Prov 9

Prov 9:4-6

4 說：“誰是愚蒙人，可以轉到這裡來！” 又對那無知的人說： 5 “你們來，吃我的餅， 喝我調和的酒。 6 你們愚蒙人，要捨棄愚蒙， 就得存活，並要走光明的道。 7 指斥褻慢人的必受辱罵； 責備惡人的必被玷污。 8 不要責備褻慢人，恐怕他恨你； 要責備智慧人，他必愛你。 9 教導智慧人，他就越發有智慧； 指示義人，他就增長學問。10 敬畏耶和華是智慧的開端， 認識至聖者便是聰明！

Wisdom is different than knowledge.

With knowledge you can pass a test. 通過考試

With knowledge you can satisfy your teacher’s questions. 有了知識，你就能滿足老師的問題。

But results of gaining wisdom are greater than the results of passing an class. 但獲得智慧的成果比通過一門課程的成果更加重要。

Wisdom is applied to everyday decisions and it’s effects can last for the rest of your life. 智慧應用於日常決策，其影響可以持續影響你的一生。

Those who have knowledge but do not have wisdom will not have protection against foolish decisions.一個擁有知識但沒有智慧的人將無法保護自己免受愚蠢決策的傷害。

Decisions made in wisdom have lasting effects. 明智的決定會產生持久的影響。

And similarly, foolish decisions have lasting effects. 同樣，愚蠢的決定也會產生持久的影響。

God is interested for his people to apply wisdom throughout their lives to avoid foolish choices and enjoy the blessings of good discretion. 上帝希望他的子民在生活中運用智慧，避免愚蠢的選擇，享受良好判斷力所帶來的祝福。

4 說：“誰是愚蒙人，可以轉到這裡來！”

I wonder how many people upon reading this line for the first time thinks to themselves, this verse cannot be talking about me. 我想知道有多少人第一次讀到這句話時會想，這節經文不可能是在說我。

In our hearts we say, “I am not simple like other people are.”在我們的心中，我們說：“我不像其他人那樣愚昧。”

No one likes to admit they are simple.

We live in a world where being intelligent and skilled is prized above all. 我們生活在一個最看重智力和技能的世界。

But when you listen to the advice of the wise, they will tell you the same thing the Bible has already said: 但當你聆聽智者的建議時，他們會告訴你聖經已經說過的同樣的話：

Socrates 蘇格拉底 "I know that I am intelligent because I know that I know nothing.” "我知道我是聰明的，因為我知道我一無所知。"

Isaac Newton: 艾薩克·牛頓 "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” "如果我看得更遠，那是因為我站在巨人的肩膀上。"

Lao Tzu: 老子 "The wise man is one who, knows, what he does not know.” “智者不常言，言者不常智。”??

What these men can tell you is what God’s word has already said. V 10 敬畏耶和華是智慧的開端， 認識至聖者便是聰明！

Obtaining wisdom begins with admitting your lack of it.

But you notice verse 10 doesn’t exactly say, “just admit that you don’t have wisdom”, it says “fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” 但你注意到第10節並沒有說“只要承認你沒有智慧”，它說“敬畏耶和華是智慧的開端”。

These are one and the same truth.

If you want the wisdom of God, you will admit two things:

1. I am a simple person in need of wisdom. And.

2. Submitting 順服 to God’s reign is the way of wisdom.

These two steps are how we can summarize verses 4 and 10.

God goes on to give three practical steps 實際步驟 that you can begin doing today.

Forsake the Foolish 放棄愚昧 v6 Eat and drink the Bread and wine of Wisdom 吃喝智慧的飲食 v5 Go In the way of understanding. v6 走光明之道

1) First is forsaking the foolish in verse 6 你們愚蒙人，要捨棄愚蒙

You see here again, if a person cannot admit their simplicity, then they will not benefit from wisdom. 你再次看到這裡，如果一個人不能承認自己的愚昧，那麼他們將無法從智慧中受益。

But if your able to humbly admit the you need wisdom, God’s first practical counsel is to start discarding things in your life that you already know to be waste of your life.但如果你能謙卑地承認自己需要智慧，上帝的第一個實際建議是開始丟棄生活中那些你已經知道是浪費生命的事物。

Perhaps the Holy Spirit has already convicted you about something in your life that is devouring your time, thoughts, and energy. 或許聖靈已經在你的生活中指責了一些正在耗損你時間、思想和能量的事情。

This thing that you’re wasting time with isn’t necessary sinful or evil in itself. 你浪費時間的這件事本身並不一定是有罪或邪惡的。

It could be a hobby that is taking up space that belongs to more important things. 它可能是一種愛好，佔用了屬於更重要的事情的時間

It could be a video game that is filling up too much of your thoughts. 這可能是一款佔據了你太多想法的電子遊戲。

In our day, our cell phone is often the problem. We scroll and scroll, looking at one useless thing after another. 我們不斷地滾動，看著一件又一件無用的東西。

Every idle moment spent in life is given over to the cell phone where your mind and thoughts are sucked into a hole that never is never full.每一個閒暇時刻都被花在手機上，你的思緒和想法被吸入一個永遠不會填滿的黑洞。

These most obviously are the behaviors of the simple-minded, and if you want to walk in the way of God’s wisdom you will begin today to discard the things you already know to be a waste of time.這些顯然是愚昧人的行為，如果你想走在神智慧的道路上，你今天就要開始拋棄你已經知道的浪費時間的行為。

Beyond this what I can say about this verse is to fear God, and ask Him to reveal 揭示 more foolishness in your life that you will duly forsake.

