Shasta是路易斯的著作奇幻马和传说中的主角，他是一个来历不明、被贫穷的渔夫养大的孤儿。有一天，Shasta发现他正濒临被卖作奴隶，于是他便与一匹懂得说话的马Bree一起逃走，他们向北行，朝着Bree的家乡纳尼亚（Narnia）进发；Shasta从小便渴望到北方的了，而Bree猜想他可能是来自那里的。经过一连串的危险刺激，Shasta发现他本是皇室成员，而事实上他是皇帝失踪多时的儿子。
尽管我们可能没有察觉到，我们其实也是皇室成员，神欢迎我们进入衪的家，我们都是君王的儿女（马太福音 25:34；约翰福音 1:12-13；罗马书 8:14-17）。
在申命记17章，神列出以色列未来的君王应有的资格和条件。神知道衪的子民需要什么，衪也知道君王将会带给他们什么麻烦。君王必须是神拣选的，而非常重要的，就是他是一个谦卑的王（可是，身为君王，是很难会谦卑的）。王不应看自己比别人更重要，还有，王需要带领神的子民，按神对他们的呼召去生活。这样，万国都会因他们得福了（创世记 12:2-3）。
作为神的儿女，我们也同样蒙召，去过这样的生活。
父啊，求你帮助我看到，你怎样呼召我与你一同作王。惟愿我打开我的眼睛和心灵，去接受你崇高的呼召，为你治理这个世界。奉耶稣名祈求，阿们。
申命记 17:14-20
14 “到了耶和华你神所赐你的地，得了那地居住的时候，若说：‘我要立王治理我，像四围的国一样’，
15 你总要立耶和华你神所拣选的人为王。必从你弟兄中立一人，不可立你弟兄以外的人为王。
16 只是王不可为自己加添马匹，也不可使百姓回埃及去，为要加添他的马匹，因耶和华曾吩咐你们说：‘不可再回那条路去。’
17 他也不可为自己多立妃嫔，恐怕他的心偏邪，也不可为自己多积金银。
18 “他登了国位，就要将祭司利未人面前的这律法书为自己抄录一本，
19 存在他那里，要平生诵读，好学习敬畏耶和华他的神，谨守遵行这律法书上的一切言语和这些律例，
20 免得他向弟兄心高气傲，偏左偏右，离了这诫命。这样，他和他的子孙便可在以色列中，在国位上年长日久。
"Be sure to appoint over you a king the LORD your God chooses." — Deuteronomy 17:15
Shasta is the main character in C.S. Lewis’s book The Horse and His Boy. An orphan of unknown background, he is raised by a poor fisherman. One day Shasta discovers he is on the verge of being sold into slavery. So he escapes with Bree, a talking horse, and the two head north for Bree’s homeland, Narnia. Shasta is overjoyed. He’s been longing his whole life to go north, and Bree actually suspects that Shasta is from there. Through a series of adventures Shasta discovers that he belongs to a royal family, and he is actually the long-lost son of a king.
We too are royalty, though we may not be aware of it. Welcomed into the family of God, we are sons and daughters of the King (Matthew 25:34; John 1:12-13; Romans 8:14-17).
In Deuteronomy 17, God lays out the qualifications and conditions for Israel’s future kings. God knows what his people need, and he knows the troubles a king will bring them. The king must be someone whom God has chosen, and it will be very important that the king is humble. (That’s hard when you’re a king.) The king should not think more of himself than of others. Further, the king was to guide God’s people in living the way God called them to live. In this way they would be a blessing to other nations (Genesis 12:2-3).
As children of God, this is how we are called to live as well.
Father, help me to see how you call me to reign with you. May my eyes and my heart be opened to this high calling of being a ruler for you in this world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
