945 英翻中 (645)                        12/23/2024

4. Counsel                                                                                                                                                   4. 友好的建議                                                                                                                                                「 “Plans are established by counsel; by wise counsel wage war” (20:18 nkjv). If experienced generals seek counsel as they wage war, shouldn’t we seek counsel for the battles of life? It’s dangerous to rely on our own wisdom and experience and to ignore the wisdom and experience of other believers who have successfully walked with the Lord. “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise” (12:15 nkjv).                                                                                                                    「計劃由友好的建議而制定；明智的建議發動戰爭」（20:18 新欽定版）。如果經驗豐富的將軍在打仗時尋求建議，那麼我們不應該在人生的戰鬥中尋求建議嗎？依賴我們自己的智慧和經驗而忽略其他成功與主同行的信徒的智慧和經驗是危險的。 「愚昧人所行的，在自己眼中看為正；聽從勸告的，卻是智慧人」（12:15 新欽定版）。                                                                                   The first source of wise counsel is Christian parents. “Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old” (23:22 nkjv; see 6:20–23). “A wise son heeds his father’s instruction” (13:1 nkjv). Not everybody has the privilege of being raised in a godly home, but even then, the Lord often provides “substitute parents” who can share the wisdom of the Lord.                                 明智忠告的第一個來源是基督徒父母。 「要聽從生你的父親的話，當你母親年老時，不可藐視她」（23：22新欽定本；參閱6：20-23）。 「智慧子聽從父親的教訓」（13:1 新欽定版）。  並不是每個人都有幸在敬虔的家庭中長大，但即便如此，主也經常提供“替代父母”，他們可以分享主的智慧。                                                                                                                                              Christian friends can also listen, counsel, and pray. “Ointment and perfume delight the heart, and the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel” (27:9 nkjv). The Living Bible paraphrases the verse, “Friendly suggestions are as pleasant as perfume,” but sometimes a friend’s counsel may not be perfume! It may be acid! Even then, we have nothing to lose; for “as iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend” (27:17 nkjv). The sparks may fly, but God will give us the light that we need. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (27:6).                                                                                                                                                    基督徒朋友也可以聆聽、諮詢和祈禱。 「膏油和馨香，使人心歡喜；朋友的甘甜，使人因衷心的勸告而喜樂」（27:9 新欽定本）。 《活著的聖經》解釋了這節經文：“友好的建議像香水一樣令人愉悅”，但有時朋友的建議可能不是香水！可能是酸！即便如此，我們也沒有什麼好失去的；因為「就像鐵磨鐵一樣，人磨朋友的面容」（27:17 新欽定本）。火花可能會飛揚，但上帝會賜給我們我們所需要的光。 「朋友的傷口是忠誠的，敵人的親吻是欺騙的」（27:6）。                How we accept and apply rebuke is a test of how devoted we are to truth and wisdom and how sincere we are in wanting to know God’s will. “He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise” (15:31 niv). “He who disdains instruction despises his own soul, but he who heeds rebuke gets understanding” (v. 32 nkjv). Friends who flatter us and avoid telling us the truth are only doing us harm. “He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue” (28:23 niv; see 29:5).                                                                                                                                我們如何接受和運用責備，是考驗我們對真理和智慧的忠誠程度，以及我們是否真誠地想要了解上帝的旨意。 「聽從賦予生命的責備的人，將在智者之中自在」（15:31 新國際版）。 「藐視管教的，是輕看自己的靈魂；聽從責備的，卻得聰明」（32節   新國際版）。奉承我們不告訴我們真相的朋友只會傷害我們。 「責備人的，終必比諂媚人的更蒙人喜悅」（28:23 新國際版；參閱 29:5）。                                                                                                                                                 Not every friend is a good counselor, so we must choose wisely. “The purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out” (20:5 niv). We don’t know our own hearts (Jer. 17:9), and only God’s Word can honestly reveal “the thoughts and intents [motives] of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). It takes a counselor with loving patience and a discerning spirit to help us see what lies deep within our hearts.                                                                                                                                           