加五17　　因为肉体纵任贪欲，抵抗那灵，那灵也抵抗肉体，二者彼此敌对，使你们不能作所愿意的。

　　24　　但那属基督耶稣的人，是已经把肉体连肉体的邪情私欲，都钉了十字架。

　　在神主宰的权柄下，大卫被选为侍候扫罗的人。神把这二人摆在一起，非常亲近的一同生活工作。然而，他们越亲近，扫罗越恨大卫。扫罗和大卫成了彼此的试验；…扫罗被暴露为反对神意愿的人，大卫却显明为合乎神心的人。这是神的主宰权柄。

　　大卫在他与扫罗的关系上受试验；这意思是说，大卫一直被放在十字架上。…召会生活中的圣徒，尤其是长老，可能成为我们的试验、十字架。同样，在婚姻生活中，我们的配偶可能是我们的十字架。既然不该离婚或分居，所以在婚姻生活中，我们唯一的路乃是上到十字架，留在那里，让十字架了结我们的肉体和我们特别的雄心。（撒母耳记生命读经，一○二页。）

　　Gal. 5:17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these oppose each other that you would not do the things that you desire.

　　24 But they who are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and its lusts.

　　Under God’s sovereignty, David was selected to become an attendant of Saul. God put these two together to live and work together very closely. Eventually, however, the closer they became, the more Saul hated David. Saul and David became a test to each other…. Saul was exposed as a person who was opposite to God’s will, and David was manifested to be a man according to God’s heart. This was God’s sovereignty.

　　For David to be tested in his relationship with Saul meant that David was continually put on the cross…. The saints in the church life, especially the elders, may become a test, a cross, to us. Likewise, in married life our spouse will be a cross to us. Since there should be neither divorce nor separation, the only way for us in our married life is to go to the cross and remain there, allowing the cross to terminate our flesh and our particular kind of ambition. (Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, p. 82)

　　扫罗无论差遣大卫作什么，大卫都作事精明。（撒上十八5上。）大卫作事精明的秘诀在于他的智慧。甚至他年幼时，作事已经非常有智慧。…因着大卫行事精明，扫罗就立他作战士长，众百姓和扫罗的臣仆都看为美。（5下。）凡扫罗向大卫所作的，都成为很好的机会，使大卫得着百姓的喜爱。

　　大卫打死了那非利士人回来的时候，妇女们从以色列各城里出来，迎接扫罗。她们说，“扫罗杀死千千，大卫杀死万万。”（7。）扫罗听见这样的称赞，非常不喜悦，就说，“她们将万万归大卫，却只将千千归我；除了王位以外，还有什么没有给他？”从那日起，扫罗就嫉视大卫。（8~9。）扫罗发怒，并且嫉妒大卫。…今天在召会生活中，也有许多的“扫罗”。当别人得称许，而我们没有得称许时，我们可能会嫉妒他们。例如你在聚会中分享，几乎没有人说阿们；另一个人分享时，却得着许多阿们。…扫罗从嫉妒大卫，到图谋如何杀他，又不破坏自己的名誉。…在扫罗一切的逼迫中，大卫没有抵抗或作什么来为自己报复。他只作一件事，就是躲避。

　　从大卫在扫罗逼迫下的经历，我们必须学习一个重要的功课，就是在召会生活中，不该有一点出于肉体的东西；不该有忿怒、计谋、阴谋、密谋。召会乃是神的国，（罗十四17，）在召会中必须有神圣的权柄，有正确的等次；…大卫敬畏神，不敢推翻神所安排的等次。我们若说我们是在主的恢复里，却不知道神所命定的等次，这乃是羞耻。悖逆和抵抗废掉了召会生活。…我们只该在灵里活基督，使我们照着神圣、命定的等次，过召会生活。

　　报复和抵抗都是肉体的事。…在神的国里，肉体该排除。加拉太五章十七节说，“肉体纵任贪欲，抵抗那灵，那灵也抵抗肉体。”二十四节说，“那属基督耶稣的人，是已经把肉体连肉体的邪情私欲，都钉了十字架。”二十一节说，那些有分于肉体之事的人，“必不得承受神的国。”我们若有分于肉体，就与神的国无分无关。忌恨、恼怒、私图好争、分立等事，都是神国之外的东西。（撒母耳记生命读经，一一○至一一三、一一七至一一八页。）

　　参读：撒母耳记生命读经，第十四至十七篇。

　　David was successful in every mission that Saul sent him on (1 Sam. 18:5a). The secret of David’s success was his wisdom. Even as a youth, he behaved in a very wise way…. Because David acted wisely, Saul set him over the men of battle, and it was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants (18:5b). Whatever Saul did to David became a good opportunity for David to gain favor with the people.

　　As David returned from striking the Philistines, the women came out of all the towns of Israel to meet Saul and they said, “Saul has struck down his thousands; / But David, his ten thousands” (v. 7). When Saul heard this praise, he was displeased and said, “They ascribe ten thousands to David, but to me they ascribe only thousands. And what more can he have except the kingdom? So Saul eyed David from that day on” (vv. 8-9). Saul was angry and was envious of David. There are many “Sauls” in the church life today. We may become envious when others are approved and we are not. For example, suppose you share in a meeting and hardly anyone says Amen. Then someone else shares, and he receives many Amens. Saul went from being envious of David to plotting how he might kill him without damaging his own name. Through all of Saul’s persecution, David did not fight or do anything to avenge himself. The only thing he did was flee.

　　From David’s experience under Saul’s persecution, we need to learn an important lesson…that in the church life there should not be anything of the flesh; there should be no anger, no devices, no conspiracies, and no plots. The church is the kingdom of God (Rom. 14:17), and in the church there must be the divine authority with the proper order…. David feared God and did not dare to overthrow the order arranged by God. It would be a shame for us to say that we are in the Lord’s recovery, yet we do not know that there is a God-ordained order. Rebellion and fighting annul the church life…. We should just live Christ in the spirit that we may live a church life according to the divine, ordained order.

　　Avenging and fighting back are matters of the flesh…. In the kingdom of God the flesh has to be ruled out. Galatians 5:17 says that “the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.” Verse 24 says that “they who are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and its lusts.” Verse 21 says that those who partake of the things of the flesh “will not inherit the kingdom of God.” If we are partakers with the flesh, we are through with the kingdom and will have no share in it. Things such as jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, and divisions are foreign articles in the kingdom. (Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, pp. 88-90, 95-96)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, msgs. 14-17