Exhort 25 March 2007 - Proverbs 3
劝勉词 2007年3月25日 《箴言》 第3章
Dear brothers and sisters
亲爱的弟兄姐妹们：
Most people like to hear something new – some new invention, new scientific discoveries, medical breakthroughs. But knowledge is not of itself useful. In itself it is of limited value. We can know lots of things but be impossible for people to live with and work with. So the scriptures encourage us to focus our attention on wisdom: “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding” (Prov.4:7).
大多数的人都喜欢听到新的东西——比如，新的发明、新的科学发现、医学上的新突破。但是，知识本身是没有用的，它自己的价值也是有限的。我们可能知道许多事情，但这些事却不可能为人类利用来生活或工作。所以，圣经激励我们要把我们的注意力集中在智慧上：“智慧为首。所以要得智慧。在你一切所得之内，必得聪明。（或作用你一切所得的去换聪明）”（箴言4:7）。
This morning we come to remember the wisest man that ever lived – Jesus. He compared himself to Solomon’s wisdom and told the people of Israel that “a greater than Solomon is here” Matthew 12:42. Every country has its wise people that it looks up to in its history. The Greeks to whom Paul wrote in Corinthians were very proud of their Greek wisdom and philosophy. But as followers of Christ we know that his wisdom and the wisdom of God is much greater than the wisdom of any man that has ever lived. In our readings from Proverbs we are reminded of the great value of wisdom – the wisdom of God contained in the Bible. This wisdom will guide us in life and direct our paths.
今天早上我们来到这里纪念世界上有史以来最有智慧的人——耶稣。他把自己与所罗门的智慧相比较，告诉以色列众人说，“在这里有一人比所罗门更大”（马太福音12:42）。每一个国家的历史上都有国民所敬仰的智人。使徒保罗在哥林多书中写到，希腊人为他们自己的希腊智慧和哲学非常的自豪。但是，作为基督的跟随者，我们知道，基督和神的智慧远远高于任何世上生活过的人的智慧。今天的读经（箴言）再一次提醒了我们智慧的重要价值——这种智慧是包含在圣经中的神的智慧，它将在生活中引领我们，向我们指明道路。
Proverbs was largely written by Solomon, who wrote down the instruction that he had received of his father David. So when he writes to us in Proverbs 3 verse 1 it is like a father instructing his son, or really like our Heavenly Father teaching us His children: “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments”. These words are not just encouraging us to find out the wisdom of the Bible but to always remember it. We can’t carry a Bible around all day while we have work to do. But we can carry the Word of God around in our minds. The second half of the verse encourages us to guard God’s commandments in our hearts. We do this by setting up a wall in our minds to stop evil thoughts coming in, and let our minds think on those good and healthy ideas in God’s commandments.
《箴言》主要是所罗门写的，记录了他从他的父大卫王那里所得到的教导。所以，当他写到第3章第1节的时候，就像是一个父亲正在教导他的儿子，或者很像我们的天父教导他的孩子们（我们）：“我儿，不要忘记我的法则。（或作指教）你心要谨守我的诫命”。这些话语不仅激励我们要去努力寻找圣经中的智慧，而且还要一直记得。我们不可能一整天的时间都带着一本圣经，因为我们有工作要做；但是我们可以把神的话语总是存在我们的思想里。这一节的后半句话鼓励我们要谨守神的诫命，我们可以通过在头脑里建立起一道“防火墙”来做到这样，以阻止邪恶思想的进入，使我们的心智集中在那些在神的诫命中好的和健康的想法上。
Long life and peace are promised to those who do this (verse 2). While everyone around us might be agitated; we can find true peace by letting our minds settle on God’s wisdom. He promises the peace of God which “passes all understanding” (Phil.[YXY1]4:7). As verse 17 puts it: “Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace”. God also promises length of days - full days of blessing in this life and eternal life in the age to come.
