Welcome to
Zion Bread of Life Christian Church

Thursday, 21st September 2023

Rev Daniel Xi An Poon

God is with us, it doesn’t mean that our life will be smooth, it doesn’t mean that we won’t face challenges, even Jesus came across troubles and hardship when He was on the world. So how do we live our lives? We don’t know what will happen tomorrow, and if we will not be on the earth tomorrow, then we will have to face the eternity. This is the biggest issue we must face, how are we going to be accountable before God? We have been busy all our lives, for our work, our family, our children, our parents, our future… we make our lives so busy that we forgot to gather treasure in Heaven. Our busyness has replaced God, and when we focus on the things we must do in our hands, God will not longer with us, because we don’t have any space for Him!

神與我們同在，並不意味著我們的生活會一帆風順，也不意味著我們不會面臨挑戰，甚至耶穌在世時也遇到過麻煩和艱難。那我們要如何過我們的生活呢？我們不知道明天會發生什麼，如果明天我們不在這個世上，那麼我們將不得不面對永恆。這是我們必須面對的最大問題，我們如何在神面前交帳？我們這一生都在忙碌，為了我們的工作，我們的家庭，我們的孩子，我們的父母，我們的未來……我們讓自己的生活如此忙碌，以至於忘記了聚寶在天上。我們的忙碌取代了神，當我們專注於手中要做的事情時，神就不再與我們同在，因為我們沒有空間給神了！

We must stay alert, to put God first, people next, then the earth. We must have the right priority. Rev Daniel been through a lot of troubles to come back to Auckland from Taiwan, only because he put God first, he saw God’s matters as the most important matter in his life. We should strive to please God, He is our strength, and through His Word, we can face the challenges ahead of us every day, our hearts will not grow weary, and our lives will continue to shine for God. This is the best investment we have on this world, to follow God, to put God first, and to gather treasures in Heaven. Do we believe God will take care of us? Do we really know that when we put God first, we will have the strength to face every day?

我們必須保持警惕，把神放在第一位，後人，然後才是大地。我們必須有正確的優先順序。錫安牧師歷經千辛萬苦才從台灣回到奧克蘭，只因為他把神放在第一位，把神的事當作生命中最重要的事。我們應該努力討神的喜悅，祂是我們的力量，透過祂的話語，我們可以面對每天面前的挑戰，我們的心不會疲倦，我們的生命也會繼續為神發光。這是我們在這個世界上最好的投資，跟隨神，把神放在第一位，並聚寶在天上。我們相信神會照顧我們嗎？我們真的知道當我們把神放在第一位時，我們就有力量去面對每一天嗎？

V1 ‘It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.’

V1過了一年，到列王出戰的時候，大衛又差派約押，率領臣僕和以色列眾人出戰。他們就打敗亞捫人，圍攻拉巴。大衛仍住在耶路撒冷。

At this stage, David lived a life without God. He wanted to please the people of Ammon, then when he was rejected, he fought back and destroyed them. David stopped asking God for his decisions, and he lived a willful life. All his life God had been guiding him and protecting him, but when David drifted away from God, his focus also shifted.

在這個階段，大衛過著沒有神的生活。他想取悅雅捫人，然後當他被拒絕時，他反擊並消滅了他們。大衛不再向神尋求他的決定，他過著任性的生活。大衛的一生中，神一直在引導他、保護他，但當大衛遠離神時，他的焦點也隨之轉移。

V2-5 ‘Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, “I am with child.”’ We come to know that Bathsheba was cleansed from her period, which means she was not pregnant when David laid with her. Later when she found out she’s pregnant, David tried to take her in because he wanted to hide what he had done.

V2-5一日，太陽平西，大衛從床上起來，在王宮的平頂上遊行，看見一個婦人沐浴，容貌甚美。 大衛就差人打聽那婦人是誰，有人說：「她是以連的女兒，赫人烏利亞的妻拔示巴。」大衛差人去，將婦人接來，那時她的月經才得潔淨。她來了，大衛與她同房，她就回家去了。於是她懷了孕，打發人去告訴大衛說：「我懷了孕。」

V6-11 ‘Then David sent to Joab, saying, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah had come to him, David asked how Joab was doing, and how the people were doing, and how the war prospered. And David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah departed from the king’s house, and a gift of food from the king followed him. But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. So when they told David, saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Did you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” And Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.” Then David said to Uriah, “Wait here today also, and tomorrow I will let you depart.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. Now when David called him, he ate and drank before him; and he made him drunk. And at evening he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.’

