THE PURSUIT OF WISDOM (PART 1)

INTRODUCTIONSolomon does not say, "Wait for wisdom." He does not say, "Hope for wisdom." He says, "Get wisdom!" It is an imperative. A command. An urgent exhortation issued with fatherly intensity.1. THE IMPERATIVE: GET IT"Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.” Proverbs 4:5.The verbs are aggressive. "Get" is “qanah” in Hebrew. It means to acquire, to buy, to possess. It is the same word used for purchasing property or obtaining a valuable object. Solomon is saying: treat wisdom like a transaction. Go after it. Pay the price. Make it yours.And notice the double imperative: "Get wisdom! Get understanding!" He does not say it once. He says it twice. Repetition in Hebrew is emphasis. This is not a suggestion whispered in a quiet room. This is a father grabbing his son by the shoulders and saying, "Do you understand how important this is? Get wisdom! Do not miss this!"Then he adds: "Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth." Memory is critical. You cannot live on wisdom you used to have. You need fresh wisdom for fresh challenges. The Israelites were commanded to remember the Lord, to keep His commandments before their eyes, to bind them on their hands and foreheads. Why? Because we are forgetful people. We drift. We wander. We need constant reminders.And "do not turn away." The path of wisdom is narrow. It is easy to turn aside. One compromise leads to another. One small deviation becomes a wide road to destruction. Solomon says: do not turn away. Stay the course.2. THE INCENTIVE: SHE WILL PRESERVE YOU"Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will keep you” Proverbs 4:6.Proverbs personifies Wisdom as a woman throughout. And here, Solomon says that if you do not abandon her, she will protect you. If you love her, she will guard you.Wisdom is not just something you possess. Wisdom is something that possesses you. It is a relationship. When you commit to wisdom – when you give your heart to it – it becomes your guardian. It keeps you from the cliff's edge. It warns you before you step into danger.How many disasters have been averted by wisdom? The foolish young man who did not take the job that would have destroyed his family. The foolish woman who did not enter the relationship that would have ruined her life. The foolish investor who did not make the deal that would have bankrupted him. Wisdom does not always make headlines. Its greatest victories are the disasters it prevents.And notice the conditional nature of the promise: "Do not forsake her ... love her." Wisdom's protection depends on your fidelity. You cannot treat wisdom casually and expect her to guard you. You must be committed. You must be devoted to seeking wisdom.3. THE INTENSITY: LOVE HER"Love her, and she will keep you” Proverbs 4:6.Solomon does not just say respect wisdom. He does not just say obey wisdom. He says love her.What does it mean to love wisdom? It means to delight in her. To find joy in her. To prefer her above other loves. To think about her when you wake up and when you lie down. To choose her even when she is inconvenient. To sacrifice for her. To defend her. To long for her.This is the difference between a legalist and a lover. The legalist keeps the rules because he fears punishment. The lover keeps the rules because he loves the One who gave them. The legalist obeys under duress. The lover obeys with delight.And here is the parallel to the gospel: we love because He first loved us. We can love wisdom because Wisdom loved us first. Christ, the wisdom of God, laid down His life for us. And that sacrifice produces in us a love that transforms duty into delight.4. THE PRIORITY: ABOVE ALL GETTING"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding” Proverbs 4:7.The word "principal" is reshith – the same word used in Proverbs 1:7 for "beginning." But here it means "first in rank," "chief," "primary." Wisdom is not one priority among many. It is the priority that organises all other priorities.And then Solomon adds: "And in all your getting, get understanding."In all your getting. In all your pursuing. In all your striving. In all your accumulating. In all your building. In all your planning. In all your dreaming. Get understanding. Because without understanding, everything you get will eventually become a burden, a trap, or a loss.Our culture says: get money, get power, get pleasure, get recognition. Solomon says: get wisdom. Get understanding. Everything else is secondary.Rev. Cheong Yew KwongFaith Church SingaporePlease visit our website at faithchurch.sg#goodtoread ... See MoreSee Less

寻求智慧 (一)

