大衛
He’s likely the most well-known king from the various portraits in these six books of the Samuels, Kings and Chronicles. Out of all the kings, he is certainly the most famous Royal.
从撒母耳记、列王纪、历代志这六本书中的各种描述来看，他可能是最知名的国王。在所有的国王中，他肯定是最著名的王室成员。
The amount of pages dedicated to telling his story certainly outnumber any other single person except for Jesus – not just in these books – but in the whole Bible itself. Almost half the Psalms are attributed to him.
不仅仅是在这六本书中，而是在整个圣经中专门讲述他故事的篇幅肯定超过了除耶稣以外的任何一个人。几乎一半的诗篇都是与他有关的。
His name is, of course, David.
没错，他的名字叫大卫。
Some of you might have seen the 13 foot statue of David – crafted over 4 years by Michelangelo - seeking to capture some of his story.
一些人可能看过 13 英尺的大卫雕像，它由米开朗基罗历时 4 年精心制作完成，试图捕捉他的一些故事。
So, why does this story of David get so much attention in the biblical terrain? And why does the Holy Spirit ensure we hear more about David than any other person in the Bible?
那么，为什么大卫的故事在圣经中得到如此多的关注？为什么圣灵确保我们听到的关于大卫的故事比圣经中的任何其他人都多？
The answer lays – at least in part – to what matters most to God. What matters most to God is our heart.
答案在于，至少部分在于，对上帝来说什么是最重要的。对上帝来说，最重要的是我们的心。
David lived life with a heart seeking after God.
大卫在生活中有一颗追求上帝的心。
I love this summary of David’s reign found in the Psalms: “David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them” / Psalm 78:72.
我喜欢《诗篇》中对大卫统治的这个总结：“大卫以正直的心牧养他们，灵巧地引导他们。”（诗78:72）
The Hebrew word for “integrity” is tome, meaning full and undivided. So this is saying that David had a heart that was filled up with God, not other stuff. It was undivided.
“正直”的希伯来语是 tome，意思是充满和专心。所以这是说，大卫有一颗被上帝充满的心，而不是其他东西，他的心专心于上帝。
It’s not that David’s heart is perfect. As we are going to see, he had glaring flaws. But when he made mistakes, even jarring sins, he asked God to purify and renew him.
这并不是说大卫的心是完美的。正如我们将要看到的，他有明显的缺陷。但当他犯了错误，甚至是令人震惊的罪行时，他请求上帝洁净和更新他。
His heart wasn't divided by pride. It wasn't divided by ego. It wasn't divided by jealousy. It wasn't divided by anger or resentment or getting even.
他的心没有被骄傲所分裂，没有被自我分裂，没有被嫉妒分裂，没有被愤怒、怨恨或报复所分裂。
Rather, the story of his life is the story of someone who sought to live with God, for God, and by God.
相反，他生命的故事是一个寻求与上帝同在、为上帝而活、靠上帝而活的故事。
As we read David’s story, we are invited ourselves into a bigger story where God wants our lives to be all about living with God, for God, and by God.
当我们阅读大卫的故事时，我们被邀请进入一个更大的故事，上帝希望我们的生活都是与上帝同在、为上帝而活、靠上帝而活。
Our lives tend to have a daily or weekly cycle. It can feel somewhat same-same at times, can’t it? Even in the monotony – God wants to be involved.
Our lives have different relationships – our family, our friends, our neighbour, our colleagues – God wants to be involved in all of these.
Our lives have different seasons. Some of these seasons have incredibly highs of joy. Other times, are the complete reverse where everything seems broken and confusing. Incredible lows. These are moments of doubt and grief. God wants to be involved in every single season.
我们的生活往往有一个每日或每周的周期。有时会觉得有些千篇一律，不是吗？即使在单调的生活中，上帝也希望参与其中。
我们的生活有不同的关系，我们的家人、朋友、邻居、同事，上帝想参与进这些关系中。
我们的生活有不同的时刻，其中某些时刻有令人难以置信的高涨的喜悦。 其他时候，则完全相反，一切都显得破碎和混乱。人生出现低谷，这些是怀疑和悲痛的时刻。上帝希望参与到每一个时刻中。
So, I want to tell David’s story today looking at three seasons in his life and the way God is vitally involved in each one of these diverse seasons. By the end of our time, we will see how it is that our lives can so intersect with God in every season of life.
我今天想讲讲大卫的故事，看看他生命中的三个时刻，以及上帝在这些不同的时刻中的参与方式。在讲道结束时，我们将看到我们的生活如何能够在生命的每个时刻与上帝相交。
One of the reasons we so easily connect with David’s life is that we have his David’s journal.
我们很容易与大卫的生活联系起来的原因之一，是我们有他的大卫日记。
I don't know if you journal at all. I’m a periodic journaller. Perhaps every 3-4 weeks I sit down and reflect on the season I am in and write a prayer in my journal.
我不知道你是否写过日记。我是一个定期写日记的人。也许每隔 3-4 周我就会坐下来反思我所处的某些时刻，并在日记中写下祷告。
That’s what David does. We have these prayers. We call them the Psalms. Half of the Psalms are penned by David in one of these three seasons of his life.
这也是大卫的做法，我们有这些祈祷文，我们称它们为诗篇。诗篇中有一半是大卫在他生命中的这三个时刻写下的。
Though the seasons are very different from each other, we are going to see a constant thread that runs through his journal of the Psalms.
