매일성경으로 날마다 묵상을 하는 사람이라면 브솔 시냇가란 지명이 결코 낯설지 않을 겁니다. 우린 거기를 통과한지 얼마되지 않기 때문입니다. 이스라엘 왕으로 다듬어져 가는 다윗과 관련된 지명이 숱하게 많을테지만 제게는 <브솔 시내>가 기억에 남습니다. ‘다윗의 전리품 분배’와 관계된 기록입니다. 다윗은 군사 400명과 함께 아말렉을 물리치고 그 전리품을 가지고 시글락에 돌아왔습니다. 그러나 이 때, 다윗과 함께 갔던 400명 가운데 몇 몇 사람들이 “이 사람들은 우리와 함께 가지 않았으므로 우리가 가지고 온 것을 나누어 줄 필요가 없습니다. 이 사람들의 아내와 자식들만 돌려 줘야 합니다”라고 소리쳤습니다.
그때 다윗이 대답합니다. “내 형제들이여, 그렇게 하면 안 되오. 여호와께서 우리를 도우셔서 원수들을 물리쳐 이길 수 있었는데 그렇게 하면 되겠소? … 남아서 우리의 물건을 지킨 사람이나 나가서 싸운 사람이나 누구나 똑같이 나누어 가져야 하오.” 다윗은 이렇게 말한 후 그 날부터 이 일을 이스라엘의 규례와 율례로 삼았다고 합니다. 세상을 바라보는 시각에 따라서 거기에 어울리는 행동원리가 나옵니다. 만약 그들이 얻은 승리와 그 전리품이 자기들의 수고와 힘으로만 된 것으로 생각한다면 우리가 목숨 걸고 싸워서 얻은 것을 왜 아무 일도 하지 않은 자들에게 나눠주냐고 말하는 것도 일 리가 있습니다.
하지만 다윗은 하나님께서 은혜 베푸시지 않았다면 우리는 아무 것도 얻을 수 없었다고, 아니 생명도 건질 수 없다고 확실히 믿고 고백합니다. 다윗은 자기들이 얻은 승리도 전리품도 하나님의 은혜임을 분명히 합니다. 그러므로 중간에 낙오했던 병사들에게도 똑같이 전리품을 분배합니다. 심지어 전리품과 전혀 관계가 없는 남유다의 동족들에게도 분배합니다. 하나님께서 은혜로 거저 주신 것이니 나눈다고 말합니다. 일부 병사들 가운데에서 불평이 있었지만 다윗은 양보하지 않았습니다. 은혜의 법은 모든 계명의 근본이 되는 법이기 때문입니다. 이를 포기한다면 하나님에 대한 믿음을 포기하는 것과 같기 때문입니다.
세상에는 삶과 성공을 바라보는 시각이 서로 판이합니다. 하지만 신앙인은 하나님을, 하나님의 은혜를 믿습니다. 하나님 나라의 법의 근간이 은혜임을 믿습니다. 은혜의 법을 믿는 자는, 은혜로 구원 받았음을 믿는 자는, 마땅히 은혜의 법을 따라 살아야 합니다. “거저 받았으니 거저 주어라”(마 10:8)는 말씀을 따라 살아갑니다. 세상에는 ‘너희들이 나무그늘 아래서 쉴 때에 나는 땀흘려 노력해서 얻었다’고 생각하는 사람들이 있습니다. 가난한 사람들의 처지는 자업자득이라고 믿습니다. 정말 자본주의, 자유주의, 능력주의, 성과주의는 약육강식, 부익부 빈익빈의 현상을 정당화시키는 논리일뿐입니다. 그것은 마치 다윗과 함께 했던 악한 자와 불량배들의 주장입니다. 하나님의 은혜를 믿는 성도는 오히려 하늘 아버지의 마음을 따라 지극히 작은 자에게도 하나님의 은혜가 미치도록 해야 합니다. 우리는 은혜를 맡은 청지기이기 때문입니다.
For anyone who meditates daily through Daily Bible, the place name "Brook Besor" will hardly be unfamiliar. It has not been long since our readings took us through that very place. Among the countless places associated with David as he was being shaped into the king of Israel, the "Brook Besor" remains deeply etched in my memory. It is connected with the account of David dividing the spoils of war. David, together with four hundred men, struck down the Amalekites and returned to Ziklag bearing the plunder. Yet at that moment, several among the four hundred who had gone out with him shouted, "Because these men did not go with us, we will not share with them any of the plunder we recovered, except that each man may take his wife and children and go!"
At that, David responded: “No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding band that came against us. . . . The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All shall share alike.” Having said this, David established it from that day forward as a statute and ordinance in Israel. The way one views the world shapes one's guiding principles of action. If one believes that victory and spoils are achieved solely by one's own toil and might, there would indeed seem to be some logic in saying, "Why should we give what we risked our lives to win to those who did nothing?"
