964 英翻中 (664) The Ecclesiastes is the record of Solomon's investigation into the meaning of life. 傳道書是所羅門自己研討生命意義的書. 14/01/2025
Questions Without Answers (6:10–12) 沒有答案的問題（6:10-12） Thus far, Solomon has said that life is a dead-end street
for two kinds of people: those who have riches but no
enjoymentand those who labor but have no satisfaction. But he has tried to point out that true happiness
is not the automatic result of making a good living; it
is the blessed by-product of making a good life. If you
devote your life only to the pursuit of happiness, you
will be miserable; however, if you devote your life to
doing God’s will, you will find happiness as well. 到目前為止，所羅門說過，對於兩種人來說，生活是死胡同一條：一種人擁有財富，但沒有享受；一種人勞苦，卻得不到滿足。但他試圖指出，真正的幸福並不是過好生活的自然結果；而是真正的幸福。它是美好生活的副產品。如果你一生只追求幸福，你就會痛苦；然而，如果你一輩子致力於遵行上帝的旨意，你也會找到幸福。 The British essayist and poet Joseph Addison
(1672–1718) wrote, “The grand essentials to happiness
in this life are something to do, someone to love, and
something to hope for.” Addison probably didn’t have
Christianity in mind when he wrote that, but we have
all three in Jesus Christ! 英國散文家兼詩人約瑟·艾迪生（Joseph Addison，1672-1718）寫道：“今生幸福的最重要的要素是有事做、有人愛、有希望。” 他在寫這句話時，可能並沒有想到基督信仰，但基督徒在耶穌基督裡全都擁有！ The Preacher was not finished. He knew that life was
also a dead-end street for a third kind of person—the
person who required answers to all of life’s questions.
Solomon was not condemning honest inquiry, because
Ecclesiastes is the record of his own investigation into
the meaning of life. Rather, Solomon was saying, “There
are some questions about life that nobody can answer.
But our ignorance must not be used as an excuse for
skepticism or unbelief. Instead, our ignorance should
encourage us to have faith in God. After all, we don’t live
on explanations; we live on promises.” 傳教士的話還沒說完。他知道，對第三種人來說，人生也是死胡同 ── 那些需要生活中所有問題的答案的人。所羅門並沒有譴責誠實的探究，因為傳道書是他自己對生命意義的探究的記錄。相反，所羅門是在說：「關於生活，有些問題是沒有人能回答的。但我們對基督信仰的無知，絕不能成為懷疑或不信的藉口。相反，我們的無知應該鼓勵我們對上帝有信心。畢竟，我們不是靠解釋而活的。我們是靠應許而生活。 It’s been my experience in pastoral ministry that most
explanations don’t solve personal problems or make people feel better. When the physician explains an X-ray to a
patient, his explanation doesn’t bring healing, although it
is certainly an essential step toward recovery. Suffering
Job kept arguing with God and demanding an explanation for his plight. God never did answer his questions,
because knowledge in the mind does not guarantee healing for the heart. That comes only when we put faith in
the promises of God. 根據我在教牧事工中的經驗，大多數解釋不能解決個人問題或讓人們感覺更好。當醫生向患者解釋 X 光檢查時，他的解釋並不能帶來治愈，儘管這無疑是康復的重要一步。受苦的約伯不斷與上帝爭論，並要求上帝為祂的困境做出解釋。上帝從未回答約伯的問題，因為頭腦中的知識並不能保證心靈得到治癒。只有當我們相信上帝的應許時，這才會發生。 Without going into great detail, in verses 10–12
Solomon touches on five questions that people often
ask. 所羅門在本章第 10 至 12 節中沒有詳細討論，而是觸及了人們經常問的五個問題。 Since “what’s going to be is going to be,” why bother to
make decisions? Isn’t it all predestined anyway?
“Whatever exists has already been named, and what
man is has been known” (v. 10a niv). To the Jewish
mind, giving a name to something is the same as fixing
its character and stating what the thing really is.
During the time of creation, God named the things
that He made, and nobody changed those designations. “Light” is “light” and not “darkness”; “day” is
“day” and not “night.” (See Isa. 5:20.) 既然 “該發生的事情就該發生”，為什麼還要費心做決定呢？反正這一切不都是命中註定的嗎？ 「凡存在的，都已被命名；人的本質，也已經為人所知」（10a 節前半段 新國際版）。對猶太人來說，給某物起一個名字，就等於確定其特徵，並說明該物的真實意義。在創造的時候，上帝為祂所創造的事物命名，沒有人改變這些名稱。 “光”是“光”，不是“暗”； 「白天」是就「白天」而不是「夜晚」。 （參考 賽 5:20。） Our name is “man” — Adam, “from the earth” (Gen.