虽然这些时刻彼此非常不同，但我们将看到一条贯穿他的诗篇日记的恒定线索。
SEASON ONE – the success years
第一个时刻：成功岁月
What I find interesting about the beginning of David’s life is that it didn’t look anything like success – at least in the way we tend to think of success.
关于大卫生命的开始，我觉得有趣的是，它看起来一点也不像成功，一点也不像以我们倾向于认为的成功方式。
After all, David enters his own biblical story …unnamed.
毕竟，大卫进入他自己的圣经故事时......没有被提及名字。
Last week, we saw that God let the people choose who they wanted to be king. Who did they choose? Saul.
Why did they choose him? Well, because he looked kingly. Saul was the obviously choice – a tall, handsome, warrior. But, he was half-hearted. He began in a mediocre state and went downhill from there. God eventually had enough. So He told his prophet Samuel that he is about to choose a new king. From the tribe of Judah.
From the family line of Jesse of Bethlehem.
上周，我们看到上帝让人们选择他们想要的国王。他们选择了谁？扫罗。他们为什么选择他？
嗯，因为他看起来像个国王。扫罗是非常明显的选择，一个高大、英俊的战士。但是，他是半心半意的。他开始时表现平平，后来就走下坡路了。上帝最终受够了。所以他告诉先知撒母耳，他要选择一个新的国王。来自犹大支派，来自伯利恒的耶西家族。
So, Samuel showed up. He looked at seven of Jesse’s sons, many of whom were also tall and handsome. We read:
于是，撒母耳出现了。他看了看耶西的七个儿子，其中很多也是高大英俊的。我们读到：
Samuel took one look at Eliab [Jesse's oldest son] and thought, “Surely this is the LORD’s anointed!” But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”/ 1 Samuel 16:6-7
他们来到的时候，撒母耳看见以利押，就心里想：“在耶和华面前的这位，必是他所要膏立的。”但耶和华对撒母耳说：“不要看他的外貌和他高大的身材，因为我不拣选他。耶和华看人不像人看人，人是看外表，耶和华是看内心。”（撒上 16:6-7）
God is looking for something very different than what everyone else is seeking. He is looking at the heart.
上帝寻找的与其他人所寻找的非常不同，祂看内心。
One by one, Jesse had his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, "The LORD has not chosen these."
So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?"
“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”/ 1 Sam 16:10-11
耶西叫他的七个儿子都在撒母耳面前经过。但撒母耳对耶西说：“这些都不是耶和华所拣选的。”撒母耳问耶西：“孩子们全都在这里吗？”耶西回答：“还有一个最小的，正在牧羊。”（撒上 16:10-11）
Jesse effectively answers, “Well, there’s the baby brother, but he’s out tending sheep”
耶西回答说："嗯，还有一个最小的，但他在外面放羊。"
Do you get the feeling that they’re discounting the baby of the family? “He is the runt of the family. Nothing to see here.”
你有没有感觉到耶西对这个儿子有些敷衍？"他是家里的老幺，没什么可看的。"
But, it’s after Samuel meets this unimpressive runt of the family that we hear his name spoken for the first time – ‘David.’
但是，在撒母耳见到这个不起眼的小家伙之后，我们才第一次听到他的名字，"大卫"。
Saul’s intimidating stature made him attractive as a royal candidate.
David, unlike Saul, didn’t have height or muscle going for him.
But David – unlike Saul – is the king that God had chosen.
扫罗令人生畏的身材使他成为有吸引力的王室候选人。
大卫与扫罗不同，他没有身高和肌肉的优势。
但大卫，与扫罗不同，他是上帝选中的国王。
This unnoticed and uninvited shepherd is anointed by the prophet and by the Spirit.
Ironically at this point, David hadn’t done anything notable. Nothing kingly deserving mention.
He’s a nobody.
这个不被注意、没被邀请的牧羊人，被先知和圣灵所恩膏。
具有讽刺意味的是，在这一点上，大卫并没有做什么值得注意的事情，生平不值一提。
他是个无名小卒。
Have you ever felt unnoticed, unimportant or insignificant?
你是否曾感到不被注意，不重要或无足轻重？
It's not uncommon. After all most people measure success in the sales achieved, the large size of a wallet or the small size of a waste. If you drive the wrong car, or have the wrong title, or wear the wrong clothes, you are deemed insignificant. Unworthy of time or attention.
这并不意外。毕竟大多数人是以取得的销售业绩、钱包的大小来衡量成功标准。如果你开错了车，或有错误的头衔，或穿错了衣服，没人关注你，因为不值得花时间关注。
Thankfully, God measures people differently.
感恩的是，上帝以不同的方式来衡量人。
When no-one else noticed David, God saw something in him that stood out. It mattered more than what he did, what he owned, or who he was with.
当没有人注意到大卫时，上帝看到了他身上突出的东西。这比他做了什么、拥有什么或和谁在一起更重要。
What matters most is a heart that seeks God.
最重要的是一颗寻求上帝的心。
The heart that God seeks is a heart that seeks God … in every season of life.
上帝看重的是一颗寻求上帝的心......在生命的每个时刻。
God saw that heart out in the field where nobody was looking. It’s lonely in pastures with just sheep. I can imagine David out on the fields. At night when all the sheep lay sleeping and he sat staring at the dying fire, strumming upon his harp and breaking into quiet song – worshipping his Lord. David took care of his sheep. Providing for them. In the same way, He knew God was providing for him. I imagine him picking up a lamb and whispering ‘I am your Shepherd, and God is mine.’