引言所罗门没有要我们“等候智慧”，也没有说要“盼望智慧”。他说：“要得智慧！”这是命令，是吩咐，是父亲般恳切的劝勉。1. 命令：要得到“要得智慧，要得聪明，不可忘记，也不可偏离我口中的言语。”（箴言 4:5）这些动词的语气十分强烈。希伯来文里的“得”是qanah，意思是取得、买下、得着并拥有。这个词也用来描述购置产业、获取贵重物品。所罗门的意思是：把追求智慧看作一场交易，去追寻它，付上代价，将它归为己有。注意这两个连续的命令：“要得智慧！要得聪明！”他只说了一遍吗？不，他说了两遍。希伯来文里，重复是为了加强语气。这不是在安静的房间里低声提出建议，而是父亲抓住儿子的肩膀对他说：“你知不知道这件事有多重要？要得智慧！千万不要错过它！”然后他补充说：“不可忘记，也不可偏离我口中的言语。”记念是至关重要的。你不能靠着曾经拥有的智慧度日，而是需要新的智慧应对心的挑战。神吩咐以色列人要记念耶和华，将祂的诫命常常摆在眼前、系在手上、戴在额上。为什么？因为我们很健忘。我们容易偏离、容易迷失，我们需要不断被提醒。还有“不可偏离”。智慧的路是窄路，人很容易走偏。一次妥协就会引来更多妥协。一点小小的偏离，最终会指向通往灭亡的大路。所罗门说：不可偏离，持守正路。2. 动力：她必保守你“不可离弃智慧，智慧就护卫你，要爱她，她就保守你。”箴言 4:6箴言全书一直将智慧拟人化为一位女子。所罗门在这里说，你若不离弃她，她就保卫你；你若爱她，她就守护你。智慧不只是你所拥有的东西，智慧也会得着你。这是一种关系。当你专心追求智慧，将心归给她，她就作你的护卫，使你不至坠向悬崖，在你踏入危险之前向你发出警告。有多少灾祸因智慧得以避免？那个愚昧的年轻人没有接下那份会毁掉他家庭的工作；那个愚昧的女人没有进入那段会毁掉她人生的关系；那个愚昧的投资者没有做成那笔会让他破产的交易。智慧不一定每次都能上头条。它最大的胜利在于避免灾祸发生。而且请注意，这个应许是有条件的：“不可离弃她……要爱她。”智慧的保护取决于你是否忠心。你不能对智慧随随便便，还指望她来守护你。你必须委身，必须专心寻求智慧。3. 感情：要爱她“要爱她，她就保守你。”箴言 4:6所罗门不是仅仅让你尊重智慧，也不是说你只要顺服智慧。他说：要爱她。爱智慧是什么意思？就是以她为乐，在她里面找到喜乐，把她置于其他你爱的东西之上。醒来时想着她，躺下时也想着她。即便她会给你带来不便，也仍然选择她。为她付代价，为她辩护，渴慕她。这就是律法主义者和爱慕者的区别。律法主义者守诫命是因为害怕受罚；爱慕者守诫命，是因为爱那位颁布诫命的主。律法主义者在胁迫下顺服，爱慕者却是甘心乐意地顺服。这里与福音相呼应：我们爱，因为神先爱我们。我们能爱智慧，是因为智慧先爱了我们。基督 —— 神的智慧 —— 为我们舍命。祂的牺牲使我们心里生出一种爱，把义务变成了喜悦。4. 次序：超过一切“智慧为首，所以要得智慧，在你一切所得之内必得聪明。”箴言 4:7“为首”的希伯来单词是 reshith，正是箴言1:7中译作“开端”的那个词。但在这里，它的意思是“居首位的、首要的、优先的。”智慧不是众多优先事项中的一个，而是让其他一切优先事项得以成立的那个优先。接着所罗门又说：“在你一切所得之内，必得聪明。”在你一切所得之中，在你一切追求之中，在你一切努力之中，在你一切积累之中，在你一切建造之中，在你一切筹划之中，在你一切梦想之中。你都要得着聪明。因为如果没有聪明，你所得的一切最终都会变成重担、陷阱或损失。我们的文化说：去赚钱，去争权，去享乐，去博得认可。所罗门却说：要得智慧，要得聪明。其他一切都是次要的。张耀光牧师 新加坡信心教会请访问我们的中文播客,faithchurch.sg/牧师手札/#牧师手札 ... See MoreSee Less