The God of David
A young couple was walking along the lakeside. Two moons hung in the night sky—one high above, and the other reflected upside down on the calm surface of the lake.
“Splash!”
The stones thrown by children broke the stillness of the lake, sending ripples across the water.
“Oh no, the moon is broken!”
The boy pointed to the sky and said, “Look, the moon in the sky is still perfectly fine.”
Even if the moon reflected in the lake shatters, as long as the moon above remains whole, there is no real problem.
This was something my teacher experienced during his military service.
At that time, he was a communications soldier and often had to go out to repair communication lines. One day, twelve soldiers were ordered to leave the camp to perform a repair mission. It was a rare chance to go outside, and everyone felt unusually cheerful and relaxed.
It was springtime. Many people were picnicking along the riverside, and some were catching fish to make fish soup.
“Brother, your fish soup smells amazing!”
“Ah, seeing you boys reminds me of my brother who is serving in the army. Here—have a drink with us!”
“I hope we’re not bothering you. Thank you so much!”
The fragrant fish soup and a few cups of strong liquor made the soldiers forget who they were and what mission they were on, and the idea of returning to base became more and more distant. Seeing that the men were drunk, the squad leader shouted:
“We’re all drunk—only Private Park is still sober!”
“So from now on, listen to Private Park!”
Private Park was my teacher. As the pastor of the army church, he did not drink. Under his leadership, the team eventually returned safely to the base.
This story tells us that even if everyone loses direction, as long as one person remains sober, the entire group can still find the right path.
“Simon, Simon! Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you.” These were the words Jesus spoke to Simon.
We often try to stay clear-headed by relying on our own strength—determined not to waver. Simon surely thought the same way. But rather than relying on Simon’s resolve, Jesus wanted him to see the hand that was holding him.
“What I do for you is far better than what you can do for yourself. You cannot defeat Satan.”
Although David had been anointed by God to be king, he was relentlessly pursued by King Saul and eventually fled to a foreign land.
As the days of running for his life grew longer, David gradually lost confidence in God’s protection. He even thought he would eventually die at Saul’s hand. So he decided to seek refuge among the Philistines, thinking that was his best option.
He brought his six hundred men before Achish, king of the Philistines. David had to carefully watch the king’s attitude and look for opportunities to prove his loyalty. He requested a territory, and in the end he was given the town of Ziklag. There, he settled his family and men.
David then began raiding the Amalekites, the Geshurites, and the Girzites, taking plunder to sustain themselves. Saul stopped pursuing David. Wanting to win the Philistine king’s favor, David falsely reported that he had attacked the southern regions of Judah and Jerahmeel. This made the king believe that David had turned against his own people and was now firmly aligned with the Philistines.
David’s plan worked. The Philistine king regarded him as a trusted confidant and even prepared to bring him along to attack Judah. David accepted the order as well.
However, the plan fell through because the Philistine leaders opposed it. They believed it was too dangerous to bring David to battle—if he switched sides on the battlefield, he could use their heads as a peace offering to reconcile with Judah. Because of this, David was ultimately not allowed to join the war against Judah.
We often regard David as a representative spiritual figure. Indeed, David was a spiritual man—but he was also a human being, born into sin, with flesh and weaknesses. Without the Lord’s help, he too would have lost his way. We must praise the God of David! In the most critical moment, it was the Lord who moved the hearts of the Philistine leaders and prevented David from making a disastrous decision. We too may experience confusion like David—unable to distinguish friend from enemy, making foolish judgments. But the God of David never loses His way. He neither slumbers nor sleeps; He is the eternally faithful Lord. He covers our faults and understands our weaknesses.
Likewise, He is also the God of Abraham. Even when Abraham lied and said his wife was his sister, God still protected them—and even rebuked Pharaoh.
Because we have such a God, our weaknesses are not a problem; even our sins are not a barrier. As long as we rely on Him and look to Him, that is enough.
A new year has arrived. Thinking of this God who is with us fills my heart with gratitude and peace. May all readers spend this new year full of joy and peace because of Him!