上帝在无人注意的田野上看到了那颗心。在只有羊群的牧场上是很孤独的，我可以想象大卫在田野上的样子。晚上，所有的羊都睡着了，他坐在那里盯着即将熄灭的火，弹着他的竖琴，静静地唱歌，敬拜他的主。大卫照顾着他的羊群，为他们提供食物。他知道上帝以同样的方式在供养他。我想象他抱起一只羊，轻声说："我是你的牧羊人，而上帝是我的牧羊人。”
It’s no wonder that in his journal, we read that famous Psalm – Psalm 23.
难怪在他的日记中，我们读到那篇著名的诗篇，诗篇第 23 篇。
A psalm of David. The inscription begins.
The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right pathsfor his name’s sake./ Psalm 23:1-3 (NIV).
耶和华是我的牧人，我必不会缺乏。他使我躺卧在青草地上，领我到安静的水边。他使我的灵魂苏醒；为了自己的名，他引导我走义路。（诗 23:1-3）
David is drawing from the experiences he had as a simple unseen shepherd.
大卫从他作为一个简单的、不被人见的牧羊人的经历中汲取灵感。
You get the feeling that David has reflected much on the way He himself has been shepherded while out on that field.
你可以感觉到，大卫在那片土地上时，对他自己被牧养的方式进行了很多反思。
That basic shepherding prepared David for what would be his first and most well-known accomplishment - the defeat of the Philistine giant, Goliath. It took courage to face a sword-wielding giant with nothing but a sling and some stones.
这种基本的牧羊方式，为大卫准备了他第一个也是最著名的成就，击败非利士巨人歌利亚。面对一个挥舞着剑的巨人，只用一根吊索和一些石头是需要勇气的。
But David – right there in the fields – had taken on animal giants. Once we know he spied a huge bear. Both found themselves moving furiously forward to the same object – a lamb feeding on rich green grass. In that incident, David took the stone from the pocket and slingshot from the other and soon a brook-smooth pebble whined through the air to meet the charge of that bear.
但大卫，就在田野里，曾与巨兽交过手。有一次我们知道他发现了一只巨大的熊，两者都在向同一个目标狂奔，一只在丰盛的绿草上觅食的羔羊。在那次事件中，大卫从口袋里拿出石头，从另一个口袋里拿出弹弓，很快，一块光滑的卵石在空中呼啸而过，迎接那头熊的冲锋。
David’s focus was on his God. He knew he had nothing to fear: What was true about a bear in the field was no different than a giant in the valley.
大卫的注意力集中在上帝身上。他知道自己没有什么好怕的，田野里的熊和山谷里的巨人没有什么区别。
In fact, even before throwing the stone that would take the giant Goliath down, David declared, “And everyone assembled here will know that the LORD rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the LORD’s battle, and he will give you to us!”/ 1 Samuel 17:47
事实上，甚至在投掷石头将巨人歌利亚击倒之前，大卫就宣言：“使这些人群都知道，耶和华拯救人不是靠刀，不是靠枪，因为战争的胜败在于耶和华，他必把你们交在我们的手里。”（撒上 17:47）
Some might have thought it was premature - David giving God credit for defeating Goliath before the giant was even hit by the stone.
大卫在巨人还没有被石头击中时，就把打败歌利亚的功劳归于上帝，有些人可能认为这为时过早。
But, this shows David’s heart and trust. Without hesitation he runs not away from Goliath like everyone else.
Instead, he runs toward Goliath – and every challenge. Not loitering. Not holding back. Utter abandonment in the God he adores.
但是，这显示了大卫的内心和对上帝的信靠。毫不犹豫地，他不是像其他人一样逃离歌利亚。
相反，他跑向歌利亚，以及每一个挑战。不徘徊，不退缩，完全将主权交给上帝。
This giant-killing faith remained with David throughout his life. With that, David showed himself to be the type of king that delights God- a King with a heart that seeks after him! Even dances before him with full abandonment.
这种杀死巨人的信仰伴随着大卫的一生。就这样，大卫显示出他是那种让上帝高兴的国王，一个有一颗追求上帝的心的国王! 甚至在上帝面前全心全意地跳舞。
No wonder he could continue here in his journal of Psalm 23…
难怪他能继续写出诗篇 23 篇这样的日记......
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”/ Psalm 23:4
我虽然行过死荫的山谷，也不怕遭受伤害，因为你与我同在；你的杖你的竿都安慰我。（诗 23:4）
This beautiful psalm, or perhaps album as we saw earlier in the video bumper (!) - Psalm 23 - sums up season 1 – the success years.
这首美丽的诗篇，诗篇 23 篇，总结了第一个时刻：成功的岁月。
But, this season of success – with its green thriving imagery – stands in complete contrast to the next season in his journal.
但是，这个成功的岁月，其绿色繁荣的景象，与他日记中的下一个岁月形成完全对比。
SEASON TWO – the wilderness years
第二个时刻：荒野岁月
At this point, David has been chosen as the new king. Of course, there is a problem: Israel already had a king: Saul. We looked at his life last week. At this point, Saul has become a disaster as a king. His insecurity leads to him to think primarily about himself first. God eventually has enough and moves his blessing away from Saul to David.
此时，大卫已被选为新王。这里有一个问题：以色列已经有一个王了，扫罗。我们上周看了他的生平。扫罗作为一个国王已经成为一个灾难，他的不安全感导致他首先考虑的是自己。 上帝受够了，把祂的祝福从扫罗移到了大卫身上。
Saul becomes jealous of the blessings on David’s life. He hears the people chant over and over: ‘Saul has killed his thousands. David his tens of thousands.’ Sure, it’s a morbid chant by today’s standards but the people are certainly highlighting David over Saul!
