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II Samuel 9 – Live a Glorious Life 撒母耳記下 9 – 活出榮耀的生命

Tuesday, 19^th September 2023

Rev Daniel Xi An Poon

V1-4 Understand the Heart of the Father 明白神的心意

How to live a glorious life? What is a glorious life? To be successful in our work, in our study, in our family, in our relationship, in our lifestyle…? The glorious life David lived is different to what we have imagined. What we think is from this world, our values come from this world, but what is actually a glorious life in Heaven? Jesus came to build a glorious church, and first we must understand the heart of the Father. Jesus didn’t come for us to worship Him only, but to know He is the life, the truth, and the way. What is our relationship with Jesus? When we are in need, we will come to Jesus, then we will continue to walk in our own way. Do we really receive strength from Jesus and go to the Father? Jesus is the way for us to connect to the Father, but we often just come to Jesus, pour out all our complaints and negative things, then turn away to continue our way. Before Jesus’ time, David knew this secrete of coming to God no matter what.

如何過著榮耀的生命？什麼是榮耀的生命？在我們的工作、學習、家庭、人際關係、生活方式中取得成功…？大衛榮耀的生命與我們想像的不同。我們的想法來自這個世界，我們的價值觀來自這個世界，但天堂裡榮耀的生活到底是什麼？耶穌來是為了建立一個榮耀的教會，首先我們必須了解天父的心。耶穌來不是為了讓我們敬拜他，而是為了讓我們知道他是生命、真理、道路。我們與耶穌的關係是什麼？當我們有需要時，我們會來到耶穌面前，然後我們會轉身繼續走自己的路。我們真的從耶穌那裡得到力量並到天父那裡去嗎？耶穌是我們與天父連結的途徑，但我們常常只是來到耶穌面前，傾訴我們所有的抱怨和消極的事情，然後轉身繼續我們的路。在耶穌時代之前，大衛就知道無論如何都要來到神的面前的秘訣。

God gave the throne to David was not to destroy Saul. God knew Saul was unable to contain the anointing God wanted to give to the people of Israel, so He raised up David to take over this mission. It doesn’t mean God dislike Saul, Saul led to his own death. It’s just like how when Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they led to their own death. When we come to God, when we hear the Word of God, this is our Gospel, this is our blessing, and this is our salvation. God does not want us to go to where Satan goes, therefore God gave us salvation. There is no salvation without death, so in death, God gave us a new life. When we baptised in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we die to our old-selves and resurrect with Jesus.

神把王位賜給大衛，不是要毀滅掃羅。神知道掃羅無法承受神要賜給以色列人的恩膏，所以神興起大衛來接手這個使命。這並不意味著神不愛掃羅，掃羅導致了他自己的死亡。就像亞當和夏娃吃了分別善惡樹的果子，導致了自己的死亡。當我們來到神面前，當我們聽到神的話語時，這就是我們的福音，這就是我們的祝福，這就是我們的救恩。神不希望我們去撒但去的地方，所以神給了我們救恩。沒有死亡就沒有救贖，所以在死亡中，神給了我們新的生命。當我們奉聖父、聖子、聖靈的名施洗時，我們就向舊我死去，並與耶穌一同復活。

V1-4 ‘Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” He said, “At your service!” Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet.” So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”’ David knew God’s heart about Saul, and he wanted to find whoever was left in Saul’s house. It was not just one thought, David took the action, and went around to look for people who could help him find Saul’s household. David wanted to show the kindness, which translated to the love of the Father, to the people of Saul’s house.

V1-4 『大衛問說：「掃羅家還有剩下的人沒有？我要因約拿單的緣故向他施恩。」掃羅家有一個僕人，名叫洗巴，有人叫他來見大衛。王問他說：「你是洗巴嗎？」回答說：「僕人是。」王說：「掃羅家還有人沒有？我要照神的慈愛恩待他。」洗巴對王說：「還有約拿單的一個兒子，是瘸腿的。」王說：「他在哪裡？」洗巴對王說：「他在羅底巴亞米利的兒子瑪吉家裡。」』大衛知道神對掃羅的心意，他想找到掃羅家中剩下的人。這不僅僅是一個想法，大衛採取了行動，四處尋找可以幫助他找到掃羅一家的人。大衛想向掃羅家的子民表達恩慈，這轉化為天父的愛。

Do people around us see the Father’s love for them? People around David could see David showing the kindness of God to Saul’s household. Do people around us also see God through us? We must first understand the heart of the Father, and we can show people the kindness.

我們周圍的人看到天父對他們的愛嗎？大衛周圍的人可以看到大衛向掃羅全家展現神的恩慈。我們周圍的人是否也透過我們看見神？我們首先要明白天父的心，才能向人展現恩慈。

V5-8 Take Action 付諸於行動

V5-6 ‘Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar. Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?” And he answered, “Here is your servant!”’ Mephibosheth called himself a servant in front of David, but the way David spoke to him was different to the way David spoke to Ziba. David knew the identity of Mephibosheth, again he showed the kindness of the Father by telling him not to be afraid.

