Absalom (2 Samuel Chapter 13–19)

押沙龙 (撒母耳记下第13–19章)

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Absalom was one of the sons of King David in the Old Testament. He was born to David and Maacah, the daughter of the king of Geshur. Absalom is described as being an extremely handsome man with beautiful hair. 押沙龙是《旧约》中大卫王的儿子之一。他的父亲是大卫，母亲是基述王的女儿玛迦。押沙龙是一位极其英俊的男子，有着一头美丽的秀发。

The story of Absalom’s rebellion against his father David begins in 2 Samuel 13. Absalom’s sister Tamar was raped by their half-brother Amnon. Filled with rage, Absalom plotted revenge and had Amnon killed two years later. After the murder, Absalom fled to Geshur for three years. 押沙龙反抗父亲大卫的故事始于《撒母耳记下》第 13 章。押沙龙的妹妹塔玛被同父异母的弟弟阿曼强奸。愤怒的押沙龙策划了复仇，并在两年后杀死了阿曼。谋杀之后，押沙龙逃往基述三年。

David eventually allowed Absalom to return to Jerusalem, but it was another two years before David agreed to see him. During this time of estrangement, Absalom cultivated favor among the people by positioning himself at the city gate and voicing discontent about David’s leadership. 大卫最终允许押沙龙返回耶路撒冷，但又过了两年大卫才同意见他。在这段疏远的时期，押沙龙在城门口站岗，表达对大卫领导的不满，以此赢得民众的好感。

In 2 Samuel 15, Absalom asked permission to go to Hebron under the pretext of fulfilling a vow. Once there, he rallied support and proclaimed himself king. His conspiracy grew strong as many Israelites defected to his cause. 在撒母耳记下第 15 章中，押沙龙以履行誓言为借口请求允许前往希伯伦。到达希伯伦后，他集结了支持者并宣布自己为王。随着许多以色列人叛逃到他的阵营，他的阴谋愈演愈烈。

Upon learning of the rebellion, David and his loyal followers fled Jerusalem to escape Absalom’s forces. As they fled, David was met with curses and insults, including from Shimei who pelted him with stones and dust. 得知叛乱后，大卫和他的忠实追随者逃离耶路撒冷，以躲避押沙龙的军队。在逃亡途中，大卫遭到了诅咒和侮辱，包括示每用石头和尘土砸大卫。

The forces of David and Absalom met in battle in the forest of Ephraim. During the battle, Absalom’s long hair got caught in the branches of an oak tree while riding on a mule, leaving him defenseless. He was discovered by one of David’s men, Joab, who killed Absalom by striking him with javelins despite David’s order to spare his life. 大卫和押沙龙的军队在以法莲森林交战。战斗中，押沙龙骑着骡子，长发被橡树的树枝缠住，他无力自卫。大卫的一名手下约押发现了他，尽管大卫下令饶他一命，约押还是用标枪刺死了押沙龙。

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When David received news of Absalom’s death, he was heartbroken and uttered the famous lament in 2 Samuel 18:33 — “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!” 当大卫得知押沙龙死讯时，他伤心欲绝，并在撒母耳记下第 18 章第 33 节中发出了那句著名的哀歌 — — “我儿押沙龙啊，我儿，我儿押沙龙啊！我恨不得为你死！押沙龙啊，我儿，我儿！”

Absalom’s rebellion ultimately failed, and David was able to return to Jerusalem as the rightful king. 押沙龙的叛乱最终失败，大卫得以作为合法国王返回耶路撒冷。

Absalom’s actions had severe consequences, not only for himself but also for his family and the kingdom. His rebellion caused division and bloodshed among his own people, leading to his eventual death in battle. This serves as a stark reminder of the destructive nature of pride, ambition, and rebellion. 押沙龙的行为不仅对他本人造成了严重后果，而且对他的家人和王国也造成了严重后果。他的叛乱导致他的人民分裂和流血，最终导致他战死沙场。这清楚地提醒我们骄傲、野心和叛乱的破坏性。

From Absalom’s story, we can learn several lessons:

从押沙龙的故事中，我们可以学到几个教训：

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Pride 骄傲

Absalom thought he could rule the country better than his father. Philippians 2:3 “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” 押沙龙认为他可以比他父亲更好地统治这个国家。腓立比书 2:3 “凡事不可結黨、不可貪圖虛浮的榮耀。只要存心謙卑、各人看別人比自己強。”

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Do not take revenge 不要报复

Being wronged does not justify taking the law into your own hands or pursuing personal vengeance. The Lord commands in Romans 12:19, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” 受到不公正对待，并不代表你可以私自执法或进行个人报复。主在罗马书 12:19 中命令：親愛的弟兄、不要自己伸冤、寧可讓步、聽憑主怒．〔或作讓人發怒〕因為經上記著、『主說、伸冤在我．我必報應。』

