扫罗王在一个重要的顺服试验中失败后,于是耶和华便进行另一个计划。神差遣撒母耳去寻找一个新王,好让神子民的王室有一个新的开始。
拣选和膏立大卫这个引人入胜的故事便这样揭幕了。耶西的儿子们列队在撒母耳面前经过,有些儿子的外貌看起来很合适,然而耶和华却一直在泼冷水,结果把他们逐一否决了。最后,正在放羊的小儿子被召回家,面色光红、容貌俊美的大卫走进来。耶和华见到并且称许他的内心,祂便告诉撒母耳,要膏立大卫为神子民的下一位君王。
大卫就是这样一举成名了,大卫不寻常之处,就是他是一个出人意料之外的寻常人。
很多动听的故事都是这样开始的。例如,在参加舞会之前,灰姑娘一直都被忽视;在误进纳尼亚世界之前,彼得、苏姗、艾德蒙、和露西只不过是在玩捉迷藏的小孩而已。
大卫具有的特质,都在每一个在基督里蒙拣选的人体现了。神不寻常的慈爱和计划,也在出人意料之外地寻常的人身上展开,他们接受了崇高和圣洁的呼召。在基督里,我们是“有君尊的祭司”(彼得前书 2:9),我们被膏,为要事奉将要降临的神的国度。
主啊,感谢祢呼召我们成为属祢的人。在我们藉圣灵的能力参与基督的国的事工时,求你帮助我们看到其中的尊荣和喜乐。阿们。
撒母耳记上 16:1-13
16耶和华对撒母耳说:“我既厌弃扫罗做以色列的王,你为他悲伤要到几时呢?你将膏油盛满了角,我差遣你往伯利恒人耶西那里去。因为我在他众子之内,预定一个做王的。”
2撒母耳说:“我怎能去呢?扫罗若听见,必要杀我。”耶和华说:“你可以带一只牛犊去,就说:‘我来是要向耶和华献祭。’”
3你要请耶西来吃祭肉,我就指示你所当行的事。我所指给你的人,你要膏他。”
4撒母耳就照耶和华的话去行。到了伯利恒,那城里的长老都战战兢兢地出来迎接他,问他说:“你是为平安来的吗?”
5他说:“为平安来的,我是给耶和华献祭。你们当自洁,来与我同吃祭肉。”撒母耳就使耶西和他众子自洁,请他们来吃祭肉。
6他们来的时候,撒母耳看见以利押,就心里说:“耶和华的受膏者必定在他面前。”
7耶和华却对撒母耳说:“不要看他的外貌和他身材高大,我不拣选他。因为耶和华不像人看人,人是看外貌,耶和华是看内心。”
8耶西叫亚比拿达从撒母耳面前经过,撒母耳说:“耶和华也不拣选他。”
9耶西又叫沙玛从撒母耳面前经过,撒母耳说:“耶和华也不拣选他。”
10耶西叫他七个儿子都从撒母耳面前经过,撒母耳说:“这都不是耶和华所拣选的。”
11撒母耳对耶西说:“你的儿子都在这里吗?”他回答说:“还有个小的,现在放羊。”撒母耳对耶西说:“你打发人去叫他来。他若不来,我们必不坐席。”
12耶西就打发人去叫了他来。他面色光红,双目清秀,容貌俊美。耶和华说:“这就是他,你起来膏他。”
13撒母耳就用角里的膏油,在他诸兄中膏了他。从这日起,耶和华的灵就大大感动大卫。撒母耳起身回拉玛去了。
"The LORD does not look at the things people look at. . . . The LORD looks at the heart." - 1 Samuel 16:7
When King Saul fails a great test of obedience, the Lord moves on. God sends Samuel on a mission to find a new king, a royal fresh start for God's people.
This leads to the fascinating story of David's selection and anointing. The sons of Jesse parade in front of Samuel. Some of them look the part, given their outward appearance. But the Lord pours cold water on that, rejecting one after another. Finally, the youngest son is brought in from tending the sheep. With a healthy glow and nonetheless handsome, David arrives. The Lord has seen and approved of David's heart, and he tells Samuel to anoint David as the future king of God's people.
In this way David is plucked from obscurity. And the extraordinary thing about David is that he is surprisingly ordinary.
So many good stories start out this way. For example, Cinderella is overlooked until she goes to the ball. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are just ordinary kids playing hide and seek until they stumble into the world of Narnia.
What David embodies is true for all people chosen in Christ. God's extraordinary love and plans begin with strikingly ordinary people, who receive a high and holy calling. In Christ, we are "a royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9), anointed to serve God's coming kingdom.
Lord, we thank you for calling us to be your own. Help us to see the honor and joy of participating in the kingdom of Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