(箴言 18:11)
“富足人的財物，是他的堅城，在他心想，猶如高牆。”
在古代，鄉村與城市的區別主要就在於城牆。城市具備防禦結構，有厚實的城牆保護，讓人無法隨意攻擊，住在裡面的人自然會有一種安全感。而對於富有的人來說，什麼是他們穩固的堡壘呢？就是財富。他們覺得錢財就是最堅固的保障，讓自己感到無比安全，就像住在防禦力極強的城池裡一樣，什麼都不怕。
但這節經文當中最關鍵的信息在於心想這兩個字。在希伯來文的原意中，這帶有一種想像、幻想，甚至是虛幻的意思。這是有錢人自己以為財富能成為他唯一或最大的安全感，他心裡幻想著這些錢財就像高牆一樣。在聖經中，高牆往往是用來形容上帝的保護，但這個富有的人卻認為自己擁有的金錢和力量，已經高過上帝的保護，覺得只要有錢就夠了，不需要上帝。
然而，這一切其實都只是他的想像，事實往往完全相反。金錢根本無法真正保護一個人。無論多有錢的人，都沒辦法透過財富得到真正的平安與喜樂，因為這種心靈的平安唯有上帝才能賜予。聖經看這種財富價值觀為一種愚昧。
回看我們今天的生活，我們是否也常覺得錢賺得不夠、存得不夠，就沒有安全感？現在大家不用存摺了，只需打開手機應用程式，看著銀行戶口裡的數字，希望後面的零越多越好。但這種安全感是真的嗎？希望大家能學會仰望上帝的保護，追求上帝賜予的平安，這才是正確的路。不要以為我們擁有的財富就能保護自己，唯有主才是我們的供應者。
(Proverbs 18:11)
“The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit.”
In ancient times, the primary distinction between a village and a city lay in the city walls. A city possessed defensive structures with thick walls for protection, preventing random attacks and naturally giving those living inside a sense of security. For the wealthy, what serves as their stable fortress? It is their wealth. They feel that money is the sturdiest guarantee, making them feel incredibly secure, as if they are living in a city with impenetrable defenses where they have nothing to fear.
However, the most crucial message in this verse lies in the words own conceit. In the original Hebrew, this carries a connotation of imagination, fantasy, or even illusion. It refers to how a rich person mistakenly believes wealth can be their sole or greatest source of security; in their mind, they imagine these riches to be like a high wall. In the Bible, high walls are often used to describe God’s protection, but this wealthy individual believes the money and power they possess are already superior to God’s protection, feeling that as long as they have money, it is enough and they have no need for God.
Yet, all of this is actually just their imagination, and the reality is often quite the opposite. Money simply cannot truly protect a person. No matter how rich someone is, they cannot obtain true peace and joy through wealth, because such inner peace can only be granted by God. The Bible views this wealth-centered value system as a form of folly.
Looking back at our lives today, do we also often feel a lack of security because we think we haven’t earned enough or saved enough? Nowadays, people no longer use passbooks; they simply open a mobile app, look at the numbers in their bank account, and hope for as many zeros as possible at the end. But is this security real? I hope everyone can learn to look toward God’s protection and pursue the peace that He provides, for this is the right path. Do not assume that the wealth we possess can protect us; only the Lord is our provider.
