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2019-02-06


憑智慧行事Walking in Wisdom

[每日靈修] 2/6/2019,  駱鴻銘編譯

箴廿八26 心中自是的,便是愚昧人;憑智慧行事的,必蒙拯救。

在箴言書中,我們會發現許多使我們變得有智慧的諺語,除了使我們變得有智慧之外,它們也向我們展示了愚昧人的特徵。今天的經文重點介紹了其中一個陳述,因為它將愚昧的自我依靠和行在智慧中並排在一起。

當然,自我依靠可以有一種積極的形式,我們在其中清醒地評估自己的能力並使用它們,拒絕成為別人不必要的負擔。這樣的自我依靠與信心是一致的,因為這是尊主為大,並且把祂賜給我們的恩賜付諸實行,好叫我們可以成為富足,成為世人的好見證(帖前四10b12 。這種積極的自我依靠源於對自我的準確評估,也不會低估謙卑。它鼓勵我們永遠倚靠上帝,願意被祂糾正,它也使我們渴望向別人學習(箴九9)。

愚昧的自我依靠是信靠自己的心智,把它當成最高權威。或許更好的說法是,愚昧的自我依靠就是自我高舉。這種愚昧表現出來的不是一種受教的精神,而是對一個人的想法和意見懷著毫無根據的信心。以這種態度為特徵的愚昧人拒絕箴言書的智慧,箴言書反覆告訴我們,關心自己靈魂的聰明人尋求智慧並尋求指示(十五32,十九8)。愚昧人表現出邪惡,因為已經知道主的標準卻拒絕學習是邪惡的(賽廿六910)。馬太亨利在今天的經文註釋中描述了愚昧人的特性:「愚昧人的特性:他信靠自己的心,信靠自己的智慧和計劃,信靠自己的力量和自足,自己的功德和正義 ,以及自我感覺良好;這樣作的人是愚昧的,因為他把自己交託給自己的心,但是人心比萬物更詭詐(耶十七9),而且經常會欺騙他。」

如果信靠自己的心智和心靈高於一切會使人成為愚昧人,那麼反面就是拋棄這種自信,轉而信靠主。憑智慧行事(箴廿八26b)必須把自己的意見和判斷順服在上帝所說的話之下。當我們這樣做的時候,我們就會經歷拯救,因為主必指引我們的路(三5-6)。我們得救脫離了誘惑,因為我們尋找創造主所提供的出路(林前十13)。此外,我們會經歷最後的拯救,脫離死亡,因為通過信靠主,我們被賜予了永生(約三16)。

活在神的面光中(在神面前禱告):
由於墮入罪惡之中,男人和女人總是不斷被愚蠢的自我依靠所誘惑。他們很容易拒絕聽從;來自主和智慧人的糾正。要是我們想要有智慧,我們就必須向上帝承認我們的愚昧,奉基督的名義轉向祂,並從祂的話語中學習。我們也必須向那些長久與主同行的人學習。他們的榜樣向我們說明了憑智慧行事的意義。

進一步研讀:
箴三56 你要專心仰賴耶和華,不可倚靠自己的聰明,在你一切所行的事上都要認定他,他必指引你的路。
箴九9 教導智慧人,他就越發有智慧;指示義人,他就增長學問。
箴十五32 棄絕管教的,輕看自己的生命;聽從責備的,卻得智慧。
箴十九8 得著智慧的,愛惜生命;保守聰明的,必得好處。
賽廿六910 夜間,我心中羨慕你;我裡面的靈切切尋求你。因為你在世上行審判的時候,地上的居民就學習公義。 以恩惠待惡人,他仍不學習公義;在正直的地上,他必行事不義,也不注意耶和華的威嚴。
耶十七5 耶和華如此說:倚靠人血肉的膀臂,心中離棄耶和華的,那人有禍了!
耶十七9 人心比萬物都詭詐,壞到極處,誰能識透呢?
林前十13 你們所遇見的試探,無非是人所能受的。神是信實的,必不叫你們受試探過於所能受的;在受試探的時候,總要給你們開一條出路,叫你們能忍受得住。
西四5 你們要愛惜光陰,用智慧與外人交往。
帖前四1012 我勸弟兄們要更加勉勵。又要立志作安靜人,辦自己的事,親手做工,正如我們從前所吩咐你們的, 叫你們可以向外人行事端正,自己也就沒有什麼缺乏了。
雅三1318 你們中間誰是有智慧有見識的呢?他就當在智慧的溫柔上顯出他的善行來。你們心裡若懷著苦毒的嫉妒和分爭,就不可自誇,也不可說謊話抵擋真道。這樣的智慧不是從上頭來的,乃是屬地的,屬情慾的,屬鬼魔的。在何處有嫉妒、分爭,就在何處有擾亂和各樣的壞事。惟獨從上頭來的智慧,先是清潔,後是和平,溫良柔順,滿有憐憫,多結善果,沒有偏見,沒有假冒。並且使人和平的,是用和平所栽種的義果。

Walking in Wisdom

“Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.”

- Proverbs 28:26
In the book of Proverbs, we find many sayings that call us to become wise, and as they do so, they show us what characterizes the fool. Today’s passage features one of these statements, as it juxtaposes foolish self-reliance and walking in wisdom.

Certainly, there can be a positive form of self-reliance, one in which we soberly take stock of our abilities and use them, refusing to become an unnecessary burden on anyone. Such self-reliance is in keeping with faith, for it is honoring to the Lord to put to work the gifts He has given us so that we might be productive and a good witness to the world (1 Thess. 4:10b–12). Such positive self-reliance is born from an accurate estimation of ourselves, and it does not discount humility. It encourages us to be ever dependent upon God and willing to be corrected by Him, and it makes us eager to learn from others (Prov. 9:9).

Foolish self-reliance trusts in one’s own mind as the highest authority. Perhaps it would be better to say that foolish self-reliance is, in a manner of speaking, self-exaltation. This kind of foolishness does not manifest a teachable spirit but rather takes unwarranted con- fidence in one’s thoughts and opinions. The fool who is characterized by this kind of atti- tude rejects the wisdom of Proverbs, which tells us repeatedly that wise people who care for their own souls seek wisdom and look for instruction (15:32; 19:8). The fool manifests wickedness, for it is evil to have access to the standards of the Lord and yet refuse to learn them (Isa. 26:9–10). Matthew Henry, in his commentary on today’s passage, describes the character of a fool: “The character of a fool: He trusts to his own heart, to his own wisdom and counsels, to his own strength and sufficiency, his own merit and righteousness, and the good opinion he has of himself; he that does so is a fool, for he trusts to that, not only which is deceitful above all things (Jer. 17:9), but which has often deceived him.”

If trusting in one’s own mind and heart above all else makes one a fool, then the antithesis is to cast off all such self-trust in favor of trusting in the Lord. Walking in wisdom (Prov. 28:26b) entails submitting one’s own opinions and judgments to what God has said. When we do this, we experience deliverance because the Lord directs our paths (3:5–6). We are delivered from temptation because we look for the way out that our Creator provides (1 Cor. 10:13). Moreover, we experience final deliverance from death, for by trusting in the Lord we are granted eternal life (John 3:16).

Coram Deo
Because of the fall into sin, men and women are ever tempted to foolish self-reliance. They are prone to refuse to hear correction from the Lord and from wise people. If we would be wise, we must confess our foolishness to God, turn to Him in the name of Christ, and learn from His Word. We must also learn from those who have been walking with the Lord for a long time. Their example shows us what it means to walk in wisdom.

Passages for Further Study
Psalm 112
Jeremiah 17:5
Colossians 4:5
James 3:13–18