长久的日子，生命的年数，与平安，要加给那些这样做的人（第2节）。虽然我们周围的每一个人都可能焦虑不安，我们却可以通过让我们的思想进驻神的智慧而找寻到真正的平安。神应许的平安能使我们“得聪明”（箴言4:7），就像第17节说的，“他的道是安乐，他的路全是平安” 。神也应许了长久的日子——此生中每天的赐福和将来的永生。
When we read the Bible we find that there are two special characteristics of our Father’s character – mercy and truth (verse 3). Mercy has the idea of steadfast loving kindness – kindness that is constant and abundant. God would never forget to love them; but they needed to remember His love by tie-ing His love around their neck like a necklace and writing on their heart as someone in Bible times would write on a tablet. If we do this we will be like the man of verse 4 who is in favour with God and man. In the scriptures there were only two men of whom this was spoken – Samuel and Jesus. Samuel lived during the wickedness of the sons of Eli, and the people were delighted to see a faithful man (1 Samuel 2:26). Jesus at only 12 years old went home from Jerusalem to grow up in Nazareth. All we know of him in his youth was that he gave his mind to God’s wisdom and so pleased God and man (Luke 2:52).
当我们阅读圣经的时候，可以看到我们的父有两个特别的品质——慈爱和诚实（第3节）。“慈爱”有不变的、充满爱意的仁慈的意思——是恒久丰盛的慈爱。神决不会忘记去爱他们；但是他们需要记住他的爱，要像系在脖子上的项链那样系紧他的爱，还要像圣经时代的人们刻字在石版上那样把他的爱写在我们的心上。如果我们这样做，我们将像第4节中的人那样，在神和世人眼前蒙恩。在圣经中，只有两个人被这样描述过——撒母耳和耶稣。撒母耳生活在以利的儿子的邪恶时代，当时的人们很高兴看见这样一个忠实的人（撒母耳上2:26）。耶稣在只有12岁的时候从耶路撒冷回到家，在拿撒勒长大。我们所知道的关于他幼年的全部是他的心装入了神的智慧，所以得到神和人的喜爱（路加福音2:52）。
In verse 5 of the chapter we come to a real issue of wisdom. Wise people recognise their limitations. They don’t believe that they can answer all of their own problems. The only way to survive in life is not to rely on their own wisdom but to trust in God. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (v.5). It is just too easy for us to think that we have solutions to all life’s problems within ourselves. Our problem is that sometimes we are “wise in thine own eyes” (v.7). The answers are in the scriptures. When we acknowledge God in prayer and listen to His wisdom then we find the way through “he shall direct thy paths”(v.6). Through the care of the angels and the reading of the Bible the way becomes clear. As we remember Christ today we remember that although he was so much greater than us he never trusted in himself – instead we read: “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared” (Heb 5:7). We need to learn this reliance upon God.
在这一章的第5节我们读到真正的智慧话题。聪明的人能认识到自己的不足，他们不相信凭自己就能够解决全部的困难。在生活中能存活的唯一办法不是倚靠他们自己的聪明，而是信靠神。“你要专心仰赖耶和华，不可倚靠自己的聪明”（第5节）。但是对我们来说，很容易地会认为自己有力量解答生活中的全部难题。我们的问题是，有些时候我们只是“自以为有智慧”（第7节）；这个问题的答案就在圣经中，当我们在祷告中承认神并聆听他的智慧时，我们就能够找到正确的路，“他必指引你的路”（第6节）。通过他的天使的看护和阅读圣经，这条路变得很清晰。当我们今天纪念基督的时候，我们记得，虽然他比我们伟大很多，但是他却从未信靠过他自己——相反，我们读到：“基督在肉体的时候，既大声哀哭，流泪祷告恳求那能救他免死的主，就因他的虔诚，蒙了应允”（希伯来书 5:7）。我们需要学习，像他这样去信靠神。
The Proverb goes on in verses 9 to 12 to tell us that there are two immediate results of such wisdom. First, we come to recognise the blessings of God and respond in positive ways to show our appreciation. So verse 9 tells us to honour God with our wealth. We honour God by giving to Him. It is not that we can ever repay our Father’s goodness; but we can recognise that He has been directing our paths.
箴言在第9－12节继续告诉我们这样的智慧有两种直接的结果。第一个结果是，我们能认识到神的祝福，并积极地响应，以显示我们对神的感激。所以，第9节告诉我们，要以财物尊荣神。并不是我们真的能够回报我们父的仁慈，而是我们能够承认，是他指引了我们的道路。
The second result of wisdom is that we can grapple with trial in our lives. “My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth” (vv.11-12). When we develop wisdom we come to understand that the trials and problems in our life are a sign of God’s love; not a sign that He doesn’t care. Perhaps the worse the problems we face, the more we come to realise how much we need to change our characters. In Hebrews 12:5-11, Paul draws from these words and extends them. Even our natural parents corrected us because they loved us – and yet they made mistakes. How much more would our Heavenly Father correct us for our benefit?
