a.
The main thesis of Sirach: Commandments and law
The main thesis of Sirach is
its discussion on the commandments or covenant of God to man. In the entire book,
the author keeps on repeating the commandments, which entails us that it
something important in the life of the Israelites.
Below are the elements of the covenant that the author talks along
the way.
“If you desire wisdom, keep
the commandments, and the LORD will bestow her upon you;” Sir 1:23
Those who fear the Lord seek to please him, those who love him are
filled with his law. (Sir 2:16)
For
man then to gain wisdom he must keep the commandments. So what are those
commandments/law/covenant that Sirach speaks about?
- He who fears the Lord honors his
father, and serves his parents as rulers. In word and deed honor your
father that his blessing gives a family firm roots, but a mother’s curse
uproots the growing plant. (Sir 3:7-9)
- He who fears the Lord will do this;
he who is practiced in the law
will come to wisdom. (Sir 15:1).
- Admonish your neighbor before you
break with him; thus will you fulfill the law of the Most High (Sir 19:16)
- All wisdom is fear of the Lord;
perfect wisdom is the fulfillment of the law. (Sir 19:17)
- There are those with little
understanding who fear God; and those of great intelligence who violate
the law. (Sir 19:20)
- He who keeps the law controls his impulses; he who
is perfect in fear of the Lord has wisdom. (Sir 21:11)
- First, she has disobeyed the law of the Most High; secondly,
she has wronged her husband; thirdly, in her wanton adultery she has borne
children by another man. (Sir 23:23)
- Thus all who dwell on the earth
shall know, and all who inhabit the world shall understand, That nothing
is better than the fear of the Lord, nothing more salutary than to obey
his commandments. (Sir 23:27)
- All this is true of the book of the
Most High’s covenant, the law which Moses commanded us as an
inheritance for the community of Jacob. (Sir 24:22)
(In this particular verse, the author begins to speak once more,
Wisdom having ended discourse in the preceding verse. Wisdom and the Law of
Moses are now identified.)
- Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor; of the Most High’s covenant,
and overlook faults. ( Sir 28:7)
Sir 24:22-27 is one of the important
revelation in this book because wisdom has been identified with the law of Moses.
This important idea shapes the way Ben Sira understands wisdom in relation to Israel
b.
Almsgiving and taking care of the poor, sick, needy and orphan.
Along the story of Sirach,
emerges another humanitarian act that is being emphasized on how life on earth
should be lived. The care for the sick and poor is one of the significant
teachings of Sirach. So what does Sirach say about the care for the poor and
the sick?
Almsgiving on the poor:
- Water quenches a flaming fire, and
alms atone for sins. (Sir 3:29)
- A beggar in distress, do not reject;
avert not your face from the poor. From the needy turn not your eyes, give
no man reason to curse you; (Sir
4:2-6)
- For if in the bitterness of his soul
he curse you, his Creator will hear his prayer.
- Be not impatient in prayers, and
neglect not the giving of alms. Sir
7:10
- To the poor man also extend your
hand, that your blessing may be complete; Be generous to all the living,
and withhold not your kindness from the dead. (Sir 7:32-33)
- To a poor man, however, be generous;
keep him not waiting for your alms; Because of the precept, help the
needy, and in their want, do not send them away empty-handed. (Sir 29:8-9)
Sick:
·
Neglect not to visit the sick - for these things you will be
loved. (Sir 7:35)
Ben Sira's understanding of
generosity is predicated on the tension between affirming the classic wisdom
principle of retributive justice and recognizing its breakdown in the
socio-economic circumstances of Seleucid Judea. He forges a new Wisdom-Torah
ethic of mercy in which giving generously is an integral part of living
""the good life"".While loans and surety are essential
practices, almsgiving is the preeminent act of generosity. The fundamental
theological logic at work consists in viewing the poor as proxies for God and
is based on the economic structure of Proverbs 19:17. Giving to the poor is, in
reality, a deposit in a heavenly treasury and will pay future dividends. By
situating Ben Sira's view of almsgiving within the wider framework of
retributive justice and its breakdown, new light is shed on the practical
tensions regarding the extent of almsgiving and its relationship to the support
of the Jerusalem
However, the concrete ways in
which generosity can actually lead to "the good life" become especially
clear in the topic of almsgiving. The core of Ben Sira's theology of almsgiving
proceeds on the basis of (a) the belief that there is a special relationship
between the poor and God such that the former serve as proxies for the latter
(e.g. Prov 19:17), and (b) the (re)reading of earlier biblical texts (e.g. Prov
10:2; 11:4; Ps 112:9) through the lexical shift in the meaning of almsgiving.
