避免自夸

前两天雪城旧友寄给杰明和轻舟以下短文，用以鼓励轻舟度过难关，我们看了很受启发，今夜抽空将故事翻译为中文，并查经，找到《圣经》有关自夸和谦卑的经文，一并与友们分享。

 

避免自夸

 

“哈曼将他富厚的荣耀，众多的儿女，和王抬举他使他超乎首领臣仆之上，都述说给他们听。"-《以斯帖记》5:11

 

1815年6月18日早晨，拿破仑将他的法国军队聚集到滑铁卢的比利时村庄，距离布鲁塞尔南部约9英里。在拿破仑领导之下，他有7万两千多善战的士兵。他的敌人是由英国，荷兰，比利时，普鲁士组成的，约十一万三千联合军队。拿破仑本计划两天前突击，但大暴雨阻止了他的攻击。但即使没能突袭，法国独裁者也对战事胜利而自信。

 

18日破晓，拿破仑自夸他能够将联合军彻底打败。那天早晨的军事日记上，拿破仑称呼威灵顿公爵是“纯粹的印度军指挥”（比如：仅仅适合在印度作战），还自夸他能在午餐前赢得战役。

 

因土地过于泥泞，法国大炮安置被延迟，上午时间拖延着。到了近中午，法国大炮发射。英国此时已经加强战备，为最糟的情形作好准备。整个战役，双方时强时弱，不分胜负。一直处于备用状态的普鲁士士兵，此时冲到战场。到晚上9时，法国经历了历史上最惨痛的大败战。

 

拿破仑的傲慢和自夸是否也同样进入了你的生活？今天在祷告中，坦白承认你自夸的罪，让你的能力和信心都来源于基督耶稣。

 

“恩典挡住自夸的口，将所有的夸耀都一并拒于口外。”-- 查尔斯司布真

 

《圣经》有关自夸与谦卑的经文：

“不要为明日自夸，因为一日要生何事，你尚且不能知道。”- 《箴言》27：1

“他讥诮那好讥诮的人；赐恩给谦卑的人。 ”《箴言》3：34

“骄傲来，羞耻也来；谦逊人却有智慧。”《箴言》11：2

“骄傲在败坏以先，狂心在跌倒之前。心里谦卑与穷乏人来往，强如将掳物与骄傲人同分。”《箴言》16：18-19

“凡自高的，必降为卑；自卑的，必升为高。”-《马太福音》23:12

"但他赐更多的恩典，所以经上说：“　神阻挡骄傲的人，赐恩给谦卑的人。”" - 《雅各书》4:6

 

故事英文原文：

Avoid Boasting

“Haman boasted to them about his vast wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials.” - Esther 5:11

On the morning of June 18, 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte massed his French troops on the fields near the Belgian village of Waterloo, just about 9 miles south of Brussels. Under his command, Napoleon had some 72,000 battle tested men. His enemy was an Allied army of 113,000 British, Dutch, Belgian, and Prussian troops. Napoleon had planned to have a surprise attack the day before, but heavy rainfall delayed his attack. But even without the element of surprise, the French dictator was confident in his victory.

As morning dawned on the 18th, Napoleon boasted he would bring a sound defeat to the Allies. Writing in his journal that morning, Napoleon called the Duke of Wellington 'a mere sepoy general' (i.e. one fit for nothing better than fighting in India), and boasted that he'd win the battle by lunchtime.

As the morning dragged on, the soggy field delayed the positioning of the French cannons. Finally near noon, the French cannons erupted. The British were well fortified by this time and prepared for the worst. Throughout the battle, the tide ebbed and flowed. Then the Prussians, who had remained in reserve, rushed to the battle. By 9 p.m., the French had suffered their worst defeat in history.

Has pride and boasting entered into your life? Today in prayer, confess any sin of boasting and let your strength and confidence be in Jesus Christ.

“Grace puts its hand on the boasting mouth, and shuts it once for all.” - Charles H. Spurgeon

 

God's Word:

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.” - Proverbs 27:1
"He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble." - Proverbs 3:34
"When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." -Proverbs 11:2
"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud." - Proverbs 16:18-19

"For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

-Matthew 23:12
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." -James 4:6