旧约 - 撒母耳记下(2 Samuel)第15章

In the course of time, Absalom provided himself with a chariot and horses and with fifty men to run ahead of him.
He would get up early and stand by the side of the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone came with a complaint to be placed before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out to him, "What town are you from?" He would answer, "Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel."
Then Absalom would say to him, "Look, your claims are valid and proper, but there is no representative of the king to hear you."
And Absalom would add, "If only I were appointed judge in the land! Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that he gets justice."
Also, whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him and kiss him.
Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
At the end of four years, Absalom said to the king, "Let me go to Hebron and fulfill a vow I made to the LORD.
While your servant was living at Geshur in Aram, I made this vow: 'If the LORD takes me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the LORD in Hebron.'"
The king said to him, "Go in peace." So he went to Hebron.
Then Absalom sent secret messengers throughout the tribes of Israel to say, "As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets, then say, 'Absalom is king in Hebron.'"
Two hundred men from Jerusalem had accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and went quite innocently, knowing nothing about the matter.
While Absalom was offering sacrifices, he also sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, to come from Giloh, his hometown. And so the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom's following kept on increasing.
A messenger came and told David, "The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom."
Then David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, "Come! We must flee, or none of us will escape from Absalom. We must leave immediately, or he will move quickly to overtake us and bring ruin upon us and put the city to the sword."
The king's officials answered him, "Your servants are ready to do whatever our lord the king chooses."
The king set out, with his entire household following him; but he left ten concubines to take care of the palace.
So the king set out, with all the people following him, and they halted at a place some distance away.
All his men marched past him, along with all the Kerethites and Pelethites; and all the six hundred Gittites who had accompanied him from Gath marched before the king.
The king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why should you come along with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom. You are a foreigner, an exile from your homeland.
You came only yesterday. And today shall I make you wander about with us, when I do not know where I am going? Go back, and take your countrymen. May kindness and faithfulness be with you."
But Ittai replied to the king, "As surely as the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be."
David said to Ittai, "Go ahead, march on." So Ittai the Gittite marched on with all his men and the families that were with him.
The whole countryside wept aloud as all the people passed by. The king also crossed the Kidron Valley, and all the people moved on toward the desert.
Zadok was there, too, and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. They set down the ark of God, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving the city.
Then the king said to Zadok, "Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the LORD'S eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again.
But if he says, 'I am not pleased with you,' then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him."
The king also said to Zadok the priest, "Aren't you a seer? Go back to the city in peace, with your son Ahimaaz and Jonathan son of Abiathar. You and Abiathar take your two sons with you.
I will wait at the fords in the desert until word comes from you to inform me."
So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and stayed there.
But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went; his head was covered and he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were weeping as they went up.
Now David had been told, "Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom." So David prayed, "O LORD, turn Ahithophel's counsel into foolishness."
When David arrived at the summit, where people used to worship God, Hushai the Arkite was there to meet him, his robe torn and dust on his head.
David said to him, "If you go with me, you will be a burden to me.
But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, 'I will be your servant, O king; I was your father's servant in the past, but now I will be your servant,' then you can help me by frustrating Ahithophel's advice.
Won't the priests Zadok and Abiathar be there with you? Tell them anything you hear in the king's palace.
Their two sons, Ahimaaz son of Zadok and Jonathan son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with anything you hear."
So David's friend Hushai arrived at Jerusalem as Absalom was entering the city.
撒母耳记下第十五章   第 15 章 

  押沙龙 

  背叛 

  撒下 15:1-37> 大卫把心意化在诗篇的祷文中;在人生中的此刻,我的祷文又是什么? 

  15:1-37 在押沙龙叛变期间,大卫写了好几篇诗篇,其中有 39 ; 41 ; 55 ; 61 与 63 篇。 

  撒下 15:2> 押沙龙为什么选择常常出现在城门的道旁? 

  15:2 城门的道旁就像市政厅兼购物中心之地。耶路撒冷是首都,地方官员与中央政府的首领每天在那里相遇,处理业务与政务。城门口也是办事的好地方,因为政治和经济等事务需要有见证人才能合法,而出入这城的人皆要从城门经过,人流不断。商人在城门附近支搭帐棚经营生意,也是为此。押沙龙站在那里,暗中赢得以色列首领和百姓的心。 

  撒下 15:5-6> 要辨识人的内心已十分困难,何况领袖人物的真正心怀。我怎样才能有辨别的智慧? 

  15:5-6 押沙龙的政治手腕,是以他的仪表、魅力、公正和亲切去赢取百姓的心。许多人被他欺骗,转而对他效忠,到后来才看出他是个邪恶的首领。 

  我们要仔细衡量领导人,才能清楚知道他们的能力,是否狼子野心的掩饰,是否欺骗的技俩,以及是否为了夺得权力。我们必须确知,在领袖们作风与迷人的举止背后,是否能明智公平地处理人民的事务。 

  押沙龙叛变 

  撒下 15:9> 15:9 押沙龙去希伯仑,因那是他的出生地( 3:2-3 ),也是大卫最初的首都;他想在那里能得到忠实的支持者并以他为王。 

  撒下 15:14> 为了身旁的人的缘故,有时需要忍辱负重…… 

  15:14 如果大卫不逃出耶路撒冷,以后的战争有可能令他阵亡,也使圣城无数无辜百姓遭殃。有些战争在我们看来虽是不可避免的,却会付极大代价,令我们周围的人受到损害。所以不如智慧地暂时放弃,留待以后才战──这样行虽然会有损我们的自尊心,但也应当隐忍。勇于争战固然需要勇气,为别人的缘故放弃战争,也需要勇气。 

  撒下 15:14> 大卫害怕了吗?他敌不过自己的儿子?还是…… 

  15:14 大卫为什么不能平定这一场叛乱?他选择逃跑有几个原因:( 1 )叛逆的势力甚大( 15:10-13 ),不容易被制伏。( 2 )他不愿圣城因战争被毁灭。( 3 )他不愿伤害儿子,仍然眷念他。 

  撒下 15:17-18> 大卫军中也有外族人吗? 

  15:17-18 大卫军中有许多非以色列籍的忠心勇士。从非利士迦特城而来的迦特人,显然是大卫逃避扫罗时所交的朋友。基利提人和比利提人都住在非利士人的境内。以色列人虽然应当除灭邪恶的仇敌,也应当欢迎对他们友善的外族人(参出 23:9 ;申 10:19 ),极力教导他们顺服神的重要。 

  撒下 15:24-25> 祭司和利未人对大卫是真心还是假意的? 

  15:24-25 祭司与利未人也忠于大卫。 

  撒下 15:27-37> 周瑜打黄盖的计谋,原来中外皆有…… 

  15:27-37 大卫需要在押沙龙朝中安置间谍,好得知押沙龙的计谋。他差派户筛去押沙龙那里,佯装背叛大卫,并出主意破坏亚希多弗的计划。亚希多弗是押沙龙的谋士,也是拔示巴的祖父。──《灵修版圣经注释》