(箴言 21:4)
“惡人發達，眼高心傲，這乃是罪．”
難道神認為人發達或者富有就是一種罪嗎？首先，經文裡翻譯為發達的那個詞，在希伯來原文中其實是燈的意思。在當時的文化背景下，燈不單指物質上的富足，更代表著一個人在社會上享有地位、名譽和財富，並且擁有極大的影響力，能起到引領的作用。所以，這並非單純指有錢那麼簡單，而是一種全方位的興盛。
然而，經文的重點在於後半句的眼高心傲。在希伯來原文中，眼高代表著一個人目中無人，甚至目中無神，表現出極度的驕傲；而心傲的原文意思雖然有寬闊的意思，但這裡指的並非心胸廣闊，而是形容一個人的野心極大、自我膨脹。因此，這裡所指的罪，並不是因為那個人處於發達富足的狀態，而是因為他內心深處的驕傲與野心。神並非判定富有本身是罪，神看重的是心態，祂所厭惡的是那種想要追求更多、永不滿足的狂傲與私慾。
這段經文給予我們很大的屬靈教訓，提醒我們在日常生活中可以努力工作，也可以享受美好的生活，但最重要、最關鍵的是千萬不能驕傲，更不能存有野心。我們應當在神面前常常保持謙卑，明白自己所擁有的一切全都是神所賜予的恩典。
(Proverbs 21:4)
“An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.”
Does God really consider becoming prosperous or wealthy to be a sin? First of all, the word translated as prosperous in the scripture actually means lamp in the original Hebrew. In the cultural background of that time, a lamp did not only signify material abundance, but also represented a person enjoying status, reputation, and wealth in society, possessing immense influence and playing a guiding role. Therefore, this is not as simple as merely being rich, but rather a comprehensive prosperity.
However, the focus of the scripture lies in the latter half of the verse, an high look and a proud heart. In the original Hebrew, an high look represents a person who looks down on others, and even looks down on God, exhibiting extreme pride; while the original meaning of a proud heart, though carrying a connotation of width, does not refer to broad-mindedness here, but instead describes a person with immense ambition and self-inflation. Therefore, the sin mentioned here is not because that person is in a state of prosperity and wealth, but because of the pride and ambition deep within his heart. God is not judging wealth itself as a sin; what He cares about is the mindset, and what He detests is that kind of arrogance and selfish desire that constantly seeks more and is never satisfied.
This passage of scripture gives us a great spiritual lesson, reminding us that we can work hard in our daily lives and we can also enjoy a good life, but the most important and critical thing is that we must never be proud, let alone have ambition. We should always maintain humility before God, understanding that everything we possess is entirely a grace bestowed by God.