V5-6 『於是大衛王打發人去，從羅底巴亞米利的兒子瑪吉家裡召了他來。掃羅的孫子、約拿單的兒子米非波設來見大衛，伏地叩拜。大衛說：「米非波設。」米非波設說：「僕人在此。」』米非波設在大衛面前自稱為僕人，但大衛對他說話的方式與大衛對洗巴說話的方式不同。大衛知道米非波設的身份，大衛再次表明天父的恩慈，告訴米非波設不要害怕。

V7-8 ‘So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.” Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?”’ Mephibosheth did not see his values, he only saw how incapable he was, how full of fear he was, and how useless he was, but David saw him as the grandson of Saul. When we magnify ourselves, we cannot see our identity. We only see our lacking, our incapability, our troubles, and our weaknesses, but when we really know who we are, we will no longer worry about how people see us. We will see our status different to those who look down our us, because we are actually standing at a higher ground than them.

V7-8 『大衛說：「你不要懼怕，我必因你父親約拿單的緣故施恩於你，將你祖父掃羅的一切田地都歸還你。你也可以常與我同席吃飯。」米非波設又叩拜，說：「僕人算什麼，不過如死狗一般，竟蒙王這樣眷顧！」』米非波設沒有看到他的價值，只看到他是多麼無能，他是多麼懼怕，他是多麼無用，但大衛卻看他為掃羅的孫子。當我們放大自己時，我們就看不到自己的身分。我們只看到自己的缺乏、自己的無能、自己的煩惱、自己的弱點，但當我們真正知道自己是誰時，我們就不會再擔心別人怎麼看我們了。我們會看到我們的地位與那些看不起我們的人不同，因為我們甚至比他們站在更高的地方。

V9-13 Walk the Extra Mile 多走一哩路

V9-10 ‘And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son shall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.’ David lifted up Mephibosheth, he saw him as his own son. David had the kindness towards people, because he knew the Father’s kindness. Everyone thought Saul was David’s enemy, because Saul had been chasing David, they didn’t have the kindness, and they didn’t understand the Father’s heart. Not only David took action, but he also walked an extra mile, he saw ahead the needs of people. David used his heart to see the heart of the Father for Mephibosheth. He didn’t only fulfil his needs but to really understand him. David told Ziba to let Mephibosheth eat at the king’s table, at the same time, David made sure Ziba know his status.

V9-10 『王召了掃羅的僕人洗巴來，對他說：「我已將屬掃羅和他的一切家產都賜給你主人的兒子了。 你和你的眾子、僕人，要為你主人的兒子米非波設耕種田地，把所產的拿來供他食用，他卻要常與我同席吃飯。」洗巴有十五個兒子，二十個僕人。』大衛高舉米非波設，視他為自己的兒子。大衛對人有恩慈，因為他知道天父的恩慈。大家都認為掃羅是大衛的仇敵，因為掃羅一直追趕大衛，但是他們沒有愛，不明白天父的心。大衛不僅採取了行動，而且還多走了一里路，他提前看到了人們的需求。大衛用他的心看見了天父對米非波設的心。他不僅滿足了米非波設的需求，而且真正理解了他。大衛吩咐洗巴讓米非波設在王的餐桌上吃飯，同時大衛也讓洗巴知道他的身分。

V11-13 ‘Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.” “As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at my table like one of the king’s sons.” Mephibosheth had a young son w hose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he was lame in both his feet.’ Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants, whereas Mephibosheth only had one son. David foreseen the situation of Mephibosheth, he took the action, he walked an extra mile, just to protect the crippled grandson of Saul, who tried to kill David. Because David knew God’s heart for the house of Saul, which is different to how people see.

V11-13 『洗巴對王說：「凡我主我王吩咐僕人的，僕人都必遵行。」王又說：「米非波設必與我同席吃飯，如王的兒子一樣。」米非波設有一個小兒子，名叫米迦。凡住在洗巴家裡的人都做了米非波設的僕人。於是米非波設住在耶路撒冷，常與王同席吃飯。他兩腿都是瘸的。』洗巴有十五個兒子和二十個僕人，而米非波設只有一個兒子。大衛預見了米非波設的處境，他採取了行動，他多走了一里路，只是為了保護想要殺自己的掃羅的瘸腿孫子。因為大衛知道神對掃羅家的心意與人的看法不同。

David knew God loved Saul and did not want to destroy Saul, Saul brought the destruction upon himself. It is the same love God had for Adam and Eve when building them the Garden of Eden. David knew God’s heart, he did not kill the household of Saul, furthermore, because of David, Saul’s household was able to grow. We see later in the Book of Chronicles, Saul’s household grew bigger and stronger. There was no records of the decedents of Ziba, but there are records of Saul’s descendants, and it’s all because David lived the kindness of the Father. He lived a glorious life.

大衛知道神愛掃羅，不想毀滅掃羅，掃羅自己帶來了自己的毀滅。這與神在為亞當和夏娃建造伊甸園時對他們的愛是一樣的。大衛深知神的心意，他沒有殺掃羅全家，而且因著大衛，掃羅全家得以壯大。我們在歷代誌上看到，掃羅的家族變得越來越強大。洗巴的後裔沒有記載，但掃羅的後裔卻有記載，這都是因為大衛活出了天父的恩慈。他活出榮耀的生命。