扫罗开始嫉妒大卫生命中的祝福。他听到人们一遍又一遍地念叨着，扫罗杀了数千人，大卫杀了数万人。当然，以今天的标准来看，这是一种病态的吟唱，但人们肯定是在强调大卫而不是扫罗!
All this irritates Saul! What begins with black moods eventually congeals into a hard, fixed murderous purpose.
这一切都激怒了扫罗! 一开始的黑暗情绪最终变成要谋杀大卫。
Saul throws a spear designed to kill David. Thankfully, he misses.
扫罗扔出一根长矛，旨在杀死大卫。幸运的是，大卫没有被击中。
David runs. Saul chases. It’s now a matter of state policy that David be killed.
大卫跑了，扫罗追赶。现在的要事就是要杀死大卫。
David flees to the wilderness with 600 men who have chosen to support him.
大卫带着 600 名选择支持他的人逃到了荒野。
Saul rallies 3000 elite troops to give chase. We read:
扫罗召集了 3000 名精兵强将来追赶。我们读到：
David had gone into the wilderness of En-gedi. So Saul chose 3,000 elite troops from all Israel and went to search for David and his men near the rocks of the wild goats./ 1 Sam 24:1-2
大卫在基底的旷野，扫罗就从以色列人中选出三千精兵，带领他们到野羊磐石去搜索大卫和跟随他的人。（撒上 24:1-2）
This is a picture of where he fled.
这是大卫逃亡地点的照片
The wilderness of En-gedi is a vast expanse of badlands. Country as harsh and inhospitable anything you will ever see. The area is full of all kinds of caves and caverns. So – a good to hide. But, it’s a tough barren existence.
基底的荒野是一片广袤的坏地，是你所见过的最恶劣、最荒凉的环境。该地区充满了各种洞穴和洞窟。所以，是个藏身的好地方。但大卫将过着一个艰难贫瘠的生活。
This describes David’s life – running from Saul – for at least 7 years. Think of what’s happened in your life over the past 7 years? In my case, I’ve moved house, gone through a pandemic and back surgery.
这些描述了大卫的生活，至少有 7 年逃离扫罗的生活。想想在过去 7 年中你的生活中发生了什么？就我而言，我搬了家，经历了一场疫情和背部手术。
7 years ago in NZ was when we had the flag debates, co-hosted the Cricket World Cup and defeated the Wallabies in the Rugby World Cup final.
7 年前，在新西兰，我们进行了国旗辩论，共同主办了板球世界杯，并在橄榄球世界杯决赛中击败了澳洲袋鼠队。
That is all a long time ago.
这都是很久以前的事了。
That whole time, David has been running from Saul who is still out to kill him.
在这段时间里，大卫一直在逃避扫罗，而扫罗仍然要杀他。
Everybody I have ever met who has walked with God for some time – has a season in the wilderness. It’s not a geographical wilderness but certainly a circumstantial wilderness.
我见过的每个与上帝同行了一段时间的人，都有一个在旷野的时刻。这不是一个地理上的旷野，而是一个环境上的荒野。
Perhaps this is the season that best describes where you are right now.
也许这就是最能描述你现在所在的时刻。
David didn't choose to enter this wilderness. He was chased there. But having been chased there, David found the wilderness to be a place of refuge, trust and love.
大卫没有选择地进入这片荒野。他是被追赶到那里的。但在被追赶到那里后，大卫发现荒野是一个避难所、是个可以信靠和有爱的地方。
Even though he has had to flee his wife, his home, and his city, - he remains constant in his belief that God is good. Nothing is more important to him than God himself.
即使他不得不逃离他的妻子、他的家和他的城市，他仍然坚持他的信念，即上帝是美善的。 对他来说，没有什么比上帝更重要。
It’s here in this wilderness that David takes his journal and pens many of the Psalms crying out for help.
正是在这片荒野上，大卫拿着他的日记本，写下了许多诗篇，呼求帮助。
There is a common word that comes up in these Psalms. It’s the word ‘refuge.’
在这些诗篇中，有一个常见的词出现了，就是 "投靠 "这个词。
We find that term 37 times in the Psalms. Places like these:
我们在诗篇中发现这个词 37 次。比如：
Blessed are all who take refuge in him./ Psalm 2:12
But let all who take refuge in you be glad/ Psalm 5:11
O LORD my God, I take refuge in you/ Psalm 7:1
In the LORD I take refuge./ Psalm 11:1
凡是投靠他的，都是有福的。（诗 2:12）
愿所有投靠你的人都喜乐，常常欢呼。（诗 5:11）
耶和华我的 神啊！我已经投靠了你。（诗 7:1）
我投靠耶和华。（诗 11:1）
For many people, the wilderness can shrivel faith and cause bitter roots to grow. They choose to believe the narrative of their head – how can a loving God allow this to happen to me? If God cared…..You probably have met people like this.
对许多人来说，旷野会使信仰萎缩，导致苦涩的根须生长。他们选择相信自己头脑中的叙述，慈爱的上帝怎么会允许这种事情发生在我身上？如果上帝关心.....。你可能遇到过这样的人。
But David’s heart after God caused the wilderness to be a fertile ground for a deep dependency on his Saviour.
He learned what it is to find refuge in God. He grew to appreciate God’s love. He grew to trust in the justice and protection of Yahweh.
