歷代志上 14-15 章 1 Chronicles 14-15

各位平安，今天這一集我們要來分享《歷代志上》第14和第15章的故事。

一開始，大衛想到要把約櫃迎回首都。這個出發點很好，他的本意也是敬畏神、尊重神的同在。但可惜的是，在執行上出了問題。他沒有按照神的吩咐來處理，結果導致他的部下烏撒被神擊殺。我們可能會以為是神太嚴厲了，但仔細一看，這其實是大衛的疏忽。他後來也認知到這一點，並為此悔改。

接著第14章記載，大衛擊敗了非利士人——這群原本擊殺掃羅的敵人。這一次，他不只是打贏了，還把這些欺壓以色列的非利士人趕回自己的地，甚至燒毀了他們的神像——巴力的偶像。

這裡其實有一個非常鮮明的對比。大衛是接續掃羅作王的，而掃羅的問題，我們從第十章就看得出來——他的失敗並不是打仗沒打好，而是他沒有求問耶和華，甚至還跑去招魂問鬼，做出那種很讓人皺眉的事。他基本上就是照自己的想法來，不聽神的話，結果神也就……好啦，尊重他的自由，離開他了。

而且不只如此，大衛和掃羅在對待敵人、對待偶像的態度上，也差很多。掃羅雖然也跟非利士人打過仗，但聖經從來沒說他處理那些假神像有多積極。他最出名的一次失敗，其實是上帝吩咐他要擊殺亞瑪力人、把他們的東西完全毀掉，他卻因為貪愛那些好東西，留了下來。簡單說，他對財物的執著，比對上帝的敬畏還深。

這其實暴露了他內心信仰的不純正。他說是敬畏神，但實際上是把自己放在神的前面，神的話變成參考用的，大概跟說明書差不多……「不照也沒差啦」的那種心態。

反觀大衛，擊敗非利士人之後，他馬上下令把他們的神像燒掉，直接火化假神巴力的偶像。這不只是戰後清理，更是一個屬靈的宣告：「以色列只敬拜真神耶和華，偶像請送焚化爐」。

這就是一個很棒的榜樣，因為我們也知道，以後以色列會衰敗，往往就是從偶像滲透開始。他們慢慢地被外邦文化吸引，覺得「欸～這個神也不錯耶」「那邊的祭壇好像滿熱鬧的」，結果就一個一個放下對上帝的忠誠。他們自己把錯誤的信仰、錯誤的思想養在心裡，其實是按照自己的私慾來敬拜上帝，因為這些假神沒這麼嚴格，沒有要求他們生活的聖潔，有一些還蠻符合他們肉體的私慾的，所以基於 “對我比較方便”的心態，這些人去選擇外邦假神，然後生活方式就跟著敗壞下去。這種屬靈的崩壞，是從心開始的，而不是從敵人打進來的。

其實這也是我們在信仰上很值得去思考的一個重點——有沒有時候，我們也覺得「信上帝，好像有點不方便」？有些事不能做了、有些地方不能去了，甚至連講話都要修飾一下，覺得自己好像少了點自由？

這種感覺，其實就是掃羅的心態。他也想跟隨神，但他想要的是「有神在，但還能照我的方式來」。說白了，他是想當王，想要好事，但會選擇性聽上帝的話。

而大衛之所以能成為一代君王，不是因為他多完美，也不是因為他特別聖潔，而是因為他“從來不否認自己的軟弱”。他知道自己會跌倒，所以他懂得悔改，願意一次次回到神面前。這也是為什麼我們在詩篇裡，常常看到大衛的心聲——他不是在自誇，而是在向上帝傾心吐意，說出自己的懊悔、求赦免，還有那份渴望被更新的心。

這樣的生命態度，就是讓他與掃羅走上完全不同命運的關鍵。

來到第15章，我們看到大衛開始為自己建造宮殿，也為神的約櫃預備了安置的地方。這一次，他終於想起來 —— 對喔，約櫃不是誰都能搬的，只有利未人，亞倫的子孫才能擔這個責任。所以他就召集全國各地所有利未人，包括哥轄子孫、革順子孫、米拉利子孫等等，大家都被召聚到耶路撒冷來。第15節說得很清楚：「利未子孫就用槓，肩抬神的約櫃，是照耶和華藉摩西所吩咐的。」

你看，這一次他總算做對了。之前用牛車搬約櫃的時候，可沒人敢說這句話——「照著耶和華所吩咐的」？想都別想，根本是自己想出來的搬家方式嘛！

這也讓我們看到，大衛這次是真學乖了。他不是只是情緒一來、熱心一下，而是真的回到神的心意裡頭，按著神的方式來做事情。而這樣的敬畏與謹慎，也為接下來的約櫃入城鋪下了正確的基礎。

