(箴言 20:6)
“人多述說自己的仁慈．但忠信人誰能遇著呢。”
這句話反映了我們普遍會遇到的一種情況。前半句的意思是，我們在生活周遭常常會見到很多人宣稱自己有多仁慈，希伯來文中的仁慈，指的是一種基於盟約的不離不棄的愛。很多人都很會說，自己做這個做那個、幫了這個幫了那個，甚至自稱是一日行好多善的人。
不過，經文的後半句隨即揭示了殘酷的現實，但忠信人誰能遇著呢。這裡的忠信可以理解為誠實與忠誠，就如同我們在祈禱完結時說阿們一樣，帶有實實在在、堅固可信的意思。這節經文是用了一種帶有慨嘆語氣的反問，指出口頭上說得好聽、表現得很厲害的人到處都是，但真正真心落實去做的忠信之人又有多少呢。
這在現今網絡世界的社交媒體上尤其明顯，我們常看見許多人在網上打卡、分享幫人的照片。但如果不是為了拍照或打卡，在鏡頭背後，人們又真正落實做了多少。這段經文帶給我們兩個反省，第一，我們不應單憑表面看見別人的吹噓、或者網絡上的照片和現象，就輕易判定某個人是常常幫助人的好人，我們不要那麼輕易去相信。第二，我們要反省自己會不會也成為那些只會說的人。口頭上說說很容易，但我們實際上又有沒有做出來。這點我們自己最清楚。所以我們不應只停留在口頭的宣稱，而是要有實際的行動，做一個用行動和忠誠去愛人、幫助人的人。
(Proverbs 20:6)
“Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?”
This statement reflects a situation that we commonly encounter. The meaning of the first half of the verse is that we often see many people around us proclaiming how kind they are. Kindness in Hebrew refers to a type of covenant-based, unfailing love. Many people are very good at saying that they do this or that, or that they have helped this person or that person, even claiming to be someone who does many good deeds every single day.
However, the second half of the verse immediately reveals the harsh reality: but a faithful man who can find? Faithfulness here can be understood as honesty and loyalty, just like when we say Amen at the end of a prayer, carrying the meaning of being real, solid, and trustworthy. This verse uses a rhetorical question with a sighing tone, pointing out that while people who speak eloquently and appear impressive are everywhere, how many faithful people are there who truly put it into practice with a sincere heart?
This is especially obvious on social media in today’s online world, where we often see many people checking in and sharing photos of themselves helping others. But if it were not for taking photos or checking in, how much have people actually done behind the lens? This passage brings us two reflections. First, we should not judge someone as a good person who frequently helps others simply by superficially seeing their boasting or the photos and phenomena on the internet; we should not believe so easily. Second, we need to reflect on whether we ourselves will become one of those who are all talk. It is very easy to just say things, but have we actually carried them out in reality? We know this best ourselves. Therefore, we should not just stop at verbal proclamations, but rather take practical action to be someone who loves and helps others through deeds and loyalty.
