箴言23:15-16

23:15 我兒，你心若存智慧，我的心也甚歡喜。
23:16 你的嘴若說正直話，我的心腸也必快樂。

¹⁵ My son, if your heart is wise,
    then my heart will be glad indeed;
¹⁶ my inmost being will rejoice
    when your lips speak what is right.

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    《箴言》作者用長者的口吻說話，提醒年輕人要「心存智慧」、「說正直話」。

    「心存智慧」還是回到內心對上帝有敬畏的心，也就是不願意犯罪來破壞和上帝之間的關係。當然敬畏不是害怕，是出於內心的崇敬，是因為愛慕上帝而來的，這是上帝兒女該有的生命表現。

    「說正直話」的意思，就是說公義的話，而公義的話就是傳揚上帝的拯救。上帝的公義，就是要拯救人脫罪惡來親近上帝！也因此，我們傳福音，向人介紹耶穌基督就是說公義的話！

    願我們都是「心存智慧」、「說正直話」的人，好蒙上帝的喜悅與賜福！也就是，享受上帝的同在。而這樣的人一生的目標就是「榮耀上帝、以上帝為樂」！

創世記18:16-33

18:16 三人就從那裡起行，向所多瑪觀看，亞伯拉罕也與他們同行，要送他們一程。
18:17 耶和華說：「我所要做的事豈可瞞著亞伯拉罕呢？
18:18 亞伯拉罕必要成為強大的國；地上的萬國都必因他得福。
18:19 我眷顧他，為要叫他吩咐他的眾子和他的眷屬遵守我的道，秉公行義，使我所應許亞伯拉罕的話都成就了。」
18:20 耶和華說：「所多瑪和蛾摩拉的罪惡甚重，聲聞於我。
18:21 我現在要下去，察看他們所行的，果然盡像那達到我耳中的聲音一樣嗎？若是不然，我也必知道。」
18:22 二人轉身離開那裡，向所多瑪去；但亞伯拉罕仍舊站在耶和華面前。
18:23 亞伯拉罕近前來，說：「無論善惡，你都要剿滅嗎？
18:24 假若那城裡有五十個義人，你還剿滅那地方嗎？不為城裡這五十個義人饒恕其中的人嗎？
18:25 將義人與惡人同殺，將義人與惡人一樣看待，這斷不是你所行的。審判全地的主豈不行公義嗎？」
18:26 耶和華說：「我若在所多瑪城裡見有五十個義人，我就為他們的緣故饒恕那地方的眾人。」
18:27 亞伯拉罕說：「我雖然是灰塵，還敢對主說話。
18:28 假若這五十個義人短了五個，你就因為短了五個毀滅全城嗎？」他說：「我在那裡若見有四十五個，也不毀滅那城。」
18:29 亞伯拉罕又對他說：「假若在那裡見有四十個怎麼樣呢？」他說：「為這四十個的緣故，我也不做這事。」
18:30 亞伯拉罕說：「求主不要動怒，容我說，假若在那裡見有三十個怎麼樣呢？」他說：「我在那裡若見有三十個，我也不做這事。」
18:31 亞伯拉罕說：「我還敢對主說話，假若在那裡見有二十個怎麼樣呢？」他說：「為這二十個的緣故，我也不毀滅那城。」
18:32 亞伯拉罕說：「求主不要動怒，我再說這一次，假若在那裡見有十個呢？」他說：「為這十個的緣故，我也不毀滅那城。」
18:33 耶和華與亞伯拉罕說完了話就走了；亞伯拉罕也回到自己的地方去了。

¹⁶ When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. ¹⁷ Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? ¹⁸ Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.^{[c] 19} For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”
²⁰ Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous ²¹ that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”
²² The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.^{[d] 23} Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴ What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare^[e] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? ²⁵ Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
²⁶ The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
²⁷ Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, ²⁸ what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”
“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”
²⁹ Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”
He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”
³⁰ Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”
He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
³¹ Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”
He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”
³² Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?”
He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”
³³ When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

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    亞伯拉罕和上帝好到一個程度，可以像討價還價一般，真是令人覺得很特別。其實上帝和我們可以好到這樣的程度，把我們所有需要帶到上帝面前來求，正如保羅所說：「應當一無掛慮，只要凡事藉著禱告、祈求，和感謝，將你們所要的告訴上帝。」（腓立比書4:6）

    當然我們不要忘記耶和華是烈火，正如摩西所說：「因為耶和華─你的上帝乃是烈火，是忌邪的上帝。」（申命記4:24）所以，亞伯拉罕一直對上帝說：「求主不要動怒」。我們對上帝有要有敬畏的心，要如亞伯拉罕說：「我雖然是灰塵，還敢對主說話。」

    故此，我們向上帝禱告的時候，要有敬畏的心，不要忘記祂是大能的主，我們只不過是小小的受造物，不可已侵犯上帝的主權，要以謙卑的心來求告祂，盼望祂施憐憫！

創世記18:9-15

18:9 他們問亞伯拉罕說：「你妻子撒拉在哪裡？」他說：「在帳棚裡。」
18:10 三人中有一位說：「到明年這時候，我必要回到你這裡；你的妻子撒拉必生一個兒子。」撒拉在那人後邊的帳棚門口也聽見了這話。
18:11 亞伯拉罕和撒拉年紀老邁，撒拉的月經已斷絕了。
18:12 撒拉心裡暗笑，說：「我既已衰敗，我主也老邁，豈能有這喜事呢？」
18:13 耶和華對亞伯拉罕說：「撒拉為甚麼暗笑，說：『我既已年老，果真能生養嗎？』
18:14 耶和華豈有難成的事嗎？到了日期，明年這時候，我必回到你這裡，撒拉必生一個兒子。」
18:15 撒拉就害怕，不承認，說：「我沒有笑。」那位說：「不然，你實在笑了。」

⁹ “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.
“There, in the tent,” he said.
¹⁰ Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”
Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. ¹¹ Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. ¹² So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
¹³ Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ ¹⁴ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
¹⁵ Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”
But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”

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    其實這三位天使代表上帝，要向亞伯拉罕宣告：「到明年這時候，我必要回到你這裡；你的妻子撒拉必生一個兒子。」

    或許這件事情一直被藏在亞伯拉罕的心中，沒有向撒拉說，所以撒拉聽到的反應是：「我既已衰敗，我主也老邁，豈能有這喜事呢？」

    但是上帝要向他們顯明自己的全能，就向他們說：「撒拉為甚麼暗笑，說：『我既已年老，果真能生養嗎？』耶和華豈有難成的事嗎？到了日期，明年這時候，我必回到你這裡，撒拉必生一個兒子。」

    許多時候，我們就像撒拉一樣，不敢相信上帝要賜福給我們，一直為眼前和現實的狀況，否定上帝是全能的主！但是，上帝就是這樣奇妙的上帝，他要讓我們經歷神蹟奇事，超乎我們的想像的！讓我們勇敢將自己交託在上帝手中，讓神蹟奇事隨著我們吧！