V6-11大衛差人到約押那裡，說：「你打發赫人烏利亞到我這裡來。」約押就打發烏利亞去見大衛。烏利亞來了，大衛問約押好，也問兵好，又問爭戰的事怎樣。 大衛對烏利亞說：「你回家去，洗洗腳吧！」烏利亞出了王宮，隨後王送他一份食物。烏利亞卻和他主人的僕人一同睡在宮門外，沒有回家去。有人告訴大衛說：「烏利亞沒有回家去。」大衛就問烏利亞說：「你從遠路上來，為什麼不回家去呢？」烏利亞對大衛說：「約櫃和以色列與猶大兵都住在棚裡，我主約押和我主的僕人都在田野安營，我豈可回家吃喝，與妻子同寢呢？我敢在王面前起誓：我決不行這事！」大衛吩咐烏利亞說：「你今日仍住在這裡，明日我打發你去。」於是烏利亞那日和次日住在耶路撒冷。大衛召了烏利亞來，叫他在自己面前吃喝，使他喝醉。到了晚上，烏利亞出去與他主的僕人一同住宿，還沒有回到家裡去。

At first, David brought Uriah back so he could sleep with his wife to hide the fact that she had David’s child. But Uriah continued to remind David about the frontline and how he could not betray his brothers by spending time with his wife. David did not seek God in his decisions, but God has been trying to stop David from hiding his mistakes. God has been giving David an opportunity to repent and return, but David did not listen.

起初，大衛把烏利亞帶回來，這樣他就可以和妻子睡覺，以掩蓋她懷有大衛孩子的事實。但烏利亞繼續提醒大衛有關前線的事，以及他不能因為與妻子共度時光而背叛他的兄弟。大衛在做決定時並沒有尋求神，但神一直試圖阻止大衛隱瞞他的錯誤。神一直在給大衛悔改歸回的機會，但大衛不聽。

V22-27 ‘So the messenger went, and came and told David all that Joab had sent by him.  And the messenger said to David, “Surely the men prevailed against us and came out to us in the field; then we drove them back as far as the entrance of the gate. The archers shot from the wall at your servants; and some of the king’s servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.” Then David said to the messenger, “Thus you shall say to Joab: ‘Do not let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Strengthen your attack against the city, and overthrow it.’ So encourage him.” When Uriah refused David, David took the extreme action, he even gave Joab an excuse not to feel back about sending Uriah to his death. David had not been asking God in this matter, God gave David opportunities to repent, but he continued to be wilful, and at the end, he had to bear the consequences. It’s not that God was not with David, but it was David, who walked away from God. When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. And when her mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.’

V22-27 使者起身，來見大衛，照著約押所吩咐他的話奏告大衛。使者對大衛說：「敵人強過我們，出到郊野與我們打仗。我們追殺他們，直到城門口。射箭的從城上射王的僕人，射死幾個，赫人烏利亞也死了。」王向使者說：「你告訴約押說：『不要因這事愁悶，刀劍或吞滅這人或吞滅那人，沒有一定的。你只管竭力攻城，將城傾覆。』可以用這話勉勵約押。」烏利亞的妻聽見丈夫烏利亞死了，就為他哀哭。哀哭的日子過了，大衛差人將她接到宮裡，她就做了大衛的妻，給大衛生了一個兒子。但大衛所行的這事，耶和華甚不喜悅。

God is watching over us, He knows everything about us, but why does God not intervene? Because while we have the freedom, we can choose God’s Way or our own way, and that’s God’s righteousness. Jesus had the freedom to choose to go on the cross or not, He had the freedom to choose to be baptised by John or not, and God sent His angels to Jesus. Are we willing to let God be God? Are we willing to ask God in everything we do? Are we willing to believe that God is our guidance? No matter where we are and what we face, God is with us, we must put down ourselves, and seek God in every situation.

神在看顧我們，祂知道我們的一切，但為什麼神不介入呢？因為當我們有自由時，我們可以選擇神的道路或我們自己的道路，這就是神的公義。耶穌有選擇是否走上十字架的自由，祂有選擇是否接受約翰洗禮的自由。我們願意讓神成為神嗎？我們是否願意在所做的每一件事上求問神？我們願意相信神是我們的引導嗎？無論我們在哪裡，面對什麼，神都與我們同在，我們必須放下自己，凡事都要尋求神。