箴言26章

        箴言26:1 , 箴言26:2 , 箴言26:3 , 箴言26:4-12 , 箴言26:13-16 ,

        箴言26:17 ,  箴言26:18-19, 箴言26:20-22 ,  箴言26:23-28 ,

箴言26:1

夏天落雪，收割時下雨，都不相宜；愚昧人得尊榮也是如此。

Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
    honor is not fitting for a fool.

***********

    愚昧人在《箴言》是指不敬畏耶和華的人，因為這是相對於智慧人而言。智慧人之所以稱之為智慧人，是因為這些人是敬畏耶和華，並且是遠離惡事，也因為這樣，智慧人是配得尊榮。

    然而不敬畏耶和華的愚昧人，常常讓自己沉溺於罪中之樂，還自以為是、自以為義，追求虛浮的榮耀，不會將榮耀歸給上帝，常常將榮耀歸給自己。所以，他們是不配得著榮耀！

    因此《箴言》在這裡說到愚昧人得尊榮，就像「夏天落雪，收割時下雨」，是非常得不適當！

    求主保守，讓我們真正成為敬畏上帝的智慧人，會遠離惡事，並且會將榮耀歸給上帝！

創世記40章

                   創世記40: 1-23    ,

創世記40: 1-23

40:1 這事以後，埃及王的酒政和膳長得罪了他們的主─埃及王，
40:2 法老就惱怒酒政和膳長這二臣，
40:3 把他們下在護衛長府內的監裡，就是約瑟被囚的地方。
40:4 護衛長把他們交給約瑟，約瑟便伺候他們；他們有些日子在監裡。
40:5 被囚在監之埃及王的酒政和膳長二人同夜各做一夢，各夢都有講解。
40:6 到了早晨，約瑟進到他們那裡，見他們有愁悶的樣子。
40:7 他便問法老的二臣，就是與他同囚在他主人府裡的，說：「你們今日為甚麼面帶愁容呢？」
40:8 他們對他說：「我們各人做了一夢，沒有人能解。」約瑟說：「解夢不是出於上帝嗎？請你們將夢告訴我。」
40:9 酒政便將他的夢告訴約瑟說：「我夢見在我面前有一棵葡萄樹，
40:10 樹上有三根枝子，好像發了芽，開了花，上頭的葡萄都成熟了。
40:11 法老的杯在我手中，我就拿葡萄擠在法老的杯裡，將杯遞在他手中。」
40:12 約瑟對他說：「你所做的夢是這樣解：三根枝子就是三天；
40:13 三天之內，法老必提你出監，叫你官復原職，你仍要遞杯在法老的手中，和先前作他的酒政一樣。
40:14 但你得好處的時候，求你記念我，施恩與我，在法老面前提說我，救我出這監牢。
40:15 我實在是從希伯來人之地被拐來的；我在這裡也沒有做過甚麼，叫他們把我下在監裡。」
40:16 膳長見夢解得好，就對約瑟說：「我在夢中見我頭上頂著三筐白餅；
40:17 極上的筐子裡有為法老烤的各樣食物，有飛鳥來吃我頭上筐子裡的食物。」
40:18 約瑟說：「你的夢是這樣解：三個筐子就是三天；
40:19 三天之內，法老必斬斷你的頭，把你掛在木頭上，必有飛鳥來吃你身上的肉。」
40:20 到了第三天，是法老的生日，他為眾臣僕設擺筵席，把酒政和膳長提出監來，
40:21 使酒政官復原職，他仍舊遞杯在法老手中；
40:22 但把膳長掛起來，正如約瑟向他們所解的話。
40:23 酒政卻不記念約瑟，竟忘了他。

Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. ² Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, ³ and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. ⁴ The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them.

After they had been in custody for some time, ⁵ each of the two men—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.
⁶ When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. ⁷ So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?”
⁸ “We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.”
Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
⁹ So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, ¹⁰ and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. ¹¹ Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.”
¹² “This is what it means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days. ¹³ Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. ¹⁴ But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. ¹⁵ I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”
¹⁶ When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread.^{[a] 17} In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”
¹⁸ “This is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days. ¹⁹ Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat away your flesh.”
²⁰ Now the third day was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: ²¹ He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand— ²² but he impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.
²³ The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.

************

    約瑟在監獄裡，有機會接觸到一些落難的權貴，就像在這裡遇見酒政和膳長。雖然不是什麼大官，卻是和法老王十分親近的人，是極有可能讓約瑟脫離牢獄的生活。但是我們看到，事實並非如此！

    約瑟分別為他們解夢，也述說夢境所要啟示出來的將來之情形為何，雖然會讓人覺得這不過是巧和罷了！但是，後來事情的發展真的如他所述說。而在解夢之後，對酒政說：「但你得好處的時候，求你記念我，施恩與我，在法老面前提說我，救我出這監牢。」

    然而酒政很順利出去監獄之後，並沒有可憐約瑟，在法老面前求情。正如聖經所描述：「酒政卻不記念約瑟，竟忘了他！」這也告訴我們，人實在是不可靠，在落難中稱兄道弟，可是在發達時就忘記的一乾二淨了！

