实情令人吃惊
我告诉主我没有兴趣做牧师。神曾在我梦中呼召我成为一名牧师,但我假装不理会,反而把注意力集中在其他事情上。几个星期之后,我听一位芝加哥教会的牧师讲一篇道,关于神的呼召,当时我感到如坐针毡。我之前并没有与他谈论过这个题目,但崇拜结束后,他却以第一时间走到我面前,问我那篇讲道对我有什么启迪。我非常震惊,神竟然会这样使用他来引起我的注意。
拿单是大卫的牧师,拿单相当了解大卫,他晓得他不可告人的秘密,他也明白他的个性;他知道指责他或以好言相劝是没有用处的,但他知道大卫喜欢听故事。故事能够绕过我们的防御机制,不让它阻碍和战胜我们的理性。大卫听了拿单富于内涵的故事,他看到故事中人物的恶。
跟着拿单便揭露他也是恶人,他说:“你就是那人!”大卫突然间要面对现实中的自己,以及他对拔示巴和乌利亚在暗中所做的事。此外,拔示巴这次所生的孩子必定要死,祸患也必会临到大卫的家。这些后果临到大卫身上,是因为他藐视神。
怜悯人的神,我也有盲点,我也有在人前隐藏的罪,然而我却无法对你隐藏什么。今天愿你以你的真理光照释放我,奉耶稣名求,阿们。
撒母耳记下 12:1-20
1耶和华差遣拿单去见大卫。拿单到了大卫那里,对他说:“在一座城里有两个人,一个是富户,一个是穷人。
2富户有许多牛群羊群。
3穷人除了所买来养活的一只小母羊羔之外,别无所有。羊羔在他家里和他儿女一同长大,吃他所吃的,喝他所喝的,睡在他怀中,在他看来如同女儿一样。
4有一客人来到这富户家里,富户舍不得从自己的牛群羊群中取一只预备给客人吃,却取了那穷人的羊羔,预备给客人吃。”
5大卫就甚恼怒那人,对拿单说:“我指着永生的耶和华起誓:行这事的人该死!
6他必偿还羊羔四倍,因为他行这事,没有怜恤的心。”
7拿单对大卫说:“你就是那人!耶和华以色列的神如此说:‘我膏你做以色列的王,救你脱离扫罗的手。
8我将你主人的家业赐给你,将你主人的妻交在你怀里,又将以色列和犹大家赐给你。你若还以为不足,我早就加倍地赐给你。
9你为什么藐视耶和华的命令,行他眼中看为恶的事呢?你藉亚扪人的刀杀害赫人乌利亚,又娶了他的妻为妻。
10你既藐视我,娶了赫人乌利亚的妻为妻,所以刀剑必永不离开你的家。’
11耶和华如此说:‘我必从你家中兴起祸患攻击你。我必在你眼前把你的妃嫔赐给别人,他在日光之下就与她们同寝。
12你在暗中行这事,我却要在以色列众人面前,日光之下,报应你。’”
13大卫对拿单说:“我得罪耶和华了!”拿单说:“耶和华已经除掉你的罪,你必不至于死。
14只是你行这事,叫耶和华的仇敌大得亵渎的机会,故此,你所得的孩子必定要死。”
15拿单就回家去了。 耶和华击打乌利亚妻给大卫所生的孩子,使他得重病。
16所以大卫为这孩子恳求神,而且禁食,进入内室,终夜躺在地上。
17他家中的老臣来到他旁边,要把他从地上扶起来,他却不肯起来,也不同他们吃饭。
18到第七日,孩子死了。大卫的臣仆不敢告诉他孩子死了,因他们说:“孩子还活着的时候,我们劝他,他尚且不肯听我们的话;若告诉他孩子死了,岂不更加忧伤吗?”
19大卫见臣仆彼此低声说话,就知道孩子死了,问臣仆说:“孩子死了吗?”他们说:“死了。”
20大卫就从地上起来,沐浴,抹膏,换了衣裳,进耶和华的殿敬拜。然后回宫,吩咐人摆饭,他便吃了。
Surprised By Truth
"Nathan said to David, 'You are the man!'" - 2 Samuel 12:7
I told the Lord that I was not interested in becoming a pastor. I’d had a dream in which God called me to be a pastor, but I tried to ignore that and focus on other things. A few weeks later, a minister at my church in Chicago preached a sermon about the call of God. I squirmed in my seat. I had not talked with him about this topic at all. After the service, he made a beeline toward me. He asked me what the sermon meant for me. I was stunned that the Lord was able to use him in such a way to get my attention.
Nathan was David’s pastor. Nathan knew David pretty well. He knew his secrets. He knew his personality. He knew that accusing or coaxing David would not work. But he knew that David would listen to a story. Stories bypass our defense mechanisms to deflect and defeat rational arguments. David listened to Nathan’s power-play story and saw the villain for what he was.
Then Nathan called him out as the villain, saying, “You are the man!” And suddenly David had to face the truth about himself and what he had done to Bathsheba and Uriah. What’s more, the child born to Bathsheba would die, and calamity would come to David’s household. These consequences happened to David because he had treated God with contempt.
Merciful God, I have blind spots, and I have sins that I hide from others. But I cannot hide anything from you. Let your truth set me free today in Jesus’ name. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
编辑进度:
发布时间:
繁體版:
Line:
栏目:
机构:
作者: