Are God’s Ways Good?

Study Notes

Modern Longings – Ancient Words:  Are God’s Ways Good?

Psalm 19

     I have one question today that I want you to think carefully about:  Are God’s ways good?

     This is the sermon part of a worship service at Lake Avenue Church so I’m pretty sure you know the answer I want you to give to that question is, “Yes! God’s ways are always good.”  But, I don’t want you to answer yes too quickly.  Why?  Because I think that each day you face decisions in which you must decide between God’s way or your own way.  In fact, the Bible often asks you to envision yourself standing before a decision and making a choice between your way and God’s

     I believe that we all are faced constantly with decisions like that – a few of them big, life-directing decisions and many more that seem small.  We often are called to choose between living as God’s Word says we should live or living another way that might seem, at the time, to be more appealing that what God would have us do.

     This question of whether God’s ways are good takes us all the way back to the very beginning of creation and to the time when God and the first two human beings were walking in close relationship together. God gave them only one command, i.e., “The Lord God commanded them, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil… (Gen 2:16-17).”

     In Gen 2, Adam and Eve had every good thing imaginable: They had purpose to their lives.  Their relationships with God, with one another and with the rest of creation were good.  They were in paradise!  But, when tempted to disobey the one command God had given, they gave in quickly.  Why?  It seems it was hard for them to imagine that God’s way was actually good.  You see, they were made in the image of God – but a serpent told them that, if they lived their own way rather than God’s, their lives would be better – no longer just “in the image of God” but “like God himself” (Gen 3:5).  Bottom line: They doubted the goodness of God and went their own way.  The result?  Cosmic devastation.  We’re still suffering the effects of that choice.

Psalm 19, Genesis 1-3 and the Goodness of God 

     The superscription above Psalm 19 tells us it is a Psalm of David.  Both Jewish and Christian Bible scholars have long viewed Psalm 19 as David’s personal reflection on the creation account in Genesis 1-3 and how it applied to his own life.  David was a man who believed in God but who often had faced decisions between God’s ways and his own desires – just as I think we all do.  And, as I imagine you know, David had sometimes said no to God’s commands and had gone his own way – sometimes acting out of angry impulses; at other times out of lust-filled desires.

     In at least one of those decision-making times, David experienced deep inner conflict as he knew what God had commanded but wanted so badly to do something different from God’s command .  In that episode, recorded in 1 Sam 25, David was angry because he had been slighted by a wealthy man named Nabal (whose named meant “Fool”).  David was going to take vengeance into his own hands even though God had commanded, “Vengeance is mine.  I will repay.”  In his anger, David declared, “May I be dealt with ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to that man (1 Sam 25:22)!”  But, Nabal’s intelligent and beautiful wife, Abigail, heard of this and went to David and reminded him of God’s command.

     And, David repented.  When he was angry, he couldn’t imagine anything good coming out of refraining from punishing Nabal.  But, later, David said to Abigail, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from breaking God’s law and committing bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands (1 Sam 25:32-33).”  And, you can read the rest of the story in 1 Samuel:  David did what was right.  God personally dealt with Nabal.  David got the girl. It was all a bit like a modern romance movie.

     In Psalm 19, I believe that David reflected on the goodness of the ways of God in contrast to his repeated temptations to doubt God’s goodness and to go his own ways.  Psalm 19 is David’s answer to my question, “Are God’s ways good?”  He tells us, 1. God’s creation says yes (19:1-6). 2. God’s commands say yes (19:7-11). And then he says, 3. I too will say yes – by the way I live my life (19:12-14).

#1:  Creation Says Yes – through its beauty and majesty -- The heavens declare the glory of God… (19:1-6).

     David opened this Psalm simply and artistically by telling us that all that exists declares to us that there is a God and that it speaks to us about God.  V. 1  says creation makes known “God’s glory”, i.e., what the Creator is like.  David makes two main points about that:

1. The magnificence of creation reveals God and what he is like to all people (1:2-4b). Anyone who has the ability to look to the heavens and to experience the works of God’s hands should derive from that a basic knowledge of the God who made it all ( 2) even if they have never heard his name.  The same God who spoke all that is into existence now uses that creation to speak to us about him.  That’s what David is saying in these verses.
2. The functioning of creation brings God’s blessing to all people, believer and non-believer alike (1:4c-6). David picked out the sun as a part of creation in vv. 4-5 to tell us that the sun is a part of every human being’s experience.  The sun, he says, it brings warmth to all creatures.  So, he wrote, "The sun rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other.  Nothing is deprived of its warmth.”

     I know of few people who should appreciate what we read in Ps 19:1-6 more than we who live right here in the San Gabriel Valley of Southern CA.  God has placed us in one of the most majestic and magnificent parts of his majestic and magnificent world.  I’ll let a few pictures speak as David says they speak:

     The first is a view of our Colorado Street Bridge and out into our city:     

 In the second, we pull up our perspective a bit and see across our bridge and up into our beautiful and sometimes snow-capped mountains:   

In the third, we the pull our perspective up a bit more to see our beautiful city of Pasadena and how it is settled right up into the mountains: 

    And, finally, through the help of LAC member Tom Reynoso, an engineer at JPL, let’s pull up our perspective even higher to consider the universe our Father in heaven has made

     I see these things and can only stand in awe and say, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge (19:1-2)” – knowledge that there is a God; knowledge that he is a God of power, of order and design, of majesty and glory.  Creation is good because God is good.  Psalm 19 says that creation itself shouts out at us that the ways of God are good!

#2:  The Commands of God Say Yes – through the flourishing life they bring about -- The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul… (19:7-11).

     I think a significant percentage of Southern Californians might accept my first point, i.e., that the beauty and wonder of creation says that there is something good about its creator.  But, I think it would be a much lower percentage who would accept that the commands of God found in the Bible point to his goodness too.  But, let me try to make the case that the Bible makes in this Psalm.

     David uses a lot of words to describe the ways God tells us to live in vv. 7-9: law (or Torah), statutes, precepts, commands, ordinances and decrees.  In using those words, he was describing a way of life our Creator calls all of us to live, a way of life rooted in the 10 Commandments.  There were two main tables or parts of those 10 Commandments; the first teaching people how to love and honor God, the second teaching us how to love people.  As I imagine you know, Jesus would speak about God’s laws that way.  He said they can all be boiled down to two, i.e., the first is to love God (the first part of the 10 Commandments) and the second is to love people. 

     There were, of course, many other commands in the Old Testament – all of which, in my view, were rooted in the 10 Commands and were specific applications of how those commands were applied to the people of Israel in the time and culture in which they lived.  Some of the rules were only for that people and their time.  But, the core moral foundation of God grounded in the 10 Commandments has never changed.  Its mandates to put God first, to have no other gods, to honor parents, not to steal, kill, commit adultery or covet, etc. are rooted in the character of God.  Those commands have never changed.

     What I want you to see is the setting of God giving these commands.  In Dt 5:6, in the last statement before giving the 10 Commandments, God said, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of slavery. Therefore…”. Then he declared his commandments.  What I’m saying is that God is a loving God who rescues people not to live poorly but to live well.  God was saying, “You no longer should live as slaves.  No, this is how I have made you to live!”

     God says this straightforwardly after giving the 10 Commandments.  In Dt 5:29,33, God said, “Oh, that your hearts would… keep all my commands always – Why? -- so that it might go well with you and your children forever… -- so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days.” 

     In other words, God rescued his people not so that they would live lives of enslavement but lives that flourish.  And, of course, we know now that Jesus gave his life so that we might be set free to live life as God created us to live, lives that Jesus called “abundant” (Jn 10:10).  Yes, there are commands involved in living abundant lives: commands that call you to honest behavior, to truthful speech, to sexual faithfulness, to strong marriages and families, etc.  Often, God’s commands call you to live life different from the way the world lives – and different from the way of life your passions might make you inclined to live.  It’s then that you must ask, “Are God’s ways good?” and make the choice, “Your way or God’s way.”

     David wrote about this powerfully in Psalm 19.  He told us what God’s commands are and what they do:

• They are perfect – they revive your soul (v.7a). Do you ever feel drained and depleted?  He calls you to turn back to God and to surrender afresh to God’s ways. He says that when you seek to live life in keeping with God’s commands, you will please God your inner being will begin to live again.
• They are trustworthy – they make you wise (7b). “Wise” means life as it is meant to be lived.  God’s statutes are like highway signs guiding you through the winding, treacherous road of life.  As David wrote in Ps 23, they will even bring you through “valleys of the shadow of death.”
• They are right – they give you joy (v.8a). The word for “right” in v.8 means that they lead straight to the goal.  They won’t lead you astray.  It’s as Jesus said in Jn 10:10 -- “Other things in this world promise so much but only kill and steal and destroy.  I am the one who gives you life to the full.”
• They are radiant – they give light to your eyes (v.8b). The decisions of life are often so complex, aren’t they?  If you live your life by being driven by your own cravings or by trying to please everyone in the world, you will be torn apart – blown here and there with every wind that blows.  But, if your single focus is to know God’s ways and to please him, God will give you light for your path.