智慧的第二个结果是，我们能抓住生活中的试练。“我儿，你不可轻看耶和华的管教，（或作惩治）也不可厌烦他的责备。因为耶和华所爱的，他必责备。正如父亲责备所喜爱的儿子”（第11-12节）。当我们发展智慧时，我们能明白，我们生活中的艰苦和困难 是神对我们的爱的符号，而决不是他不关心我们的征兆。也许，我们面临的困难越大，我们就越能认识到我们需要改变自己的品性。在希伯来书12:5-11中，保罗从这些话语中引申并扩展。甚至我们的亲生父母也因为爱我们而管教备我们——然而他们却也会犯错。我们的天父为了我们的益处又会怎样更多地管教我们呢？
Yet God knows that although we are growing in wisdom we may not really understand all the trials that we are going through. Think of Job who struggled to understand why he was going through so many problems. That is why James instructs the brothers and sisters to seek for wisdom to understand trials: “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. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed” (James 1:5-6). So the wisdom to understand life’s circumstances will be given to us – all we need to do is pray in confidence.
然而，神知道，虽然我们的智慧在增长，我们仍然不可能真正明白我们所经历的全部艰难/试练。想一想约伯，他曾挣扎着努力去弄明白为什么自己要经历如此之多的苦难。那就是为什么雅各教导弟兄姐妹们寻找智慧，以便能理解试练。“你们中间若有缺少智慧的，应当求那厚赐与众人，也不斥责人的神，主就必赐给他。只要凭着信心求，一点不疑惑。因为那疑惑的人，就像海中的波浪，被风吹动翻腾”（雅各书1:5-6）。所以理解生活中的各种状况的智慧将被赋予我们——我们所需要做的只是去充满信心地祷告。
This is what makes the Bible superior to all human wisdom; for it is not just a system of ethics. God’s wisdom is not just words on a page. If we read those words and live by them, then indeed our living Father will work with us to direct our paths by those principles. He will help us by sending His angels to work in our lives. As a result, we read later in the chapter that our walk in God’s ways will be safe and sure: “Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble”. (verse 23). The saint should not stumble because God is holding on to them. It is only when we let go of God that we fall over. The ultimate example is represented on the table before us; as this bread and wine speaks of a man who put his total reliance on God and never stumbled.
这就是为什么圣经超越了一切人类智慧的原因；因为它不仅仅是一个道德规范的系统，神的智慧也不仅仅是一页纸上的话语。如果我们读懂这些话语并以此引导我们的生活，那么我们的永生之父将真正地在我们身上做工，以那些原理引领我们。他将帮助我们，送他的天使在我们生活中做工。这样做的结果是，我们在这一章的后面部分读到，我们行的神的路将是安全和有保障：“你就坦然行路，不至碰脚”（第23节）。圣徒不应该跌倒，因为神在保守他们。只是在当我们远离神的时候，我们才会跌倒。最明显的例子就是我们桌前的饼和酒所代表的；因为它们说明了一个完全信赖神从未跌倒的人。
The chapter in Proverbs goes on to describe in verses 13 to 18 the great desire we should have for wisdom. If we look around us in this world we can see people who are focused on trading to make money. But Solomon tells us that the best trading we can ever make is to invest our effort into wisdom “For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver”. The idea is of travelling around to make money by buying and selling. Jesus used the parable of the pounds to tell his disciples that it was worth trading with the gospel that he had given them to produce results for God. “And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. (Luke 19:13). A successful business person puts in time and effort. Christ’s followers occupy their time by investing their time and energy into wisdom. They end up producing something much better than silver and gold for the results are better: “fine gold”. In the parable of the pounds Jesus was upset with the person who would do nothing and produced no result.