創世記39章

         創世記39: 1-23 , 創世記39:3 ,

創世記39: 1-23

39:1 約瑟被帶下埃及去。有一個埃及人，是法老的內臣─護衛長波提乏，從那些帶下他來的以實瑪利人手下買了他去。
39:2 約瑟住在他主人埃及人的家中，耶和華與他同在，他就百事順利。
39:3 他主人見耶和華與他同在，又見耶和華使他手裡所辦的盡都順利，
39:4 約瑟就在主人眼前蒙恩，伺候他主人，並且主人派他管理家務，把一切所有的都交在他手裡。
39:5 自從主人派約瑟管理家務和他一切所有的，耶和華就因約瑟的緣故賜福與那埃及人的家；凡家裡和田間一切所有的都蒙耶和華賜福。
39:6 波提乏將一切所有的都交在約瑟的手中，除了自己所吃的飯，別的事一概不知。約瑟原來秀雅俊美。
39:7 這事以後，約瑟主人的妻以目送情給約瑟，說：「你與我同寢吧！」
39:8 約瑟不從，對他主人的妻說：「看哪，一切家務，我主人都不知道；他把所有的都交在我手裡。
39:9 在這家裡沒有比我大的；並且他沒有留下一樣不交給我，只留下了你，因為你是他的妻子。我怎能作這大惡，得罪上帝呢？」
39:10 後來她天天和約瑟說，約瑟卻不聽從她，不與她同寢，也不和她在一處。
39:11 有一天，約瑟進屋裡去辦事，家中人沒有一個在那屋裡，
39:12 婦人就拉住他的衣裳，說：「你與我同寢吧！」約瑟把衣裳丟在婦人手裡，跑到外邊去了。
39:13 婦人看見約瑟把衣裳丟在她手裡跑出去了，
39:14 就叫了家裡的人來，對他們說：「你們看！他帶了一個希伯來人進入我們家裡，要戲弄我們。他到我這裡來，要與我同寢，我就大聲喊叫。
39:15 他聽見我放聲喊起來，就把衣裳丟在我這裡，跑到外邊去了。」
39:16 婦人把約瑟的衣裳放在自己那裡，等著他主人回家，
39:17 就對他如此如此說：「你所帶到我們這裡的那希伯來僕人進來要戲弄我，
39:18 我放聲喊起來，他就把衣裳丟在我這裡，跑出去了。」
39:19 約瑟的主人聽見他妻子對他所說的話，說「你的僕人如此如此待我」，他就生氣，
39:20 把約瑟下在監裡，就是王的囚犯被囚的地方。於是約瑟在那裡坐監。
39:21 但耶和華與約瑟同在，向他施恩，使他在司獄的眼前蒙恩。
39:22 司獄就把監裡所有的囚犯都交在約瑟的手下；他們在那裡所辦的事都是經他的手。
39:23 凡在約瑟手下的事，司獄一概不察，因為耶和華與約瑟同在；耶和華使他所做的盡都順利。

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.

² The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. ³ When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, ⁴ Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. ⁵ From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. ⁶ So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.
Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, ⁷ and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”
⁸ But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. ⁹ No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” ¹⁰ And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.
¹¹ One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. ¹² She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.
¹³ When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, ¹⁴ she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. ¹⁵ When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
¹⁶ She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. ¹⁷ Then she told him this story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. ¹⁸ But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
¹⁹ When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. ²⁰ Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.
But while Joseph was there in the prison, ²¹ the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. ²² So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. ²³ The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

************

    約瑟被賣到埃及，上帝仍然與他同在，使他不論在什麼景況，都被人所重用與喜愛。雖然被陷害，上帝卻不離棄他。

    我們的人生的確有許多的不順遂、不如意！甚至讓我們感受到，家人和環境週遭的人對我們很大的傷害，以致失去活下去的勇氣。然而，在這樣的狀況，從基督來的盼望，是我們生活下去的重要支持！

    人常常要用自己的努力和想法來尋求人生的出入，然而屬基督得我們，不要忘記，我們是要倚靠基督而活，讓上帝在基督裡永恆的應許，成為我們人生的動力，沒有什麼力量比交託給主更有力量的！

箴言25:28

人不制伏自己的心，好像毀壞的城邑沒有牆垣。

Like a city whose walls are broken through

    is a person who lacks self-control.

***********

    說到「制伏自己的心」，英文是用「self-control」，也就是「節制」，由加拉太書5章22-23節：「聖靈所結的果子，就是仁愛、喜樂、和平、忍耐、恩慈、良善、信實、溫柔、節制。這樣的事沒有律法禁止」，可以知道這是聖靈工作的結果。

    既是來自於聖靈的工作，我們要憑信心領受，相信著基督在十字架上所完成的救贖大功，我們可以藉由禱告祈求，將自己交託給上帝，讓「節制」的能力可以從心底產生，讓我們在每天的生活中可以應用出來！我們的現實環境，是上帝讓我們體會聖靈工作的場域。

    求主保守我們，讓我們以榮耀上帝的心來體會聖靈的工作。你將會發現，上帝的真理聖靈的確是內住我們心中，讓我們感受主耶穌的同在！