探尋真智慧（箴1章）

智慧在街市上呼喊、在寬闊處發聲．在熱鬧街頭喊叫、在城門口、在城中發出言語．說：「你們愚昧人喜愛愚昧、褻慢人喜歡褻慢、愚頑人恨惡知識、要到幾時呢。你們當因我的責備回轉．我要將我的靈澆灌你們、將我的話指示你們。我呼喚、你們不肯聽從．我伸手、無人理會。」（箴 1：20-24）

智慧，就是主耶穌基督，祂曾做這樣的比喻，智慧在街市上發聲，耶穌也在街市上招呼祂的羊：

我可用甚麼比這世代呢？好像孩童坐在街市上、招呼同伴、說：「我們向你們吹笛、你們不跳舞；我們向你們舉哀、你們不捶胸。約翰來了、也不喫、也不喝、人就說他是被鬼附着的。人子來了、也喫、也喝、人又說他是貪食好酒的人、是稅吏和罪人的朋友。但智慧之子、總以智慧為是。」〔有古卷作但智慧在行為上就顯為是〕(太 11：16-19)

智慧真理盡在聖經之中，人的生命要豐富，靠的是尋得真智慧。真智慧會帶領人遠離黑暗、走向光明；真智慧會使人走出憂鬱不安、得著喜樂的人生；真智慧會使人願意為真價值等候旨意，不致為眼前所失去的小利益而愕惋。

真智慧，必然以敬畏神為開端，怕神，就已經進入智慧之門。驕傲、自大、自以為是，管你是傳道、抑或是長老執事，都必是無知的人。因為智慧說：「我要將我的靈澆灌你們、將我的話指示你們。」這「靈」，就是神的靈、聖靈，這可以賜人有智慧的靈的，就是天父真神、耶穌基督。所以經上說：

敬畏耶和華、是智慧的開端．認識至聖者、便是聰明。（箴 9：10）

認識神且怕神的人，就進入智慧的開端；因得著聖靈、虛心追求並學習真理的，就是真的聰明。世人經常上誤用「聰明」，認為很會讀書、名校畢業就是聰明。但是智慧是多元的，這些所謂的聰明，常常不知如何待人處事、不懂得看人的臉色、麻煩製造者。聖經說：

你們中間誰是有智慧有見識的呢？他就當在智慧的溫柔上、顯出他的善行來。你們心裏若懷着苦毒的嫉妒和分爭、就不可自誇、也不可說謊話抵擋真道。這樣的智慧、不是從上頭來的、乃是屬地的、屬情慾的、屬鬼魔的。在何處有嫉妒分爭、就在何處有擾亂、和各樣的壞事。惟獨從上頭來的智慧、先是清潔、後是和平、溫良柔順、滿有憐憫、多結善果、沒有偏見、沒有假冒。並且使人和平的、是用和平所栽種的義果。箴言的智慧，看似為人處世的指導原則，使人遵照辦理後更加圓融、通達，事實上有真智慧的人，真的就是被單純、善良的人所喜愛的人。（雅 3：13-18）

真智慧，不會愛批評，也不是咄咄逼人的人，而是「在智慧的溫柔上、顯出他的善行來」才是。驕傲自大、自以為是，看什麼都不順眼、不願意順服教會的共識之道，就是無知。外表的身份、職份，都不能作為一個人有智慧與否的代表。「說謊抵擋真道」是「屬地的、屬情慾的、屬鬼魔的」。所以在智慧人的眼中，無知人的行為總是昭然若揭。

聖靈就是智慧，但是有聖靈的人，為何人表現出無知？這是因為沒有順服聖靈的心，沒有打算讓主耶穌在他心中為王。人要得神的智慧，除了要求得聖靈之外，還要被聖靈充滿。聖靈充滿的條件，就是「捨己」、「無我」，把我的全新，我大腦的指揮權完全交出，由聖靈來全權做主。就像主耶穌在客西馬尼園中的祈禱：

他就稍往前走、俯伏在地、禱告說：「我父阿、倘若可行、求你叫這杯離開我．然而不要照我的意思、只要照你的意思。」（太 26：39）

耶穌禱告詞中的「我父阿、倘若可行、求你叫這杯離開我」是祂肉體中的我的乎求，因為這是確實的心理感受，按肉體而言，要這樣被凌虐而死，能不要當然就不要：「然而不要照我的意思、只要照你的意思」，這句話是將主權完全交給神，也就是聖靈的關鍵點。照神的意思，就是死。我不想死，但是我不堅持己見，願神的旨意成全，就進入了真智慧。這是耶穌基督的禱告詞，所要我們學習的真正精神：我真的不想、但我順服。

感嘆今天連神的工人當中，也是有許多無知之人，卻濫用職權、興風作浪。雖然不免難過，但是一想到主耶穌必得勝，於是收拾起傷心的心，並自我提醒，要時時探尋真智慧，在神面前做對的事。

智慧已在街市上呼喊，追求智慧的你，聽見了嗎？

By Isaiah Kao

Seeking True Wisdom (Proverbs 1) 

 

Wisdom calls out in the street;

She raises her voice in the public squares.

