箴言23:1-3

23:1 你若與官長坐席，要留意在你面前的是誰。
23:2 你若是貪食的，就當拿刀放在喉嚨上。
23:3 不可貪戀他的美食，因為是哄人的食物。

When you sit to dine with a ruler,
    note well what is before you,
² and put a knife to your throat
    if you are given to gluttony.
³ Do not crave his delicacies,
    for that food is deceptive.

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    世上的統治者對待人的方式通常是「威脅」和「利誘」，通常是利誘先，然後再是威脅。也因此，當我們受到這些人招待時，我們要小心應對，不要為眼前的利誘而忘記背後的威脅。

    我們在許多的狀態下會遇到這樣的事情，不管是工作或是政治場合皆是如此，也因為這樣，我們要小心利誘的事情，不要隨便取別人的好處，要有所分辨，不可以起貪念的心。

    求主保守，讓我們不要受到這些「威脅」和「利誘」來影響我們對上帝的敬畏，失去與上帝同行的心，我們寧可不要世上的權勢和金錢，也不要失去基督！若是有世上的權勢和金錢，要照主的心意來使用，不可以用來害人滿足自己的私慾，因為這樣的是上帝必追討的！

創世記12:10-20

12:10 那地遭遇饑荒。因饑荒甚大，亞伯蘭就下埃及去，要在那裡暫居。
12:11 將近埃及，就對他妻子撒萊說：「我知道你是容貌俊美的婦人。
12:12 埃及人看見你必說：『這是他的妻子』，他們就要殺我，卻叫你存活。
12:13 求你說，你是我的妹子，使我因你得平安，我的命也因你存活。」
12:14 及至亞伯蘭到了埃及，埃及人看見那婦人極其美貌。
12:15 法老的臣宰看見了她，就在法老面前誇獎她。那婦人就被帶進法老的宮去。
12:16 法老因這婦人就厚待亞伯蘭，亞伯蘭得了許多牛、羊、駱駝、公驢、母驢、僕婢。
12:17 耶和華因亞伯蘭妻子撒萊的緣故，降大災與法老和他的全家。
12:18 法老就召了亞伯蘭來，說：「你這向我做的是甚麼事呢？為甚麼沒有告訴我她是你的妻子？
12:19 為甚麼說她是你的妹子，以致我把她取來要作我的妻子？現在你的妻子在這裡，可以帶她走吧。」
12:20 於是法老吩咐人將亞伯蘭和他妻子，並他所有的都送走了。

¹⁰ Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. ¹¹ As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. ¹² When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. ¹³ Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”
¹⁴ When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman. ¹⁵ And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. ¹⁶ He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.
¹⁷ But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. ¹⁸ So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” ²⁰ Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.

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    亞伯蘭真是的！竟然像台語說的：「賣妻做大舅」！他為了自保竟然出賣自己的妻子，讓她的妻子被送入埃及的王宮當法老的嬪妃，還得到許多的財富，還算什麼男人啊！

    你或許會驚訝，上帝為什麼呼召或揀選這樣的人，來做祂救贖大工的起始點呢？為甚麼選這樣一位道德上有瑕疵的人呢？還好上帝的保守，不然這下子亞伯拉罕真的成了千古罪人了！

    但是，我們從亞伯拉罕的受揀選看見，上帝呼召人是沒有條件的！也就是說，上帝揀選人只看見人需要被拯救，因為人本來就是完全敗壞了，在上帝面前是乏善可陳，完全是出於上帝的大愛，不是我們合不合條件或資格！

創世記12章

           創世記12:1-9  ,

           創世記12:1-3 ,

          創世記12:10-20  ,

創世記12:1-9

12:1 耶和華對亞伯蘭說：「你要離開本地、本族、父家，往我所要指示你的地去。
12:2 我必叫你成為大國。我必賜福給你，叫你的名為大；你也要叫別人得福。
12:3 為你祝福的，我必賜福與他；那咒詛你的，我必咒詛他。地上的萬族都要因你得福。」
12:4 亞伯蘭就照著耶和華的吩咐去了；羅得也和他同去。亞伯蘭出哈蘭的時候年七十五歲。
12:5 亞伯蘭將他妻子撒萊和姪兒羅得，連他們在哈蘭所積蓄的財物、所得的人口，都帶往迦南地去。他們就到了迦南地。
12:6 亞伯蘭經過那地，到了示劍地方、摩利橡樹那裡。那時迦南人住在那地。
12:7 耶和華向亞伯蘭顯現，說：「我要把這地賜給你的後裔。」亞伯蘭就在那裡為向他顯現的耶和華築了一座壇。
12:8 從那裡他又遷到伯特利東邊的山，支搭帳棚；西邊是伯特利，東邊是艾。他在那裡又為耶和華築了一座壇，求告耶和華的名。
12:9 後來亞伯蘭又漸漸遷往南地去。

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

² “I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.^[a]
3 I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.”^[b]

⁴ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. ⁵ He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

⁶ Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. ⁷ The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring^[c] I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
⁸ From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.
⁹ Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.

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    亞伯拉罕的原名是亞伯蘭，受到上帝的呼召就離開第二個家鄉哈蘭，這是他父親從吾珥遷過去的，不是他原本的家鄉。因為他的父親有離開吾珥向迦南的規劃，但是實現是因為上帝的呼召，他才舉迦去迦南地。

    然而他到迦南地卻成了異鄉人，更是流浪者，因為他在那裏沒有土地，沒有他的產業，只能東奔西走，只能暫時歇息。但是上帝卻向他顯現，宣告：「我要把這地賜給你的後裔」。因此，以色列人相信迦南地是上帝給他們的應許之地。

    然而上帝呼召亞伯拉罕的目地是什麼呢？就是要使地上的萬族因他得福！這得福有得興盛的意思，因為人要靠上帝才會有豐盛的生命。而亞伯蘭的名字有被高舉的意思，也就是說被上帝高舉，這也代表每一位信靠上帝的人，要被上帝高舉得意思。

    然而上帝高舉人，是透過耶穌基督的救贖，所以亞伯蘭是預表基督，是上帝要透過他來建立永遠的救恩，也因為如此在《馬太福音》的基督的家譜是由亞伯拉罕開始，在肉身部分他是耶穌基督的「義父」約瑟的祖先，也就是耶穌基督的祖先，耶穌基督就成了他應許的子孫！

箴言22:29

你看見辦事殷勤的人嗎？他必站在君王面前，必不站在下賤人面前。

Do you see someone skilled in their work?
    They will serve before kings;
    they will not serve before officials of low rank.

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    許多人感嘆懷才不遇，認為自己很有才幹卻不被重用，所以很沮喪、很失望，甚至於自暴自棄，鬱鬱而終的過一生！

    而事實上如果事真的有才能，不要害怕沒有人發現，不要以為沒有伯樂，其實伯樂到處都是，好好的努力或殷勤，總是會有人發現，會被重用的，正如這裡所說的「必站在君王面前，必不站在下賤人面前」！

    就如今日一個弱小教會，要尋求強大的支援者，不管是大教會，或是上一級的中會或總會，都先看看這個弱小教會有沒有從上帝來的異象，有沒有想到將來教會要成長到什麼程度，如此才會獲得支持！

    因此，不要感嘆別人有沒有發現，而要看是不是敢將自己交在上帝手中，讓上帝的大能手來成全，讓生命的光彩展現出來！