【撒下15:21】以太对王说：“我指着永生的耶和华起誓，又敢在王面前起誓：无论生死，王在哪里，仆人也必在那里。” 【2 Samuel 15:21】 But Ittai replied to the king, “As surely as the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be.”

我们跟随的态度直接影响着我们的结局。The attitude we adopt directly affects our outcomes.以太对王至死忠心，使他的名纪念在圣经上，得了神的称赞，被流传至今，鼓励更多人起来忠心跟随。Ittai was loyal to the king until his death, causing his name to be remembered in the Bible, praised by God, and passed down through generations, encouraging more people to rise up and follow him faithfully. 当大卫王被儿子押沙龙篡位夺权，并且追杀，危机四伏之际，却有一位忠臣安慰大卫王的心。When King David was usurped by his son Absalom, and hunted down, facing great danger, a loyal servant comforted King David. 以太对王说：“我指着永生的耶和华起誓，又敢在王面前起誓：无论生死，王在哪里，仆人也必在那里。”Ittai said to the king, "As surely as the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether in life or in death, your servant will be there."

何等感动人心生死不离的誓言，这真诚的告白不就是外邦女子路得对拿俄米的宣告吗？What a heart-stirring vow to live and die by. Isn’t this sincere declaration the same as the Gentile woman Ruth made to Naomi? 他们认定了这件事，死也跟随到底，摆上性命也在所不惜。They recognised this truth and followed it to the end, even risking their lives. 一切惹事的根在乎耶和华，在患难之中试炼人心，以太宁可冒险带着所有妇人孩子及跟随他的人和大卫同受苦难，也不愿投奔押沙龙享受罪中之乐。The root of all troubles lies with the Lord, who tests the heart in times of trouble. Ittai would rather risk taking all the women, children, and those who followed him to suffer alongside David than go to Absalom and enjoy the pleasures of sin.大卫重用以太，让他在这场战争中，担任一支军队的统领。David made great use of Ittai and made him one ofthe leaders of an army in this war.

主耶稣曾呼召门徒说：“若有人要跟从我，就当舍己，背起他的十字架，来跟从我。因为凡要救自己生命的，必丧掉生命。凡为我丧掉生命的，必得着生命。我在哪里服侍我的人也在哪里。” The Lord Jesus once called his disciples: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. Where I am, there my servant also will be.”是的，主啊，你有永生之道我们还跟从谁呢？Yes, Lord, to whom else shall we go, as you have the words of eternal life?你舍命将我们从罪恶中挽回，把我们从黑暗之地带入爱子光明的国度，让我们有永活的盼望。You sacrificed your life to redeem us from our sins, bringing us from darkness into the kingdom of light, into the kingdom of your beloved Son, and giving us the hope of eternal life.

是的，主啊，你的爱何等长阔高深，Yes, Lord, how long, how wide, how high, and how deep is your love. 因爱被恩感，我们不再自保，爱自己胜于一切，走在灭亡的道上，Because of this love, we are blessed. No longer do we protect ourselves, loving ourselves above all else, walking the path of destruction. 认定你，竭力效法以太对大卫王的忠心，爱神不爱自己，无论生死，王在哪里，仆人也必在那里，We acknowledge you and strive to imitate Ittai’s loyalty to King David, loving God above ourselves. Whether in life or in death, wherever the King is, there his servant will be.因我们的指望乃在乎你。使我们即使在最困苦艰难的时候依然能够对主忠心，全然献上，毫无保留，紧紧跟随到底，For our hope is in you, so that even in the most difficult of times, we may remain loyal to the Lord, fully dedicating ourselves without reservation, following closely to the end. 因你看圣民之死极为宝贵，每一天活出基督馨香生命讨主喜悦。For you see the death of your saints as precious, and we seek to live out the fragrance of Christ’s life every day to please you.（郭姊妹 Sister Guo）