並不是每個朋友都是好的輔導員，所以我們必須明智地選擇。 「人心的籌算是深水，惟有明哲的人才能將其引上來」（20:5 新國際版）。我們不知道自己的心（耶利米書 17:9），只有上帝的話語才能誠實地揭示「心裡的思念和主意（動機）」（來 4:12）。需要一位充滿愛心的耐心和洞察力的輔導員來幫助我們看到內心深處的東西。                                                                            While it’s usually true that “a multitude of counselors” assures a wise decision (Prov. 11:14; 15:22; 24:6; see Ex. 23:2), at the same time, we must avoid running from friend to friend asking for advice. This may indicate that we’re trying to find somebody who will tell us what we want to hear! “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Prov. 18:24 niv).2 It isn’t enough to have friends; we must have a friend who will “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15).                                                                                                                                                                       雖然「謀士眾多」通常確實可以確保做出明智的決定（箴言 11:14；15:22；24:6；參  出埃及記 23:2），但同時，我們必須避免逃避朋友間尋求建議。這可能表明我們正在努力尋找能告訴我們想聽什麼的人！ 「朋友眾多，可能自取滅亡，但有一個朋友，比兄弟更親密。」（《箴言》18:24 niv）2 光有朋友是不夠的，還需要更多的努力。我們必須有一個「用愛心說誠實話」的朋友（弗 4:15）。                                                                                                                                            Often in my conference ministry, people will approach me with personal problems and ask for advice. I try to avoid giving counsel for several reasons: I don’t know the people; I’m not going to be there long enough to continue a counseling relationship; a quick chat after a meeting isn’t counseling; and I don’t want to take the place of a faithful local pastor.                                                                                  在我的會議事工中，人們經常會向我提出個人問題並尋求建議。我盡量避免提供建議，原因如下：我不認識這些人；我不會在那裡待足夠長的時間來繼續諮商關係；會議結束後的簡短交談不是諮詢；我不想取代一位忠實的當地牧師。                                                                                        “Have you discussed this matter with your pastor?” I ask, and I carefully listen to the reply. No matter what the words are, the reply often indicates, “I talked to him, but it didn’t do any good” (meaning possibly, “I didn’t get my way”) or, “I’ve talked to him and a dozen other ministers and guest speakers!” Then I know that anything I say will probably do little good.                                                             “你和你的牧師討論過這件事嗎？”我問，我仔細聽答覆。不管用什麼詞，回覆通常表明，「我和他談過，但沒有任何效果」（意思可能是，「我沒有按我的方式行事」）或者，「我已經和他談過了」還有十幾位其他部長和演講嘉賓！然後我知道我說的任何話都可能起不到什麼作用。                                                                                                                                                                     In seeking counsel, we must be sincere, because a loving and wise friend can often see dangers and detours that are hidden from us. It’s best to be accountable to another believer and submit to the authority of the spiritual leaders in our church. During more than forty years of ministry, I’ve witnessed the painful downfalls of several “Lone Ranger” Christians who thought they didn’t need anybody’s counsel. “A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; he rages against all wise judgment” (Prov. 18:1 nkjv). Christians are God’s sheep, and we need to flock together. As members of Christ’s spiritual body (1 Cor. 12), we belong to each other, and we need each other.                                                                     在尋求建議時，我們必須真誠，因為有愛心、有智慧的朋友常常能看到我們隱藏的危險和彎路。最好對其他信徒負責並服從我們教會精神領袖的權威。在四十多年的事奉中，我親眼目睹了幾位「獨行俠」基督徒的痛苦墮落，他們認為自己不需要任何人的建議。 「孤立自己的人只追求自己的慾望；他對一切明智的判斷發怒」（箴 18:1 NKJV）。基督徒是神的羊，我們需要聚集在一起。身為基督靈體的成員（哥林多前書 12），我們彼此屬於彼此，我們彼此需要。

5. Plans                                                                                                                                                        5. 計畫 