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Rebellion 叛乱

This is different from disobedience. When we disobey we simply do not carry out what we are instructed. When we rebel, we purposely do the opposite of what we are told. Absalom’s rebellion highlights the consequences of betraying trust and turning against those who care for us. All authority has been placed there by God. When we rebel, it is not only a rejection of authority, it is a rejection of God Himself. Loyalty and obedience are important virtues that promotes unity and harmony in relationships. 这与不服从不同。不服从就是不按吩咐去做。反叛就是故意做与吩咐相反的事。押沙龙的反叛凸显了背叛信任、背叛关心我们的人的后果。忠诚和服从是促进人际关系团结和谐的重要美德。

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Idolatry 偶像

1 Samuel 15:23 (upper portion) For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. We may unknowingly entertain idolatry in our hearts. Rebellion and stubbornness constitute the sin of idolatry. Why is this so? Because stubbornness and insistence on one’s way elevates self-will into an idol, which we insist that others must obey. 撒母耳记上 15:23（上段）悖逆的罪、與行邪術的罪相等．頑梗的罪、與拜虛神和偶像的罪相同。我们可能不知不觉地在心中怀有偶像崇拜。叛逆和固执构成了偶像崇拜的罪过。为什么会这样？因为固执和坚持己见会把自我意志提升为偶像，我们坚持要求别人必须服从。

The impact of our choices on others 我们的选择对他人的影响

Our decisions do not just affect us. Absalom’s actions impacted his family and the kingdom. What we choose to do can have consequences for others around us. 我们的决定不仅仅影响我们自己。押沙龙的行为影响了他的家人和王国。我们的选择可能会对我们周围的人产生影响。

To prevent such things from happening to us, we can:

为了防止这样的事情发生在我们身上，我们可以：

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Practise Humility & Contentment 保持谦卑与知足

By embracing humility and gratitude, we can guard against the pitfalls of pride and ambition. Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; As God’s children, we should cultivate this humble mindset, being subject to one another, forbearing with each other in love, and considering others as better than themselves. It’s a mindset of lowliness that is pleasing to God, who shows grace and favor to the humble. 通过怀有谦卑和感恩之心，我们可以防范骄傲和野心的陷阱。歌羅西書 3:12 所以你們既是 神的選民、聖潔蒙愛的人、就要存〔原文作穿下同〕憐憫、恩慈、謙虛、溫柔、忍耐的心。作为神的儿女，我们应当培养这种谦卑的心态，彼此顺服，用爱心互相宽容，看别人比自己强。这种谦卑的心态是神所喜悦的，神会向谦卑的人施恩惠和眷顾。

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Obedience & Trust 服从与信任

Remaining faithful and trust God and honouring those in authority over us can help to foster trust and harmony when doing holy work and also promotes unity within church members. 1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. It’s important to obey God’s commands as the path to salvation. These verses also encourage fully trusting in the Lord rather than leaning on our own understanding or putting confidence in man. Trusting God leads to peace, protection and salvation. 遵守的诫神命是获得救赎的途径，这一点很重要。这些经文还鼓励我们完全信靠神，而不是依靠我们自己的理解或相信人。信靠神会带来平安、保护和救赎。

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To ask God for wisdom of knowledge and understanding 祈神赐聪明智慧

1 Corinthians 1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. We should always pray and ask God to bestow His wisdom of knowledge and understanding upon us to guide us to walk in accordance to His will as the Bible says, 1 John 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. Surrendering to the will of God, will grant us the path to our salvation as it’s stated in, Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Because our Lord is our Potter who makes us and He knows which path is the best for us. To surrender to God is also means, being humble and submissive to His will and commandments. 哥林多前书 1:25 因神的愚拙總比人智慧。神的軟弱總比人強壯。雅各书 1:5你們中間若有缺少智慧的、應當求那厚賜與眾人、也不斥責人的 神、主就必賜給他。 路加福音 22:42 說、父阿、你若願意、就把這杯撤去．然而不要成就我的意思、只要成就你的意思。我们应该经常祷告，求神赐给我们知识和理解的智慧，引导我们按照他的旨意行事，正如圣经所说，约翰一书 2:17 這世界、和其上的情慾、都要過去．惟獨遵行 神旨意的、是永遠常存。顺服神的旨意，将给予我们救赎之路，正如马太福音7:21所说凡稱呼我主阿、主阿的人、不能都進天國．惟獨遵行我天父旨意的人、纔能進去。因为我们的主是我们的窑匠，他创造我们，他知道哪条路最适合我们。臣服于神也是谦卑并服从他的旨意和诫命。

By learning from Absalom’s story and applying these examples in our lives, we can strive to avoid similar pitfalls and ensuring our path to His kingdom. 通过学习押沙龙的故事并将这些例子运用到我们的生活中，我们可以努力避免类似的陷阱并确保我们走向祂的王国的道路。

All glory to our Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. Amen. 一切荣耀归于我们的主耶稣基督。哈利路亚。阿门。🙏🏻 🩷