Proverbs 2 – The Light of Dawn in the Darkness
Monday, 13th December 2023
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-4 To Embrace Wisdom
In the time of King Hezekiah, he experienced the darkness, but he did not give up, instead he went to seek the proverbs 200 years ago, the proverbs of wisdom. Today we also must embrace wisdom, this is the generation of darkness, with the storm, the flood, the earthquake, the pandemic… we must cry out for wisdom, for the Word of God.
V1-2 ‘My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding.’ Do we know that we are in lacking? When we see how little we are then we can see how great God is. We can let God arise and to incline our ears to wisdom.
V3-4 ‘Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures.’ What is our attitude? Can we embrace wisdom and really seek God wholeheartedly? When we seek God with all our hearts, like how we seek treasures, then what we can find is more than everything we can ever imagine!
Section Two V5-9 To Fear the Lord
V5 ‘Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.’ Do we really understand God? We have been coming to church for so many years, we read the Bible and we come to church, but do we really know God? In here it means to see God face to face, do we seek the face of God every day? Jesus has already died on the cross for us, we can see God face to face, but so often we cannot really see God, because we don’t embrace wisdom, and we don’t let God arise.
V6 ‘For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.’ We must have the fear of the Lord, to understand the Lord, and to completely submit ourselves under the authority, let God arise. Every wisdom comes from the word of the mouth of God, and through His appointed authority, we will receive true wisdom.
V7-8 ‘He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints.’ We must also be humble and submissive, do not judge, do not be rebellious, and God our Lord will give us the truth wisdom from above. Furthermore, He will be our shield, in storm, in flood, in earthquake, in diseases… He will protect us. He has laid our lift and death in front of us, which one do we choose?
V9 ‘Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path.’ We thought we have done a lot of good things, righteousness, justice, equity, and good path, but is everything we do pleasing to God? When we follow God with humility and submission, He will see us as good and He will be pleased with us.
Section Three V10-22 To Leave Wickedness and Carry Out Goodness
V10 ‘When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul,’ We need to continue lower ourselves and let God arise, this is not easy and this is not natural, we must make the decision. Can we force our heart to let wisdom enter? What do we find pleasant? The wisdom of God or the values of this world? This is the decision we must make every day, to be determined to walk the way of God.
V11-13 ‘Discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you, to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things, from those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness.’ When we embrace wisdom, when we choose the path of faith, then God will keep us away from the path of wickedness. The path of life is the path we must walk, so we will not fall into darkness and wickedness.
Genesis 6:9, God called Noah blameless. Do we worry about the things happening around our lives? God wants us to be blameless, there is nothing we should be afraid, when we choose the way of the blameless.
箴言 2 – 黑暗中的曙光
2023年2月13日 星期一
潘锡安牧师
一、v.1-4 要拥抱智慧
希西家所处的世代是黑暗的，但他没有放弃，而是从几百年前所罗门王的箴言中寻找智慧。我们现今所处的也是一个黑暗的世代，在接踵而来的狂风暴雨、地震、疫情中，我们要拥抱智慧，寻求神的话语。
V2 我们要用耳朵和心拥抱智慧。
V3 我们不仅要在心里呼求，也要大声说出来。所罗门王承认自己的“不能”，也教导儿女宣告自己的不能。我们要愿意在众人面前谦卑，让耶和华上升。我们不倚靠自己，而是拥抱智慧。
V4 当我们知道有金银财宝，一定会努力寻找。同样，我们也要不懈去寻求智慧。在黑暗中，我们要寻求曙光，拥抱智慧。
二、v.5-9 要敬畏耶和华
V5 若不敬畏耶和华，就只是“知道”耶和华神而不“认识”他。“认识”的原文意思是我们与神“面对面”。我们读经、祷告、来教会聚会都是好的，但同时我们是否有与神“面对面”？耶稣基督给了我们权柄，我们也要服从地上的权柄，无论他们是否乖僻，因为世上没有权柄不是出于神。我们无法与神面对面，是因为我们无法敬畏耶和华和他在地上所设立的权柄。我们要降服在神的权柄之下，让耶和华上升。
V6 当我们不听、不跟权柄的话，就没有知识、智慧。
V7-8 我们要谦卑顺服，而不是心存叛逆，这样，我们就有从神而来的真智慧，并且神保守我们，在一切的天灾人祸中，神都做我们的“盾牌”。
V9 真智慧才能让我们“明白仁义、公平、正直，一切的善道”。我们以为自己做了很多“好事”，但都是凭着自己的情欲去做。真正的善事是耶和华神眼中看为好的事、是他口中所说的事。
三、v.10-22 要离恶行善
V10 我们的心里是否有很多猜疑和小剧场？我们需要大量的智慧，就是要大量的敬畏耶和华，将自己降下来。这不是自然而然发生的，我们需要自己做选择，好像“强迫”、“逼”自己那样去让智慧进来。我们的灵是否“以知识为美”，还是向往这个世界？求神帮助我们做对的选择，离恶行善。
V12 当我们愿意行神眼中看为好的事，神就帮助我们脱离 “说乖谬话的人”。这些“乖僻人”会带我们离开神智慧的路，使神“厌弃”（申命记32:16-19）。
V18-19 我们若跟着这些人走，就进不到生命的路，而进入分辨善恶里、最终进入死亡。
V20-21 创世纪6:9神第一次提到“完全人”，他指的是挪亚 – 他在黑暗的世代选择听神的话，就得以存留。我们担心豪雨、飓风、地震、瘟疫，或是经济的问题吗？当我们担心害怕的时候，我们要选择那完全人的路，我们就“必在世上居住……必在地上存留”。
V22 恶人就是没有走在神的道路、话语里，神说这些人“必然剪除”。奸诈人是待人不诚实的人，他们也“必然拔出”。
在黑暗中神给我们曙光，让我们知道，黑暗不能遮盖我们，我们要成为完全人。有神在，我们无论在什么样的环境都不必惧怕。