上帝總是為我們和我們的益處作工GodIs Always at Work for Us and for Our Good
作者: W. Robert Godfrey 翻譯: Maria Marta
詩篇十八篇是大衛所寫的一首稱頌「耶和華救他脫離一切仇敵和掃羅之手的日子」的詩篇。這首詩篇是第一卷中最長的讚美上帝拯救的詩篇。 在撒母耳記下二十二章也記錄了這首詩篇，不過有細微的差異。這篇詩篇的中心是一句強有力的信仰表白：「慈愛的人，你以慈愛待他」（25節）。
這首詩篇的開始（1-6節）和結束（46-50節）都是獻給上帝的，充滿愛和感恩的讚美。詩人感謝上帝的保護，使他免受敵人的傷害和脫離死亡。詩人歡欣讚美上帝賜給祂的君王和祂的百姓的勝利，這勝利顯現在世人面前。
詩篇的中間部分（20 – 29節）是對上帝和大衛的信實的稱頌。大衛忠誠正直地事奉主耶和華（下面我們將看到圍繞這種主張的困難）。主耶和華這方面總是可依靠，和賜福給祂的君王的。在默想上帝信實的中間部分的上下文，都記錄了上帝對大衛的大能幫助（7-19節;
30-45節）。這兩部分各有其特點。第7-19節強調上帝拯救大衛的工作。 第30-45節強調大衛取得成功，因為上帝藉著他作工。
根據這首詩篇的結構概要，我們想更仔細地思考以下幾點。 首先，大衛怎能說自己是無可指責的呢？（20-24節） 無罪的宣告是詩篇反覆出現的主題。詩篇廿六篇特別強有力地聲明：「耶和華我的力量啊，我愛你！耶和華是我的巖石，我的山寨，我的救主，我的神，我的磐石，我所投靠的。他是我的盾牌，是拯救我的角，是我的高臺。我要求告當讚美的耶和華，這樣我必從仇敵手中被救出來。曾有死亡的繩索纏繞我，匪類的急流使我驚懼。」（1-4節） 但大衛是一個兇手，奸夫，而這裏只列舉了他的一些罪。 他怎麽能宣稱是無罪的呢？
我們需要認識到，大衛是一位虔誠而堅定的主耶和華的追隨者，盡管他陷入非常嚴重的罪中。當先知拿單去與大衛對質，指出他所犯的罪時，他悔改並為罪深深憂傷。在優美的懺悔詩中，如詩篇卅二篇、五十一篇，大衛表達了他的悔改。他整個人生的特點乃是在順服和悔改中忠心遵守上帝的盟約。
然而，大衛所懇求的不是絕對的完美道德。
他認識到，他永遠達不到這樣的標準：「求你不要審問僕人，因為在你面前，凡活著的人沒有一個是義的。」（詩一四三2） 與那些仇恨上帝和祂的君王的人的邪惡相比，他懇求的是他的忠心。 他這樣比較，並非要求他配得或賺得上帝的恩寵，而是要表明上帝救贖的恩典確實使他在思考、信仰、生活這些方面有別於惡人。 大衛愛主耶和華和祂的律法，所以他為罪憂傷，願意悔改，尋求過敬虔的生活。惡人則相反，他們藐視上帝和祂聖潔的律法。 他們無視上帝，千方百計傷害他們的鄰舍。
再說一遍，大衛並非稱聲他完美的義可賺得上帝的恩寵。 相反，他說上帝已經把他帶入祂的盟約當中，並將祂擁有的正直賜給他。「唯有那以力量束我的腰，使我行為完全的，他是神。」（32節） 他屬於上帝，跟隨上帝，因此知道上帝會善待他。 主耶和華不是拯救自義的人，而是謙卑的人：「困苦的百姓，你必拯救；高傲的眼目，你必使他降卑。」（27節） 他所有的力量都來自主耶和華（第1節），詩人對主耶和華信心或信靠總使他求助於祂（2節; 比較詩廿六1：「耶和華啊，求你為我申冤，因我向來行事純全，我又倚靠耶和華並不搖動」。） 上帝看顧大衛的依據，不是大衛應得的賞罰，而是上帝的揀選：「他又領我到寬闊之處；他救拔我，因他喜悅我。」（19節）
當大衛寫下這首詩篇，並完全有理由以的他忠心歌唱它時，我們再一次看到詩篇吸引我們的思想，提升至大衛之上，比大衛更寬廣，更純潔。 這篇詩篇更多屬於基督，祂在各方面都是完全沒有瑕疵的，而非屬於大衛。 保羅在羅馬書十五章8-9節引用這首詩篇時證明這一點。 他寫道：「我說，基督為了神的真理，成了受割禮的人的僕人，為的是要證實對祖先的應許，使外族人因著所蒙的憐憫榮耀 神；如經上所記：『因此我要在列邦中稱讚你，歌頌你的名。』」（《聖經新譯本》）保羅在引用詩篇十八49時表明，詩篇論及耶穌，至少和大衛所說的一樣。 甚至大衛也宣稱，只有在基督裡才有聖約的完整性。
這首詩篇的另一個特點是，它呈現一幅上帝來拯救大衛的生動圖畫（7-15節）。 大衛大聲呼喊求助（6節），主耶和華回應。「他又使天下垂，親自降臨，有黑雲在他腳下。 他坐著基路伯飛行，他藉著風的翅膀快飛。」（9-10節） 耶和華的怒氣震動搖撼大地（7,15節），打雷閃電先行於祂（12-14節）。煙從祂的鼻孔冒出上騰，火從祂口中噴發焚燒（8,15節）。 這是一幅描繪上帝的拯救大能和決心的奇妙畫面。 但在大衛的一生中，會發生這種事嗎？當我們審視舊約歷史，我們不可能找到這樣的情節。主耶和華在西乃山與以色列人見面時，發生過這樣奇景，但大衛卻沒有經歷過類似的事件。
當然，對此的解釋是大衛在這裏用詩意表達。
