Wisdom of Solomon
More language at the beginning here about the inefficacy of idolatry. An idol being no more helpful than the wooden ship made to carry the sailor.
Great imagery here about the Lord giving us "a path in the sea, and a safe way through the waves." He does have a good plan for our lives if we but trust Him. Out of the noise of the hustle and bustle of commerce, business, greed, and gain, one can hear the calling to a higher life. The day to day grind often drowns it out and we are lost again and so easily distracted to have completely forgotten Him.
The next part focuses on the abomination of idols, the wood, being created by God, were twisted by sinful man. This is true of many things in our world. Our flesh is corruptable. We were given such minds so as to do great things-great things that quickly become small and become "traps for the souls of men and a snare to the feet of the foolish."
Verse 12 doesn't make sense to me. Although I understand and note the power of sexuality throughout the ages, and how fertility is intertwined with it, I'm not sure of this line. Verse 16 then talks about how these things are handed down generation to generation. One might say the same of the Jewish law.
The next verses talk about the power of the visual upon men. One might say the same about Catholic statues. Worshipping the power of the Virgin Mary slab of concrete is more disrespectful to the mother of Jesus than disrespecting the statue.
Verses 23 through 26 comes close to a description of modern times. Reminds me of when I read Jeremiah and mourned for the state of sin I discovered our poor American was in. She has certainly dirtied her undergarments and stained the pure democratic bed she was created in. Can we be rid of the sin? Only through repentance and Jesus' healing.
Our peace: "all is a raging riot of blood and murder, theft and deceit, corruption, faithlessness, tumult, perjury, confusion over what is good, forgetfulness of favors, pollution of souls, sex perversion, disorder in marriage, adultery, and debauchery." And we are happy and satisfied with this? No, we are drunk on the wine of the world! Dear Lord Jesus in Heaven save us!
"For the worship of idols not to be named is the beginning and cause and end of every evil." What are our idols? From there we will see the birth of our evils. Let us destroy them, you and I.
What a great couple of lines: "Because they trust in lifeless idols they swear wicked oaths and expect to suffer no harm. But just penalties will overtake them on two counts: because they thought wickedly of God in devoting themselves to idols, and because in deceit they swore unrighteously through contempt for holiness." We have no idea our idols are idols because we have no learned better. We have fashioned our own holiness in the day of the "Higher Power" - we have not learned to trust or to have faith in the unseen.
Lord, change our hearts. We want to be like you.
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