十二月二十一日

神却與我立永遠的約。（撒下23：5）

這約的來源是神。“神却與我立永遠的約。”神是多麽偉大的一個字呀！我的心哪！要在此稍停。神，永在的父，自動與你立約；他說了一句話就有了世界；他，從他的寶座上俯身。拉著你的手與你立約。我們若真能瞭解他這樣降卑的動作，我們的心就必永遠狂歡不已。“神却與我立永遠的約。”君王不曾與我立過約——其實他就是君王；但世上的萬王之王，萬君之君，全能者，足够的主，永有的耶和華，永在的以羅欣（希伯來文的神？-）“却與我立永遠的約”。要注意，這一種行動是多麽特殊。“神却與我立永遠的約。”每一位信徒都可在此得到極大的快樂。他使世界和平對我是沒有用的，我們要知道的乃是他是否使我得和平！他立約與我幷不相干，我所要知道的乃是他是否與我立約。感謝神的可靠的恩典，他已經與我立了約！若聖靈叫我確實知道這事，那末他的救恩就是我的，他的心是我的，他自己也是我的——他是我的神。

這約的期限是永遠的。永遠的約乃是沒有開頭，幷且永遠也不會終止的。倘若得知“神堅固的根基立住了”，幷有神自己的應許：“我必不背弃我的約，也不改變我口中所出的”，那是多麽快樂的一件事呀！雖然我的家庭幷未按我的心願完全歸向神，接受主，但我也要像大衛臨終時一樣地高唱：“神却與我立永遠的約。”

December 21

"Yet He hath made with me an everlasting covenant."—2 Samuel 23:5

This covenant is divine in its origin. "HE hath made with me an everlasting covenant." Oh that great word HE! Stop, my soul. God, the everlasting Father, has positively made a covenant with thee; yes, that God who spake the world into existence by a word; he, stooping from his majesty, takes hold of thy hand and makes a covenant with thee. Is it not a deed, the stupendous condescension of which might ravish our hearts for ever if we could really understand it? "HE hath made with me a covenant." A king has not made a covenant with me-that were somewhat; but the Prince of the kings of the earth, Shaddai, the Lord All-sufficient, the Jehovah of ages, the everlasting Elohim, "He hath made with me an everlasting covenant." But notice, it is particular in its application. "Yet hath he made with ME an everlasting covenant." Here lies the sweetness of it to each believer. It is nought for me that he made peace for the world; I want to know whether he made peace for me! It is little that he hath made a covenant, I want to know whether he has made a covenant with me. Blessed is the assurance that he hath made a covenant with me! If God the Holy Ghost gives me assurance of this, then his salvation is mine, his heart is mine, he himself is mine-he is my God.

This covenant is everlasting in its duration. An everlasting covenant means a covenant which had no beginning, and which shall never, never end. How sweet amidst all the uncertainties of life, to know that "the foundation of the Lord standeth sure," and to have God's own promise, "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." Like dying David, I will sing of this, even though my house be not so with God as my heart desireth.