     I know that we often think that having our lives lived within the commands of God’s Word and ways will be boring rather than reviving, lead to failure rather than to wisdom, and rob you of joy rather than be the source of it.  Do you believe that?  Or, do you believe that the ways of God are good?

     In our student ministries, when we have the sessions about the sexual morality called for in the Bible, they use the illustration of a fishbowl. 

     A fish in a fishbowl might think that it could really live if it got out of the water and out of that fishbowl.  But, the opposite is the case.  For a fish, life in the water is the way to live.  And for a human being made in God’s image, life in keeping with God’s commands is the way to live.  David had learned at great cost that going his own way ruined his life.  But then, he returned to God.  And, listen to his words about his life when he followed God: The precepts of the LORD are more precious than gold, than much pure gold… By them your servant is warned; and in keeping them, there is great reward (19:10-11).

     So, again, I ask you:  Are God’s ways good?

#3:  Your Life Can Say Yes – through a commitment to God’s ways -- May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord (19:12-14).

    At the end of Ps 19, David came to the place that God’s Word always should take you, i.e., to evaluating your own life in light what God has said.  In vv. 1-6, David said everything God has made in creation can speak about God’s glory.  God made you.  Does your life make known to the world the ways and glory of God?

     In vv. 7-11, David said God’s commands are good.  Those who live life in obedience to them will find joy. So today, are there thoughts, attitudes or actions in your life out of sync with God’s commands? 

     In the last three verses of Ps 19, David expressed a deep desire to align his life with God’s law rather than his own cravings or the world’s ways. So, David showed us two ways to respond: confession and commitment.

1. Confession -- Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins (19:12-13).

     Times like this of looking inside your mind, heart and life are so important if you will experience God remaking you into a person who will glorify him.  I resonate fully with David’s opening line to his confession in Ps 19:12a, i.e., “Who can discern all his own errors?”  Do you see what he’s saying?  He’s saying, “Lord, when I look at you and your perfection and then I look at myself, I know I am not even aware of all the things that still have to be changed about me.”  Do you agree with that?

     And, I think that, if you are honest, you also will agree with what he said in Ps 19:12b about knowing that you have hidden faults inside, i.e., faults that you’re trying to hide from others – and even from God.  This was certainly true when David tried to hide what he had done when he stole another man’s wife in 2 Samuel 12 and tried to hide it.  His thoughts and actions were hidden from people – but not from God.  David confessed that. 

     And, he also owned up to and confessed those sins that were out in the open – what he called “willful sins” in Ps 19:13.  Those may have been his uncontrolled anger or willful dishonesty.  He confessed and turned from those sins.  Is there anything you are hiding or that is out in the open that  you need to confess to God today? 

2. Commitment -- May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight… (19:14).

     May the words of my mouth – David wanted not only God’s creation and commands to speak forth the goodness of God.  No, he wanted his own mouth to join them.  David realized that his life – indeed, all our human lives -- have the potential of making known the goodness of God to the world.  He prayed – and I am calling you to pray – that, just like creation, all that you are and all that you do will show those around you the goodness and glory of the God whose Spirit dwells within you. 

     David prayed – and I am asking you to pray – that your words will point others to God and to his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.  Pray that people will see your life and hear your words and say, “God is.  God is good.  I want to glorify him too.”

     To that end, I want you to pull out your kneeler as we have a time of confession and commitment…

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

                                                                        Psalm 19:14

Chinese Study Notes

遠古的話語—今天的渴望

神的道是否美善?

詩篇 19

      我要你們今天仔細思想一個問題：神的道是否美善？

由於今天的經文也是我們敬拜的一部分，你們肯定知道答案了，不過我還是要說：“對，神的道最美善！”但我不想你馬上就這麼說，為什麼？因為每天你都會面對各樣決定，需要在神的道和人的道間做選擇, 而聖經要我們在這種選擇前有屬靈的洞見:

我們從小就有這樣的選擇掙扎，比如一個男孩常常面對這樣的試探：是否不顧媽媽的禁止從餅乾盒偷餅乾？ 他知道偷是不對的，但他想不到聽話比得著餅乾更好；當他被抓住時，他也知道說謊不好，但他想不到講實話受處罰比說謊逃脫更好。

