fides quaerens intellectum
Jul 30 2009
Nehemiah was fresh off the conflict from within the City, now he had to face the conflict from without. As the last bricks were being laid, the enemies round about Jerusalem began to conspire to create problems. All work must be stopped for the good of the enemy!
Continue reading “Time with Nehemiah – Subterfuge and Completion”
Jul 30 2009
The Rev. Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II, the flamboyant minister better known as the Reverend Ike, who preached the blessings of material prosperity to a large congregation in New York and to television and radio audiences nationwide, died Tuesday in Los Angeles, where he had lived since 2007. He was 74.
(snip)
Youtube is filled with the videos the good Reverend. After the jump are a few quotes from the article. I love the ‘close your eyes and see green.’
Jul 28 2009
Richard Leroy Walters gets a bit more shocking -
An article in the online newsletter of a Catholic mission in Phoenix revealed that Walters died two years ago at the age of 76. He left an estate worth about $4 million. Along with the money he left for NPR, Walters also left money for the mission.
Continue reading “Homeless Man Leaves Behind Surprise: $4 Million”
Jul 27 2009
Really, if you think about it, most projects, church or otherwise, comes down to money. The same was true of the people of the City. After a while, mortgage payments came due. Food bills came due. Money was needed to keep going. The rich people of the city began to take advantage of the situation by charging high interest (from 1 percent monthly, to as high as an annual rate of 20 percent), which actually forced some to sell their children into slavery to pay off the large sums.
Continue reading “Time with Nehemiah – Undoing God's Redemption”
Dec 13 2008
But I have proved sufficiently that we must never desert those who are fallen, even if we know in advance that they will not heed us. – Sermon 1 on Wealth and Poverty
Dec 01 2008
(1) Do not set your heart on your wealth, nor say, “I am independent.”
(2) Do not follow your inclination and strength, walking according to the desires of your heart.
(3) Do not say, “Who will hold power over me?” for the Lord will surely punish you.
The Prophet Amos preached against the idea that wealth will shield you from the natural course of this world. It will buy you neither salvation or security from death. The greed that plagues our society is a great disease, bringing with it destruction, hatred, evil. It is not a sin to be wealthy; however, it is a sin to trust so much in your wealth that it becomes a shield to you from the Lord. The Apostle Paul gave to Timothy a great Charge in his ministry, and in one of those aspects, we read,
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; (1st Timothy 6:17 from the King James Version)
We can read of the similarities of Paul the Pharisee and Sirach the Jewish Master and see the agreement that produces an idea that those who would entertain themselves with the fantasy that wealth will bring great and eternal things will suffer a great disappointment.
In this passage of Sirach, we find a precursor of the Lord’s parable concerning the Rich Man and his barns. (Luke 12.13-21)
Chrysostom, on this parable, offers sound words,
There is nothing more wretched than such an attitude. In truth he took down his barns; for the safe barns are not walls but the stomach of the poor – Chrysostom, Sermon 2, Wealth and Poverty
Wealth will be good for its possessor if he does not spend it only on luxury, or on strong drink and harmful pleasures; if he enjoys luxury in moderation and distributes the rest to the stomachs of the poor, then wealth is a good thing. But if he is going to give himself up to luxury and other profligacy, not only does it not help him at all, but it even leads him down to the deep pit – Sermon 7, Wealth and Poverty
John Chrysostom also says,
Rich in this world, for others are rich in the world to come.
Implied in Sirach is Paul’s thought of the other riches. It is the Lord in whom we are to trust, and in whom we can gain a steadfast wealth.
The one LORD tells us through His prophet, Jeremiah,
Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. (Jeremiah 17:5-8 KJVA)
Before Sirach was this warning against trusting in ourselves. Salvation is not of ourselves, but of God, and is the riches of salvation that much occupy our goals.
The Three Sinners
In verses 4 through 8, Sirach examines three attitudes that sinners have -
Sirach ends the passage with a warning – do not delay in turning to the Lord.
(4) Do not say, “I sinned, and what has happened to me?” for the Lord is longsuffering.
The Apostle Peter, writing to the diaspora, says,
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:3-9 KJVA)
In our society and world today, there seems to be a silent hope among those that know by tradition the way to Christ but are eager to seek the path of the Prodigal Son, that perhaps they may keep God at bay until their death bed, and upon their death bed, in their final moments, when there is one left to impress and no more sin to pleasure themselves with, that upon this bed they may seek repentance. This is a foolhardy assumption and a dangerous method of living.
Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; (Ecclesiastes 12:1 KJVA)
If the Lord is slow to anger of your sin, then perhaps you no longer have the way of repentance.
Augustine comments,
O evil Christians, O ye, who in filling only press the Church by your evil lives; amend yourselves before the harvest come. (Augustine, Sermons on the New Testament)
Returning to Sirach, we read,
(5) Do not be so confident of atonement that you add sin to sin.
(6) Do not say, “His mercy is great, he will forgive the multitude of my sins,” for both mercy and wrath come from him, and his anger rests on sinners.