但大卫追随上帝的心，使旷野成为深深依赖他的救主的肥沃土壤。他学会了什么能在上帝那里找到庇护。他渐渐体会到上帝的爱。他渐渐学会信靠耶和华的公义和保护。
One of the my favourite Psalms that David wrote in this wilderness season is Psalm 57. It begins this way:
我最喜欢的诗篇之一，就是大卫在这个旷野时刻写的，诗篇第 57 篇。它是这样开始的：
A Psalm of David, when he had fled from Saul into the cave.
是大卫躲在山洞里逃避扫罗时作的。
We’re told the context of the Psalm - that this when he was hiding in a cave from Saul. When you read more about the background to this story in 1 Samuel 24, we find that Saul came to the cave where David was hiding – but didn’t realise David was there. David had a chance to get sweet revenge. But he chose not to. Instead, he penned this Psalm…
我们被告知这首诗的背景，那时他正躲在山洞里逃避扫罗。当你在撒母耳记上第 24 章中读到更多关于这个故事的背景时，我们发现扫罗来到了大卫藏身的山洞，但没有意识到大卫在那里。 大卫有机会进行报复，但他没有选择这样做。相反，他写下了这篇诗篇......
Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.
神啊，求你恩待我！求你恩待我！因为我投靠你；我要投靠在你翅膀的荫下，直到灾害过去。
I cry out to God Most High, to God, who vindicates me.He sends from heaven and saves me,rebuking those who hotly pursue me—God sends forth his love and his faithfulness.
我要向至高的 神呼求，就是向为我成就他旨意的 神呼求。 神从天上施恩拯救我，斥责那践踏我的人；神必向我发出他的慈爱和信实。
I am in the midst of lions; I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts— men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.
我躺卧在狮子中间，就是在那些想吞灭人的世人中间；他们的牙齿是枪和箭，他们的舌头是快刀。
You hear his pain, don’t you? Then, he declares…
你听到了他的痛苦，是不是？ 接着，他宣告......
My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul!...
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies...”/ Psalm 57
神啊！我的心坚定，我的心坚定；我要歌唱，我要颂赞。我的灵啊！你要醒过来......
主啊！我要在万民中称谢你，在万族中歌颂你。因为你的慈爱伟大，高及诸天，你的信实上达云霄......（诗 57）
Do you notice how the Psalm is full of God, not Saul?
你注意到这首诗所提及的都是上帝，而不是扫罗？
Yes, David is feeling the pursuit of Saul – yet David is pursuing God!
是的，大卫感受到了扫罗的追捕，然而大卫在紧紧抓着上帝!
David realized even in this wilderness, God was here. He had nothing to fear.
大卫意识到，即使在这片荒野上，上帝也在这里，他没有什么可害怕的。
Remember, this Psalm is written when David had the chance to bring sweet revenge. But, he knew that God had proclaimed him to be the next king, so he chose to wait until God removed Saul, rather than taking the matter into his own hands.
记住，这首诗是在大卫有机会进行报复时写的。但是，他知道上帝已经宣布他将成为下一个国王，所以他选择等待，直到上帝把扫罗赶走，而不是自己来操控这件事情。
So instead of seeking revenge, he penned this Psalm of trust and worship. This trust was fostered through prayer and journaling – choosing to keep a heart fully focused on God, even through the wilderness years.
所以他没有寻求报复，而是写下了这首信靠和敬拜的诗篇。这种信靠是通过祈祷和写日记培养起来的，
选择保持一颗完全专注于上帝的心，即使是在荒野的岁月里。
What would it look like for you to trust God if you are in a wilderness season?
How can you intentionally pursue God, fill your heart with him and trust him even though your circumstances feel overwhelming?
如果你处于荒野的时刻，你选择信任上帝，那会是什么样子？
你怎样才能有意追求上帝，让祂充满你的心，并信靠祂，即使你感到环境不堪重负？
Israel never had another king quite like David, with the same combination of incredible talent and extreme humility and trust in his God. Generations of Israelites looked back on David with such fondness. Every subsequent king will be measured against the standard he left.
以色列从来没有另一个国王像大卫一样，具有惊人的才能和极度的谦卑，及对上帝的信靠。 一代又一代的以色列人对大卫充满了爱慕之情。后来的每个国王都将以他留下的标准来衡量。
As such, God made a covenant promise to David in 2 Samuel 7 where God says that one day he will raise up from David’s line a “descendant” that will build a temple and rule over an eternal kingdom. This king will be so closely aligned with God’s will, he will be like God’s son and God will be this king’s father.
因此，上帝在撒母耳记下第 7 章中向大卫做出了一个盟约承诺，上帝说有一天他将从大卫的家族中兴起一个"后裔"，他将建造圣殿并统治一个永恒的王国。这个国王将与上帝的旨意紧密相连，他将像上帝的儿子一样，上帝将是这个国王的父亲。
Of course, 3000 years after David, another one was born. In Bethlehem, David’s place of origin.
Like David, there was nothing in his appearance that made him stand out. But he was a king in the line of
David. The perfect shepherd-king who was given the name - Jesus.
在大卫之后 3000 年，有一个人诞生了，在伯利恒，那是大卫的出生地。
像大卫一样，他的外表没有任何特点，让他与众不同，但他是大卫家族中的一个国王。这位完美的牧羊
人国王被赋予了一个名字，耶稣。
So far, we’ve seen two seasons: the success years with their green lush thriving imagery.
And the wilderness years with their barren dry wasteland
到目前为止，我们已经看到了两个时刻：成功的岁月，有其绿色茂盛的景象。
荒野的岁月，有其荒芜干燥的荒地景象。
There is one other season that we can’t avoid talking about:
还有一个时刻是我们无法避免而不去谈论的：
SEASON THREE – the dark period
第三个时刻：黑暗岁月
This dark period happened when David is experiencing good things in his life. He had been king for some time.
