Wisdom of Solomon 1: The Wicked Reject Immortality and Righteousness Alike
16 It was the wicked who with hands and words invited death,
considered it a friend, and pined for it,
and made a covenant with it,
Because they deserve to be allied with it. 2:1 For, not thinking rightly, they said among themselves:“Brief and troubled is our lifetime;
there is no remedy for our dying,
nor is anyone known to have come back from Hades.12 Let us lie in wait for the righteous one, because he is annoying to us;
he opposes our actions,
Reproaches us for transgressions of the law
and charges us with violations of our training.
13 He professes to have knowledge of God
and styles himself a child of the Lord.
14 To us he is the censure of our thoughts;
merely to see him is a hardship for us,
15 Because his life is not like that of others,
and different are his ways.
16 He judges us debased;
he holds aloof from our paths as from things impure.
He calls blest the destiny of the righteous
and boasts that God is his Father.
17 Let us see whether his words be true;
let us find out what will happen to him in the end.
18 For if the righteous one is the son of God, God will help him
and deliver him from the hand of his foes.
19 With violence and torture let us put him to the test
that we may have proof of his gentleness
and try his patience.
20 Let us condemn him to a shameful death;
for according to his own words, God will take care of him.”
21 These were their thoughts, but they erred;
for their wickedness blinded them,
22 And they did not know the hidden counsels of God;
neither did they count on a recompense for holiness
nor discern the innocent souls’ reward.
23 For God formed us to be imperishable;
the image of his own nature he made us.
24 But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world,
and they who are allied with him experience it. (New American Bible, revised edition).
***
Wisdom texts not only offer us words of advice, counsel and--well--wisdom, but also offer warnings to those who don't pay attention to the wisdom of the author. Today's reading warns us of the patterns of thought that develop in the ungodly and lead us away from God and from true Wisdom. We've all seen this, both in others and in ourselves. We are warned to recognize these unhealthy patterns of thought that lead to unhealthy patterns of action. The ungodly worry about how they are perceived by the righteous and their anger is focused outside of themselves. The godly see to their own faults rather than comparing themselves with others.
This could easily be a warning about Facebook or Instagram. We look and see others as better off than us and look with pleasure at their downfall (schadenfreude), rather than seeing the gifts God has given us in our own lives. We root against other people more than we work to better ourselves.
Dear God, help us to seek your wisdom in our lives rather than hoping for the downfall of others. Guide us in ways of love and righteousness among your people. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Wisdom of Solomon 1:16 But the ungodly by their words and deeds summoned death; considering him a friend, they pined away and made a covenant with him, because they are fit to belong to his company.
1 For they reasoned unsoundly, saying to themselves, "Short and sorrowful is our life, and there is no remedy when a life comes to its end, and no one has been known to return from Hades. ...
12 "Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training.
13 He professes to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a child of the Lord.
14 He became to us a reproof of our thoughts;
15 the very sight of him is a burden to us, because his manner of life is unlike that of others, and his ways are strange.
16 We are considered by him as something base, and he avoids our ways as unclean; he calls the last end of the righteous happy, and boasts that God is his father.
17 Let us see if his words are true, and let us test what will happen at the end of his life;
18 for if the righteous man is God's child, he will help him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries.
19 Let us test him with insult and torture, so that we may find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance.
20 Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for, according to what he says, he will be protected."
21 Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray, for their wickedness blinded them,
22 and they did not know the secret purposes of God, nor hoped for the wages of holiness, nor discerned the prize for blameless souls; (New Revised Standard Version).
Wisdom texts not only offer us words of advice, counsel and--well--wisdom, but also offer warnings to those who don't pay attention to the wisdom of the author. Today's reading warns us of the patterns of thought that develop in the ungodly and lead us away from God and from true Wisdom. We've all seen this, both in others and in ourselves. We are warned to recognize these unhealthy patterns of thought that lead to unhealthy patterns of action. The ungodly worry about how they are perceived by the righteous and their anger is focused outside of themselves. The godly see to their own faults rather than comparing themselves with others.
This could easily be a warning about Facebook or Instagram. We look and see others as better off than us and look with pleasure at their downfall (schadenfreude), rather than seeing the gifts God has given us in our own lives. We root against other people more than we work to better ourselves.
Dear God, help us to seek your wisdom in our lives rather than hoping for the downfall of others. Guide us in ways of love and righteousness among your people. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Peter Clark, '16
Pastor, Our Savior Lutheran Church, Aurora, Ill.
NOTE: Wisdom of Solomon is a book contained in the Apocrypha, a collection of books included in some versions of the Bible. This passage is an alternate RCL first reading for September 23, 2018.Wisdom of Solomon 1:16 But the ungodly by their words and deeds summoned death; considering him a friend, they pined away and made a covenant with him, because they are fit to belong to his company.
1 For they reasoned unsoundly, saying to themselves, "Short and sorrowful is our life, and there is no remedy when a life comes to its end, and no one has been known to return from Hades. ...
12 "Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training.
13 He professes to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a child of the Lord.
14 He became to us a reproof of our thoughts;
15 the very sight of him is a burden to us, because his manner of life is unlike that of others, and his ways are strange.
16 We are considered by him as something base, and he avoids our ways as unclean; he calls the last end of the righteous happy, and boasts that God is his father.
17 Let us see if his words are true, and let us test what will happen at the end of his life;
18 for if the righteous man is God's child, he will help him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries.
19 Let us test him with insult and torture, so that we may find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance.
20 Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for, according to what he says, he will be protected."
21 Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray, for their wickedness blinded them,
22 and they did not know the secret purposes of God, nor hoped for the wages of holiness, nor discerned the prize for blameless souls; (New Revised Standard Version).
The Luther Seminary
2481 Como Avenue
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55108, United States
***
No comments:
Post a Comment