      我相信每個人都會持續不斷地面臨選擇，有的事關前途方向顯得重大，有的是日常決定。儘管我們被呼召去按神的話去生活，但比起神要我們所做的，另一種生活方式常常顯得更有吸引力。

      這個有關神的道是否美善的問題可以追溯到創世紀，當神與頭兩個人類親密同行時，他只給了他們一個命令：“耶和華神吩咐那人說：‘園中各樣樹上所出的，你可以隨意吃， 只是知善惡的樹所出的，你不可吃，因為你吃它的日子必定死！’（創2：16-17）。”

      創世紀2章的時候，亞當夏娃的每件事都似乎很好：有生活目的，與神有好的關係，彼此的關係以及與其它被造物的關係都很好，他們在樂園啊! 但試探來臨，要他們違背神的話時，他們馬上就屈服了。為什麼？那個狡猾的蛇對他們說，他們不一定只有神的形象，還可以像神一樣。於是他們不願意只是有神的形象而已，還要與神等同。這導致他們懷疑神的美善，偏行己路，結果造成宇宙的墮落，我們至今還在那個選擇中掙扎。

詩 19, 創 1-3 與神的美善

      從詩19的副標題可以看出，這是大衛的詩。猶太學者和基督教聖經學者都認為大衛在此藉回應創世紀1-3章而反思自己。大衛信神，但時常在神的道和自己的欲望間搖擺不定—就像我們一樣；你們知道，他有時會對神的命令說不，偏行己路；有時出離憤怒；有時被欲望充滿。

      每當做這樣決定時，大衛都會經歷內心的掙扎，一方面他明知神的命令，一方面又想選擇背道而馳的路。比如在撒上25章，大衛因為受到富人拿八（愚蠢的意思）的輕蔑而怒火中燒，決定不顧神的命令“伸冤在我，我必報應”而動手報復。他憤怒地說：“凡 屬 拿 八 的 男 丁 ， 我 若 留 一 個 到 明 日 早 晨 ， 願 神 重 重 降 罰 與 我 （撒上25：22）！”但拿八美貌智慧的妻子亞比該聽到後就找到大衛，並提醒他神的命令。

     於是大衛悔改了。他憤怒的時候確實怒不可遏，但此時經亞比該提醒，他明白了，說：“耶 和 華 ─ 以 色 列 的 神 是 應 當 稱 頌 的 ， 因 為 他 今 日 使 你 來 迎 接 我 。 你 和 你 的 見 識 也 當 稱 贊 ； 因 為 你 今 日 攔 阻 我 親 手 報 仇 、 流 人 的 血 （撒上25：32-33）。”當你接著讀下去，就看見大衛做了對的事，結果神親自處置了拿八，大衛娶了亞比該，有點像現代的浪漫電影。

      讀詩篇19，我相信大衛是在歌頌神的美善，同時反思自己反復地面臨試探，懷疑神的美善，偏行己路。大衛回答了剛才的問題：“神的道是美善的嗎？”他告訴我們 1）神的創造物說“是的”（19：1-6）；2）神的命令也說“是的”（19：7-11）；3）他自己也清楚承認“是的”，儘管他曾偏行己路（19：12-14）。

#1:  創造物說 “是的”– 藉著它們的美麗和能力 -- 諸天述說神的榮耀… (19:1-6).

     大衛以藝術和簡潔的手法告訴我們，所有的被造物都向我們宣揚它們的存在是創造主的作為；它們的秩序和大能反映了創造主的秩序和大能。大衛談及兩個要點：

1. 被造物的華美向人類揭示了上帝（1：2-4b）。每一個仔細觀察世界的人都應該知道世界並非自己形成的。大衛說，從無造有的上帝也藉著創造物對我們說話。
2. 被造物的功用就是將神的祝福帶給人，無論是信徒還是非信徒（1：4c-6）。大衛在4-5節以太陽為例，告訴我們太陽是人類不可或缺的，太陽帶給萬物溫暖：“太 陽從 天 這 邊 出 來 ， 繞 到 天 那 邊 ， 沒 有 一 物 被 隱 藏 不 得 他 的 熱 氣 。”

      我們住在南加州地區的人應該比別人更能欣賞詩篇19：1-6。神把我們放在這個神奇美麗世界的最好的地方之一。我放幾張幻燈可以讓我們體會一下大衛的描述：

           第一張是我們Colorado Street 大橋和我們的城市:

第二張可以透過橋看白雪覆蓋的山：

第三張更遠，我們看見帕薩迪納與山的關係: 