David’s army has gone off to war. But David stays behind. He’s established himself as king and doesn’t need to prove himself in some battle.
这段黑暗时期，发生在大卫正经历生活中的美好事物时。他已经做了一段时间的国王，大卫的军队已经去打仗了。但大卫留了下来，他已经确立了自己的国王地位，他不需要在一些战斗中来证明自己。
One afternoon, while walking on the palace roof, positioned so that he can see into the courtyards of nearby houses, David sees an extraordinarily beautiful woman. He sends for her, takes her to his bed, and then discards her, sending her home.
一天下午，当大卫在宫殿的屋顶上行走时，他的位置可以看到附近房屋的院子，他看到一个特别漂亮的女人。他派人去找她，把她带到他的床上，然后抛弃她，送她回家。
Her name is Bathsheba. Her husband, Uriah, ironically is off fighting for David in the army.
她的名字叫拔示巴，她的丈夫叫乌利亚，讽刺的是，他在军队中为大卫作战。
A month later or so later Bathsheba learns that she’s pregnant and sends word to David, “I am with child” (2 Samuel 11:5). David, good at dealing with problems, handles this one by sending for Uriah and giving him a month’s leave. He expects him to go immediately to his wife and the marital bed so that Uriah will think he’s responsible for the pregnancy.
一个月后，拔示巴得知自己怀孕了，就给大卫传话说："我怀孕了"（撒母耳记下 11:5）。善于处理问题的大卫，处理这个问题时，派人去找乌利亚，给他一个月的假期，他希望他立即去找他的妻子和同床，这样乌利亚就会认为他应该对怀孕负责。
But Uriah is a loyal soldier and doesn't feel right about enjoying time with his bride while his fellow soldiers are roughing it out on the battlefield. So he doesn’t head home.
但乌利亚是个忠诚的战士，当他的战友在战场上打仗时，他觉得和他的新娘享受时光是不对的，所以他没有回家。
So, David solves this apparent complication by sending him back to the army camp and instructs the Army General to have Uriah in the thick of the fighting where he’ll almost certainly be killed. Uriah – as expected – dies. David sends for Bathsheba and marries her. It looks like David’s sin will remain secret.
大卫解决了这个复杂问题，他把乌利亚送回了军营，并指示将军让乌利亚参加战斗，在那里他几乎肯定会被杀死。乌利亚，正如所料，战死了。大卫派人去找拔示巴并娶了她，看上去大卫的罪将成为秘密。
What begins as a lustful whim develops into an enormous sex-and-murder crime.
起初只是一个淫乱的心血来潮，后来却发展成一个巨大的性谋杀罪。
Bathsheba had been greatly wronged- exploited and demeaned.
Uriah had been shamefully treated-deceived and then killed.
There is deceit and cover all.
This is a despicable low point in David’s life – yet it makes its way into our story. It’s obvious that God wants us
to hear this story loud and clear. He knows it’s a story that is way to common then and now.
拔示巴受了很大的委屈，被剥削和贬低。
乌利亚受到了可耻的对待，被欺骗，然后被杀害。
这里有欺骗和掩盖一切。
这是大卫生命中的一个卑鄙的时刻，然而它却进入了我们的故事。很明显，上帝希望我们能清楚地看到
这个故事，祂知道这是一个在当时和现在都很常见的故事。
But, it’s difficult when you have things going so well not to drift.
但是，当你的事情进行得如此顺利时，很难不漂移。
Ironically, this dark season in David’s life takes place in Spring. Everything is going well for him. God had entered into a covenant with him where his line will rule the nations forever. The economy is booming.
Security is looking good. He is a well-loved leader.
讽刺的是，大卫生命中的这个黑暗时刻发生在春天。对他来说，一切都很顺利。上帝已经与他立约，他的家族将永远统治各国。经济正在蓬勃发展，安全形势一片大好，他是一个深受喜爱的领袖。
It’s not uncommon for people to drift when things are going well.
当事情进展顺利时，就会产生偏差，这并不罕见。
It happened to David. It can happen to you and me.
这发生在大卫身上，它也会发生在你和我身上。
But, look at what happens when God sends his prophet Nathan to shine a light into the vile pit that David is now in.
看看当上帝派先知拿单，来照亮大卫现在所处的暗黑时刻，会发生什么。
He instinctively does what he has done in the success years and the wilderness years- he picks up his pen and crafts a beautiful confession that reflects a heart seeking after God.
他本能地做了他在成功时期和荒野时期所做的事，他拿起笔，写下了一份美丽的忏悔，反映了一颗寻求上帝的心。
Listen to some of these words from Psalm 51:
看看诗篇第 51 篇的话语：
A psalm of David, regarding the time Nathan the prophet came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
大卫的诗，交给诗班长，是大卫和拔示巴同房以后，及先知拿单来见他以后作的。
Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.
神啊！求你按着你的慈爱恩待我，照着你丰盛的怜悯涂抹我的过犯。
Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night.
Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight…
求你彻底洗净我的罪孽，洁除我的罪。因为我知道我的过犯；我的罪常在我面前。我得罪了你，唯独得罪你；我行了你眼中看为恶的事......
Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
求你用牛膝草洁净我，我就干净；求你洗净我，我就比雪更白。
… Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me… The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God…/ Psalm 51
…… 神啊！求你为我造一颗清洁的心，求你使我里面重新有坚定的灵...... 神所要的祭，就是破碎的
灵； 神啊！破碎痛悔的心，你必不轻看...... （诗 51）
How does God respond?
