924 英翻中 (624) Obeying God’s will. 遵守上帝的旨意.（20-27節） 12/4/2024

 924 英翻中 (624)               Obeying God’s will.   遵守上帝的旨意.（20-27節）   12/4/2024

3. Wisdom Perfects Our Path (Prov. 4)                                                                                                          3. 智慧使我們人生的道路完善（箴言 4）                                                                                                         The key verse in chapter 4 is verse 18: “But the path of the just is like the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” The picture is that of the sunrise (“the first gleam of dawn,” niv) and the increasing of the light on the pilgrim path as the day advances. If we walk in the way of God’s wisdom, the path gets brighter and brighter and there is no sunset! When the path ends, we step into a land where the light never dims, for “there shall be no night there” (Rev. 22:5).                           第 4 章的關鍵經文是第 18 節：“義人的道路好像明光，越照越明，直至完美的日子。”這張圖畫的是日出（“黎明的第一道曙光”，NIV），以及隨著時間的推移，朝聖之路上的光線逐漸增強。如果我們走在神的智慧之路上，路就會越來越光明，不會有日落！當路的盡頭，我們踏入了光明永不暗淡的土地，因為「那裡不再有黑夜」（啟22:5）。                                                                 God has a plan for each of His children (Eph. 2:10), and if we walk in His wisdom, we can confidently say, “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me” (Ps. 138:8 nkjv). Our path may not be an easy one, but it will always be a fulfilling one as we walk in the will of the Father. This involves three responsibilities on our part: knowing God’s Word (Prov. 4:19), trusting God’s providence (vv. 10–19), and obeying God’s will (vv. 20–27).                                                                                                              上帝對祂的每一個孩子都有一個計劃（以弗所書2:10），如果我們行在祂的智慧中，我們就可以自信地說：「主必成全與我有關的事」（詩篇138 :8 nkjv）。我們的道路可能不容易，但只要我們遵行天父的旨意，它就永遠是一條充實的道路。這涉及到我們的三個責任：認識神的話語（箴 4:19）、相信神的旨意（10-19節）以及遵守神的旨意（20-27節）。                                          Knowing God’s Word (vv. 1–9). Some children don’t like to hear Dad say, “Now, back when I was a boy …” but they might learn a lot if they paid attention and listened. He learned wisdom from his father, and now he’s passing it on to the next generation. This is the primary way God has ordained for His truth to be preserved and invested from generation to generation (Deut. 6:3–9; Eph. 6:1–4; 2 Tim. 1:3–5; 2:2; 3:14–17). Children who have godly parents and grandparents ought to give thanks to the Lord for their rich Proverbs heritage, instead of scoffing at that heritage and abandoning it for the way of the world.                                                                                                                                                           認識上帝的話（1-9節）。有些孩子不喜歡聽爸爸說：「現在，當我還是個孩子的時候…」但如果他們集中註意力並傾聽，他們可能會學到很多東西。他從父親那裡學到了智慧，現在他正在將其傳遞給下一代。這是上帝命定的主要方式，讓祂的真理世世代代得到保存和投資（申命記 6:3-9；弗 6:1-4；提後書 1:3-5；2: 2；3：14-17）。擁有敬虔父母和祖父母的孩子應該為他們豐富的箴言遺產而感謝主，而不是嘲笑這種遺產，並為了世界的方式而放棄它。                               “Get wisdom” (Prov. 4:5) suggests “buy wisdom” because the Hebrew word carries the idea of a commercial transaction. There’s a price to pay if you want to know God’s truth and obey it. “Buy the truth, and sell it not” (23:23). Parents and grandparents can teach us, but only we can receive the Word into our hearts, cherish it, and pay the price to obey it.                                                                                      「獲得智慧」（箴言 4:5）意味著“購買智慧”，因為希伯來語一詞帶有商業交易的含義。如果你想了解神的真理並遵守它，就需要付出代價。 「要買真理，不要出賣它」（23:23）。父母和祖父母可以教導我們，但只有我們才能將神的道接受到心裡，珍惜它，並付出代價去遵守它。                                                                                                                                                                       