  最後我們要提到我們的會友，JPL的工程師 Tom Reynoso, 他使我們從更高的角度看天父為我們創造的諸天:

      看到這些，我們只能驚歎：“ 諸 天 述 說 神 的 榮 耀 ； 穹 蒼 傳 揚 他 的 手 段 。這 日 到 那 日 發 出 言 語 ； 這 夜 到 那 夜 傳 出 知 識。”我們當認識到有一位元神，他是大能的神，有秩序、有設計，滿有榮耀和尊嚴。創造的美好是因為神的美好，因此詩19說，創造物本身就在向我們宣揚神的道是美善的！

#2:  神的命令說“是的” – 藉著所帶來的豐盛生命 -- 耶 和 華 的 律 法 全 備 ， 能 蘇 醒 人 心  … (19:7-11).

      我想很大比例的南加居民會接受我的第一點，就是美麗神奇的創造物述說創造主的美善；但可能很少比例的人能接受聖經中神的律法也指向神的美善。但我要試著從這首詩做一個突破。

      大衛在7-9節，用許多詞描述神要我們行在其上的道：律法（妥拉）,法度、訓詞、命令、典章等等；他用這些詞描述我們的創造主呼召我們身體力行的生活方式，而這些都可以追溯到十誡。十誡可以分為兩大部分，第一部分教導人如何愛神、榮耀神；第二部分教我們如何愛人。你們知道，耶穌也是從這兩個角度講神的律法。他總結了律法這兩部分，即愛神與愛人。

     當然，舊約中也有許多別的誡命，但都是基於十誡的，只不過是將十誡具體應用在那個時代的以色列人和他們的文化處境。有一些命令只是針對某一個時代，但十誡所顯示的核心道德基礎從未改變，即讓神居首位，棄絕偶像；孝敬父母、不偷竊、不殺人、不通姦…這是神的屬性的要求，不會改變。

      我們看看神給出這些誡命的背景：在申命記5：6，神在給出十誡前的最後一句話是“我 是 耶 和 華 ─ 你 的 神 ， 曾 將 你 從 埃 及 地 為 奴 之 家 領 出 來……” 接著神就頒佈了十誡。我想說的是，神是慈愛的神，他拯救他的子民，不讓他們生活悲慘而要讓他們生活美好---神是在說：“你們不應活得像奴隸，那不是我造你們的目的！”

           神在頒佈十誡後說得更直接，在申5：29，33， 他說：“惟 願 他 們 存 這 樣 的 心 敬 畏 我 ， 常 遵 守 我 的 一 切 誡 命 ， 使 他 們 和 他 們 的 子 孫 永 遠 得 福 ……你 們 可 以 存 活 得 福 ， 並 使 你 們 的 日 子 在 所 要 承 受 的 地 上 得 以 長 久 。”

      換句話說，神拯救他的子民不僅是要他們不再為奴，還要他們有豐盛的生命。今天耶穌的舍己使我們得以照著神造我們的樣子去生活，活出耶穌說的“更豐盛”的生命（約10：10）。這些命令都會使我們過豐盛的生命，比如行為正直、話語誠實、婚姻家庭忠誠、穩固，等等。同時，神也呼召你活出與世界不一樣的人生，活出與你的欲望之路不一樣的生活。所以你必須問：神的道是否美善？並且你要決定：“是走自己的道還是神的道？”
  

      大衛在這首詩中寫得很有力，告訴我們神的命令是什麼，並會帶給我們什麼：

• 耶 和 華 的 律 法 全 備 ， 能 蘇 醒 人 心 (v.7a) 你是否曾感到耗幹淨盡？律法要你轉向神，重新順服神的道，當你在生命中持守神的命令，就可以討神喜悅，使你內在的人重生。
• 耶 和 華 的 法 度 確 定 ， 能 使 愚 人 有 智 慧 (7b) 智慧是指生活方式，神的法度就像高速公路上的標誌，帶給你順暢的人生之路，就像大衛在詩23寫的，能帶你走過“死蔭的幽谷”。
• 耶 和 華 的 訓 詞 正 直 ， 能 快 活 人 的 心 (v.8a) 正直的意思是直奔目標，不會偏離，如耶穌在約10：10說的：“盜 賊 來 ， 無 非 要 偷 竊 ， 殺 害 ， 毀 壞 ； 我 來 了 ， 是 要 叫 羊 得 生 命 ， 並 且 得 的 更 豐 盛”。
• 耶 和 華 的 命 令 清 潔 ， 能 明 亮 人 的 眼 目(v.8b) 人生中的許多決定是很複雜的，是麼？如果你是聽從自己的欲望，或想討世人的喜悅，你會被撕裂，被風吹到東、吹到西。但如果你的單一目標是認識神的道並討他的喜悅，神就會給你路上的光。

