大衛之約The Davidic Covenant
譯者/校對者:Maria Marta/誠之
「大衛對他說：『你伸手毀滅耶和華的受膏者，怎麽還不懼怕呢？』於是大衛叫了一個年輕人來，說：『你上前去，砍倒他。』那年輕人擊殺他，他就死了。」(撒下七14-15)
------撒下七1-17
對於恩典之約的展開， 摩西之約代表著向前邁進的一大步，因爲摩西之約中所設立的法律和禮儀，是爲要幫助以色列人培養對彌賽亞的盼望而設計的，即是培養他們盼望彌賽亞提供给墮落人類做不到的完全順服。因此，摩西之約指向一件超越自己的事，並且證明它本身雖然是上帝持續啓示祂恩典的一個重要部分，但是要解決罪的問題，還需要其他的方法。如果救恩要出現，恩典之約需要進一步展開。
重要的是，摩西之約要求一種出自受過割禮之心的順服（申十12-22），但獻祭的性質是暫時的， 因爲他們需要重複（年復一年）地獻祭，卻不能把罪除淨，這意味著上帝要作出比賜予律法更多的事情。祂還必須改變百姓的心，賜給他們一位以公義治理萬民的君王。在申命記第十七章14至20節中， 記錄（摩西宣告）展望這個君王的出現，在大衛之約中我們看到這盼望開始應驗。
在大衛把約櫃帶回耶路撒冷，上帝所指定的一個敬拜處所之後，我們的造物主與大衛立約（撒母耳記下第六章）。既然約櫃在正確的位置，大衛渴想爲它建造一座合適的房子， 一座給上帝居住的殿宇。然而，上帝回應大衛說，他不是建造殿宇的人。相反，上帝要爲大衛建立家室（撒下七1-17）。上帝與大衛以及他的後裔開始一個恩典之約， 祂同時指出會揀選大衛的家系來治理上帝的百姓，儘管大衛家族受到上帝懲罰證明是必要的， 但是上帝的慈愛必不離開他和他的兒子（撒下七8-16）。
當時候滿足，懲罰的確成為必要。在大衛那些按肉體生的兒子當中，大多數不是那些憑著應許生的兒子，他們把上帝的百姓帶入不悔改的，明目張膽的罪中。因此，他們會像申命記二十八58至68節中的應許那樣被流放。但流亡並不意味著上帝違背了自己的承諾，停止愛大衛和他的家系。因此，我們看到阿摩司書九章11至15節的著名預言， 大衛將被恢復到王位上-----不是大衛本人，而是來自大衛家系的君王。這個君王同樣會遭受刑罰， 但不是爲自己的罪， 而是爲祂百姓的罪。祂要被設立爲永遠的君王（羅一1-4，三21-26）。
活在上帝的面光中（Coram Deo）
上帝對大衛恩慈的應許提醒我們，上帝施憐憫，但不放棄公義。上帝保證懲罰大衛家系， 暗示了最終的公義審判，彌賽亞將代表祂的百姓承受審判。上帝赦免我們，是因爲基督代替我們， 滿足了上帝公義的要求。祂賜予我們恩典， 使我們不需經歷祂憤怒的審判，因而我們可以看到祂的榮耀的憐憫。
延伸閱讀: 創四十九8-10； 何三1-5
； 亞十二10；太一1-17
The Davidic Covenant
“I
will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity,
I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,
but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I
put away from before you” (vv. 14-15).
- 2
Samuel 7:1-17
The
Mosaic covenant represented a huge step forward in regard to the covenant of
grace, as it established laws and rituals designed to help Israel cultivate
hope in a Messiah who would save them from their sin and render the perfect
obedience that fallen humanity cannot. In this way, the Mosaic covenant pointed
beyond itself and demonstrated that while it is an important part of God’s
ongoing revelation of His grace, something more would be needed to solve the
problem of sin. The covenant of grace would need to be unfolded further if
salvation was to occur.
Importantly,
the Mosaic law calls for obedience that issues forth from a circumcised heart
(Deut. 10:12-22), but the provisional nature of its sacrifices, because they
had to be repeated and could not cleanse sin, meant that God would have to do
more than give the law. He would also have to change the hearts of His people
and provide them with a king who would rule in righteousness. Deuteronomy
17:14-20 looks forward to this king, and in the Davidic covenant we see this
hope begin to be fulfilled.
Our
Creator established His covenant with David after the king brought the ark of
the covenant to Jerusalem, which was the divinely appointed place for worship
(2 Sam. 6). With the ark in the right location, David longed to build a fitting
house for it, a temple for God to dwell in. However, God responded and told the
king that he would not be the one to build His house. Instead, the Lord would
build a house for David (7:1-17). God initiated a gracious covenant with David
and his descendants, noting that He chose David’s line, that this line would
rule the people of the Lord, and that even if discipline of David’s family
should prove necessary, God would never take His love away from David and his
sons (vv. 8-16).
In
time, discipline did become necessary. Most of David’s sons according to the
flesh were not sons according to the promise, and they led the people of God
into flagrant, impenitent sin. Thus, they were exiled as promised in
Deuteronomy 28:58-68 (see 2 Chron. 36:15-21). But the exile did not mean that
the Lord had broken His promise to never stop loving David and his line. Thus,
we have the famous prophecy in Amos 9:11-15 that David would be restored to the
throne—not David himself but rather a king from David’s line. This king would
be disciplined as well, not for His own sin but for the sin of His people. And
having atoned for sin, He would be installed as king forever (Rom. 1:1-4;
3:21-26).
Coram
Deo
God’s
gracious promise to David reminds us that God’s mercy does not come at the
expense of His justice. The Lord pledged to discipline David’s line, which
ultimately alludes to the justice that the Messiah would receive in behalf of
His people. When God forgives us, it is because Christ has satisfied the Lord’s
just demands in our place. His grace to us is that we do not experience His
wrath, and thus we can see His mercy in its glory.
Passages
for Further Study
Genesis
49:8-10
Hosea
3:1-5
Zechariah
12:10
Matthew
1:1-17