旧约 - 撒母耳记下(2 Samuel)第24章

Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go and take a census of Israel and Judah."
So the king said to Joab and the army commanders with him, "Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enroll the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are."
But Joab replied to the king, "May the LORD your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?"
The king's word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel.
After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer, south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer.
They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon.
Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah.
After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand.
David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the LORD, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing."
Before David got up the next morning, the word of the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David's seer:
"Go and tell David, 'This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.'"
So Gad went to David and said to him, "Shall there come upon you three years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me."
David said to Gad, "I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men."
So the LORD sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.
When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, "Enough! Withdraw your hand." The angel of the LORD was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the LORD, "I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall upon me and my family."
On that day Gad went to David and said to him, "Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite."
So David went up, as the LORD had commanded through Gad.
When Araunah looked and saw the king and his men coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.
Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" "To buy your threshing floor," David answered, "so I can build an altar to the LORD, that the plague on the people may be stopped."
Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take whatever pleases him and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.
O king, Araunah gives all this to the king." Araunah also said to him, "May the LORD your God accept you."
But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them.
David built an altar to the LORD there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the LORD answered prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.
撒母耳记下第廿四章   第 24 章 

  撒下 24:1> 既然神在背后掌管一切,人犯罪也是…… 

  24:1 我们时常会问:是否神令大卫犯罪?神当然不会使人犯罪,但是祂许可罪人以自己的行为显明内心的罪性。另一方面,大卫犯罪也是神对以色列人的审判。历代志上 21 章 1 节说,是撒但激动大卫这样做的。以色列人认为,神是一切的掌权者,撒但的作为最终也是要向神负责的。可以说撒但是大卫犯罪的直接推动者,但神允许撒但这样做,对以色列人来讲,神是最终要负责的那一位。 

  撒下 24:1-3> 数点百姓有什么不对? 

  24:1-3 数点百姓有什么不对?在民数记之中记载,神吩咐摩西数点以色列百姓,好准备征服迦南地(参民 1:2 ; 26:2 )。数点百姓一般看作战时征兵入伍的前奏,现在全境太平了,已不再需要招兵买马。以色列的疆界已经扩展,成为当时的强国;大卫所犯的罪是居功自傲,数点民数,好使他以国土广大兵力雄厚夸耀。他这样行,就把信心寄托在兵员的众多上。神保护的能力并不在于兵员的多寡,就连约押也看出数点百姓是错的,但是大卫不听劝谏。我们若倚靠金钱、财产,或者是军力,也会犯同样的罪。 

  撒下 24:12-14> 三种处罚任选,真难决定,孰重孰轻…… 

  24:12-14 大卫与以色列百姓都犯了罪( 24:1 ),大卫骄傲,但圣经没有说神向以色列人发怒的原因。也许因为他们支持押沙龙( 15-18 )与示巴的叛变( 20 ),或者他们也像大卫,把国家的安全寄于军事力量和经济富庶上而不倚靠神。祂藉着大卫对他们全族施行惩罚,而大卫乃是全族犯了骄傲之罪的代表。 

  神给大卫的三样选择皆是处罚。祂早已告诉以色列百姓,假使不遵守祂的律法,就会有惩罚临到──疾病(参申 28:20-22 )、饥荒(参申 28:23-24 )、战争(参申 28:25-26 )。大卫明智地选择直接从神而来的处罚。他知道在战争之中,敌人凶暴残忍,而神却是大有悯怜的。在你犯了大罪的时候,要归向神并受祂的处罚,这远胜过落在人的手中。 

  撒下 24:18> 大卫建坛之处,拥有深远的历史及属灵意义…… 

  24:18 许多人相信,大卫从亚劳拿手中所买的禾场,并在其上建造祭坛的地方,就是昔日亚伯拉罕几乎杀以撒献祭之处( 22:1-18 )。大卫死后,所罗门在这里建造圣殿。大约在一千年以后,主耶稣在这里传道并教导百姓。 

  撒下 24:25> 读完大卫的一生,你有何感想?你如何评价他? 

  24:25 撒母耳记下讲述大卫的王朝。自从约书亚率领以色列人进入应许之地以后,他们曾努力地想统一国家、赶出当地邪恶的百姓。经过四百多年以后,他们终于达成了这个目标。在大卫以前的首领,无论是士师或君王,他们所未能完成的事业,大卫都完成了。他施政的原则,是以神旨意与百姓的幸福为依归,不过他也犯了罪。尽管他罪孽深重,但是圣经称他为合乎神心意的人(参撒上 13:14 ;徒 13:22 ),因为他犯罪以后,既认自己的罪又向神求饶恕。他将自己的一生交托给神,并且对祂终生忠诚、矢志不渝。在诗篇中,我们能更深地体会大卫的境况,明白他是如何地热爱神。──《灵修版圣经注释》