2) Eat and Drink the Bread and Wine of Wisdom 吃喝智慧的飲食

5 “你們來，吃我的餅， 喝我調和的酒。

When we feel hunger pains our bodies instruct our minds to go and search for food. 當我們感到飢餓時，我們的身體會指示我們的大腦去尋找食物。

When children are hungry, they stop their playing and go the kitchen to see what they can find lying around. 當孩子們餓了時，他們會停止玩耍，去廚房看看周圍有什麼可以吃的。

When wolves are hungry they become bold to hunt for prey twice their size. 當狼飢餓時，它們就會大膽地捕獵兩倍大的獵物。

In other words, our hunger turns passive creatures into hunters who take the initiative in search for food.換句話說，我們的飢餓將被動的我們變成了主動尋找食物的獵人。

In the say way those who can admit before God their hunger for wisdom can also take the initiative to search for it. 同樣的，那些能在神面前承認自己需要智慧的人，也會主動去尋求智慧。

One behavior that distinguishes the foolish from the wise is the attitude of searching for wisdom wherever it is hidden. 區分愚蠢與智慧的一個行為是，智慧的人會去尋找，無論藏在哪裡的智慧。

Just as the body is hungry every few hours, so the wise man is hungry for wisdom on a regular daily basis. 正如身體每隔幾個小時就會飢餓一樣，智者每天都會渴望智慧。

Wise counsel is a steady diet for the wise, and the wise know where to find it.

For me the three places where I find steady wise counsel are these:

Older experienced people—who do you know is wise?

-take the initiative to talk to them, be around them, and ask questions.

-hunger does not consider ones shyness or other obstacles in the way.

-hunger would rather ask forgiveness than permission.

-open yourself to rebuke and ask for it.

Books from trusted authors

-not all books are worth your reading as wisdom considers the use of time.

-you can begin a reading list by asking your counselors for books.

-trust authors recommend other authors, and as you read you will learn who they are.

-build a yearly book list and take notes for questions as you read.

Criticism from friends and enemies

-people do not naturally look to the enemies to learn wisdom

-but the wise realize that criticism from people who mean to harm often carry a nugget of truth.

-You make ask your friends for criticism but because they are your friend, they are reluctant to say to much.

-however your enemies will not hesitate to tell you where you are wrong, so learn

Wisdom is applied everyday in practical deacons. We have spoken about forsaking foolish behavior, and eating a steady diet of wise council. Lastly, is going in the way of understanding. V6 要走光明的道

3) Go in the Way of understanding (Be teachable)

Many people will not find wisdom because they will never learn this truth from God. Going in the way of wisdom is the same as being teachable.

People who have wisdom know that there aren’t many people who are worthy of wisdom because they are not teachable.

8 不要責備褻慢人，恐怕他恨你； 要責備智慧人，他必愛你。

We can see this truth in the words of our Lord Jesus,

Luke 10:21 正當那時，耶穌被聖靈感動就歡樂，說：“父啊，天地的主，我感謝你！因為你將這些事向聰明通達人就藏起來，向嬰孩就顯出來。父啊！是的，因為你的美意本是如此。

People who thought they are wise and smart, Jesus often avoided them. But he spent time with ordinary people who admitted their need.

Luke 5:31 耶穌對他們說：“無病的人用不著醫生，有病的人才用得著

Being wise and looking for wisdom is a good thing. But ultimately being wise, or smart is not the reason God created us. That is why true wisdom is submitting to God.

10 敬畏耶和華是智慧的開端， 認識至聖者便是聰明！

Being simple is not a sin. People do not die and go to hell because they are simple. But unbelief is sin.

Our unbelief is the one sin that makes all of our wisdom turn into folly.

It does not matter one how wise or smart one can be if we are separated from God.

Once the sinner dies, there is no more meaning or remembrance to his life.

God did not send Jesus to make us wise, but to pay the price of our sin.

True wisdom is submitting to the reign of God through Jesus Christ.

In order to submit to God we admit our sin to him and our need for Jesus.

We admit Jesus is our Lord and give Him our allegiance.

Through His blood we are reconciled 100% to God, this is the beginning of wisdom.

Forsake the foolish

Manage the time Do not provide opportunity for idle foolishness Mark out the foolish ones and know their end

2. Eat the Bread of Wisdom and Live

Plan for a steady diet of wise counsel Where can you get godly advice? Rehearse Wisdom until it sticks

3. Go in the way of understand

Be teachable Fear of the Lord and “the way”

4. Being simple isn’t a sin, but unbelief is

Confess sin Acknowledge Jesus is Lord and His reign is near He was exalted to the cross to forgive sins and reconcile you to God

We Don’t Train Everyone

8  Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee:

Rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.

9  Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser:

Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

10  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom:

And the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Confessing, humble, teachable, before the Lord

Solomon admitted his simplicity and found wisdom.

7 And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.

The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), 1 Ki 3:7–15:17.