, and are changed into His likeness, and His name shines out throught them, for He dwells in them. They live alone with Him above, in unspeakable fellowship; willing to lack what others own (and what they might have had), and to be unlike all, so that they are only like Him.
Such, are they in all ages, "who follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth."
Had they chosen for themselves, or their friends chosen for them, they would have chosen otherwise. They would have been brighter here, but less glorious in His Kingdom. They would have had Lot's portion, not Abraham's. If they had halted anywhere-if God had taken off His hand and let them stray back-what would they not have lost? What forfeits in the resurrection?
But He stayed them up, even against themselves. Many a time their foot had well night slipped; but He in mercy held them up. Now, even in this life, they know that all He did was done well. It was good to suffer here, that they might reign hereafter; to bear the cross below, for they shall wear the crown above; and that not their will but His was done on them and in them.
-Anonymous.
基督曾說過:「我心柔和謙卑,你們當學我的樣式,這樣你們心裏就必得享安息。」這兒有雙重的真理,有忍耐、溫柔、謙卑和與神和好的美德,這與傚法基督或信靠祂有相同的意義;同時因著你有這些美德,可以完全脫離亞當墮落的本性而有信靠主高尚的行為。
連帶而有的福份,是因著脫離罪惡和對基督初步信仰、期望,受基督忍耐、溫柔、謙卑和與神和好的靈引導並管理;當你具有這些德性,你的生命就有目的,是真理和生命的基督才會在你裏面,你不再掌權,而是基督在你裏面活著。除非你願在忍耐、溫柔、謙卑和與神和好裏治死老我,否則神聖愛的靈,因無立足之地而不能在你裏面產生;而當你又為不忍耐、驕傲所困擾之際,馬上完全捨己,求神施恩幫助。當你遇到難處就促使與神親近,最能使你忍耐接受神的幫助,我們對神有多少信心和期望就可得多少的啟示。
「這些雖然很簡短,但是真正確的教義,使我們因賜下的救恩而真正完全順服神的啟示下,也真正宣告承認三而一的真神。」現在願你有個思想:完全將我的心靈獻上,單單尋求救恩,直接藉著溫柔、謙卑、忍耐和與神和好的力量,使我的生命有屬天的德性。
「並且要作這更大的事,因為我往父那裡去。」約翰福音十四章12節
祈禱不是叫我們適於那偉大的工作;祈禱本身就是偉大的工作。我們以為祈禱,是叫我們得到較高的能力,去應付神的工作。但按照耶穌基督的眼光看,祈禱是我本已救贖的奇蹟,藉著神的能力,同時也是別人救贖的奇蹟。結果子之方法,是祈禱,但須記取的,這種祈禱是建立在救贖的痛苦,不是建立於我的痛苦。一個小孩能獲得祈禱的答覆,一個聰明人反而得不著。
你無論在那裡祈禱總是一種戰爭。不管神製造環境的方法怎樣,本分就是祈禱。切不可如此作想──「我所在的地方,不見得有用;」因為你不在的地方,你必沒有有用。無論神安排你在那裡,祈禱,常常向祂祈禱。「你們若奉我的名求甚麼,我必成就。」(約十四13)我們不肯祈禱,我們得不著奮興,就不肯祈禱,那就是靈性自私的極度形態。我們要依照神的指導而勞動,但祂指導我們的是祈禱,「所以你們當求莊稼的主,打發工人出去,收祂的莊稼。
通常的工人對於工作,是沒有興奮的,但是成功通常是工作勞作出來的;同樣基督的概念,沒有那些勞苦的聖徒是不會發現的。你慇勤祈禱,從神的立場看,是無時不發生效果的。當帕子揭開,一種說不出的驚奇必然發現,你可以看出你是慣於接受耶穌基督的命令的,已經為祂收穫了不少的靈魂。
「……亞伯拉罕信神……」羅馬書四章3節
亞伯拉罕的信心是向著神本身的,他認識帶領他的神,所以他對神有絕對的信心。
亞伯拉罕一生的秘訣在於他與神的友誼。他所認識的神是一位偉大、良善、信實的朋友。無怪乎他能聽神的話,從他自身所愛的本家本族出來,走向一條未知的道路。
除了信靠神的話語,我們是否已學會把自己全然交給神呢?神有無限的愛及力量,祂是與我們立約的主並永遠的好朋友。
經上告訴我們,亞伯拉罕因著信心而榮耀了神。最能榮耀神的辦法,乃是讓世人看見神是誰,以及祂的大能力。神並不希望藉著我們所能做的事,讓世人知道祂能做什麼;神也不用那些有乖謬性格的器皿。相反的,祂一直在找尋那些謙卑的人,並用這些人在世世代代中榮耀祂。