其實，從大衛的經歷裡，對今天的教會也有一個很深的提醒：在我們做任何事之前，最重要的問題是——這件事有沒有符合聖經？我們是不是把神的心意放在最前面了？

教會不是俱樂部，也不只是大家社交聊天的地方。教會最核心的使命，是敬拜神、傳揚福音。所以我們所做的每一件事，不論是大活動、小決定，甚至是看似不起眼的服事安排，都應該回頭問自己：這是不是合神心意？我們有沒有真的先求問神，而不是先問人？

因為如果我們只照自己的熱心，沒有照神的吩咐來做，不但可能讓整件事失焦，還可能讓一起服事的弟兄姊妹受傷。最終，不是把人帶到神面前，而是讓人懷疑神的心意。

所以我們真的可以學習大衛這一次的榜樣——不是一股熱情就衝了，而是先停下來，認真求問神，確認方向後再前行。這樣不但讓事情做得穩，也更容易在服事中彼此同心。

我們看到，大衛在迎接約櫃回耶路撒冷的過程中，整個場面堪稱盛大——基本上就是辦了一場超級慶典，開了一場靈性派對。

別忘了，大衛本身就是個音樂高手，不只是王，還是詩人、詞曲創作人，甚至可以說是當時的流行樂代表人物。他自己寫詞、寫曲、編排樂隊，一手包辦，現場還親自下場跳舞，表現得非常盡興。

而如果你去看《撒母耳記下》第六章，你會發現大衛跳舞跳得有多賣力——跳到連外袍都掉了，整個人就像是忘了自己是國王，完全沉浸在對神的喜樂裡。

從一個國王的形象來看，這當然是有點「失去王者風範」的。也難怪他的妻子米甲看了之後非常不以為然。根據《撒母耳記下》第六章20節，她對大衛有很大的意見，認為這樣的行為根本不符合「一國之君」該有的格局。

但問題是，米甲看重的是「人怎麼看」，而不是「神怎麼看」。她忽略了最重要的一點：大衛這樣的熱情敬拜，其實正是因為他敬畏神、合神心意。而米甲，作為掃羅的女兒，可能從小就習慣了那種「信神歸信神，禮節最重要」的氛圍，對於尋求神這件事，其實是缺乏理解與經歷的。

所以她看到的，不是大衛的敬拜精神，而是諷刺他「你這樣把國王的形象都搞砸了」。這其實就是信仰視角的落差。

有一句話說得非常好：「在上帝面前跪下的人，可以勇敢地站立在任何人面前。」大衛就活出了這樣的生命。

他唯一跪下的對象，是神。他不在乎自己在眾人面前看起來是不是「有威嚴」或「像個國王」，因為他知道，真正值得敬畏的只有耶和華。他以神的心為心，所以就算別人看他跳舞跳到失態、衣服都掉了，他也無所謂。他甚至說：「我還要更卑微。」（撒母耳記下六章20節）——意思就是，我還可以再謙卑一點，你們都還沒看過我全力敬拜的樣子呢！

這番話，就是他對妻子米甲的回應。米甲的家教來自掃羅，看重的是人的眼光、大衛的外在形象，但大衛看重的是他和神的關係。他明白，一個主動尋求人的榮耀的人，其實得不到真正的尊重；但一個主動尋求上帝的人，上帝會親自使他得尊榮。

這個原則，其實也在新約中出現過。在《腓立比書》第二章，保羅講到耶穌：「他本有神的形象，卻不以自己與神同等為強奪的，反倒虛己，取了奴僕的形象……所以神將他升為至高，賜給他那超乎萬名之上的名。」

這就是我們信仰裡一個很奇妙、但非常有力量的真理——你越渴望榮耀，你越得不到它；但當你越謙卑地服事，甚至忘了自己，神會把榮耀加給你。耶穌也說：「誰願為大，就必作你們的用人。」

這完全顛覆了世界的價值觀，但也正是神國的精髓所在。

感謝各位的聆聽，下一講我們繼續分享歷代志上十六章的故事。願上帝祝福各位。

Hello everyone, peace be with you. In today’s episode, we’ll be sharing the stories from 1 Chronicles chapters 14 and 15.

At the beginning, David decides to bring the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. His intention was honorable—he desired to honor God and acknowledge His presence. But in his first attempt, he didn’t follow God’s instructions, resulting in Uzzah being struck down. We might think God was overly harsh, but a closer look shows it was David’s oversight. He later realized this and repented.

Then, in chapter 14, David defeats the Philistines—those same people who formerly killed Saul. He didn’t just win the battle; he drove them back to their own land and destroyed their idols—specifically, Baal’s image.