2:7). Nobody can change that: we came from the earth
and we will return to the earth (Gen. 3:19). “Man” by
any other name would still be “man,” made from the
dust and eventually returning to the dust. 我們的名字是「人」 — 亞當，「來自大地」（創 2:7）。沒有人能改變這一點：我們來自地球，也將回歸地球（創 3:19）。 “人” 無論換什麼名字，仍然是“人”，由塵土製成，最終又歸於塵土。 The fact that God has named everything does not
mean that our world is a prison and we have no freedom
to act. Certainly God can accomplish His divine purposes with or without our cooperation, but He invites
us to work with Him. We cooperate with God as we
accept the “names” He has given to things: sin is sin;
obedience is obedience; truth is truth. If we alter these
names, we move into a world of illusion and lose touch
with reality. This is where many people are living today. 上帝命名了這一切，但這並不意味著我們的世界是一座監獄，我們沒有行動的自由。當然，無論我們是否合作，上帝都可以實現祂的神聖目的，但祂邀請我們與祂一起工作。當我們接受祂給事物的「名字」時，我們就與上帝合作：罪就是罪；服從就是服從；真理就是真理。如果我們改變這些名字，我們就會進入一個幻想的世界，失去與實存(reality)的連結。 We are free to decide and choose our world, but we
are not free to change the consequences. If we choose a world
of illusion, we start living on substitutes, and there can be
no satisfaction in a world of substitutes. “And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent” (John 17:3
nasb). “And we know that the Son of God has come, and
has given us understanding, in order that we might know
Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His
Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (1
John 5:20 nasb).
這就是今天許多人居住的地方。 我們可以自由地決定和選擇我們的世界，但我們不能自由地改變後果。如果我們選擇一個幻想的世界，我們就開始依靠替代品生活，而在一個充滿替代品的世界裡不可能有滿足感。 「認識你獨一的真神，並且認識你所差來的耶穌基督，這就是永生」（約翰福音 17:3 新美國標準版）。 「我們也知道上帝的兒子已經來了，並且賜給我們悟性，使我們認識那位真實的上帝，並且我們在那位真實的上帝裡面，就是在祂兒子耶穌基督裡面。這就是真神，就是永生」（約壹 5:20 nasb）。 Why disagree with God? We can’t oppose Him and
win, can we? “…neither may he contend with him that
is mightier than he” (v. 10b). The word translated
“contend” also means “dispute.” Solomon seems to say,
“It just doesn’t pay to argue with God or to fight God.
This is the way life is, so just accept it and let God have
His way. You can’t win, and even if you think you win,
you ultimately lose.” 為什麼不同意神呢？我們不能反對他並獲勝，不是嗎？ 「……他無法與比他更強的人相爭」（10 節下）。翻譯為「爭論」的字也有「爭論」的意思。所羅門似乎在說：「與神爭論或對抗神是沒有好處的。這就是生活的樣子，所以只要接受它，讓上帝按祂的方式行事。你不可能贏，即使你認為你贏了，你最終還是會輸。 But this is a negative view of the will of God. It
gives the impression that God’s will is a difficult and
painful thing that should be avoided at all cost. Jesus
said that God’s will was the food that nourished and
satisfied Him (John 4:32–34). It was meat, not medicine. The will of God comes from the heart of God and
is an expression of the love of God. (See Ps. 33:11.)
What God wills for us is best for us, because He knows
far more about us than we do. 但這是對上帝的旨意的消極看法。它給人的印像是，神的旨意是一件困難而痛苦的事情，應該不惜一切代價避免。耶穌說，上帝的旨意就是滋養祂、滿足祂的食物（約 4：32-34）。這是肉，不是藥。上帝的旨意來自祂的心，是祂的愛的表達。 （參考 詩 33:11。）上帝為我們所定的旨意，對我們來說就是最好的，因為祂對我們的了解遠比我們自己對自己了解得多。 Why would anyone want to have his or her “own
way” just for the privilege of exercising “freedom”?
