撒母耳記上27:1-12

 

27:1 大衛心裡說：「必有一日我死在掃羅手裡，不如逃奔非利士地去。掃羅見我不在以色列的境內，就必絕望，不再尋索我；這樣我可以脫離他的手。」
27:2 於是大衛起身，和跟隨他的六百人投奔迦特王─瑪俄的兒子亞吉去了。
27:3 大衛和他的兩個妻，就是耶斯列人亞希暖和作過拿八妻的迦密人亞比該，並跟隨他的人，連各人的眷屬，都住在迦特的亞吉那裡。
27:4 有人告訴掃羅說：「大衛逃到迦特。」掃羅就不再尋索他了。
27:5 大衛對亞吉說：「我若在你眼前蒙恩，求你在京外的城邑中賜我一個地方居住。僕人何必與王同住京都呢？」
27:6 當日亞吉將洗革拉賜給他，因此洗革拉屬猶大王，直到今日。
27:7 大衛在非利士地住了一年零四個月。
27:8 大衛和跟隨他的人上去，侵奪基述人、基色人、亞瑪力人之地。這幾族歷來住在那地，從書珥直到埃及。
27:9 大衛擊殺那地的人，無論男女都沒有留下一個，又奪獲牛、羊、駱駝、驢，並衣服，回來見亞吉。
27:10 亞吉說：「你們今日侵奪了甚麼地方呢？」大衛說：「侵奪了猶大的南方、耶拉篾的南方、基尼的南方。」
27:11 無論男女，大衛沒有留下一個帶到迦特來。他說：「恐怕他們將我們的事告訴人，說大衛住在非利士地的時候常常這樣行。」
27:12 亞吉信了大衛，心裡說：「大衛使本族以色列人憎惡他，所以他必永遠作我的僕人了。」

 

 But David thought to himself, “One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.”

² So David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maok king of Gath. ³ David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal. ⁴ When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.

⁵ Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be assigned to me in one of the country towns, that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?”

⁶ So on that day Achish gave him Ziklag, and it has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since. ⁷ David lived in Philistine territory a year and four months.

⁸ Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these peoples had lived in the land extending to Shur and Egypt.) ⁹ Whenever David attacked an area, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but took sheep and cattle, donkeys and camels, and clothes. Then he returned to Achish.

¹⁰ When Achish asked, “Where did you go raiding today?” David would say, “Against the Negev of Judah” or “Against the Negev of Jerahmeel” or “Against the Negev of the Kenites.” ¹¹ He did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he thought, “They might inform on us and say, ‘This is what David did.’” And such was his practice as long as he lived in Philistine territory. ¹² Achish trusted David and said to himself, “He has become so obnoxious to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant for life.”

 

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    大衛雖然有上帝的應許，也受了撒母耳膏抹為以色列王，卻是一職在掃羅的壓迫下，無法成為以色列的王不打緊，還常常受到掃羅的威脅。雖然一次又一次的蒙上帝的保守，平安的度過，但是最後還決定離開以色列寄居在非利士地，成為迦特王─瑪俄的兒子亞吉的手下！

 

    當然大衛需要做一些事取得亞吉的信任，就去攻打猶大附近的迦南人，並且殺人滅口，讓亞吉誤認為猶大去攻擊自己的同胞，表現自己對亞吉的忠心，好可以長久安居在非利士地。

 

    在這裡讓我們感覺大衛好像落難英雄，鬱鬱不得志，變得很陰險的樣子！其實上帝所要重用的人，常常會遇見一些自己無法明白的事情！可是在這段時間，絕對不可以失志，一定要靠著上帝所賜的力量和應許活下去，無論如何要相信上帝的應許必定成就！

 

    感謝上帝，我也是在面對上帝未完成的應許，大衛的事蹟讓我有許多的思考和激勵！的確，跟隨主的道路，不是照我們的想像，我們必須忍耐下去，要相信：主必按照他的時刻，成就美好的事，不可以灰心！