We must never think that in determining the will of God, the believer is passive and only the Lord is active. “Let go and let God” is a clever motto, but I’m not sure it applies to every area of the Christian life.3 If all we do is exercise faith, commit our way to the Lord, read the Bible, and counsel with our friends, we may never get much done for the Lord. You can’t steer a car when it’s in neutral, and “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26).                                                                                                          我們千萬不要以為，在決定神的旨意時，信徒是被動的，只有主是主動的。 「放手，讓上帝來」是一句聰明的座右銘，但我不確定它是否適用於基督徒生活的每個領域。並提出建議和我們的朋友一起，我們可能永遠不會為主做多少事。當汽車處於空擋時，你無法駕駛汽車，「信心沒有行為就是死的」（雅各書 2:26）。                                                                                                        But doesn’t Proverbs 3:5 warn us against leaning on our own understanding? Yes, it does, but the word lean means “to rely on,” and our faith must be in God’s Word and not in our own wisdom. It’s the same word used of a king who leans on the arm of an officer (2 Kings 5:18; 7:2, 17) or a person who leans on a staff (18:21).                                                                                                                                           但箴言 3:5 不是警告我們不要依靠自己的理解嗎？是的，確實如此，但是“精益”這個詞的意思是“依靠”，我們的信心必須是神的話語，而不是我們自己的智慧。這個字也用來形容靠在軍官手臂上的王（列王紀下 5:18；7:2, 17）或靠在杖上的人（18:21）。                                                    As we seek to know God’s will, we must gather all the facts we can and assess them, because our decision must be based on knowledge and not hearsay. “Every prudent man acts out of knowledge, but a fool exposes his folly” (Prov. 13:16 niv). “He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him” (18:13 nkjv). This applies whether we’re answering somebody else or answering the Lord. “The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception” (14:8 niv). We must take time for an honest look at facts.                                                                                     當我們尋求了解上帝的旨意時，我們必須收集所有可能的事實並進行評估，因為我們的決定必須基於知識而不是道聽途說。 「凡通達人都憑知識行事；愚昧人顯出自己的愚昧」（箴 13:16 Niv）。 「凡未聽完就回答的，對他來說是愚昧和羞辱」（18:13 NKJV）。無論我們是在回答別人還是回答主，這都適用。 「通達人的智慧在於省思自己的道路，愚昧人的愚昧在於欺騙」（14:8 Niv）。我們必須花時間誠實地審視事實。 

                                                                                      God expects us to use our brains and make plans, but He also expects us to submit those plans to Him and let Him make the final decision. “To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue” (16:1 niv). “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed” (v. 3 niv). If we’re yielded to the Lord and our plans are not His plans, He will show us what’s right and steer us away from what’s wrong. “And if on some point you think differently, that, too, God will make clear to you” (Phil. 3:15 niv). “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps” (Prov. 16:9 niv).                                                                                                                                       It is when we rebel against the Lord and want to go our own way that we get into trouble. “There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord” (21:30). That’s why we must begin our search for God’s will by reading His Word and obeying it, because the Scriptures reveal the character and the purposes of God. The will of God will never contradict either the purposes of God or the character of God, so we must wait before the Lord, because “the plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty” (21:5 niv). If we’re walking by faith, we won’t rush ahead, for, “whoever believes will not act hastily” (Isa. 28:16 nkjv).                                                                                       So, when we have a decision to make, we gather all the facts and seek wise counsel, we make our plans, we commit ourselves and our plans to the Lord, we listen to His Word, and we wait before Him for His leading. Sometimes God leads us through a Bible promise or warning; sometimes while we’re at worship with God’s people, He speaks through a song or Scripture reading; or He may direct us through providential circumstances. More than once in my own life, His disciplines have turned out to be His directions (Prov. 3:11–12; Heb. 12:1–11). 

