Proverbs 1 – Father’s Love Like A Mountain
Monday, 6th February 2023
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-7 Blessings and Curses
The Book of Proverbs is written by Solomon, gathered by Hezekiah. We know that Hezekiah had a father, who’s been absent, and he did not want to be like his father, he wanted to lead a nation with the presence of God, and therefore he went to seek the wisdom of Solomon. Hezekiah wanted to break through the generation without God and the generation of darkness, he was hunger and thirst for God’s Word. We must have the same hunger and thirst for God like Hezekiah, to be determined to seek the Word of God and the wisdom of Solomon.
God has given us Isaiah 60, and He’s telling us at the beginning to arise and shine, because the darkness has covered the earth. Today through Proverbs 1, God wants us to see Him as our loving Father. Hezekiah had a father, who was absent, and through Proverbs 1, he found the Father in Heaven. As a loving Father, God will lay before His children the blessings and curses and gave us the wisdom to choose blessings. When we have the fear in God, we will become like a baby, only seek the Word of God and be filled by His Holy Spirit. But when we don’t have the fear in God, then we will be affected by the world around us, we will lost the discernment, we will reject teaching, and we will not be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Then we will start worship the world and the idols of the world.
The path of blessings and the path of curses have all been shown so clearly to the children of God, which one will we choose? Do we really know the Heart of our Heavenly Father? From the Book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation, there are full of the loving messages from our Father. When God created the Heaven and earth, He showed His love like the mountain to Adam and Eve. Hezekiah realised this truth and he was attracted to this love.
Section Two V8-19 To Discern
When we know the blessings and curses, we need the discernment to choose the right path. We can’t just live out a happy and blessed life when we hear the truth, but we need to discern. Our eyes are easily attracted to the world, we want to receive many things, but we don’t know how to choose the right path. Only by wisdom from God to discern our future path ahead, we can be on the right track. Not only listen but also not reject the teaching, furthermore, we need to stay away from people who lure us away from the true path. God as a loving Father, He trusts His children, He gives His children the free will to choose, and gives His children wisdom to discern. But the choice is ours, can we discern not by our experiences and desires, but by living out the truth?
The world will tell us to follow its evil ways, we may think that if everyone else is doing this, they why can’t we? But today, God is telling us not to follow the world. He loves us and He is calling us to return to Him. When God is teaching us and discipling us, what is our attitude? Do we have the hunger and thirst like Hezekiah to seek and live out the truth? Or do we reject the teaching and become stiff-necked? When we are rebellious and stiff-necked, we will not see the Word of God that are speaking to us. We only want knowledge to help us to make decision, and we cannot see God’s love behind all the teaching and discipline.
We must experience the love of the Father, in order for us to love others, to love our God and love others as ourselves. Stop using our own strength to love, but to seek the Father’s love first, then we will have enough to love.
Section Three V20-33 Listen and Receive Blessings
When we choose to live in the lies and the words of the wicked, the curses will come upon us. Right now, the darkness has covered the earth, the environment around us is full of wickedness and sins, how do we respond? When we see this darkness do we cry out to God? Or do we continue to live in our own stubborn lives? God is love, He is teaching us, calling us, and seeking restore our love for Him. But because of our experience with our earthly father, we don’t like teaching and discipline, we feel restricted and bandaged. Let us fix our eyes on God again, He is our loving Father, and He will lead us to the path of blessings.
箴言 1 – 父爱如山
2023年2月6日 星期一
潘锡安牧师
希西家王有一个“缺席”的父亲，他渴望看见自己的国家离开无神、黑暗的世代，重返荣耀、复兴，就寻找到两百年前所罗门王所写的箴言（箴言25:1）。希西家王被箴言里面天父的爱深深吸引了，也深深感受到从所罗门所传递的父亲的爱。
一、v.1-7 福与祸
“开端”（V7 ）就是 创1:1所说的“起初”。敬畏耶和华就是福乐的开始。当我们在起初“敬畏耶和华”，就能好像初生的婴孩那样，被神的话和智慧充满，有2-6节所讲的一切祝福。当我们没有敬畏神，就活在黑暗、劳苦重担中，并且失去分辨力，成为愚妄人，只有自己的经验，为自己创造偶像，被这个世界影响。天父将生与死、福与祸陈明在儿女面前，圣经里的每一卷书都是神所传递的爱的信息。希西家渴求的就是这样一个愿意祝福儿女的父亲的爱，他愿意寻找，就寻见了。
二、v.8-19 要分辨
我们不是听了父的话之后就一帆风顺、大富大贵。我们要懂得分辨，有智慧选择正确的道路。所罗门王提醒我们，我们将来要成为王。世上有很多吸引人的东西，但都没有成为王重要。耶稣基督就是万王之王、万主之主。
V10 不要随从那些挑动我们里面情欲的话。
V15 父亲再次叮咛，让儿女知道若这样行，必会死路一条。所以我们要在行为上显出分辨力，不要随从自己心里的欲望。“我儿”是一个亲密、充满爱的称呼。当我们在教会听到“不可”的教导时，我们是否感觉被操控？还是知道我们是父神和我们权柄所宝贝、所看重的“我儿”？我们看箴言，常常会只想看成功的方法，去不曾想原来箴言是帮助我们恢复蒙神所爱的儿女的身份，让我们活出在地如在天的生命。我们要有饥渴慕义的心，不要从周围的人寻找爱，唯有神的爱能充满我们。我们不要跟随这个世界，而要分辨，唯有经历天父的爱，才能真正爱人如己。
三、v.20-33 听从了就得福了
V22 “喜爱愚昧……喜欢亵慢……恨恶知识”，最后带来的就是灾难。
V26-27 希西家在他的年代看见北国以色列灭亡，他不希望自己的国家也是如此。他所经历的，其实也是我们现在所经历的“黑暗遮盖大地，幽暗遮盖万民”。
V32-33 生与死、福与祸，神已经都陈明给我们看。我们常会因为原生家庭的缘故，很容易对神和权柄给我们的管教感到受伤，不想被他们“约束”。然而，神是爱，父爱如山，神的心意是想让我们能够“安然居住，得享安静，不怕灾祸”，在混乱中还能够停下来，让福乐追赶我们。
让我们对父的爱有渴慕的心，听从他的话语，一起成为他所看重的“我儿”。