Wednesday, 17th August 2022
Rev Daniel Xi An Poon
Section One V1-9 Humble and Lift Up God
The Israelites had the Temple of God, they had priests, and they had Levites. But why did they still end up in captivity? They were a people God raised up, but their lives seemed to be going up and down. V1-3 ‘The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance. This man declared to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal: Surely I am more stupid than any man, and do not have the understanding of a man. I neither learned wisdom nor have knowledge of the Holy One.’ We are the people of God; therefore we should use the ways of God, not the ways of the world. We thought we know how to receive wisdom, we know the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but there is no formular, there is always something new we must learn in the path following God.
V4 ‘Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, if you know?’ We must be humble and come to God every day, receiving His fresh manna, because His anointing is new every day, there is no one way that we must follow throughout our lives.
V5-6 ‘Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.’ May God take away the lies in our lives, let us stop denying the truth, because God knows everything, and He sees everything.
V7-9 ‘Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): Remove falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches— Feed me with the food allotted to me; lest I be full and deny You, and say, “Who is the Lord?” Or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.’ We seek the ways of the world and we do not believe the instructions and guidance from God and from our authority. We use the worldly values and judgement to determine how believable the Word of God or the guidance of our authority are. We lost our faith in God, and we also lost the way in life.
Section Two V10-17 Always Examine Our Lives
V10 ‘Do not malign a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you be found guilty.’ It’s easy to find faults and use the judgemental mindset to look at our authority. But God taught us to humble and obey, to deny ourselves and benefit others, then we will not be bind by the sins.
V11-14 ‘There is a generation that curses its father and does not bless its mother. There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes yet is not washed from its filthiness. There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes! And their eyelids are lifted up. There is a generation whose teeth are like swords, and whose fangs are like knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.’ Do we lift up our own emotions or do we lift up God? Do not let our feelings and emotions determine where we should go. God already sent the Holy Spirit to help us convict ourselves.
V15-16 ‘The leech has two daughters—Give and Give!’ There are three things that are never satisfied, four never say, “Enough!”: The grave, the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water—And the fire never says, “Enough!”’ When we don’t honour our authority, then our eyes will be blinded, and we cannot see the truth from God on this world. Then we will live like dead people. V17 ‘The eye that mocks his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it.’ When we live like dead people, then the raves and eagles will come and pick food from our corpses. We must examine ourselves, not our authority or other people.
Section Three V18-33 Understand Everything is from God
V18-19 ‘There are three things which are too wonderful for me, yes, four which I do not understand: The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of the sea, and the way of a man with a virgin.’ Can we understand that everything is from God? Do not lift up people higher than God, and do not focus more on the end result than focusing on the process. Do not boast about our past because when we humble ourselves, then God will lift us up.
V20 ‘This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, “I have done no wickedness.”’ We thought we know a lot, but we don’t know anything. Stop lying to ourselves and turn back to God now.
V21-23 ‘For three things the earth is perturbed, yes, for four it cannot bear up: For a servant when he reigns, a fool when he is filled with food, a hateful woman when she is married, and a maidservant who succeeds her mistress.’
V24-28 ‘There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their food in the summer; the rock badgers are a feeble folk, yet they make their homes in the crags; the locusts have no king, yet they all advance in ranks; the spider skilfully grasps with its hands, and it is in kings’ palaces.’
V29-31 ‘There are three things which are majestic in pace, yes, four which are stately in walk: A lion, which is mighty among beasts and does not turn away from any; a greyhound, a male goat also, and a king whose troops are with him.’ The principle of God is different to the principles of the world. We thought the more we show ourselves in front of the world the better, but God wants us to see our weakness and glorify Him.
V32 ‘If you have been foolish in exalting yourself, or if you have devised evil, put your hand on your mouth.’ Let the negative words stop coming out from our mouth. Only God is our compass, only God is the Truth, and our words will only provoke people to sin. In hardship and darkness, we must examine into ourselves more. We don’t need anyone to know our negative emotions, because God knows everything, and He has already given us wisdom to deal with them.
V33 ‘For as the churning of milk produces butter, and wringing the nose produces blood, so the forcing of wrath produces strife.’ God wants us to learn how to live on this world as in Heaven, to lift up God, to examine ourselves, and to understand everything is from God. Let praises be filled in our mouth and let us lift up God only and wholeheartedly.