他所記錄的，不是他用肉眼所看到的，而是他信心的眼睛所看到的。 盡管上帝這種可畏大能通常是隱藏的，但卻是絕對真實的，而且是為祂的子民的福祉施行的。盡管我們沒有看到，但上帝仍然大有能力，充滿熱情地為祂的子民工作。 大衛的詩意圖像向我們所展示的，遠遠超過眼睛所能看到的。
聖經再三教導這個真理。 我們也需要反覆教導，因為我們傾向於認為只有看見的才是真實的。 讓我們想想以利沙的經歷。 他坐在多坍城裏，對亞蘭王的軍隊顯然毫無防備。他的仆人驚慌失措，以利沙回答說：「不要懼怕，因為和我們在一起的比和他們在一起的更多。」（王上六16） 然後，為了進一步安慰他的仆人，以利沙祈禱，上帝施行一件驚人的事。「以利沙禱告說：『耶和華啊！請你打開他的眼睛，使他能看見。』於是耶和華打開了僕人的眼睛，他就看見；看哪！那山上布滿了火馬火車，圍繞著以利沙」（17節；《聖經新譯本》）。 以利沙從未落入任何危險，因為主耶和華在他的身邊。
我們在猶太當局於客西馬尼園逮捕耶穌的事件中看到類似的情況。 耶穌顯得軟弱無力。 彼得驚慌失措，試圖用刀來保護耶穌。耶穌對他說：「收刀入鞘吧！凡動刀的，必死在刀下。你想我不能求我父現在為我差遣十二營多天使來嗎？」（太廿六52-53）。 耶穌服從逮捕不是因為祂無助，而是因為祂接受天父要求祂死和救贖我們的旨意。
這首詩篇提醒我們所有人，上帝總是為我們和我們益處作工。 在新約，使徒約翰表明相同的觀點：「那在你們裡面的，比那在世界上的更大。」（約壹四4） 我 們不必害怕，因為上帝會在祂認為恰當的時侯拯救我們。 我們應當為上帝的的憐憫與幫助讚美祂，正如這首詩篇所作的那樣。
本文摘錄自W. Robert Godfrey所著的《Learning to Love the
Psalms》一書。
God
Is Always at Work for Us and for Our Good
FROM
W. Robert Godfrey
Psalm
18 is a psalm of David, a song celebrating “the day when the LORD rescued him
from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.” This psalm, the
longest of Book One, praises God for His deliverance. It is also recorded, with
slight differences, in 2 Samuel 22. At the center of this psalm is a strong
confession of faith: “With the merciful you show yourself merciful” (v. 25).
This psalm begins (vv. 1–6) and ends (vv.
46–50) with praise offered to God. It is praise filled with love and
thanksgiving for God’s protection from enemies and from death. The praise
rejoices in the victories God has given His king and His people—victories
displayed before the world.
The central section of the psalm (vv. 20–29)
celebrates the faithfulness of David and of God. David served the Lord with
integrity (we will look at the difficulties that seem to surround this kind of
claim below). The Lord on His part had always been reliable and blessed His
king. On each side of this central meditation on faithfulness we have the
record of God’s powerful help for David (vv. 7–19; 30–45). Each of these two
sections has its own character. Verses 7–19 emphasize the work of God to save
David. Verses 30–45 highlight David’s success as God worked through him.