6. Obedience                                                                                                                                                  6. 服從                                                                                                                                                            “In all your ways acknowledge Him” (Prov. 3:6) means, “Do God’s will in every area of life. Seek to honor Him in everything.” Note verse 7: “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil” (nkjv). Pride and disobedience in any area of life can get us on dangerous detours, so we must stay humble before Him. “When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom. The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them” (11:2–3 nkjv).                                                                                                                                                「在你一切所行的事上，都要認定他」（箴 3:6）意味著「在生活的各方面遵行上帝的旨意。凡事都要尋求榮耀他。請注意第 7 節：“不要自以為有智慧；不要自以為有智慧。”敬畏耶和華，遠離惡事」（和合本）。生活任何方面的驕傲和不服從都會讓我們走上危險的彎路，所以我們必須在祂面前保持謙卑。 「驕傲來了，恥辱也來了；謙卑的人就有智慧。正直人的純正必引導他們；不忠心人的乖僻必毀滅他們」（11:2-3 NKJV）。                                                                              The assurance is, “and He shall direct your paths.” Dr. G. Campbell Morgan said: “Not always in easy or pleasant paths, but always in right paths. Not always in those I would have chosen, but always in paths which lead to success…. The paths that He directs lead always through mist and mystery, through battle and through bruising, to the fulfillment of the meaning of life.”4                                                 保證是：“祂必指引你的道路。” G.坎貝爾摩根(G. Campbell Morgan)博士說："並不總是走在輕鬆或愉快的道路上，但總是在正確的道路上。並不總是在我會選擇的道路上，但總是在通往成功的道路上…。祂所指引的道路總是穿過迷霧和神秘，穿過戰鬥和挫傷，直到實現生命的意義。"4                                                                                                                                                                Some people live only for entertainment and try to escape the burdens of life. Others live for enjoyment and try to make the most of life. God’s dedicated people live for enrichment and discover fulfillment in life as they do the will of God from the heart.                                                                                另一些人則為了享受而生活，並試圖充分利用生活。上帝獻身的子民為豐富而生活，並在發自內心地遵行上帝旨意時發現生活的充實。                                                                                                Which one are you?                                                                                                                                        你是哪一類？              

Notes   註                                                                                                                                                     1 God never violates any person’s freedom, but He works so that His purposes are accomplished even through the lives of people who don’t know Him or won’t acknowledge Him. This was true of Cyrus (2 Chron. 36:22; Isa. 44:28—45:1), Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 25:9; 27:6), and Pharaoh (Ex. 9:16; Rom. 9:14–18).                                                                                                                                                                1上帝從不侵犯任何人的自由，但祂的工作是為了透過那些不認識祂或不承認祂的人的生活來實現祂的目的。居魯士（代36:22；以賽亞書44:28—45:1）、尼布甲尼撒（耶25:9；27:6）和法老（出埃及記9:16 ；羅9： 14-18）。                                                                                                          2 The KJV reads “A man who hath friends must show himself friendly,” and the margin of the NKJV reads “A man who has friends may come to ruin.” The idea seems to be that having many companions but no real friends could lead a person to ruin, for there’s nobody who cares enough about him to rebuke him. The original text is diffcult, but the NIV seems to say it best.                                                              2 《欽定本》寫道：“有朋友的人必須表現出友善”，而新欽定本的頁邊寫著“有朋友的人可能會毀滅”。這個想法似乎是，有很多同伴但沒有真正的朋友可能會導致一個人走向毀滅，因為沒有人足夠關心他來責備他。原文很難，但 NIV 似乎說得最好。                                                              3 Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God”; the phrase “be still” literally means “take your hands off,” or “stop your striving.” There are times when we prove our faith simply by waiting on the Lord and allowing Him to work. Naomi’s advice to Ruth was excellent: “Sit still, my daughter” (Ruth 3:18), and so was Moses’ instruction to Israel at the Red Sea: “Stand still!” (Ex. 14:13). But when it’s time to act, no amount of devotion will substitute for obedience. See Josh. 7:10ff.; 1 Samuel 16:1ff.; 1 Kings 19:15ff.                                                                                                                                              3 詩篇 46:10 說：「你們要安靜，知道我是神」； 「保持安靜」一詞的字面意思是「把手拿開」或「停止努力」。有時，我們只需等候主並讓祂做工來證明我們的信心。拿俄米給路得的建議非常好：“女兒啊，你要站住！”（路得記 3:18），摩西在紅海對以色列人的指示也是如此：“站住！” （出 14:13）。但當需要採取行動時，再多的奉獻也無法取代服從。見喬許. 7點10分；撒母耳記上 16:1 及後；列王記上 19:15ff。                                                                                                  4 The Westminster Pulpit, vol. IV (London: Pickering and Inglis), 147.                                                    4 威斯敏斯特講壇，卷。 IV（倫敦：皮克林和英格利斯），147。