旧约 - 历代记上(1 Chronicles)第21章

Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.
So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, "Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are."
But Joab replied, "May the LORD multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord's subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?"
The king's word, however, overruled Joab; so Joab left and went throughout Israel and then came back to Jerusalem.
Joab reported the number of the fighting men to David: In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who could handle a sword, including four hundred and seventy thousand in Judah.
But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, because the king's command was repulsive to him.
This command was also evil in the sight of God; so he punished Israel.
Then David said to God, "I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing."
The LORD said to Gad, 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, "This is what the LORD says: 'Take your choice:
three years of famine, three months of being swept away before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the LORD--days of plague in the land, with the angel of the LORD ravaging every part of Israel.' Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me."
David said to Gad, "I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men."
So the LORD sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead.
And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it and was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, "Enough! Withdraw your hand." The angel of the LORD was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
David looked up and saw the angel of the LORD standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown.
David said to God, "Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? O LORD my God, let your hand fall upon me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people."
Then the angel of the LORD ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
So David went up in obedience to the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the LORD.
While Araunah was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the angel; his four sons who were with him hid themselves.
Then David approached, and when Araunah looked and saw him, he left the threshing floor and bowed down before David with his face to the ground.
David said to him, "Let me have the site of your threshing floor so I can build an altar to the LORD, that the plague on the people may be stopped. Sell it to me at the full price."
Araunah said to David, "Take it! Let my lord the king do whatever pleases him. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give all this."
But King David replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing."
So David paid Araunah six hundred shekels of gold for the site.
David built an altar to the LORD there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on the LORD, and the LORD answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.
Then the LORD spoke to the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.
At that time, when David saw that the LORD had answered him on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, he offered sacrifices there.
The tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses had made in the desert, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time on the high place at Gibeon.
But David could not go before it to inquire of God, because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD.
--
历代志上第廿一章   第 21 章 

  代上 21:1> 同是数点人数,神怎么降罚于大卫呢?原来…… 

  21:1 大卫数点人数带来重大灾祸,因为这有别于民数记所记载的那次(参民 1-2 ),那次是神吩咐摩西统计人口的;而这次的数点,却起因于大卫想夸耀强大的军力。他既想清楚掌握自己的军事实力,就已经开始倚靠兵力胜于倚靠神了。倚靠神的大能满有信心,跟蒙神使用成就了大事而沾沾自喜,这两者之间实有微妙的区别。 

  代上 21:1> 一个简单的行动,背后的动机却是…… 

  21:1 这一节说,撒但激动大卫数点人民。难道撒但能强迫人去做坏事吗?当然不能,它只是诱惑大卫,将坏主意放在他心里,大卫中计按照试探去行。大卫想数点人民,本来并不违背神的律法,但是他的动机是错的──想以兵力为夸耀,忘却真正的力量出于神。撒但自从在伊甸园诱惑始祖以后,就不断引诱人犯罪。就连没有崇高道德理想的约押,都看出这种数点是犯罪。从大卫的例子可见,一个行动本身可能并不错,但如果是出于贪婪、狂傲,或是自私的动机,就是大罪了。有时错误并不在于行为本身,乃是动机不对,所以在我们行动以前,必须衡量自己的动机。 

  代上 21:1-3> 忠于神的大卫也会被撒但试探;我呢,我何时最易被试探? 

  21:1-3 大卫随从撒但的试探,神藉约押劝谏,给他开一条出路,但是大卫的狂傲使他听不进约押的忠言。他信靠自己的力量,忘却神的大能。如果我们觉得自己了不起,信靠自己而不信靠神,便会马上陷入撒但的圈套。自负使我们远离神,在你受到试探的时候,要检讨内心的动机,好明白外在的引诱为什么会那么厉害。(参林前 10:13 关于逃避试探的教诲。) 

  代上 21:8> 认罪不易,悔改更加…… 

  21:8 一旦大卫认识到自己的罪,就将罪责全部承担下来,并承认过错求神赦免。许多人想把神和基督教的好处加到他们的生活之中,却不肯认罪;但是我们必须先认罪悔改,然后才能领受神的赦免。我们当像大卫一样,对自己的错误负责任,并且向神认错,然后才能得到赦免,让祂继续在我们身上动工。 

  代上 21:13-14> 我生命中哪些事情是罪带来的恶果?给我什么启示? 

  21:13-14 罪有一种多米诺骨牌效应,只要一犯罪,接着便有一连串的后果。我们恳求神宽恕,祂虽然会原谅我们,但是罪所带来的后果却往往不能免除。大卫求神施怜悯,神应允他并在灭命天使完成任务以前,吩咐他们住手,但是大卫犯罪的结果已经无法弥补。神虽然常常赦免我们的罪,也减轻罪的苦果,但是罪的疤痕仍然存在。我们行事为人,要先想到可能产生的后果,好提醒我们悬崖勒马,以免后患无穷。 

  代上 21:14> 一人犯罪,竟有七万人被杀,为什么会这样严重? 

  21:14 大卫犯罪为什么叫七万人遭殃?首先,在撒母耳记下 24 章对同一件事的记载中提到,耶和华神是要藉这件事审判以色列人(参撒下 24:1 )。另一方面,圣经强调神的子民是一个整体,领袖犯罪是会祸及所有神的子民的,在撒母耳记下 21 章 1 节提到神因为扫罗杀死基遍人而降三年饥荒一事,所以祭司犯罪等同全会众犯罪,官长犯罪也比一般老百姓犯罪更为严重(参利 4 章对赎罪祭的处理)。今日教会的领袖们要小心啊!神的子民作为一个整体,彼此也会互相影响,正如保罗指出的“一点面酵能使全团发起来”(参林前 5:6 )。神使我们互相凭倚,在一起工作,不管我们觉得那是否公平,我们的行为总是常常影响别人。我们不能完全明白神施行这样严厉的处罚的用意,我们也不知道当时的先知、各支派的首领以及王的谋士身在何处,有否追随大卫的罪恶,赞同他行事。但是我们确实知道,单单信靠军事力量,这种心态就是拜偶像。容许任何事取代神的地位皆是犯罪,都会造成灾难性的后果。 

  代上 21:21-24> 献祭是要献祭者自己付上代价的,但我在主日崇拜中…… 

  21:21-24 大卫想买阿珥楠(撒下 24:16 的译名是“亚劳拿”)的禾场给耶和华筑祭坛,阿珥楠慷慨地将它奉送。但是大卫不肯接受,他说,“我不用你的物献给耶和华,也不用白得之物献为燔祭”。大卫想给神献祭。“献祭”一词的意思是指将献祭者自己、他的时间或他的金钱等献给神。神所要求的不但是献上象征性的礼物,且要我们甘心乐意地奉献,更要我们献得具有意义。如果将你不花钱得来的献给神,又怎能表明你对祂真心真意呢? 

  代上 21:29-22:1> 基遍在以色列人历史中原来地位很重要── 

  21:29-22:1 基遍是便雅悯支派的一个城市。扫罗是便雅悯支派的人,他毁灭祭司城挪伯以后,就将耶和华的会幕移到基遍。基遍在耶路撒冷西北,约有两小时的路程。──《灵修版圣经注释》