On the basis of these, Ben Sira and others derived the idea of a heavenly
treasury. Almsgiving served as a "deposit" into this treasury and God
can be trusted to repay in the form of future benefits and deliverance,
especially from death. While many might consider generosity to the poor as a
"loss," Ben Sira assures his students that it is actually "more
profitable than gold." Generosity is thereby shown to be superior to the
hoarding of money. Because charity brings greater benefits, including a longer
life, it is a wise contribution to a life that embodies the principle of carpe
diem. Since death is final, money should be used now both for present enjoyment
and to secure future benefits from one's heavenly treasury. Because the divine
economy is not subject to a zero-sum dynamic, giving to the poor aids them in
the present and the giver in the future. It is a win-win situation.
c. Sirach and the Pentateuch
Consciousness
of the Pentateuch in Sirach is very evident and we can surely say that the
traditions has been maintained and passed from generation to generation. Below
are some of the verses that would tell us of this claim.
- With all your soul, fear God, revere
his priests. With all your strength, love your Creator, forsake not his
ministers. Honor God and respect the priest; give him his portion as you
have been commanded: First fruits and contributions, due sacrifices and holy
offerings. (Sir 7:29-31)
Note: In this verse, traditions
from the Pentateuch are maintained. First
fruits . . . holy offerings: cf Exodus
29:27; Lev 7:31-34; Numbers 18:8-20; Deut 18:1-5.
- In word and deed honor your father
that his blessing may come upon you; (Sir 3:8)
Note: This exhortation of Sirach
on honor your Father and Mother is obviously a foundation coming from the
Pentateuch Ex 20:12; Deut 5:16.
- Mistreat not a servant who
faithfully serves, nor a laborer who devotes himself to his task. (Sir
7:20)
Note: Lev 19:13;
Deut 24:14. – “You shall not defraud a
poor and needy hired servant, whether he be one of your own countrymen or one
of the aliens who live in your communities.”
- When God, in the beginning, created
man; he made subject to his own free choice. (Sir 15:14)
Note: Gen 1 - the
‘beginning’ here means on the creation of the world. Man was created by God and
was given the power of choice and will over his actions.
- When at the first God created his
works and, as he made them, assigned their task, He ordered for all time
what they were to do and their domains from generation to generation. They
were not to hunger, nor grow weary, nor ever cease from their tasks. (Sir
16:24-25)
Note: This verse is in harmony
with Genesis 1-2, the author describes God’s wisdom in creating the universe
and all things in it (22-28), endowing man with a moral nature, with wisdom and
knowledge and freedom of will according to his own image (17, 1:6), so that may
govern the earth (3f), praise God’s name (8), obey his law (9-12), and render
to him an account of his deeds (18).
d.
Following the Law gives a better life
“Cling to him, forsake him
not; thus will your future be great. Accept whatever befalls you, in crushing
misfortune be patient; For in fire gold is tested, and worthy men in the
crucible of humiliation.” (Sir 2:3-5)
This verse is an important precursor to our concept that following
the law God will give us a better life. If we ‘cling to him’ we are given an
assurance that something good or great will happen to us in the future. Even
when trials and misfortunes may arrive in our lives, we must not let go of God
for we only like ‘gold tested in fire’. To hold on to God is follow the
commandments he had left us. If we follow his commandments it is confident
enough to say that God will be with us even when we are being crushed by
problems. Sir 2:15 has a further exhortation about the ways of the Lord. If we
truly love God, we will not disobey his commandments.
“Woe to you who have lost
hope! What will you do at the visitation of the LORD? Those who fear the LORD
disobey not his words; those who love him keep his ways.” Sir 2:14-15
This
concept of following the law reminds of the concept of retribution once again. Good
deeds are rewarded while bad deeds are punished as they say. However, this time
we shall focus more on the positive aspects of following the commandments.
‘Disgrace’ shall be put on man and his offspring if His commandments are
transgressed. This is what Sir 10:19
tells us,
“Whose offspring can be in
honor? Those of men. Which offspring are in honor? Those who fear God. Whose
offspring can be in disgrace? Those of men. Which offspring are in disgrace?
Those who transgress the commandments.” (Sir
10:19)
The
remaining verses below are only proofs that if we cling and obey to the
commandments of God, He will grant us good, life, and riches for they are from
the Lor.
“Good and evil, life and
death, poverty and riches, are from the LORD. Wisdom and understanding and knowledge
of affairs, love and virtuous paths are from the LORD. Error and darkness were
formed with sinners from their birth, and evil grows old with evildoers.” (Sir 11:14-16)
“Whoever
does good has his reward, which each receives according to his deeds. Say not:
"I am hidden from God; in heaven who remembers me? Among so many people I
cannot be known; what am I in the world of spirits?” (Sir 16:14-15)
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