In light of this overview of the psalm’s
structure, we want to look more closely at several points. First, how can David
claim to be blameless (vv. 20–24)? The claim of blamelessness is a recurring
theme in the Psalms. It is stated with special force in Psalm 26: “Vindicate
me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD
without wavering. Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind. For
your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness. I do
not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites” (vv. 1–4). But
David is a murderer and an adulterer, to name only some of his sins. How can he
claim to be blameless?
We
need to recognize that David was a devoted and persevering follower of the Lord
even though he did fall into very serious sin. When Nathan confronted him with
his sins, he repented and grieved deeply for them. He expressed his repentance
in beautiful psalms of penitence such as Psalms 32 and 51. His life as a whole
was characterized by his faithful keeping of God’s covenant in obedience and
repentance.
What David pleads, then, is not absolute moral
perfection. He recognized that by such a standard he would never stand: “Enter
not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you”
(Ps. 143:2). Rather, he pleads his faithfulness in comparison to the wickedness
of those who hate God and His king. He makes this comparison not to claim that
he deserves or has earned God’s favor, but to show that God’s saving grace has
really made him different from the wicked in the ways in which he thinks,
believes, and lives. David loves the Lord and His law, so his sin is grievous
to him and he willingly repents and seeks to lead a godly life. In contrast,
the wicked despise God and His holy law. They ignore God and seek in every way
to harm their neighbor.
Again, David is not claiming that his perfect
righteousness earns him God’s favor. Rather, he says God has brought him into
His covenant and given him the integrity that he has. It is “God who equipped
me with strength and made my way blameless” (v. 32). He belongs to God and
follows God and therefore knows that God will be kind to him. It is not the
self-righteous whom the Lord saves, but the humble: “For you save a humble
people, but the haughty eyes you bring down” (v. 27). All his strength comes
from the Lord (v. 1) and the faith or trust of the psalmist always turns to the
Lord for help (v. 2; cf. Ps. 26:1: “I have trusted in the LORD without
wavering”). The foundation of God’s care for David is not David’s deserving,
but the Lord’s election: “He rescued me, because he delighted in me” (v. 19).
While David wrote this psalm and had every
right to sing it in his faithfulness, once again we see the psalm drawing our
minds beyond David to one greater and purer than David. This psalm belongs more
to the Christ, who was fully blameless in every way, than to David. Paul
demonstrates this in his use of this psalm in Romans 15:8–9. He writes: “For I
tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s
truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in
order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
‘Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.’” In
citing Psalm 18:49, Paul shows that it speaks of Jesus at least as much as it
does of David. Indeed, even David can claim covenantal integrity only as he is
in Christ.
Another feature of this psalm is the vivid
picture of God’s coming to David’s rescue (vv. 7–15). David cried out for help
(v. 6) and the Lord answered. “He bowed the heavens and came down; thick
darkness was under his feet. He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on
the wings of the wind” (vv. 9–10). The fury of the Lord shook the earth (vv. 7,
15) and thunder and lightning preceded him (vv. 12–14). Hot smoke poured forth
from his nostrils and fire from his mouth (vv. 8, 15). Here is a marvelous
picture of the power and determination of God to save. But when in David’s life
did this happen? As we scan Old Testament history, we can find no such episode.
Something like this happened when the Lord met with Israel at Mount Sinai, but
nothing close to it happened in David’s experience.
The explanation is, of course, that David is
speaking poetically here. He records not what he saw with his physical eyes,
but what his eyes of faith saw happen. Although this awesome power of God
usually remains hidden from view, it is absolutely real, and it is exercised
for the well-being of His people. God is always working powerfully and
passionately for His people even when we do not see it. David’s poetic imagery
shows us more than eyes can see.
This truth is taught over and over again in
the Bible. We need to have it taught repeatedly because we are so inclined to
think that only the visible is real. Think of the experience of Elisha. He sat
in Dothan apparently defenseless against the strength of the king of Aram. When
his servant panicked, Elisha replied, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with
us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16). And then to comfort
his servant further, Elisha prayed and God did an amazing thing. “Then Elisha
prayed and said, ‘O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.’ So the LORD
opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full
of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (v. 17). Elisha had never
been in any danger, for the Lord was on his side.
We see something similar when the authorities
came to arrest Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus appeared weak and
defenseless. Peter, in a panic, tried to protect Him with a sword. “Then Jesus
said to him, ‘Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword
will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and
he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?’” (Matt. 26:52–53).
Jesus submitted to arrest not because He was helpless, but because He accepted
the Father’s will for His death and our redemption.
This
psalm reminds all of us that God is always at work for us and for our good. In
the New Testament, the Apostle John makes the same point: “He who is in you is
greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). We do not need to fear, for
God will save us in His good time. We should praise God for His mercy and help
as this psalm does.
This excerpt is adapted from Learning to Love
the Psalms by W. Robert Godfrey.
