论到世上的圣民，他们又美又善，是我最喜悦的。Psalm 16 & Delight
作者：Brian Borgman译者: Duncan Liang
我的希伯来文教授容艾伦（Ron Allen）曾说过：“只有一个非利士人才不会爱上诗篇。”诗篇充满人生的起伏跌宕。诗篇充满对神的赞美、哀叹、抱怨、呼求帮助，以及相信神的大胆宣告。诗篇是预言性的，把我们指向终极有福的那人，本质为义的那一位，大卫那更伟大的子孙耶稣基督。在所有诗篇当中，让我特别留意，我发现自己经常引用的一篇，就是诗篇16篇。它是预言性的，指向耶稣复活，“因为祢必不将我的灵魂撇在阴间，也不叫祢的圣者见朽坏。”（16:10）彼得在使徒行传引用了这节经文。这篇诗篇也称颂信徒的产业，就是神祂自己。大卫说他将耶和华常摆在他面前，这肯定是指他将耶和华常摆在他的思想和情感当中，因此他绝不摇动（16:8）。对神的正确想法让人生稳固。大卫也称颂那在神面前的喜乐，他的话令人难忘、充满情感：“在祢面前有满足的喜乐，在祢右手中有永远的福乐。”（16:11）这篇诗篇内容丰富，柯德纳说得对：“人的情感要以神为中心这主题，让这篇诗篇浑然一体，充满热情。”
My
Hebrew professor, Ron Allen, used to say, “Only a Philistine could fail to love
the Psalms.” The Psalms are full of the ups and downs of life. They are full of
praise to God, laments, complaints, cries for help, and bold declarations of
confidence in God. The Psalms are prophetic, pointing us to the ultimate
Blessed Man, the quintessential Righteous Man, David’s Greater Son, Jesus Christ.
Among all the Psalms, one that stands out to me, one that I find myself
quoting, is Psalm 16. It is prophetic, pointing towards the resurrection of
Jesus, “For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see
decay” (16:10). Peter quotes this text in Acts. The Psalm also extols the
believer’s portion, which is God himself (16:5). David says that he continually
puts the Lord before him, that must mean in his thoughts and affections, and
because of that, he is never shaken (16:8). Right thoughts of God lead to
stability in life. David also extols the joy there is in God’s presence with
memorable, affecting words, “In your presence there is fullness of joy, at your
right hand are pleasures forevermore” (16:11). This Psalm is rich. Derek Kidner
rightly says, “The theme of having one’s affections centered on God give this
psalm its unity and ardor.”
今天早上，这篇诗篇的一部分吸引了我，“论到世上的圣民，他们又美又善，是我最喜悦的。”（16:3）大卫在圣民，就是相信神的人身上看到一些事情。他用来描写他们的说法很有意思，有不同的译法，可译为“威严”，“卓越”或“高贵”。大卫被神的民吸引，他在他们身上看到一些可羡慕的事情，他喜悦他们。司布真认为这诗人最终就是耶稣，他说：“最了解他们的那一位这样论到他们，说他们‘是我最喜悦的’。他们看自己比什么都不是还不是，但祂极重视他们，内心喜悦他们。”神的民有什么美好的地方？我们为什么要喜悦他们？永生神是他们的避难所，祂是他们的好处，祂是他们美好的产业，祂是他们的谋士，他们的盼望，他们的喜乐。就连最卑微的信徒也得着这位荣耀的神和祂所是的一切。大卫喜悦神百姓的，就是他们里面的神，帮助他们的神。是神让祂的百姓变得美好，使他们成为可喜悦的。
There
is one part of this Psalm that caught my attention this morning, “As for the
saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight”
(16:3). David sees something in the saints, that is believers. The word he uses
to describe them is interesting, as it is variously translated, “majestic
ones,” “excellent ones,” “noble ones.” David is drawn to God’s people. He sees
in them something desirable, he delights in them. Spurgeon, taking the Psalmist
to be ultimately Jesus, says, “He who knows them best says of them, ‘in whom is
all my delight.’ They count themselves to be less than nothing, and yet he
makes much of them and sets his heart towards them.” What do God’s people have
going for them? Why should they be our delight? The living God is their refuge,
he is their good, he is their chosen portion, he is their counselor, their hope
and their joy. Even the lowest of believers have this glorious God and all that
he is. What David delights in, in God’s people, is God in them and God for
them. It is God who beautifies his people, making them a delight.
我们当如何看待神的百姓？他们是我们所喜悦的吗？还是我们抱怨，说他们是“假冒为善”（因此就总是这样控告我们自己！）。我们是更喜欢与世人在一起吗？他们服侍这世代的神，而不服侍神的圣者。世人正是追求其他神的人（16:4）。我们是否因为不义的人和罪人成功羡慕他们，却藐视神的儿女？我们是否回避神的百姓？顺便说一句，我们回避神的百姓时，大多数时候其实并不是因为我们认为自己比他们好，虽然我们会这样说，而是因为他们让我们知罪。我们对其他基督徒的感受，最终来说表明的是我们如何看神。不存在着看重神却藐视祂百姓的事情。他们是祂的百姓，祂的儿女，祂认识他们，爱他们，正在使他们成圣。没有一个世人能这样说！肯定的是，神的一些百姓比其他人更成熟，比其他人更有智慧，比其他人更让人喜欢，比其他人更成圣，但他们都有一个共同点，他们都属于同一位神，被同一位救主救赎。
What
do we think of God’s people? Are they our delight? Or do we grumble against
them for being “hypocrites,” (thus always indicting ourselves in such
charges!). Do we take more pleasure in being around worldlings who serve the
god of this age more than God’s holy ones? Worldlings are the very ones running
after others gods (16:4). Do we admire the godless and the sinner because of
their success and dismiss the children of God? Do we avoid God’s people? By the
way, most of the time when we avoid God’s people, it is not really because we
think we are better than them, although that is what we might say, but rather,
it is because we are convicted by them. How we feel about other Christians is
an indicator ultimately of what we think of God. There is no such thing as
esteeming God and despising his people. They are his people, his children, he
knows them, loves them and is sanctifying them. No worldling can make such
claims! Certainly, some of God’s people are more mature than others, wiser than
others, more pleasant than others, more sanctified than others, but they all
have one thing in common, they all belong to the same God, redeemed by the same
Savior.
那么圣民是你喜悦的吗？如果不是，原因是什么？如果不是，那么诗人就是在对你说，你是在他们身上找不应找的事，最有可能，是在你身上找不应找的事。把主摆在你面前，让你的心以祂为乐，以祂的作为为乐，最特别以祂在祂百姓，这群下层可怜罪人当中的作为为乐，他们是全地之上又美又善的人。当我们看到神在他们身上的荣美，我们就会喜悦他们，我们理当如此。
So
are the saints your delight? If not, why not? If not, then the Psalmist would
simply say to you that you are looking at the wrong things in them and most
likely, the wrong things in yourself. Set the Lord before you, let your heart
be glad in him, rejoice in his work, most especially among his people and join
this rag-tag bunch of struggling sinners who are the majestic ones in all the
earth. When we see God’s beauty in them, we will delight in them as we should.