Here lies a striking contrast. David succeeded Saul as king, but Saul’s failure wasn’t merely on the battlefield—it was his failure to seek the Lord. He even resorted to divination and necromancy, acting according to his own understanding rather than God’s word. As a result, God “respected his freedom” and departed from him.

Moreover, David’s and Saul’s attitudes toward enemies and idols differed greatly. Saul fought the Philistines, but Scripture never records him actively destroying idols. His greatest failure came when God commanded him to destroy the Amalekites completely and everything they had. Instead, he spared the best of the livestock and possessions, showing greed outweighed fear of the Lord.

That exposes the impurity in Saul’s faith—he claimed to fear God, but in practice, he placed his wants above God’s commands, treating God’s Word as optional instructions.

By contrast, after defeating the Philistines, David immediately ordered the idols of Baal to be burned. This was more than post-war cleanup—it was a spiritual declaration: “Israel worships only the true God Yahweh—idols, please self-destruct!”

This sets a powerful example. We know Israel’s later decline began with idol influence—from foreign cultures, temples, rituals. People said, “Hey, that god seems appealing,” and gradually abandoned loyalty to Yahweh. They embraced false gods that matched their fleshly desires—less standard, more indulgent, and “easier.” Because for them, it was all about convenience. As a result, their behavior and lives decayed. This spiritual collapse started from the heart, not an enemy’s attack.

This brings us to a vital reflection point for our faith: Have we ever thought, “Maybe following God is a bit inconvenient…”? We stop doing certain things, avoid certain places, even feel like we have to filter what we say, as though our freedom is being curtailed.

That’s exactly Saul’s mindset. He wanted God, but on his own terms—“God is here, but can I still do things my way?” He wanted the benefits without full obedience.

David’s greatness wasn’t in perfection or holiness, but in his humility—he never denied his weakness. He knew he would stumble, so he repented and returned to God again and again. That’s why, in the Psalms, we hear his heart poured out—not proud boasts, but confessions, pleas for forgiveness, and longing for renewal.

This posture defined the vastly different destinies of David and Saul.

In chapter 15, we see David building himself a palace and preparing a place for the Ark. Suddenly he remembered—only Levites, the descendants of Aaron, were allowed to carry the Ark. So he summoned all the Levites—Kohathites, Gershonites, Merarites—to Jerusalem. Verse 15 says, “The Levites carried the Ark of God on poles on their shoulders, as Moses commanded.”

This time, David got it right. After that botched cart attempt, now he could legitimately say, “We did it as Yahweh commanded”—not his own logistics solution.

That shows David had truly learned the lesson: he wasn’t following his emotions, but God’s instructions. This reverence and care laid the right foundation for the Ark’s entrance into the city.

From David’s story, we receive a powerful reminder for the church today. Before we do anything—big or small—we must ask: Does this align with Scripture? Are we truly seeking God’s heart first?

The church isn’t a social club or networking hub. Its core mission is worship and evangelism. Every event, decision, and ministry—even the small stuff—should be evaluated: Are we following God, or just our own plans? Are we seeking divine guidance, or group consensus?

If we act on enthusiasm alone without spiritual direction, we risk losing focus, hurting others, and leading people away from God rather than toward Him.

So let’s follow David’s example—don’t just rush in with passion. Let’s stop, seek God’s will, set the direction, and then move together in unity.

When the Ark finally came to Jerusalem, it was a full-on celebration—a spiritual block party. David, a master musician—poet, songwriter, and popular performer in his day—led the charge. He wrote the lyrics, composed the music, organized the worship team, and danced before the Lord with abandon.

If you read 2 Samuel 6, he danced so wildly his royal robe fell off. Totally lost himself in joy, not caring about royal composure.

Understandably, his wife Michal was mortified. In 2 Samuel 6:20, she criticized him, saying he had demeaned himself before the servant girls of Israel and had no dignity as king.

But her focus was on appearance and what people thought. David focused on God. He honored Him, not Himself. He famously replied, “I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But as for me—by the LORD, I will enjoy it.”

He understood that those who seek human praise get no respect—but those who seek God receive true honor. And that’s exactly what Scripture shows us next.

In Philippians 2, Paul points to Jesus: “Though he was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself… Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name above all names.”

That’s the upside-down kingdom principle: the world seeks acclaim and fails to receive it; God exalts those who lower themselves. Jesus taught the same: the greatest among you must be the servant of all.

This is the essence of God’s Kingdom—it stands in stark contrast to worldly values.

Thank you all for listening. In our next episode, we’ll continue with 1 Chronicles chapter 16. May God bless you richly.