A Wise Builder 智慧的建造者
Dexu Xia
The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. Proverbs 14:1
Sojourner Truth, whose birth name was Isabella Baumfree, was born a slave in 1797 in Esopus, New York. Though nearly all her children were sold as slaves, she escaped to freedom in 1826 with one daughter and lived with a family who paid the money for her freedom. Instead of allowing an unjust system to keep her family apart, she took legal action to regain her small son Peter—an amazing feat for an African American woman in that day. Knowing she couldn’t raise her children without God’s help, she became a believer in Christ and later changed her name to Sojourner Truth to show that her life was built on the foundation of God’s truth.
King Solomon, the writer of Proverbs 14, declares, “The wise woman builds her house” (v. 1). In contrast, one without wisdom “tears hers down.” This building metaphor shows the wisdom God provides to those willing to listen. How does one build a house with wisdom? By saying “only what is helpful for building others up” (Ephesians 4:29; see also 1 Thessalonians 5:11). How does one tear down? Proverbs 14 gives the answer: “A fool’s mouth lashes out with pride” (v. 3).
Sojourner had a “secure fortress” (v. 26) in a turbulent time, thanks to the wisdom of God. You may never have to rescue your children from an injustice. But you can build your house on the same foundation Sojourner did—the wisdom of God.
What foundation is your house established upon? How will you build your house this week?
Father, I need Your wisdom to build a lasting legacy for Your glory
智慧妇人，建立家室，愚妄妇人，亲手拆毁。—箴言14章1节
索杰纳 ‧ 特鲁斯（Sojourner Truth）的本名是伊莎贝拉 · 鲍姆弗里。她于1797年出生在纽约州埃索普斯镇一个奴隶家庭。她所生的孩子大部分都被卖为奴隶，但在1826年，她抱着在襁褓之中的女儿投奔自由，跟一个资助她获得自由的家庭同住。她没有让不公的制度使他们一家骨肉离散，而是采取法律行动让小儿子彼得回到身边，这对当时的非裔美国妇女来说，是一项了不起的壮举。她知道若没有上帝的帮助，她绝对无法抚养孩子，因此她成为基督徒。后来她改名为索杰纳‧特鲁斯，意思是追求真理的旅居者，表明她的生命是以上帝的真理为基础。
箴言14章的作者所罗门王告诉我们，“智慧妇人，建立家室”，反之，没有智慧的就“亲手拆毁”(1节)。这个比喻表明上帝让愿意听从的人得着智慧。如何用智慧建立家室呢？就是“随事说造就人的好话”（以弗所书4章29节；另见帖撒罗尼迦前书5章11节）。如何将其拆毁呢？箴言14章给了答案：“愚妄人口中骄傲，如杖责打己身”（3节）。的确，伤人的言语会挑起争端。
因着上帝的智慧，特鲁斯在患难时有了“避难所”（26节）。虽然我们或许不需要解救自己的孩子脱离不公义，但我们可以像特鲁斯一样，以上帝的智慧为根基建立家室。
你是以什么为建立家庭的根基？
这周你要如何以上帝的智慧来坚固你的家庭？
天父，求祢赐下智慧让我建立永久的产业，
荣耀祢的名。