箴言 30 – 如何以智慧度日
2022年8月17日 星期三
潘锡安牧师
以色列人为何从被神高举的民族落到被掳亡国的下场？当被兴起后，我们要如何过度过每一天？神借着亚古珥教导他徒弟以铁和乌甲的话使我们学习到如何以智慧度日。
一、v.1-9 要谦卑高举神
V1-3 “真言”就是神的话。亚古珥作为一个老师傅，对跟从他的人承认自己的有限。一个敬畏神、有智慧的人不需要从世界而来的方法和人的聪明，因为耍小聪明的人就是没有走在神的道路的人。我们一生都在学习敬畏神，不要觉得自己学到一套公式就一定可以兴旺。神不要我们以为抓到成功的秘诀就变得骄傲，而要我们每天活在谦卑里，为罪为义为审判自己责备自己。使徒保罗也曾说：“那美好的仗我已经打过了，当跑的路我已经跑尽了，所信的道我已经守住了”。他没有说自己有什么成就，只是说被神托付的事他忠心完成了。我们不是靠着以前学到的方法度日，而是每天谦卑来到神的面前，领受神新鲜的启示。亚古珥单单要认识神，而不会高举人过于神。
V4 我们人所知道的都是有限的，不要以为自己很认识神，有一套公式就能蒙福。我们要谦卑让神带领我们，而不是期待神处理我们所有的问题。
V5-6 唯有神的话语才立定天下，我们要谦卑求神帮助我们明白他的话语，不然我们所讲的都是谎话。我们要学习对准水位、与神连结，从神那里领受他的话语。
V7-9 我们期待自己的生活有更多祝福，但神真的祝福我们之后，我们常常会因“饱足”而“不认”神；当我们传福音给一些成功人士时，他们也不觉得自己需要神，用忙碌的生活当借口不亲近神。我们习惯活在“虚假和谎言”里，活在蒙蔽中，不知道自己这样其实是得罪神的。神无所不知，我们口中所讲的那些话他都知道。我们若说谎，最后受损的是我们自己。当我们遇到困难时，很容易想用自己或世界的方法来处理问题，因为我们没有信心等候、倚靠神，不想听从权柄的指示，只会用环境来判断神和权柄的话是否“有用”。然而，神教导我们要用智慧、敬虔度日。
二、v.10-17 要时常鉴察我们自己
V10 我们会以为自己都是对的、是委屈的、被权柄压制了，于是求神去处理我们的权柄。然而，他们也是神的仆人。我们不要用批评论断的心态来看待权柄，反要谦卑顺服、舍己利他，就能远离分辨善恶树，不再陷在罪里。
V11-14 这些人高举自己的感觉，然而神不要我们被感觉和情绪牵着走。我们要时常鉴察自己。
V17 当我们不尊荣权柄的时候，我们的眼睛就瞎了，无法看见神给我们在地上的真理。乌鸦通常会围绕死尸来啄他们的眼睛，当我们不尊荣权柄的时候，我们就如同死人一般。我们要时常鉴察自己，而不是整天去“鉴察权柄”。我们期待自己能被权柄包容，但我们是否只想从权柄身上找到一个毛病无限放大，然后我们就不用听从他们了？当我们得罪神的仆人时，要谦卑向神认罪、向人认错。我们不用做一个“捍卫世界”的人，这是神的工作，我们的责任是时常鉴察自己。
三、v.18-33 要明白一切都是出于神
V18 我们不会去注重事情过于神，不会高举事情的结果而看不到神对我们的心意，因为一切都是出于神。这位老师傅没有在他的徒弟面前吹嘘自己的成功，他懂得如何以智慧度日，他的话就被记录在圣经的箴言里。人越谦卑，不吹嘘自己的成就或为神所受的苦，越能得到神的高举。
V29-31 能够“步行威武”的不仅是君王，原来“狮子、猎狗、公山羊”也能如此的。人喜欢吹嘘自己，然而神的法则是不一样的。
V32-33 我们很难会闭口，却很容易说出抱怨、愤愤不平的话。我们要用神的智慧成为自己生活的指南针，在困难的时候更多鉴察自己，勒紧我们的舌头，因为我们因着怒气说出的话“必起争端”。我们不需要用嘴巴向人述说自己的苦情，而要用智慧来度过神给我们地上的日子，就不会像以色列人那样陷入国破家亡的光景。让我们不要说负面抱怨的话，而是赞美、敬拜神。