大卫的神
一对年轻的情侣在湖边漫步。夜空中悬挂着两个月亮，一个高悬于天际，另一个则倒映在平静的湖面上。
“扑通！”
孩子们投掷的石子打破了湖面的宁静，泛起层层涟漪。
“啊，月亮碎了！”
男孩指着天空说道：“看，天上的月亮依然完好无损。”
即使湖中的月影破碎，只要天上的月亮依旧完整，便无妨。
这是我老师在服兵役期间经历的一件事。
当时他是通信兵，经常需要外出修复通信线路。某日，12名士兵奉命出营执行线路修复任务。难得有机会外出，大家心情格外轻松愉快。
正值春天，河边有不少人在春游野餐，还有人抓鱼煮鱼汤。
“大哥，你们的鱼汤真香！”
“哎，看到你们就想起我正在服兵役的弟弟，来，一起喝一杯吧！”
“希望不会打扰到你们，非常感谢！”
浓郁的鱼汤和几杯烈酒让士兵们暂时忘却了自己的身份和任务，归队的时间变得遥不可及。看着醉醺醺的队员们，班长喊道：
“我们都醉了，只有朴一兵保持清醒！”
“因此，从现在起，听从朴一兵的指挥！”
朴一兵就是我的老师，作为军中教会的牧师，他没有饮酒。在他的带领下，队员们最终顺利返回了部队。
这个故事告诉我们，即便所有人都迷失了方向，只要有一个人保持清醒，这个集体就能找到正确的道路。
“西门，西门！撒但想要得着你们，好筛你们像筛麦子一样，但我已经为你祈求。”这是耶稣对西门说的话。
我们常常试图依靠自己的力量保持清醒，坚守立场，不被动摇。西门肯定也是这样想的。比起西门的觉悟和决心，耶稣更希望他能看到自己的手在牵着他。
“我为你做的，比你自己为你做的更好。你无法战胜撒但。”
虽然大卫被神膏立为王，但他长期遭到扫罗王的追杀，最终选择逃亡海外。
随着被追杀的时间延长，大卫逐渐失去了对神保守的信心，甚至认为自己迟早会死在扫罗手中。于是，他决定投靠非利士人，认为这是最好的出路。
他带着600名部下来到非利士王亚吉面前。大卫不得不察言观色，找机会证明对非利士王的忠心。他请求一块领地，最终得到了洗革拉城。在那里，他安顿好了家人和部下。
大卫开始攻打亚玛力人、基述人和基色人，掠夺战利品以维持生活。扫罗也不再追杀大卫。为了讨非利士王的欢心，大卫谎报军情，说自己攻打的是犹大的南方和耶拉篾的南方，以此让王相信他攻击了自己的国家和民族，已经与犹大反目成仇，与非利士人站在同一阵营。
大卫的计谋成功了，非利士王将他视为自己的心腹，甚至准备带他一起去攻打犹大。大卫也欣然领命。
然而，这一计划因非利士领袖的反对而搁置。这些领袖认为，带着大卫参战太过危险，万一他在战场上倒戈，将会拿他们的项上人头和犹大和解。因此，大卫最终未能参与攻打犹大的战争。
我们常常将大卫视为属灵的代表人物。诚然，大卫确实是一位属灵的人，但他同样是一个有血有肉、生在罪孽中的人。如果没有主的帮助，他也会迷失方向。我们要赞美大卫的神！在最危急的时刻，是主感动非利士领袖们，阻止了大卫做出错误决定。我们也可能像大卫一样迷茫，分不清敌我，做出愚蠢的判断。但大卫的神不会迷失，他不打盹也不睡觉，是永远信实的主。他遮盖我们的过犯，体恤我们的软弱。
同样，亚伯拉罕的神也是如此。即便亚伯拉罕谎称妻子是妹妹，神依然保护他们，甚至责备法老。
正因有这样的神，我们即便软弱也无不可，即便罪恶也不成问题。只要依靠他，仰望他，就足够了。
新的一年到来了。想到这位神与我们同在，我就心生感恩，心里也非常踏实。愿读者们在新的一年里，因这位神而度过充满喜乐与平安的一年！
