【双语灵修】循正当途径赚取粮食 Get Bread The Honest Way

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“看人的情面，乃为不好；人因一块饼枉法，也为不好。” - 箴 28:21

有人曾说，神赐诗篇给我们，好叫我们懂得怎样与衪交谈；神赐箴言给我们，好叫我们懂得怎样彼此交谈。箴言28章和在它前后的几章圣经，让我们看到人际关系是何等脆弱和复杂。

与人交谈时懂得说合宜的话，往往很困难，有时我们真的会说错话：可能为了错的原因说错话，甚至可能为了错的原因说合宜的话。箴言 28:21指出，看人的情面是不好的 － 而出于错误动机的正当行为也是不好的。对人说他喜欢听的话，为了要避免争执或希望谋取利益 － 纵使是为了得到像食物这些基本需要 － 也属于欺诈和败坏的行为。

这段经文回应了箴言 20:17另一段类似的经文：“以虚谎而得的食物，人觉甘甜，但后来他的口必充满尘沙。”说一些我们以为另一个人喜欢听到的话，通常都不能取悦人，最后甚至会伤害每一个牵涉在其中的人。耶稣教导我们：“心里所充满的，口里就说出来”（路加福音 6:45）。我们若满足于唯有耶稣才能赐下的生命的粮，我们便会实实在在说真话的了。

祷告

主啊，求你以你的话语教导我们，好叫我们只说造就人的实话。又帮助我们不会单单为了取悦人而说假话或作虚伪的事。阿们。

箴言 28章

1恶人虽无人追赶也逃跑，义人却胆壮像狮子。
2邦国因有罪过，君王就多更换。因有聪明、知识的人，国必长存。
3穷人欺压贫民，好像暴雨冲没粮食。
4违弃律法的夸奖恶人，遵守律法的却与恶人相争。
5坏人不明白公义，唯有寻求耶和华的无不明白。
6行为纯正的穷乏人，胜过行事乖僻的富足人。
7谨守律法的是智慧之子，与贪食人做伴的却羞辱其父。
8人以厚利加增财物，是给那怜悯穷人者积蓄的。
9转耳不听律法的，他的祈祷也为可憎。
10诱惑正直人行恶道的，必掉在自己的坑里；唯有完全人，必承受福分。
11富足人自以为有智慧，但聪明的贫穷人能将他查透。
12义人得志，有大荣耀；恶人兴起，人就躲藏。
13遮掩自己罪过的必不亨通，承认、离弃罪过的必蒙怜恤。
14常存敬畏的便为有福，心存刚硬的必陷在祸患里。
15暴虐的君王辖制贫民，好像吼叫的狮子、觅食的熊。
16无知的君多行暴虐，以贪财为可恨的必年长日久。
17背负流人血之罪的必往坑里奔跑，谁也不可拦阻他。
18行动正直的必蒙拯救，行事弯曲的立时跌倒。
19耕种自己田地的必得饱食，追随虚浮的足受穷乏。
20诚实人必多得福，想要急速发财的不免受罚。
21看人的情面乃为不好，人因一块饼枉法也为不好。
22人有恶眼想要急速发财，却不知穷乏必临到他身。
23责备人的后来蒙人喜悦，多于那用舌头谄媚人的。
24偷窃父母的说“这不是罪”，此人就是与强盗同类。
25心中贪婪的挑起争端，倚靠耶和华的必得丰裕。
26心中自是的便是愚昧人，凭智慧行事的必蒙拯救。
27赒济贫穷的不致缺乏，佯为不见的必多受咒诅。
28恶人兴起，人就躲藏；恶人败亡，义人增多。

Get Bread The Honest Way

"To show partiality is not good, yet a person will do wrong for a piece of bread." - Proverbs 28:21

It has been said that the Psalms were given to us so that we could know how to speak to God, and that the Proverbs were given so that we'd know how to speak to each other. Proverbs 28, as well as the chapters around it, reveal how delicate and complex human relationships are.

It's often a challenge to know what to say to each other, and sometimes we get it really wrong: saying wrong things for the wrong reasons, and even saying right things for the wrong reasons. The proverb in verse 21 points out that it's not good to play favorites—and it's also not good to act with false motives. To say what someone else wants to hear just to keep the peace or to gain a reward—even for a basic thing like bread—can be deceitful and corrupt.

This echoes a similar message found in Proverbs 20:17 (NRSV): "Bread gained by deceit is sweet, but afterward the mouth will be full of gravel." Saying what we think another person will want to hear usually doesn't bring satisfaction, and it can eventually hurt everyone involved. Jesus teaches that "the mouth speaks what the heart is full of" (Luke 6:45). If we are satisfied by the bread of life that only Jesus can give, we will speak truth.

Prayer

Lord, speak to us so that we may speak truth, and help us to resist speaking falsely or doing wrong just to please others. Amen.