      我們常常覺得活在神的誡命中很單調沒勁，甚至帶來失敗而不是智慧的人生；覺得神的道只會約束喜樂而非喜樂的源泉……你有這種想法嗎？你覺得神的道如此能美善嗎？

     我們的學生事工中，有時在談論聖經中有關兩性道德時，會使用一個魚缸的例子 ：  一個在魚缸中的魚可能覺得跳出魚缸脫離水的生活很酷，但事實上，魚在水中才是生存之道。作為有神形象的人，持守神律法的生命才是正道。大衛因偏行己路付上極大的代價，甚至差點毀了自己的生命。但現在，他轉向神，聽神的話，跟從神的帶領: 神的律例比 金 子 可 羨 慕 ， 且 比 極 多 的 精 金 可 羨 慕 ； 比 蜜 甘 甜 ， 且 比 蜂 房 下 滴 的 蜜 甘 甜 。 況 且 你 的 僕 人 因 此 受 警 戒 ， 守 著 這 些 便 有 大 賞 (19:10-11) 。

             我想再次問你，神的道美善嗎？

#3:  你的生命說“是的” – 藉著對神的道的委身 --  願 我 口 中 的 言 語 、 心 裡 的 意 念 在 你 面 前 蒙 悅 納  (19:12-14)。

    在詩的最後，大衛指出：神的話會常常讓你評估自己的生命，看是否符合神的要求。在1-6節，大衛說神所造的萬物都述說神的榮耀，而神也造了你，你的生命有沒有向世界彰顯神的道和榮耀呢？

      7-11節，大衛說神的律法是好的，那些順服的人必得喜樂。那麼，今天，你們有什麼想法、態度、行動來回應神的律法嗎？

      在最後三節，大衛深深渴望照著神的律例校準自己的生活，不讓自己的欲望或世界的道路作主。大衛用以下兩點作回應：悔改和委身。

悔改 -- 願 你 赦 免 我 隱 而 未 現 的 過 錯 。 求 你 攔 阻 僕 人 不 犯 任 意 妄 為 的 罪… (19:12-13).

     如果你經歷了那造你、並要你的生命榮耀他的上帝，那麼你省察自己的思想、內心和生命就是非常重要的事。我對大衛開口的悔改深有同感，他在12節說：“誰 能 知 道 自 己 的 錯 失 呢？”你看到他所說的了麼？他說：“主啊，我看見你和你的完美，再看我自己，才知道我生命中有許多還沒有改變的事，我竟然沒有意識！”你同意嗎？

      我想，如果你誠實的話，你也會同意他在19：12b 所說的，你也有隱藏的罪，就是你藏起來不為人知，也不想讓神知道的罪。當大衛試圖隱藏他偷了別人之妻的事實時（撒下12），他就是在這樣做。他的想法和行動藏過了人的覺察，卻沒有藏過神。此時，大衛就是在悔改這件事。

      他也承認並悔改那些公開的罪—“任意妄為”的罪（19：13），那些可能出於他無法遏制的怒氣或不誠實的行為。他認罪並離棄了罪，那麼你有沒有隱藏或公開的罪今天要向神悔改呢？

委身 --  願 我 口 中 的 言 語 、 心 裡 的 意 念 在 你 面 前 蒙 悅 納… (19:14)。

           願 我 口 中 的 言 語--大衛不僅只是停留在被造物和神的律法述說神的美善，他自己的口也要加入進來。他意識到自己的生命—事實上，整個人類的生命—都應該向世界彰顯神的美善。他禱告—我也要你禱告—願你的所是和你的所為如同神的創造那樣，能向你周圍的人彰顯神的美善和榮耀，因為神的靈就住在你裡面。

     大衛禱告—我也要你禱告—願你的話能將人引向上帝和他的獨生子，我們的主耶穌基督；願人們因著看見你的生命、聽見你的話語就說：“神，他是美善，我也要榮耀他！”

      最後，我要你們拉出跪凳，我們一起有一個悔改和委身的時間……

耶 和 華 ─ 我 的 磐 石 ， 我 的 救 贖 主 啊 ， 願 我 口 中 的 言 語 、 心 裡 的 意 念 在 你 面 前 蒙 悅 納！

                                    詩19:14

榮耀歸給神！

Greg Waybright 博士

主任牧師