沒有異象、民就放肆（箴29章）

沒有異象、〔或作默示〕民就放肆．惟遵守律法的、便為有福。只用言語、僕人不肯受管教、他雖然明白、也不留意。（箴 29：18-19）

這些年因為在總會的職務關係，接觸到許多關於神的工人變質的事件。一開始想不通：為何這些曾經是真理可以朗朗上口的傳道人、長執，後來怎麼會如此糊塗地發表完全不合真理、甚至可笑的見解？如果是一般對真理不求甚解的信徒就算了，這些偏離真道的，竟是神曾經的工人！後來能讓我明白會有這樣結果的答案，就是這段經文。

的確！人在沒有聖靈引導下，真的無法明白聖經真理的全貌，否則其他基督教派神學博士一堆，懂原文的人更是不在少數，為何仍然無法明白安息日、洗禮等各項真理？既然懂原文，卻仍舊硬心不願意遵照聖經真理而行？

這裡的「異象」或作「默示」，就是得到神的靈的感動、甚至指教之意。因為沒有聖靈，就沒有默示。

但保惠師、就是父因我的名所要差來的聖靈、他要將一切的事、指教你們、並且要叫你們想起我對你們所說的一切話。（約 14：26）

當人被神棄絕時，神的靈將不再同在，他們將經歷「沒有異象」的人生。對於聖經真理，即使曾經因神同在，飽得聖靈的感動明白真理的奧秘，這時，他們也將瞬間失去智慧、以致於無法理解。他們將不能像我們這些願意順服聖靈的人，可以在讀聖經時，經文就像是會發光一樣，讓我們這些原本平凡的人，竟能被聖靈感動、落淚，並從腹中有流出活水江河般的真理，且永無止盡。一旦人驕傲自大、違背神的命令、不願悔改時，神就不再同在，祂在他們身上的默示也不再出現。正如撒母耳時代，神跟祭司以利多次警告，他卻不在意，結果就是神的話語稀少、與他疏遠：

童子撒母耳在以利面前事奉耶和華。當那些日子、耶和華的言語稀少、不常有默示。（撒上 3：1)

當神離棄祂的工人時，這位神曾經的工人，就沒辦法與天上的國度天天連線，成了與神斷訊、又聾又瞎的人，他們將以瞎子摸象的態度詮釋聖經真理，硬說出連普通真信徒都知道不可犯的可笑論點。或是他們明明看懂原文，卻不在意、「也不留意」。

「只用言語」就像今天只專注在聖經文本、研究原文的人，若不用謙卑的心、專心依靠聖靈，將沒有辦法藉著神的異象與默示認清真理，這時「僕人不肯受管教、他雖然明白、也不留意」的狀況，就必然發生。

神喜歡自卑的人，也就是自己謙卑的人。人一旦驕傲了，將失去神的異象、失去聖靈的默示，雖逞強要強解聖經，好似原文很懂，卻不能得到感動，行為也不會為主改變到正確的方向。

應該要像以馬忤斯的經歷一樣，「讓耶穌同行」，親自解說，得到火熱而喜悅的心，並起身回轉，從遠離、到轉回耶路撒冷，走向正途，與主的門徒聚集在一起，一同等候五旬節聖靈的降臨。

他們彼此說：「在路上、祂和我們說話、給我們講解聖經的時候、我們的心豈不是火熱的麼？」他們就立時起身、回耶路撒冷去、正遇見十一個使徒、和他們的同人、聚集在一處．說：「主果然復活、已經現給西門看了。」（路 24：32-34）

By Isaiah Kao

Where There Is No Vision, the People Are Unrestrained (Proverbs 29)

Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained;

But happy is one who keeps the Law.

A slave will not be instructed by words alone;

For though he understands, there will be no response. (Proverbs 29:18–19, NASB 2020)

In recent years, because of my role in the general assembly, I have come across many cases of God’s workers becoming corrupted. At first, I could not understand: why would these Preachers and ministers, who once spoke the truth fluently, later become so confused and express views that are completely contrary to the truth, even laughable?

It would be one thing if they were ordinary brothers and sisters who did not seek to understand the truth deeply—but these who have gone astray were once God’s workers! Later, the answer that helped me understand this outcome was this passage.

Indeed! Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, a person truly cannot understand the full picture of biblical truth. Otherwise, why is it that many theological scholars and those who know the original languages still fail to understand truths such as the Sabbath and baptism? Even though they understand the original text, why do they still harden their hearts and refuse to follow biblical truth?

Here, “vision” or “revelation” means receiving the inspiration and instruction of God’s Spirit. For without the Holy Spirit, there is no revelation.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you. (John 14:26, NASB 2020)

When a person is rejected by God, His Spirit is no longer with them, and they will experience a life “without vision.”

Regarding biblical truth, even if they once understood its mysteries through the Holy Spirit, they will suddenly lose wisdom and become unable to understand.They will no longer be like those who are willing to obey the Holy Spirit, when we read the Bible, the words seem to shine,

so that even ordinary people like us are moved by the Holy Spirit, even to tears,

and from within us flow rivers of living water, truth that never runs dry. Once a person becomes proud, disobeys God’s commands, and refuses to repent, God will no longer be with them, and His revelation will no longer appear in them. Just as in the time of Samuel, God warned Eli the priest many times, but he did not take it seriously; the result was that God’s word became rare and distant from him:

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days; visions were infrequent. (1 Samuel 3:1, NASB 2020)

When God departs from His worker, that former worker can no longer stay connected daily with the heavenly kingdom, and becomes like one cut off from God—deaf and blind.

They interpret biblical truth like blind men feeling an elephant, insisting on arguments that even ordinary brothers and sisters know are wrong. Or they clearly understand the original text, yet “pay no attention.”

“By words alone” is like those today who focus only on the text and study the original languages,

but without a humble heart and full reliance on the Holy Spirit, they cannot recognize the truth through God’s vision and revelation. At that point, “a slave will not be instructed… though he understands, there will be no response” will inevitably happen.

God delights in the humble, those who humble themselves.

Once a person becomes proud, they lose God’s vision and the Holy Spirit’s revelation.Though they force their own interpretations and seem to know the original text well, they receive no true conviction, and their lives do not change in the right direction for the Lord.

We should be like the experience on the road to Emmaus“let Jesus walk with us,” explaining personally, giving us burning and joyful hearts, and rise to return, from going away to turning back to Jerusalem, walking on the right path, gathering with the Lord’s disciples,

and together waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

They said to one another, “Were our hearts not burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?”

And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them, saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon.” (Luke 24:32–34, NASB 2020)