The father tells his sons to treat wisdom the way they would treat their mother, sister, or wife: love her, honor her, embrace her, exalt her! The bumper sticker that asks, “Have you hugged your children today?” ought to be balanced with, “Have you hugged wisdom today?” In Proverbs, Wisdom is personified as a beautiful woman who invites us to her lavish banquet, while Folly is the adulteress or prostitute who tempts us to poverty and death. The one you love is the one who will control your life. Embrace Wisdom and you will have security (4:6), honor (v. 8), and beauty (v. 9).                                            父親告訴兒子們要像對待母親、姊妹或妻子一樣對待智慧：愛她、尊敬她、擁抱她、高舉她！保險桿貼紙上寫著“你今天擁抱你的孩子了嗎？”應該與「你今天擁抱智慧了嗎？」平衡。在《箴言》中，智慧被比喻為邀請我們參加她奢華宴會的美麗女子，而愚昧則被比喻為引誘我們走向貧窮和死亡的奸婦或妓女。你愛的人就是那個能掌控你人生的人。擁抱智慧，你就會擁有安全（4:6）、榮耀（8節）和美麗（9節）。                                                                                              Trusting God’s providence (vv. 10–19). When you receive God’s truth into your heart, God renews your mind (Rom. 12:2) and enables you to think wisely. This helps you make right decisions and experience the guidance of God day by day. God in His loving providence directs us and prepares the path for us. Augustine said, “Trust the past to the mercy of God, the present to His love, and the future to His providence.” But King David said it better long before Augustine: “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16:11 nkjv).l           相信上帝的旨意（10-19節）。當你將上帝的真理接受到心裡時，祂就會更新你的心思意念（羅馬書 12:2），使你能明智地思考。這可以幫助您做出正確的決定並日復一日地體驗上帝的指導。神以祂慈愛的旨意指引我們，為我們預備道路。奧古斯丁說：“過去要相信上帝的仁慈，現在要相信祂的慈愛，未來要相信祂的旨意。”但大衛王早在奧古斯丁之前就說過更好的話：「祢將向我指示生命的道路；在祢面前有滿足的喜樂；在祢右手有永遠的福樂」（詩篇 16:11 nkjv）。                                                                                                                                                                  If you are willing to do God’s will, you will have God’s guidance (John 7:17), but if you treat God’s will like a buffet lunch, choosing only what pleases you, He will never direct you. As I’ve said before, the will of God isn’t for the curious; it’s for the serious. As we look back on more than forty years of marriage and ministry, my wife and I can testify to God’s providential leading in our lives in ways that we never suspected He would use.                                                                                                         如果你願意遵行上帝的旨意，你就會得到祂的引導（約翰福音 7:17），但如果你把祂的旨意當作自助餐午餐，只選擇你喜歡的，祂絕對不會指導你。正如我之前所說，上帝的旨意不是為了好奇者；而是為了滿​​足人們的好奇心。這是為了認真的。當我們回顧四十多年的婚姻和事奉時，我和我的妻子可以見證祂以我們從未想到的方式在我們的生活中以護理方式引導我們。            But God’s children can’t expect God’s leading if they shuttle back and forth between the path of wisdom and the path of the wicked (Prov. 4:14–17). Stay as far away from that path as you can! Don’t enter it! Avoid it! Don’t go near it! Go as far from it as you can! Certainly we must witness to unsaved people whom the Lord brings to us, but we must never adopt their lifestyle or imitate their ways. God doesn’t guide His children when they’re walking in darkness. When you’re living in the will of God, the path gets brighter and brighter, not darker and darker (1 John 1:5–10).                                                         但上帝的兒女若在智慧之路和惡人之路之間來回穿梭，就不能指望祂的帶領（箴言4:14-17）。盡可能遠離那條路！不要輸入它！避免它！不要靠近它！盡可能遠離它！當然，我們必須向主帶給我們的未得救的人作見證，但我們絕不能採用他們的生活方式或模仿他們的方式。當祂的孩子行走在黑暗中時，祂不會引導他們。當你活在上帝的旨意中時，道路會變得越來越光明，而不是越來越黑暗（約翰一書1：5-10）                                                                                                  The danger is that we let the lessons of wisdom slip through our fingers and we lose them. “Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go” (Prov. 4:13). Hold on to wisdom the way a child holds a parent’s hand and trusts Mother or Father to guide and protect. God is able to keep us from stumbling (Jude 24) if we’ll keep ourselves in His wisdom.                                                                                                    危險在於我們讓智慧的教訓從我們的指縫中溜走，然後我們就失去了它們。 「牢牢掌握指示；不容她離去」（箴 4:13）。緊緊抓住智慧，就像孩子握住父母的手, 並相信父母親的指導和保護。如果我們依靠上帝的智慧保守自己，祂就能使我們不跌倒（猶大書 24）。                                   Obeying God’s will (vv. 20–27). This is a wonderful paragraph to us as a personal spiritual inventory to see if we’re really living in obedience to the Lord. Let’s ask ourselves:                                           遵守上帝的旨意（20-27節）。