上帝是如何回应的？
Does he do what most would do with a leader who has been involved in such hideous affairs? Does he write him off? Trash him? Cancel him out?
面对一个卷入如此丑恶事件的领袖，上帝是否会像大多数人那样？他是否会把他撇开？扔掉他？拿掉他？
No.
不
God forgives.
上帝饶恕了他。
David’s sin, enormous as it was, is wildly outdone by God’s grace. It’s the theme of the Bible. It’s the theme of every Christian life.
大卫的罪，尽管是巨大的，但上帝的恩典却大大超过了它。这是圣经的主题，这也是每个基督徒生活的主题。
Please understand – there were still natural consequences to what David did. This confession – as real as it was, and as forgiven as David became –still didn’t take away the massive consequences that would come David’s way. His family life disintegrated over the coming years, as a number of sons followed their dad’s poor example or rape and murder. On top of that, they tried to steal the throne.
请大家明白，大卫的所作所为仍伴有后果。这个忏悔，尽管它是真实的，尽管大卫得到了宽恕，仍然不能消除大卫将面临的巨大后果。在接下来的几年里，他的家庭生活瓦解了，因为一些儿子效仿他们父亲的坏榜样，或强奸或谋杀。除此之外，他们还试图窃取王位。
But, God looks inside David’s heart as only God can do. He sees the heart longing to do life with him, for him, by him. That relationship is what God craves. Even here in the pit, we see a heart still after God.
Let’s take another look at that picture of Michelangelo’s statue of David.
上帝以只有上帝才能做到的方式鉴察大卫的内心。他看到那颗渴望与祂一起、为祂、靠祂生活的心。这种关系是上帝所渴望的。即使在暗黑时刻，我们也看到一颗追求上帝的心。
让我们再看一下米开朗基罗的大卫雕像的照片。
Did you know that the marble that Michelangelo used to craft his statue of David was flawed marble?
你知道米开朗基罗用来制作他的大卫雕像的大理石是有缺陷的大理石吗？
Sure, it’s an impressive 13-feet tall statue that tourists flock to year after year. But, it’s flawed marble.
Apparently, this same block of marble was rejected by another artist because it had breaks and impurities. But Michelangelo was able to see that there was something about the core of the marble that was worth saving to tell the story of David.
它是一个令人印象深刻的 13 英尺高的雕像，游客们年复一年地蜂拥而至。但是，它是有缺陷的大理石。显然，这块大理石被另一位艺术家拒绝，因为它有断裂和杂质。但米开朗基罗能够看到，大理石的核心部分有一些值得保存，以讲述大卫的故事。
Is that how God saw King David? Yes, he saw the breaks and impurities. David certainly had multiple and serious imperfections, but God saw who he was at his core.
上帝是这样看待大卫王的吗？是的，他看到了那些破损和杂质。大卫当然有许多严重的不完美之处，但上帝看到了他的内心。
Why did God choose and use David? And why, in spite of his notable flaws and failings, do we still speak his name with fondness?
上帝为什么选择和使用大卫？尽管他有明显的缺陷和失败，为什么我们仍然对他的名字怀有好感？
We get the answer from Samuel and from Acts.
我们从撒母耳记和使徒行传中得到了答案。
Samuel said to Saul: “Your kingdom must end, for the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart.”/ 1 Samuel 13:14
撒母耳对扫罗说：“现在你的王位必不长久，耶和华已经为自己找到一个合他心意的人。”（撒上13:14）
The writer of Acts says: “God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart.’” / Acts 13:22.
使徒行传的作者这样说：“废去扫罗之后，又为他们兴起大卫作王，并且为他作证说：‘我找到耶西的儿子大卫，他是合我心意的人，必遵行我的一切旨意。’”（徒 13:22）
God looked at David's core, his heart, and found someone he could work with. Much like Michelangelo, he began to mould David into a masterpiece, despite the significant imperfections.
上帝看大卫的内心，并找到了可以与祂同工的人。就像米开朗基罗一样，祂开始把大卫塑造成一个杰作，尽管有很多不完美的地方。
God looks at each one of us in the same way.
上帝以同样的方式看待我们每一个人。
Lovingly, He looks us in the eye and says, "I want you to have a heart that I can mould and shape into a masterpiece. I want to make your relationships, your household, your life, your future, and your plans into a masterpiece. Will you let me? Will you allow me to shape you into the person I want you to be?"
祂慈爱地看着我们的眼睛说："我希望你有一颗我可以塑造的心，把它塑造成一个杰作。我想使你的关系、家庭、生活、未来和计划成为一个杰作。你愿意让我这样做吗？你愿意让我把你塑造成我希望你成为的人吗？"
Typically the pathway towards us becoming that person is never a straight line. It’s never that straightforward.
通常情况下，我们成为那样的人的途径不是一条直线，它从来不是那么直截了当的。
So, often we think of spiritual formation as a straight line that always has an upward trajectory.
You don't just see this in David’s life. Typically you don’t see it our lives. Instead, his line – like ours - looks very messy. He had some amazing ups and terribly bad downs.
我们通常认为灵性的形成是一条直线，总是有一个向上的轨迹。
你不只是在大卫的生活中看到这一点，通常你不会在我们的生活中看到这样的轨迹。相反，大卫的轨迹，像我们的一样，看起来非常混乱。他有一些惊人的上升和可怕的下降。
What’s matters most in whatever season we’re in – is the core of our being.
