WISDOM VERSUS IGNORANCE
Sirach 32:14-17 (not in Protestant Bible)
The man who fears the Lord will receive instruction,
And those who rise early will find His approval.
He who seeks the Law will be filled with it,
But the hypocrite will be made to stumble by it.
Those who fear the Lord will discover judgment,
And like the light they will kindle righteous deeds.
A sinful man will turn aside correction
And find a rationalization according to his will.
Personal Challenge
As followers of Christ we choose to follow the call to fear our Lord. The English language does not do justice to this word, “fear”. We are not afraid of Him, cowering as if He will squish us like a bug. By fear we mean give him awe and respect for who he is and how much he loves us and cares for us. This passage uses this phrase to give us guidance on how to live in respect to that awe. If you are not a follower of Christ you can still live in awe and respect of something greater than yourself. It could be the greater good of humankind and those we call our neighbor. Use your imagination. Bottomline though, if we give awe and respect to something or someone greater than ourselves, then we will receive instruction and discover judgment. We will rise early and find approval. We will see the law, which is righteous judgment, and be filled with it. And like the light, we will kindle righteous deeds. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner?
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