Yet David firmly believed and confessed that if God had not bestowed His grace, they could have achieved nothing—indeed, they could not even have preserved their very lives. David made it unmistakably clear that both their victory and their plunder were gifts of God's grace. Thus, he divided the plunder equally, even with those soldiers who had fallen behind along the way. Furthermore, he even shared it with their kinsmen in Judah who had played no part in the battle. Because God had freely given it by His grace, David shared it. Though some soldiers grumbled, David did not yield. For the law of grace is the very bedrock of all God's commandments. To abandon this principle would be tantamount to forsaking faith in God Himself.
In this world, people hold vastly divergent views on life and success. Yet believers place their trust in God and in God's grace. We believe that grace is the very foundation of the kingdom of God. Those who trust in the law of grace, who believe that they have been saved by grace, ought to live according to that law of grace. They live out the words, "Freely you have received; freely give" (Matt. 10:8). In this world, there are those who think, "While you were resting under the shade of a tree, I earned this through my sweat and toil." They believe that the plight of the poor is merely their own doing. Indeed, when unchecked, capitalism, liberalism, meritocracy, and performance-driven ideals can merely become justifications for the survival of the fittest and the widening chasm between the rich and the poor. Such rhetoric echoes the claims of the wicked and worthless men who had marched with David. Believers who trust in God's grace ought instead to reflect the heart of the Heavenly Father, ensuring that His grace reaches even the least of these. For we are nothing less than stewards entrusted with His grace.
Vir elkeen wat daagliks met Daily Bible oordink, sal die pleknaam "Besorloop" gewis nie onbekend wees nie. Dit is immers nog nie lank gelede dat ons daardeur getrek het nie. Tussen die talle plekke wat verweef is met Dawid se lewe terwyl hy gevorm is tot koning van Israel, staan die "Besorloop" helder in my herinnering uit. Dit hou verband met die verslag van Dawid se verdeling van die buit. Dawid het saam met vierhonderd man die Amalekiete verslaan en met die buit na Siklag teruggekeer. Maar juis toe het enkele manne onder die vierhonderd wat saam met hom opgetrek het, uitgeroep: “Aangesien hierdie manne nie saam met ons gegaan het nie, hoef ons niks van die buit wat ons teruggebring het aan hulle af te staan nie. Laat elkeen net sy vrou en kinders neem en loop!”
Daarop antwoord Dawid: “Nee, my broers, julle moet nie so maak met wat die Here ons gegee het nie. Hy het ons bewaar en die bende wat teen ons opgetrek het, in ons hand oorgegee. . . . Die deel van die een wat by die voorrade agtergebly het, moet presies dieselfde wees as dié van die een wat na die geveg toe afgetrek het. Almal moet gelykop deel.” Nadat Dawid dit gesê het, het hy dit van daardie dag af as ’n vaste wet en bepaling in Israel ingestel. Die manier waarop ’n mens na die wêreld kyk, bepaal die lewensbeginsels waarvolgens jy handel. As hulle sou reken dat die oorwinning en die buit slegs deur hul eie sweet en krag behaal is, sou dit immers sin gemaak het om te sê: “Waarom moet ons dit waarvoor ons met ons lewe geveg het, deel met dié wat niks gedoen het nie?”
Maar Dawid het vas geglo en bely dat as God nie Sy genade betoon het nie, hulle niks sou kon verkry nie—ja, selfs nie hul eie lewe sou kon red nie. Dawid maak dit glashelder dat sowel die oorwinning as die buit louter genade van God was. Daarom verdeel hy die buit gelykop, selfs met die manskappe wat onderweg weens uitputting agtergebly het. Hy deel dit boonop met hul volksgenote in Suid-Juda wat glad nie by die buit betrokke was nie. Omdat God dit verniet uit genade geskenk het, sê hy, moet dit gedeel word. Alhoewel sommige soldate gemurmureer het, het Dawid nie toegegee nie. Want die wet van genade lê ten grondslag van al God se gebooie. Om dít prys te gee, sou gelykstaande wees daaraan om die geloof in God self prys te gee.
In die wêreld verskil mense se siening van die lewe en sukses hemelsbreed van mekaar. Maar die gelowige vertrou op God en op Sy genade. Ons glo dat genade die fondament van die koninkryk van God vorm. Wie in die wet van genade glo—wie glo dat hy uit genade gered is—behoort waarlik volgens daardie wet van genade te lewe. Ons leef volgens die woord: “Julle het dit verniet ontvang, gee dit verniet” (Matt. 10:8). Daar is mense in die wêreld wat dink: ‘Terwyl julle onder die skadu van die bome gerus het, het ek in die sweet van my aangesig geswoeg om dit te verwerf.’ Hulle glo dat die lot van armes bloot hul eie skuld is. In wese dien ongebreidelde kapitalisme, liberalisme, meritokrasie en prestasiegerigtheid dikwels net as regverdiging vir die reg van die sterkste en die verruiming van die kloof tussen ryk en arm. Dit klink net soos die eise van die slegte en nikswerd manne wat saam met Dawid getrek het. Gelowiges wat op God se genade vertrou, behoort eerder die hart van die Hemelse Vader na te volg en te sorg dat God se genade selfs tot die geringstes uitreik. Ons is immers rentmeesters wat met Sy genade vertrou is.