旧约 - 撒母耳记下(2 Samuel)第1章

After the death of Saul, David returned from defeating the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days.
On the third day a man arrived from Saul's camp, with his clothes torn and with dust on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him honor.
"Where have you come from?" David asked him. He answered, "I have escaped from the Israelite camp."
"What happened?" David asked. "Tell me." He said, "The men fled from the battle. Many of them fell and died. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead."
Then David said to the young man who brought him the report, "How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?"
"I happened to be on Mount Gilboa," the young man said, "and there was Saul, leaning on his spear, with the chariots and riders almost upon him.
When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me, and I said, 'What can I do?'
"He asked me, 'Who are you?' "'An Amalekite,' I answered.
"Then he said to me, 'Stand over me and kill me! I am in the throes of death, but I'm still alive.'
"So I stood over him and killed him, because I knew that after he had fallen he could not survive. And I took the crown that was on his head and the band on his arm and have brought them here to my lord."
Then David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore them.
They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
David said to the young man who brought him the report, "Where are you from?" "I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite," he answered.
David asked him, "Why were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the LORD'S anointed?"
Then David called one of his men and said, "Go, strike him down!" So he struck him down, and he died.
For David had said to him, "Your blood be on your own head. Your own mouth testified against you when you said, 'I killed the LORD'S anointed.'"
David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan,
and ordered that the men of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):
"Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights. How the mighty have fallen!
"Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.
"O mountains of Gilboa, may you have neither dew nor rain, nor fields that yield offerings of grain. For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul--no longer rubbed with oil.
From the blood of the slain, from the flesh of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.
"Saul and Jonathan--in life they were loved and gracious, and in death they were not parted. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
"O daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and finery, who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.
"How the mighty have fallen in battle! Jonathan lies slain on your heights.
I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women.
"How the mighty have fallen! The weapons of war have perished!"
撒母耳记下第一章   第 1 章 

  撒下 1:1> 艰苦的磨炼可以预备人去承担重任,神在风雨中磨砺大卫,我如何在风雨中预备自己? 

  1:1 大卫是对神大有信心的人,他等候神成全祂的应许。撒母耳记上叙述了大卫在等候作以色列王的时候,种种的挣扎和遭遇(撒母耳在多年以前,已经膏他作以色列的王了)。百姓歌颂他的成就,使扫罗王对他生出嫉妒想要杀他,大卫只得逃亡到仇敌非利士境内并耶路撒冷的东面和南面一带,在荒凉旷野藏匿多年。他可能知道神应许他作王,只是不知何时可以实现,然而艰苦奋斗的磨炼使他以后能负起重大的责任。撒母耳记下讲述大卫因恒心忍耐,对神的信心始终如一,终于蒙神赏赐。 

  撒下 1:1> 大卫为何会留在洗革拉? 

  1:1 扫罗驾崩时,大卫和跟随他的人仍住在非利士的城洗革拉。因为扫罗追杀,大卫被迫出境,向非利士人的一个首领亚吉王假意投诚(参撒上 27 章),以免受扫罗追杀的威胁。 

  撒下 1:11-12> 泪水,很多时是化解悲恸的良方…… 

  1:11-12 大卫和跟随他的人“悲哀、号哭,而且禁食到晚上”,他们对扫罗的死亡极其震惊,为失去君王、良友约拿单和在那天阵亡的以色列众战士,他们衷心哀悼,并不以哀伤为耻。如今有些人以为流露情感是软弱的表现,为要显得坚强,总设法隐藏自己的感情。但是在我们所爱的人死去以后大大悲恸,反而有助于节哀顺变,免得过于忧伤。 

  撒下 1:13> 有时候用一些欺瞒的手段,好像能得到更多利益,事实却不然,看那少年── 

  1:13 向大卫报信之人,自称是扫罗营中的亚玛力人( 1:2 )。他可能是以色列所辖境内的亚玛力人,但更可能是到战场捡拾遗物的人。他对于自己的身分与战场上发生的事,显然都撒了谎。(比较他所讲述的与撒上 31:3-4 的记述。)他带来扫罗的冠冕,而这样重要的东西非利士人断不会轻易留下的,所以我们可以推断,他一定在非利士人到达以前就见到扫罗阵亡了(参撒上 31:8 )。 

  欺诈必招灾祸。报信者撒谎说他杀死了大卫的对头,想得到赏赐,但他误解了大卫的为人,如果大卫因他杀死君王而赏赐他,就与他的罪有分了,因此大卫吩咐人将他杀死。谎言令撒谎者遭灾害,即使他没有做过谎言中的恶事,也难逃罪责。 

  撒下 1:13> 亚玛力人不是以色列人的仇敌吗?这个少年人为什么称自己是亚玛力人? 

  1:13 亚玛力人是强悍的游牧部族,常突袭迦南人的村落,自从摩西时代他们就是以色列人的宿敌。大卫刚刚消灭了亚玛力人的一支部队,因为他们焚掠洗革拉城,掳去那里的妇女孩童(参撒上 30:1-20 )。报信的人可能不晓得大卫新近与亚玛力人的争战,不然的话,他就不会来见大卫。他没想到自己是以色列人的仇敌,还口口声声说杀了神所拣选的君王,惹来大卫的震怒。 

  撒下 1:15-16> 为政者有其本分,但作臣民者亦有当尽的义…… 

  1:15-16 扫罗是大卫的仇敌,大卫为什么还以杀害这君王的人为有罪呢?因为他相信神膏立扫罗为王,也只有神能革除他的王位。弑君若是无关痛痒的平常事,整个社会就会分崩离析。刑罚扫罗的罪乃是神的工作,并非大卫的本分(参利 19:18 )。我们必须认识神设立掌权的管理我们,尊重他们的位分是应当的(参罗 13:1-5 )。 

  撒下 1:17-18> 雅煞珥书是古代赞美英雄的诗歌集,大卫透过这首挽歌表达了什么心声? 

  1:17-18 大卫是富才华的音乐家,他曾弹琴驱魔(参撒上 16:23 ),是把音乐带入圣殿敬拜之中的人(参代上 25 ),还写了许多诗篇。在这一章中,他写了一首哀歌,悼念扫罗和他的儿子约拿单──他最亲密的朋友。在以色列人的历史之中,音乐是非常重要的。(圣经中其他着名的诗歌,见出 15 的图表。) 

  撒下 1:17-27> 仇恨容易使人对别人心存偏见,在我心中是否对某人有难以释怀的歧见? 

  1:17-27 扫罗曾使大卫饱受痛苦,不过在他和众子死后,大卫仍然为他们谱写哀歌。大卫有充分的理由憎恨扫罗,却不怨不怒,宁愿隐恶扬善,只欣赏扫罗的德政,而不计较扫罗对他的攻击。把仇恨与伤害放在一边,尊重别人乃至仇敌的可称赞之处,实在需要很大的勇气。 

  撒下 1:26> 大卫与约拿单之间的情谊是…… 

  1:26 大卫说约拿单对他的爱“过于妇女的爱情”,并没有同性恋的意思。在以色列人中,神禁绝同性恋的行为,利未记称同性恋(与男人苟合)为“可憎恶的”事,并下令将行这事的人处死(参利 18:22 ; 20:13 )。大卫只是重述他与约拿单之间深切的弟兄之爱,彼此间忠信的友谊(参撒上 18:1-4 的注释)。──《灵修版圣经注释》