CHAPTER 15
This is a short chapter, but one with a huge, huge
point. He talks about free will, and
his ideas have some pretty serious staying power. He denounces those who claim their misdeeds were the Lord’s
doing. The Lord doesn’t do misdeeds.
People do.
And here comes the important passage: “God in the beginning
created human beings, and made them subject to their own free chose. If you choose, you can keep the
commandments; loyalty is doing the will of God.” You here that – part of the divine plan is free will!
This concept has been implied throughout. Hell, in East of Eden, John Steinbeck
notes that the ancient Hebrew version of the story of Cain and Abel includes
the key word “may” – that we may do right or wrong. The covenants only make sense if there is free will; otherwise
Abraham is just a pawn in God’s game.
But we’ve never seen it directly and baldly stated. Here it is.
Is there where the concept of free will comes from? I imagine some Greek philosophers had noted
it already, in their pursuit of reason.
And Ben Sira was originally written in Greek, so those ideas probably
bled in. But this is an application of
free will into the Jewish religion, and that will leave a lasting impact.
“Do not” tally: two.
We’re up to 92. At this rate,
I’m not entirely sure we’ll get to 100.
It’s just drip-drip-drip, and who knows when the faucet will stop.
CHAPTER 16
Most of this is on how God will punish the sinners. Ben Sira insists that God will show no mercy
or forgiveness on the sinners. Yeah,
stuff like this just reinforces my sense that Ben Sira is more at home with
books than people. We’re all sinners. We all screw up. You can’t be too holier than thou. You must have some understanding. Not here, though.
Ben Sira then doubles down on his lack of familiarity with
the real world and real people as he claims the stuff Job refuted: “Criminals
do not escape with their plunder; the hope of the righteous, God never leaves
unfulfilled. Whoever does good has his
reward; each receives according to their deeds.”
Now, to be fair, you can work with that in Christian
theology – heaven and hell. But the Jews
are typically more earthbound in their thoughts. And while it’s one thing to say things usually work out, Ben Sira
specifically uses the word “never” there, now doesn’t he? And we can all name a few criminals who
escaped with their plunder.
“Do not” tally: three.
So we’re up to 95 now. We just
might make it to 100 yet.
CHAPTER 17
Much of this rehashes the early Bible, noting what God has
done. God’s pretty awesome apparently.
I don’t have much to say about this chapter, but I did like
this part near the end: “Is anything brighter than the sun? Yet it can be eclipsed. How worthless then the thoughts of flesh and
blood.” That’s a nice way of showing
God’s grandeur – and our comparative puniness.
“Do not” tally: none.
We get skunked here and stay at 95 for the book so far.
CHAPTER 18
This just picks up where the last one left out, reveling in
the glory and might and power of God.
Compared to him, “What are mortals? What are they worth?” BAH!
Puny humans!
We’re also told to be prudent and have self-control. Duly noted.
“Do not” tally: we get back on track with three more. That’s 98 for the book so far. At this point, it would be quite the upset
not to get to 100. We’re nowhere near
the pace of the earlier chapters, but Ben Sira still likes to speak in the
negative from time to time.
CHAPTER 19
The man theme here is to avoid gossip. Again, we’re mostly talking in
negatives. The guide on conduct is on
what to not do. I wonder how it would
work if you had someone with a sunnier disposition write this book. There would probably be more talk on loving
your neighbor. You might be told to run
the risk of being screwed over – but always put yourself out there to help your
fellow person. (That would the opposite
of Ben Sira, who counsels us to play things close to the vest, test our
friends, and don’t be too trusting of others).
This chapter has one great line: “Let anything you hear die
with you; never fear, it will not make you burst! Heh. I get a kick of that
second part – and the first part is well put, too.
“Do not” tally: zero.
Though he talks about behavior to avoid, he never uses his favorite
two-word phrase. He does, stick in a
“Never,” though. But the “Do not” tally
is stuck at 98 for now.
CHAPTER 20
This chapter is about the conduct of the wise and foolish,
and it’s the same sort of stuff we’ve heard in psalms, proverbs, and other
books. The foolish are blowhards who
talk too much, take too much credit, and are essentially, well, fools.
Being wise is not just what you do, but why you’re
doing it. How is this for a memorable
line: “Like a eunuch lusting to violate a woman, is the one who does right
under compulsion.” That’s a memorable
analogy!
Interesting end line: “Better are those who hide their folly
than those who hide their wisdom.”
Yeah, but the trick is knowing which is which.
“Do not” tally: zero.
That’s two chapters in a row and three times in the last four chapters.
The old man is losing his touch.
CHAPTER 21
The Bible comes out against home mortgages here: “Those who
build their houses with someone else’s money are like those who collect stones
for their funeral mounds.” Nice line,
actually.
Most of this chapter just contrasts the wise with
fools. He’s pretty damn nasty on
fools. “A fool’s mind is like a broken
jar: it cannot hold any knowledge at all.”
Later: “To the senseless, education is fetters on feet, like manacles on
the right hand.”
He has some nice zingers, but he’s pretty damn mean towards
fools. People can be dumb but still
goodhearted. Maybe he means something
more than just dumb when he talks of fools.
Maybe fool means something deeper – someone who is unaware of his own
limits and blunders into things. Maybe
it’s someone who is a boorish jerk, and does it because he’s too dumb to know
any better.
Maybe. But he
doesn’t make that clear.
“Do not” tally: once again, none. We’re still stuck on 98.
CHAPTER 22
Ben Sira shifts from dumping on fools to dumping on the
lazy. “The sluggard is like a lump of
dung; whoever touches it shakes it of his hands.” Heh – I like that mental image – some people shaking hands with a
sluggard and then reaching for the sanitary wipes.
He takes more shots at the dim, because that’s what he
does. “Do not talk much with the
stupid, or visit the unintelligent.”
Or: “Sand, salt, and an iron weight are easier to bear than the stupid
person.” Please note that the stupid
are even more looked down on than the sinful here. Doesn’t that strike anyone as odd? Heck, stupidity seems to be the ultimate sin. Then again, if wisdom is the most praised
virtue, that would lead to stupidity being the most denigrated trait.
Saying “stupid” has a different feel than “fool,” too. As I noted last time, being a fool has a
connotation that goes beyond intelligence, but stupid is just lack of
intelligence.
Click here for the next 10 chapters.
Click here for the next 10 chapters.
“Do not” tally – one.
Actually, I quoted it two paragraphs ago. So now we’re on 99; right on the edge of #100!
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