Wisdom of Solomon
I find myself on a quiet weekend. Lots of things to do - I'm so lucky. Went and spent some time with Amber, downtown, helped her get a prescription, then we bought some lunch for a few people. Always wish more could be done, you know? I was just thinking about that - I suppose I should count myself lucky in being able to say that I've spent my best years helping others.
Hey wow, only one more chapter to go after this one. We should celebrate.
We left off with the Roman occupation, ghosts, and a lesson in philosophy. Let's see what we've got for today.
"Their enemies heard their voices but did not see their forms, and counted them happy for not having suffered, and were thankful that thy holy ones, though previously wronged, were doing them no injury; and they begged their pardon for having been at variance with them."
Interesting conclusion of the occupation - their enemies seem a bit wonderous that only they were afflicted and were surprised at the behavior of their "victors." Imagine that, if all wars ended that way - imagine if the Japanese were like, "Oh, sorry we bombed Pearl Harbor."
"Therefore thou didst provide a flaming pillar of fire as a guide for thy people's unknown journey, and a harmless sun for their glorious wandering. For their enemies deserved to be deprived of light and imprisoned in darkness, those who had kept thy sons imprisoned, through whom the imperishable light of the law was to be given to the world. When they had resolved to kill the babes of thy holy ones, and one child had been exposed and rescued, thou didst in punishment take away a multitude of their children; and thou didst destroy them all together by a mighty flood."
Interesting how this speaker is now suddenly speaking to God. The audience seems to have shifted. I wonder how it sounds to an outsider when you're talking to God. There either seems to be more history here that I'm not familiar with or stuff pulled from random places - imprisonment of Jews, scurge of Hebrew children (we've seen that before a few times!) - is he referring to Moses being rescued? Jesus? Then there's a reference to a flood - The Flood? Or another flood? I'm confused here. What's the point though? That the enemies deserved to be punished, but God had grace for them and even gave them useful gifts - more unmerited grace. And a little throwback to the Lord clothing Adam and Eve on their way out of the Garden.
[6] That night was made known beforehand to our fathers, so that they might rejoice in sure knowledge of the oaths in which they trusted. [7] The deliverance of the righteous and the destruction of their enemies were expected by thy people.
Prophecy is an interesting subject for me. I don't follow others' prophecies blindly, especially when they're self-fulfilling, unless they really feel supernatural. I have a friend who is afraid prophecy is more like the fortune telling he did back when he was into witchcraft. Anyhow, forknowledge of your for sure destruction is another thing. Reminds me my other friend's father is dying - but the doctors haven't come up with a reliable time frame for that either. At least Christians already know the end of the story. The deliverance of the righteous and the destruction of our enemies is on its way - even non-Christians can speak of their own sure descent into hell. Boggles the mind how they don't care or are trying to get validation from you.
[8] For by the same means by which thou didst punish our enemies thou didst call us to thyself and glorify us. [9] For in secret the holy children of good men offered sacrifices, and with one accord agreed to the divine law, that the saints would share alike the same things, both blessings and dangers; and already they were singing the praises of the fathers.
Reminds me of Jesus...by the same way the Lord allowed him to be destroyed and beaten in every way, he used that to call us to himself and glorify us through the blood of Christ. Although I don't know who the "fathers" are. "Fathers of faith..."? The fathers of the "holy children of good men"? The gift of an innocent child...reminds us of the gift of Abraham laying down Isaac, the small children coming to Jesus, and the baby Jesus, later tattered on the cross.
[10] But the discordant cry of their enemies echoed back, and their piteous lament for their children was spread abroad. [11] The slave was punished with the same penalty as the master, and the common man suffered the same loss as the king; [12] and they all together, by the one form of death, had corpses too many to count. For the living were not sufficient even to bury them, since in one instant their most valued children had been destroyed.
If God was able to sacrifice his only child, we must be able to do the same, willingly. Letting go for me isn't an issue - it's getting it in the first place. Perhaps I should take comfort in the "blessed is she who has not borne children." Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. Ah, to love with reckless abandon. I can only love my God like that. And my cat, if he'll let me.
[13] For though they had disbelieved everything because of their magic arts,yet, when their first-born were destroyed, they acknowledged thy people to be God's son.
Woah...there's some kind of grammatical error here. Reminds you of the final plague of pharoah even though this worlds away and generations later. Thy people to be God's son...like...Moses...? Like...the Jews were God's people/children/child - like the church is Christ's bride?
[14] For while gentle silence enveloped all things, and night in its swift course was now half gone, [15] thy all-powerful word leaped from heaven, from the royal throne, into the midst of the land that was doomed, a stern warrior [16] carrying the sharp sword of thy authentic command, and stood and filled all things with death, and touched heaven while standing on the earth. [17] Then at once apparitions in dreadful dreams greatly troubled them, and unexpected fears assailed them; [18] and one here and another there, hurled down half dead, made known why they were dying; [19] for the dreams which disturbed them forewarned them of this, so that they might not perish without knowing why they suffered.
A very powerful and poetic passage but, the WORD leaped from the royal throne of heaven - the authentic command of God - filled things with DEATH!? Ok, now I can see how from an enemy's apocolyptic view one might see things that way, but certainly not a victor of Christ's blood. Interesting how God continue to show us why we suffer and yet we refuse to acknowledge or believe it. Sometimes, however, the knowledge is worse than the suffering, so we persist in the pain of one rather than the other. Like a family member of mine and her father.
[20] The experience of death touched also the righteous, and a plague came upon the multitude in the desert, but the wrath did not long continue. [21] For a blameless man was quick to act as their champion; he brought forward the shield of his ministry, prayer and propitiation by incense; he withstood the anger and put an end to the disaster, showing that he was thy servant.[22] He conquered the wrath not by strength of body, and not by force of arms, but by his word he subdued the punisher, appealing to the oaths and covenants given to our fathers. [23] For when the dead had already fallen on one another in heaps, he intervened and held back the wrath, and cut off its way to the living.
Sounds like someone was daydreaming about the Savior before the Savior came. They did think he would be some great warrior. They almost get it right. The experience of death does continue to touch the righteous. But we have not lost our Champion. He still does all the things in v. 23. Praise Him!
[24] For upon his long robe the whole world was depicted, and the glories of the fathers were engraved on the four rows of stones, and thy majesty on the diadem upon his head. [25] To these the destroyer yielded, these he feared; for merely to test the wrath was enough.
I'm still confused here about the roles being played here. The Word comes and brings death, but there's some kind of Savior/Champion who bows to the "glories fo the fathers"? How Hellenistic! The voice switches here again to speaking to God - "thy majesty". The helmet of truth - the majesty of God covers all who wish to be covered.
Fascinating, and enough for today. Hopefully I'll finish 19 in the next 6 months. *LOL*!
No comments:
Post a Comment