阅读经文 

“扫罗家和大卫家争战许久，大卫家日见强盛”，（参撒下 3:1）神的子民中间开始发生冲突了。大卫的儿子出生，我们视此为他的皇室家族人丁兴旺和力量增长的征兆，而扫罗家的寂静无声，显示以色列第一任君王的影响力已日渐衰微了。

然而，扫罗家是不肯毫无挣扎便轻易接受失败的。扫罗昔日的元帅押尼珥相信，他可以重建扫罗家的王权，于是他立了伊施波设为王。为了巩固自己的地位，押尼珥又占有了扫罗的一个妃嫔。但伊施波设不愿意与押尼珥分享权力，押尼珥便与他反目，转而去支持大卫。

押尼珥的话最清楚不过。“我若不照着耶和华起誓应许大卫的话行，废去扫罗的位，建立大卫的位，使他治理以色列和犹大……愿神重重地降罚与我。”（撒下 3:9-10）大卫家从此便开始愈发兴起了。

神会使用像这样的事件来成就祂在我们身上峰回路转的计划，祂有时甚至会使用我们的敌人来助一臂之力的呢。

这样的事有没有在你身上发生过呢？

“The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time” and established the conditions of conflict between God’s people. We read of the births of David’s sons as a sign of the growth and strength of his royal household. The silence about Saul’s household points to the fading influence of Israel’s first king.

But the house of Saul refused to go down without a fight. Abner, who had been Saul’s military commander, believed he could restore the house of Saul, so he made Ish-Bosheth king. Abner also tried to secure his own position by taking one of Saul’s concubines. But Ish-Bosheth didn’t want to share power with Abner, so Abner turned against him and supported David instead.

Abner’s answer could not be clearer: “May God deal with [me], be it ever so severely, if I do not do for David what the LORD promised him on oath and transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish David’s throne over Israel and Judah.” The rise of David was under way.

God can use strange turns of events like this to establish his plans for us. Sometimes he will even use our enemies to help.

Has that ever happened to you?