在我们所处的任何时期，最重要的是我们的内心。
The core of who we are is our heart, who we are when we are alone. It's the part of us that only God sees. It's
where our passions, fantasies, desires, and commitments reside.
我们的心，我们独处时的样子，只有上帝能看到。它是我们的热情、幻想、欲望和承诺所在的地方。
No wonder one of the Proverbs reads: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life" / Proverbs 4:23
难怪箴言这样说：“你要谨守你的心，胜过谨守一切，因为生命的泉源由此而出。”（箴 4:23）
In other words, what we think, feel, and act – all comes from a core of our being. Guard it.
换句话说，我们的想法、感觉和行为，都来自我们的内心。要谨守住它。
God longs to share all of life with you. The highs and the lows. The years of success. The years of wilderness.
Even the dark time in a pit. He wants you to do life with him.
上帝渴望与你分享生命的全部。高潮和低潮，成功的岁月，荒野的岁月，甚至在黑暗时期，祂希望你和他一起面对。
Your hearts matters more to him than some act you might go through.
Sure, you can volunteer. You can give money. You can tick off the right beliefs.
对祂来说，你的内心比你可能经历的一些行为更重要。
当然，你可以做志愿者，你可以捐钱，你可以在正确的信仰上打勾。
But, what God is looking for is your heart. He wants you to love him.
但是，上帝在寻找的是你的心，祂希望你爱他。
When you’re in love, you want to hang out with the person you’re in love with. You stay up late. You find ways to see that person. You check if they left you any messages. You find ways to do nice things for them without thinking twice about it. You show their picture to complete strangers! You even dance with joy!
当你恋爱时，你想和你所爱的人在一起。你会熬夜，你想方设法地想要去见那个人，你会检查他们是否给你留下任何信息。你想方设法为他们做一些好事，不加思索。你把他们的照片给完全陌生的人看! 你甚至会高兴地跳舞!
Friends – this is the type of relationship God longs to have with you and me. Above all else, He wants your heart.
朋友们，这是上帝渴望与你和我建立的关系类型。最重要的是，他想要你的内心。
So, How's your heart? And how do you want it to be?
你的心现在如何？你希望它是怎样的呢？
As we’ve seen, the answer to that has little to do with the circumstances going on in your life.
正如我们所看到的，这个问题的答案，与你生活中发生的情况，没有什么关系。
Are you in a season of success with its green and lush meadows? Is your heart captured by the God who provides such blessing?
Are you in a season of wilderness – barren and remote? Is your heart open to trust him even when nothing makes sense.
Or are you in season of darkness – with its hidden sins? Is your heart attune to confess and receive God’s amazing grace?
你是否处于一个成功的时刻，有绿色和茂盛的草地？你的心是否被提供这些祝福的上帝所捕获？
你是否处于一个荒野的时刻，荒芜和遥远？你的心是否敞开，选择信靠上帝，即使是在不理解的时候。
或者你是在黑暗的时刻，有隐藏的罪？你的心是否愿意承认并接受上帝的奇妙恩典？
Regardless of the season where your soul might be located, the response is still the same. Because the big idea that threads its way throughout the story of David is this:
无论你的灵魂在哪个时期，回应都是一样的。因为贯穿大卫故事的大思想是这样的：
The heart that God seeks is a heart that seeks God… in every season of life.
上帝看重的是一颗寻求上帝的心......在生命的每个时刻。
So – again – how is your heart? How do you want it to be?
那么，再一次，你的内心现在如何？你希望它是怎样的？
We can answer these questions in our minds, yet as David discovered, there is power in the written word. This is one of the ways we keep a heart seeking after God.
我们可以在头脑中回答这些问题，然而正如大卫发现的那样，书面文字有力量。这是我们内心追寻上帝的方式之一。
It often feels safer to just keep our thought in our head, I’m encouraging you today to courageously put words onto paper.
把我们的想法放在脑子里往往感觉更安全，我今天鼓励你勇敢地把它变成文字写在纸上。
For those of you here in-person, under your seats is some parchment and a pen. For those of you online, we have a copy for you to download.
对于现场的各位，在你们的座位下有一些纸和笔。对于在线的听众，我们有一份副本供你们下载。
We’ve given you a sample that you can follow as a guide.
我们已经给了你们一个样本，可以作为一个指南。
Allow the season you are in – with its successes, difficulties, or even sin - to affect what you write.
God wants to hear from you.
让你所处的任何时刻，成功、困难、甚至有罪恶感时，都尝试写下感受。
上帝希望听到你的声音。
We will take a few minutes right now to invite God into your season, your circumstances.
● We’re not collecting these – this is between you and God.
● It’s not about fancy words.
● It’s simply about the honesty of telling God how it is between the two of you – and how you would like it to be.
● During this time, the band will play in the background.
我们现在就花几分钟时间邀请上帝进入你的时刻，你的处境
● 我们不会收集这些纸，这是你和上帝之间的秘密。
● 不用任何花言巧语。
● 只是诚实地告诉上帝，你与上帝之间的关系，以及你希望它是怎样的。
● 这段时间里，敬拜队将伴奏。
But this is your time to do what David did and journal your thoughts to God.
现在是你像大卫那样做的时候，把你的想法向上帝写下。
Because what God is seeking right now is your attention, your affections, your thoughts – all focused on Him.
上帝所寻求的是，你的注意力、你的情感、你的思想，都集中在上帝身上。
Because The heart that God seeks is a heart that seeks God… in every season of life.
上帝看重的是一颗寻求上帝的心......在生命的每个时刻。
