This book which is part of the Catholic Bible the Greek and Russian Orthodox Bibles and the Apocrypha is pretty special. How many books can you think of that have an introduction in the Bible? Now, not a preamble like there is in John and you can make the case that there is in Revelation and most of the epistles. I'm talking about somebody saying why they wrote the book. If you've studied at a Bible college you will have looked at the purpose for every book you study even when there is an introduction like there in Luke/Acts. That's it. Just Luke/Acts as far as I can remember has this purpose logged by the author. Paul doesn't even like to say why he wrote a letter when he is clearly trying to get two sisters to get along(Philippians).
Ecclesiasticus' purpose is part of a new sermon though too. It is a reminder to not just leave the Bible on the page. It is an encouragement to incarnate the Word of God in your own life. After all Jews before us and now we are a people of the Book. Our faith isn't part of some building that can be razed. Our Holy of Holies had its curtain torn asunder and its people brought into union with our deity. And what God brings together let no man tear asunder.
We need this remonstrance often, don't we? Look at America, with its million dollar churches. What's that? You say my church don't cost no million dollars? First, you church DOESN'T cost a million dollars. Second, you get my drift. Our churches are too fat, too expensive, too concerned with masturbatory use of its facility. But what is it that our guy said about the gates of hell not withstanding US? We do have this problem with leaving the ministry in our buildings and leaving the good news in our hearts. We've been scared quite a while about the term evangelical and its political implications that we forgot to be tellers of the good news.
Eccus 1:1-14
Many and wonderful are the gifts we have been granted by means of the Law and the Prophets and the others that followed them, an education in wisdom on which Israel is to indeed to be complimented. But it is not enough merely for those who read the scriptures to be learned in them; students should also be able to be of use to people outside by what they say and write. So it was that my grandfather Jesus, having devoted himself more and more to reading the Law and the Prophets and the other volumes of the fathers and having gained ability enough in these matters, was brought to the point of himself writing down some of the things that have a bearing on education in wisdom, in order that those studiously inclined and with obligations in these maters might make all the more progress in living according to the law.
So look, the author is Jesus(not that one), but his Grandson is going to publish/translate his grandfather's sayings because he is interested in taking wisdom off of the page and putting it to good use. What use is the Law and the Prophets if you don't obey? (I hate that I even have to make this obligatory statement but...) If you fail in your following does that undo their wisdom? No. It is the demand we make upon ourselves to try to live to a higher standard.
We believe that divorce is wrong even if we do it. We believe that homosexuality is a detriment to the soul and to society but sometimes we are pretty big butt-heads about saying it. We believe that Miley Cyrus is terrible and awful but we don't want her to die; just put clothes on and stop making music and especially being famous for music videos and performances she thinks are edgy but are just tasteless and profane.
Whoa...Too far? Not far enough? We are at the end of the logical progression of the faithful watching family programming that amounts to smut and inviting that into our hearts for decades instead of inviting a holy God into our hearts.
This message makes me feel like an old fuddy-duddy. 'Kids with their awful music. Why in my day...' in my day we had Madonna sharing kisses with Britney on stage. My day wasn't much better and for that matter the day when MASH was the #1 show wasn't all that much better either. The tragedy wasn't necessarily the content of the voice but that the voice was the world's and not the creator of the world.
I guess my question is...Have we been granted many and wonderful gifts by means of the Law and the Prophets or was it enough merely for us who read the scriptures to be learned in them?
Students should also be of some use to people outside by what they say and write and let us be clear DO.
Because wisdom is the opposite of one of Plato's forms. There is this couch-i-ness outside of existence to which all things that are couches can be compared. The form of couch doesn't exist in nature for then all things that weren't it, wouldn't be couches. But wisdom only exists when it is used. There is no axiom that has value in and of itself. One does not simply gain by knowing that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Wisdom's power is that it can/must be used to in fact be wise. The knowledge that my redeemer lives is powerful lived out but not simply sung. It is only poignant in song because it has truth. 'For God so loved the World that he expects you to do all that is within you to heal its wounds is wise. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have ever lasting life," holds no power until you believe or did you think the guy holding the John 3:16 sign was using it as a talisman. One way that you hear this in the New Testament is James saying that faith without works is dead. Another way is Paul expecting his flock to repay him a continuing debt of love. So the question for you is, is your wisdom useful?
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