箴言的这一章继续在第13－18节中描述，我们应该对智慧有极大的愿望。如果我们看周围的世界，我们可以看到人们一心想通过交易来赚钱。但是所罗门告诉我们，我们能够做的最好的交易是把我们的努力投资在智慧上，“因为得智慧胜过得银子”。它的意思是到处旅行，通过买卖赚钱。耶稣用十锭银子的比喻来教导他的门徒，用他给他们的福音来交易是值得的，以便为神带来结果。“便叫了他的十个仆人来，交给他们十锭银子（锭原文作弥拿，一弥拿约银十两），说，你们去作生意，直等我回来”（路加福音 19:13）。一个成功的生意人需要投入时间和努力。基督的跟随者们是在智慧上投资时间和精力。他们最终会产出比银子更好的东西来，因为其利益强如“精金”。在十锭银子的比喻中，耶稣对那个没有做任何事、没有产出任何结果的人很不高兴。
Wisdom is important for it is by wisdom that God created and maintains life (read verses 19-20). The world all around us is witness to the wisdom of our Father. Our lives need to fit into that wisdom so that we are suitable people to dwell in God’s wisely managed world forever.
智慧是重要的，因为神以它创造和维持生命（阅读第19－20节）。我们周围的世界就是我们的天父的智慧的见证。我们的生活方式需要去适应这样的智慧，以便我们能成为适合在神以智慧掌控的世界里永远居住的人。
The last part of the chapter instructs us as to how we will practise wisdom. What should wisdom do for us? Solomon supplies us with the sort of good practical counsel that comes from listening to God’s wisdom.
这一章的最后部分教导我们，要怎样去实现这样的智慧。智慧应该为我们做些什么呢？所罗门为我们提供了很好的实践忠告，这样的忠告来自于聆听神的智慧。
1．当我们有能力的时候，要慷慨对待那些需要帮助的人 ——“你手若有行善的力量，不可推辞，就当向那应得的人施行”（第27节）。如果我们实践神的智慧（将神的智慧应用在生活实践中），我们就会在有机会的时候对其他人慷慨宽大的。让我们思考基督的慷慨，他虽然自己穷困，却把一切都给了别人——最终献出了自己的生命。让我们记住，我们能给予他人的最好（慷慨）的礼物就是让他们知道关于神的国和我们的主耶稣基督的事。
2．对我们的邻舍要做好事而不谋坏事。我们需要学会与别人和平相处，“你的邻舍，既在你附近安居，你不可设计害他”（第29节）。
3．总要努力保持和平——不要成为制造麻烦的人。智慧不惹起争吵，使我们不涉足与自己不相关的事。“人未曾加害与你，不可无故与他相争”（第30节）。基督教导我们，祝福将给予那些制造和平的人。
4．要知足。不要高看那些压迫者，虽然他可能通过压制别人变得很富有。也许你会认为他很成功，但是不要效仿他的做法。“不可嫉妒强暴的人，也不可选择他所行的路”（第31节）。智慧是关乎我们怎样接人待物作出正确决定。
As we read through this book of Proverbs we are going to be struck with so many similar ideas – for it is a book of God’s wisdom whose price is far above rubies. All of its lessons are simple and yet we find them difficult to apply in our lives.
当我们通读《箴言》这本书时，我们会读到许多相似的意思——因为它是关于神的智慧的书，它的价值远远高于红宝石。它的功课都很简单，但我们仍然会感到很难在生活中实践/应用它们。
And so now our minds focus on the wise one – the Lord Jesus Christ. His wisdom did not puff him up or make him arrogant. For Paul says of him that Christ is made “unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord”. 1 Cor 1:30-31. In him we receive not only God’s wisdom but his righteousness (our sins forgiven) our sanctification (we are made holy) and redemption (our salvation). So let us take the bread and drink the wine remembering Christ and trying to live a life of wisdom just as Jesus lived.
现在，就让我们聚焦在这个最这个世上最智慧的人——主耶稣基督。他的智慧没有使他骄傲自大。因为使徒保罗说，神使基督“成为我们的智慧，公义，圣洁，救赎。如经上所记，夸口的当指着主夸口”（哥林多前书1:30-31）。在他里面，我们得到的不只是神的智慧，还有他的公义（我们的罪被赦免）、我们被认可（我们成为圣洁的）和得救。所以让我们掰饼喝杯，纪念我们的主基督，并努力像基督一样智慧地生活。
Bro Bruce Gurd
布鲁斯弟兄
[YXY1]This should have been Proverbs.