Proverbs 15 – Great Overturn in Great Shaking 箴言15 – 在大动荡得到大逆转
Wednesday, 19th April 2023
星期三 2023年4月19日
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
潘锡安牧师
Section One V1-12 To Live Under the Tree of Life 要活在生命树下面
V1-3 ‘A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.’
V1-3 ‘回答柔和使怒消退，言语暴戾触动怒气。 智慧人的舌善发知识，愚昧人的口吐出愚昧。 耶和华的眼目无处不在，恶人善人他都鉴察。’
We all want to receive encouragements and praises, but so often we don’t receive positive words from others, and the environment doesn’t allow us to receive praises from others. It’s never about how others treat us, but it’s about how we respond. What others say, what others do to us, how others treat us… we cannot control others but we can decide how we should respond. We must live under the Tree of Life, don’t try to judge others, don’t try to always fight for our own rights, but to have wisdom from God.
V4-6 ‘A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. A fool despises his father’s instruction, but he who receives correction is prudent. In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, but in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.’
V4-6 ‘温良的舌是生命树，乖谬的嘴使人心碎。 愚妄人藐视父亲的管教，领受责备的得着见识。 义人家中多有财宝，恶人得利反受扰害。’
When we speak with wisdom, then we can bring people under an atmosphere of peace, and we can have unity and learn from one another. We can choose to live under the Tree of Life, to humble ourselves and to receive teaching. When we receive teaching, we will change our attitude and change our characters, then the blessings and treasures will belong to us. On the other hand, if we don’t listen to what God says to us, and if we don’t do what God asks us to do, then we will become the wicked, and we will be in trouble. Do not think that we have taken hold of the world, but see that we have actually lost our lives when we chose our own ways instead of God’s Way.
V7-10 ‘The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, but the heart of the fool does not do so. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is His delight. The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but He loves him who follows righteousness. Harsh discipline is for him who forsakes the way, and he who hates correction will die.’
V7-10 ‘智慧人的嘴播扬知识，愚昧人的心并不如此。恶人献祭为耶和华所憎恶，正直人祈祷为他所喜悦。 恶人的道路为耶和华所憎恶，追求公义的为他所喜爱。 舍弃正路的必受严刑，恨恶责备的必致死亡。’
The hearts of the foolish are unwilling to be humble, and therefore that’s why we are having the second 40-day fasting prayers in our church, we want to stay humble and stay on God’s side. The foolish abundant the way of God, at the end, they will become an abomination to God. We must press on, to submit ourselves below and under the Word of God and the Way of God. He is righteous, He wants to teach us to walk the righteous way with Him. God wants us to choose to live under the Tree of Life, to listen to His teaching and to follow His way.
V11-12 ‘Hell and Destruction are before the Lord; so how much more the hearts of the sons of men. A scoffer does not love one who corrects him, nor will he go to the wise.’
V11-12 ‘阴间和灭亡尚在耶和华眼前，何况世人的心呢？亵慢人不爱受责备，他也不就近智慧人。’
When we choose to be the wise and not the scoffer, then the light and darkness will be separated, do not think that we can hide from God, do not think that we can pretend to be the wise. God sees everything, nothing can hide away from God’s eyesight. We must be wise, to live under the Tree of Life, to humble ourselves, so when the great shaking comes, we can have the great overturn.
Section Two V13-18 To Live Wonderfully 要活出精彩
V13-18 ‘A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness. All the days of the afflicted are evil, but he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast. Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure with trouble. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a fatted calf with hatred. A wrathful man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger allays contention.’
V13-18 ‘心中喜乐，面带笑容；心里忧愁，灵被损伤。 聪明人心求知识，愚昧人口吃愚昧。 困苦人的日子都是愁苦，心中欢畅的常享丰筵。 少有财宝敬畏耶和华，强如多有财宝烦乱不安。吃素菜彼此相爱，强如吃肥牛彼此相恨。暴怒的人挑起争端，忍怒的人止息纷争。’
God wants us to have joy, when we continue to stay joyful then our spirit can stay health. But how can we be joyful always? We are not saints, there will always be things that make us troubled and upset. So are we willing to believe God wants us to come to Him, those weary and burdened, God wants our spirit to be health, to always seek God’s Will, to have interactions with God and to build intimate relationship with God.