Insisting on having our own way isn’t freedom at all; it’s
the worst kind of bondage. In fact, the most terrible
judgment we could experience in this life would be to
have God “give us up” and let us have our own way
(Rom. 1:24, 26, 28). 為什麼有人會為了行使「自由」的特權而想「照自己的方式行事」呢？堅持走自己的路根本不是自由，而是自由。這是最糟糕的束縛。事實上，我們今生可能經歷的最可怕的審判就是讓神“放棄我們”，讓我們為所欲為（羅馬書1:24,26,28）。 God is free to act as He sees best. He is not a prisoner of His attributes, His creation, or His eternal
purposes. You and I may not understand how God
exercises His freedom, but it isn’t necessary for us to
know all. Our greatest freedom comes when we are lovingly lost in the will of God. Our Father in heaven
doesn’t feel threatened when we question Him, debate
with Him, or even wrestle with Him, so long as we love
His will and want to please Him. 上帝可以自由地按照祂認為最好的方式行事。他並不拘泥於他的屬性、他的創造或他永恆的目的。你我可能不明白神如何行使祂的自由，但我們沒有必要知道一切。當我們充滿愛地迷失在神的旨意中時，我們最大的自由就會到來。只要我們愛祂的旨意並想討祂的喜悅，當我們質疑祂、與祂辯論、甚至與祂摔角時，我們的天父就不會感到受到威脅。 What do we accomplish with all these words? Does talking about it solve the problem? (v. 11). In fact, there are
times when it seems like the more we discuss a subject,
the less we really understand it. Words don’t always bring
light; sometimes they produce clouds and even darkness.
“The more the words, the less the meaning”(v. 11 niv).
But this is where we need the Word of God and the wisdom He alone can give us. If some discussions appear
useless and produce “vanity,” there are other times when
conversation leads us closer to the truth and to the Lord. 我們用這些話能達到什麼目的？談論它能解決問題嗎？ （第 11 節）。事實上，有時我們似乎對某個主題討論得越多，我們真正理解它的就越少。言語並不總是能帶來光明；有時它們會產生雲彩甚至黑暗。 「言語越多，意義就越小」（11節 新國際版）。但這就是我們需要上帝的話語，和只有祂才能賜給我們的智慧的地方。如果有些討論看起來毫無用處，並產生“虛榮”，那麼在其他時候，談話會讓我們更接近真理和主。 Who knows what is good for us? (v. 12). God does!
And wise is the person who takes time to listen to what
God has to say. Yes, life may seem to be fleeting and
illusive, like a soap bubble (“vain”) or a shadow, but “he
who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17
nkjv). 誰知道什麼對我們有好處？ （第 12 節 後半段）。上帝確實如此！明智的人是花時間聆聽祂所說的話的人。是的，生命看似轉瞬即逝、虛幻無常，就像肥皂泡（「虛空」）或影子，但「遵行上帝旨意的，卻是永遠長存」（約翰一書 2:17 新欽定版）。 Does anybody know what’s coming next? (v. 12b). In spite of what the astrologers, prophets, and fortunetellers claim, nobody knows the future except God. It is futile to speculate. God gives us enough information to encourage us, but He does not cater to idle curiosity. One thing is sure: death is coming, and we had better make the best use of our present opportunities. That is one of the major themes in Ecclesiastes.
有人 知道接下來會發生什麼事嗎？ （12b節後半段）。不管占星家、先知和算命師如何宣稱，除了上帝之外沒有人知道未來。猜測是徒勞的。上帝給了我們足夠的資訊來鼓勵我們，但祂不會滿足無謂的好奇心。有一點是肯定的：死亡即將來臨，我們最好充分利用目前的機會。這是傳道書的主題之一。 Solomon has discussed two of his arguments that
life is not worth living: the monotony of life (3:1—5:9)
and the futility of wealth (5:10—6:12). He has discovered that life “under the sun” can indeed be
monotonous and empty, but it need not be if we
include God in our lives. Life is God’s gift to us, and we
must accept what He gives us and enjoy it while we can
(3:12–15, 22; 5:18–20). 所羅門討論了他認為生活不值得過的兩個論點：生活的單調（3:1—5:9）和財富的無益（5:10—6:12）。他發現「日光之下」的生活確實可能是單調而空虛的，但如果我們將上帝納入我們的生活，就不必如此。生命是神給我們的禮物，我們必須接受祂所賜給我們的，並且盡可能地享受它（3:12-15, 22；5:18-20）。 Solomon will next take up his third argument, the
vanity of man’s wisdom (7:1—8:17), and discuss
whether or not wisdom can make life any better.
Though wisdom can’t explain all the problems or
answer all the questions, it is still a valuable ally on the
journey of life. 所羅門接下來將討論他的第三個論點，即人的智慧是虛空的（7:1—8:17），並討論智慧是否能讓生活變得更好。智慧雖然不能解釋所有的問題，也不能解答所有的疑問，但它仍然是人生旅途上的寶貴盟友。
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