At the head of the noisy streets she cries out;

At the entrance of the gates in the city she speaks her words:

“How long, you naive ones, will you love being simple-minded?

And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing,

And fools hate knowledge?

Turn to my rebuke,

Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you;

I will make my words known to you.

Because I called and you refused,

I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention.”

(Proverbs 1:20–24, NASB 2020)

Wisdom is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

He once spoke a parable like this: wisdom raises her voice in the marketplace, and Jesus also called out to His sheep in the marketplace:

“To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces, who call out to the other children, and say,

‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;

We sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

And yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

(Matthew 11:16–19, NASB 2020)

All true wisdom and truth are found in the Holy Bible. For a human life to be rich and full, it depends on finding true wisdom.

True wisdom leads people away from darkness and into light.

True wisdom brings people out of depression and restlessness and into a life of joy;

True wisdom enables people to wait for God’s will for what truly matters, so they are not filled with regret over the loss of small, short-term gains.

True wisdom must begin with the fear of God.

To fear God is already to step through the door of wisdom.

Pride, arrogance, and self-righteousness, no matter whether one is a preacher or an elder or a deaconare all marks of ignorance. For wisdom says, “I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.” This “spirit” is the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit.

The One who grants people the Spirit of wisdom is God the Father Himself, and Jesus Christ.

Therefore Scripture says:

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,

And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

(Proverbs 9:10, NASB 2020)

Those who know God and fear Him enter the beginning of wisdom.

Those who receive the Holy Spirit, humbly pursue and learn the truth, are the ones who are truly understanding.

The world often misuses the word “understanding,” assuming that being good at studying or graduating from prestigious schools equals understanding.

Yet wisdom is multifaceted.

Such so-called understanding often does not know how to treat others, does not know how to read situations, and instead becomes a source of trouble.

Scripture says:

“Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.

This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.

For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, free of hypocrisy.And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” The wisdom of Proverbs may appear to be guidance for daily conduct, helping people become more smooth and capable in handling matters.

But in reality, those who possess true wisdom are people who are genuinely loved by the simple and the good-hearted.

(James 3:13-18 NASB2020)

True wisdom does not delight in criticism, nor is it aggressive and overbearing.

Rather, it is to “show by good behavior deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.” Pride, arrogance, self-righteousness, seeing fault in everything, and refusing to submit to the church’s doctrinal consensus, these are signs of ignorance. External status and official roles can never represent whether a person truly has wisdom. “To lie against the truth” is wisdom that is “earthly, natural, demonic.”

Therefore, in the eyes of the wise, the actions of the foolish are always plainly exposed.

The Holy Spirit is wisdom itself.

But why do some who have the Holy Spirit still display ignorance? It is because they lack a heart of submission to the Holy Spirit and have no intention of allowing the Lord Jesus to reign as King in their hearts.

To gain God’s wisdom, one must not only seek the Holy Spirit, but also be filled with the Holy Spirit. The condition for being filled with the Holy Spirit is self-denial and self-emptying—handing over the authority of the “self,” even the command center of one’s own mind, entirely to the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to rule completely.

This is like the prayer of the Lord Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane:

“And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying,

‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.’”

(Matthew 26:39, NASB 2020)

In Jesus’ prayer, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me” expresses the cry of His human flesh, this was a real and genuine inner struggle.

According to the flesh, facing such suffering and death, it is natural to hope it could be avoided.

Yet, “yet not as I will, but as You will” is the complete surrender of authority to God, this is the crucial point of the Holy Spirit’s work.To follow God’s will meant death.

“I do not want to die, but I do not insist on my own will. I am willing for God’s will to be fulfilled.”

This is entering true wisdom. This prayer of Jesus Christ reveals the true spirit we are meant to learn:

I truly do not want to, but I submit.

It is lamentable that even among God’s workers today, there are many who are ignorant, abusing authority and stirring up turmoil.

Though this inevitably brings sorrow, when I remember that the Lord Jesus will surely triumph, I gather my wounded heart and remind myself again,

I must continually seek true wisdom and do what is right before God.

Wisdom has already called out in the streets.

You who seek wisdom, have you heard her voice?