We must first deal with our hearts, what is inside our hearts? We thought we need to work hard, to earn lots of money, to gain lots of experiences, then we can live a happy life. But it’s the values of this world, not the principles of the Kingdom of God. Only the knowledge and wisdom from God can fulfil our lives, our hearts, not our heads. All the knowledge we receive from God can help our hearts to be righteous, and to live a wonderful life.
A wrathful man is someone who cannot control their emotions, they need to express their negative feelings in order to feel better. God creates us to be truthful, but also the ability to sustain and to manage. When we are able to control our emotions inside us, then we can slow to anger allays contention.
Section Three V19-33 To Humble and Be Blessed 要谦卑得祝福
V19-23 ‘The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns, but the way of the upright is a highway. A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish man despises his mother. Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment, but a man of understanding walks uprightly. Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counsellors they are established. A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in due season, how good it is!’
V19-23 ‘懒惰人的道像荆棘的篱笆，正直人的路是平坦的大道。 智慧子使父亲喜乐，愚昧人藐视母亲。 无知的人以愚妄为乐，聪明的人按正直而行。 不先商议，所谋无效；谋士众多，所谋乃成。 口善应对，自觉喜乐；话合其时，何等美好。’
Those who are willing to listen to the teaching under the Tree of Life, we can be lifted. We know the principles of the Tree of Life, to humble, to obey, to deny ourselves, and to benefit others. But it’s easy to know and not easy to do. God wants us to live a life of salvation, not a life leading to death. The judgement is coming, what is our attitude and what is our hearts? God is teaching us, He is constantly speaking to us so we can turn back to Him. When we listen, then we can learn how to have the fear in God, to receive God’s goodness, and not to let ourselves become our own gods.
V24-33 ‘The way of life winds upward for the wise, that he may turn away from hell below. The Lord will destroy the house of the proud, but He will establish the boundary of the widow. The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord, but the words of the pure are pleasant. He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house, but he who hates bribes will live. The heart of the righteous studies how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil. The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous. The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and a good report makes the bones healthy. The ear that hears the rebukes of life will abide among the wise. He who disdains instruction despises his own soul, but he who heeds rebuke gets understanding. The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, and before honour is humility.’
V24-33 ‘智慧人从生命的道上升，使他远离在下的阴间。 耶和华必拆毁骄傲人的家，却要立定寡妇的地界。 恶谋为耶和华所憎恶，良言乃为纯净。 贪恋财利的扰害己家，恨恶贿赂的必得存活。 义人的心思量如何回答，恶人的口吐出恶言。 耶和华远离恶人，却听义人的祷告。 眼有光使心喜乐，好信息使骨滋润。听从生命责备的，必常在智慧人中。弃绝管教的，轻看自己的生命；听从责备的，却得智慧。敬畏耶和华是智慧的训诲，尊荣以前必有谦卑。’
When we are willing to have the fear in God, we can receive teaching, we can be humble, and we will be honoured. Being honoured is after being humble, if we want to be blessed, if we want to receive abundance, then we must first humble ourselves. On the other hand, when we become prideful, then our house will be destroyed. God has given us the blessings of Abraham, but we must humble to receive, otherwise all these blessings will depart from us, and we cannot be uplifted together with God.
When we use our own hands to strive for what we want, we cannot receive true peace. Even when we come to church, our hearts are not there. We tend to walk in our ways, to love who we love and to hate who we hate, then their will be fighting and there will be quarrels. Do we really know what we are talking about? Do we really guard our months? God knows everything, He hears everything, the more we try to hide our hearts, the more we will reveal it before God. What is inside our hearts will determine the words we speak. We can never hide, when our hearts are not right, our path will also be astray. Let God help us, to guard our hearts above all else, let our eyes see God, not the things of this world. God is Light, when we focus on God, we will take our focus away from our troubles and our problems. Our ears also must hear what God wants us to hear, not the negative words but the Good News, which nourish our body, give strength, and we can turn defeat into victory in the great shaking.