這對我們來說是一段精彩的段落，可以作為個人的靈性清單，看看我們是否真的活在順服主的生活中。讓我們問問自己：                                                                       “What comes into my ears?” (v. 20). Whatever enters my ears will ultimately influence my mind, my heart, and my decisions, so I’d better be careful what I listen to. Paul warns us to beware of “obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking” (Eph. 5:4 niv), and Psalm 1:1 tells us to avoid ungodly counsel. When people speak, we must be able to identify God’s voice (John 10:3–5, 16) and obey what He says.                                                                                                                                                                  “什麼進入我的耳朵？” （第 20 節）。任何進入我耳朵的東西最終都會影響我的思想、內心和決定，所以我最好小心有關我所聽到的。保羅警告我們要提防「淫穢、愚昧的話、粗俗的玩笑」（弗 5:4 和合本），而詩篇 1:1 則告訴我們要避免不敬虔的勸告。當人們說話時，我們必須能夠辨識祂的聲音（約翰福音 10:3-5, 16）並遵守祂所說的話。                                                                   “What is within my heart?” (v. 23). Whatever the heart loves, the ears will hear and the eyes will see. When our children were small, no matter where we were driving, they could usually find the ice cream shops and the toy stores; I must confess that I managed to locate the bookstores! “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (v. 23 niv). If we pollute that wellspring, the infection will spread; before long, hidden appetites will become open sins and public shame.                                           “我的心裡有什麼？” （第 23 節）。心所愛之事，耳朵會聽到，眼睛會看到。當我們的孩子還小的時候，無論我們開車去哪裡，他們通常都能找到冰淇淋店和玩具店；所以我必須承認我會成功找到書店！ 「要保守你的心，因為它是生命的泉源」（23節 新國際版）。如果我們污染了那口井泉，感染就會蔓延；不久之後，隱藏的慾望就會變成公開的罪惡和大眾的恥辱。                The Bible warns us to avoid a double heart (Ps. 12:2), a hard heart (Prov. 28:14), a proud heart (21:4), an unbelieving heart (Heb. 3:12), a cold heart (Matt. 24:12), and an unclean heart (Ps. 51:10). “Search me, O God, and know my heart” (139:23).                                                                                               聖經警告我們要避免心懷二意（詩 12:2）、剛硬的心（箴 28:14）、驕傲的心（21:4）、不信的心（來 3:12）、冷漠的心（太 24:12）和不潔的心（詩51:10）。 「上帝啊，求祢鑑察我，知道我的心」（139:23）。                                                                                                                                 “What is upon my lips?” (v. 24). Whatever is in the heart will ultimately come out of the mouth (Matt. 12:33–34). God’s children must be careful to have “sound speech that cannot be condemned” (Titus 2:8), speech that’s gracious and “seasoned with salt” (Col. 4:6 nkjv). The ancient Romans, listening to one of their orators, would look at each other, smile, and say, “Cum grano salis”—“Take it with a grain of salt.” But Christians are supposed to put the salt into their speech and keep their words pure and honest.                                                                                                                                                    “我的嘴唇上有什麼？” （第 24 節）。心裡所存的，最後要從口裡說出來（太 12:33-34）。祂的兒女必須小心地說出「無可指責的純正言語」（提多書 2:8）、有恩慈且「用鹽調和」的言語（歌羅西書 4:6 NNKJV）。古羅馬人在聽演說家講話時，會互相看著對方，微笑著說：“Cum grano salis”——“持保留態度。”  但基督徒應該在言語中加鹽，保持言語純潔和誠實。                           As we shall see in a later chapter, Proverbs has a great deal to say about human speech; in fact, the word mouth is used over fifty times and the word lips over forty times in the Authorized Version. Among other things, Solomon warns us about perverse lips (Prov. 4:24), lying lips (12:22), flattering lips (20:19), deceptive lips (24:28), and undisciplined lips (10:19). “He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin” (13:3 niv).                                                                                正如我們將在後面的章節中看到的，箴言中有很多關於人類語言的內容。事實上，在授權版本中，「嘴巴」一詞被使用了五十多次，而「嘴唇」一詞則被使用了四十多次。除此之外，所羅門也警告我們要提防乖僻的嘴唇（箴4:24）、說謊的嘴唇（12:22）、諂媚的嘴唇（20:19）、詭詐的嘴唇（24:28）和不守規矩的嘴唇（10:10）。 「保守嘴唇的，就保守自己的性命；說話冒失的，必自取滅亡」（13：3 新國際版）。                                                                             “What is before my eyes?” (v. 25). Outlook determines outcome. Abraham was the friend of God because he walked by faith and “looked for a city … whose builder and maker is God” (Heb. 11:10). Lot became a friend of the world because he walked by sight and moved toward the wicked city of Sodom (Gen. 13:10, 12). Everybody has some vision before them that helps to determine their values, actions, and plans. We would all be wise to imitate David who said, “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes” (Ps. 101:3), and the writer of Psalm 119 who prayed, “Turn my eyes away from worthless things” (v. 37 niv). If you are “looking unto Jesus” (Heb. 12:2) as you walk the path of life, then keep that posture of faith. If you look Proverbs back (Luke 9:62) or around (Matt. 14:30), you may go on a detour.                                                                                                                                                                    “我眼前是什麼？” （第 25 節）。前景決定結果。亞伯拉罕是上帝的朋友，因為他憑著信心而行，並且「尋找一座城……這城的建造者就是上帝」（來 11:10）。羅得成為世人的朋友，因為他憑著眼見行走，走向邪惡的所多瑪城（創 13:10, 12）。每個人面前都有一些願景，有助於確定他們的價值觀、行動和計劃。我們都應該效法大衛，他說：「我不將惡事放在我眼前」（詩 101:3），而詩篇119 篇的作者則禱告說：「求祢使我的眼離開無價值的事」。(第 37 節新國際版）。如果你在走生命的道路時「仰望耶穌」（來 12:2），那麼就保持這種信心的姿態。如果你回顧箴言（路  9:62）或前後經文（太 14:30），你可能會走彎路。                                                 “What is beyond my path?” (vv. 26–27). The Hebrew word translated “ponder” means “to weigh” or “to make level.” It is related to a word that means “scales” (16:11). In his final speech before he drank the hemlock, Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living”; Paul wrote, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves” (2 Cor. 13:5 nkjv). The Lord is weighing our ways (Prov. 5:21) and our hearts (21:2), as well as our actions (1 Sam. 2:3), and we had better do the same. Life is too short and too precious to be wasted on the temporary and the trivial.                                  “修平我生命的道路？” （26-27節）。翻譯希伯來語單字 “審視 'ponder' ”的意思是“稱重”或“使水平”。它與一個意思是「天平」的字有關（16:11）。蘇格拉底在喝下酒前的最後一次演講中說：「未經審視的生活不值得過」；保羅寫道：「你們要省察自己有信心沒有。你們自己試驗一下」（哥林多後書 13:5 新詹姆斯版)。主正在衡量我們的道路（箴 5:21）、我們的心（21:2）以及我們的行為（撒 2:3），我們最好也這樣做。生命太短暫、太寶貴，不能浪費在短暫、瑣碎的事情上。                                                                                                                                          If we’re walking in the way of wisdom, God promises to protect our path, direct our path, and perfect our path.                                                                                                                                                     如果我們走在智慧的路上，上帝應許會保護我們的道路，指引我們的道路，並完善我們的道路。                                                                                                                                                                       All folly can offer us is danger, detours, and disappointments, ultimately leading to death.                       所有的愚蠢行為都會帶給我們危險、彎路和失望，最終導致死亡。                                                   It shouldn’t be too difficult to make the right choice!                                                                                   做出正確的選擇應該不會太難！                                                                 

Notes      註                                                                                                                                                      1.     This has been my life verse since 1948 when I entered seminary to prepare for ministry, and I can bear witness that it has never failed me. When you walk on God’s path, you delight in God’s presence and enjoy God’s pleasures. You have life, joy, and pleasure—and it gets better and better as life progresses!                                                                                                                                                    1.     自 1948 年我進入神學院準備事奉以來，這就是我的人生箴言，我可以見證它從未讓我失望過。當你走在上帝旨意的路上時，你就會因祂的同在而喜樂，享受祂的喜悅。你擁有生命、歡樂和快樂——而且隨著生活的進步，它會變得越來越好！