Sirach here writes of anger and wrath that awaits the sinner who continues to trust in the wealth of this world, waiting for the opportune moment for salvation. The Apostle Paul wrote,
Whom God had publicly put forward that by the shedding of his blood he would be a mercy seat, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint, God had overlooked previously committed sins to declare at this present season his righteousness — That God might be righteous and declare everyone righteous who has faith in the name of Jesus. (Romans 3:25-26 Commentary in Translation Version)
Now that there is an exclusive hope in Christ, we must no longer wait to be overlooked. There is no other Gospel, no other remission of sins, no other Hope for the sinner. We cannot hope to out wait the Gospel of Jesus Christ that calls for sinners to repent.
John Chrysostom speaks of the sinners who wait,
Many of the more careless sort of persons, using the lovingkindness of God to increase the magnitude of their sins and the excess of their disregard, speak in this way, “There is no hell, there is no future punishment, God forgives us all sins.” (Chrysostom on John)
Sirach issues his call for repentance, some that must be done daily.
(7) Do not delay to turn to the Lord, nor postpone it from day to day; for suddenly the wrath of the Lord will go forth, and in the day of vengeance you will perish.
The one Constant in this World is the promise of the Lord. He has said that there is no other way, no hope for the sinner with Christ. He has promised that He will return one day, to bring the final judgment and to bring the Body of Christ into the same relationship that Adam had. His promises are secure and His Word eternal. Knowing this, Sirach in doubt a moment where the Divine Author gripped the pen, and seeing that soon there would come a time that would hasten all of humanity to repentance, warned those that would read his words not to delay in turning to the Lord.
Have we not wept when we seen those that have had the path to repentance slip away in death without ever having traveled the avenue? God is a merciful God, and He has required but the Faith in Jesus Christ to be saved and yet so many are unwilling to give up the riches of this life for the wealth of the World to Come.
The young man again, let him also consider the uncertainty of death, and that oftentimes, when many older persons continued here, the young were carried off before them. For, for this reason, that we may not make traffic of our death, it is left in uncertainty. Wherefore also a certain wise man adviseth, saying, “Make no tarrying to turn unto the Lord, and put not off from day to day: for thou knowest not what to-morrow shall bring forth. For by putting off there is danger and fear; but by not putting off manifest and secure salvation. Hold fast then by virtue.” (Chrysostom on 2nd Corinthians)
Let us be like David who wrote, no doubt with Joy,
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer.Selah I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.Selah
(Psalms 32:1-5 NKJV)
Finally, Sirach warns us that dishonest wealth, the ill gotten gain, will do nothing for us at the Day of the Lord.
(8) Do not depend on ill gotten gain, for it will not profit you nothing in the day of calamity.
Nov 26 2008
“The sermons of St John Chrysostom are noted as classical commentaries on the Christian life. Knowing well the realities of life in the world, the temptation of rich and poor alike, this great orator – “the golden-mouthed” – addresses the questions of wealth and poverty in the lives of people of his day. And yet, as the modern reader is confronted with his words, it becomes apparent that he too is being addressed; Chrysostom’s words are words proclaiming the truth of the Gospel to all people of all times. The message of the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) is brought home to every person in these six sermons of Chrysostom with clarity, insight into the human dilemma, compassion and judgment.”
- Amazon
Yep, that’s my newest book – I haven’t finished a book in a long time as I read, blog, work, family, and I want to do justice to this one. I am waiting with baited breath to read it though – maybe I will steal a paragraph every once in a while…
Nov 19 2008
For those of you are might me new to this blog, or this series, I began posting on Sirach some time ago and found myself posting bits and pieces. I liked the book so much that I decided to go through it from the beginning. If you don’t considered it inspired, then you have to admit that it is at least a far cry better than anything written lately (Joel Osteen and Rick Warren – this means you!)
Sirach 4:1-10
(1) My child, deprive not the poor of his life, and do not keep needy eyes waiting.
(2) Do not grieve the one who is hungry, nor anger a man in want.
(3) Do not add to the troubles of an angry mind, nor delay your gift to one in need.
(4) Do not reject an afflicted suppliant, nor turn your face away from the poor.
(5) Do not avert your eye from the needy, nor give a man occasion to curse you;
(6) for if in bitterness of soul he calls down a curse upon you, his Creator will hear his prayer.
In the Gospels, we read these words,
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “”You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40 NKJV)
Sirach is pressing the need to care for the community, not against wealth. While it is true that the wealthy are often times depicted in Scripture as less than righteous, there is no law against amasses treasures, only against allowing it to become your god while ignoring the justice that God commands.
‘Life’ in verse 1 is later defined in 29.21 as the essentials – food (water and bread), clothing, and a shelter, which is the basic needs of human life, and the most often threatened in today’s society.
Compare this entire passage with Deuteronomy 15.7-11 and Proverbs 2.27-28
Verse 4 founds a mirror in Tobit, another Deuterocanonical book:
Give alms from your possessions to all who live uprightly, and do not let your eye begrudge the gift when you make it. Do not turn your face away from any poor man, and the face of God will not be turned away from you. (Tobit 4:7 RSVA)
As well as from the words of the Lord,
Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you. (Matthew 5:42 RSVA)
5a is missing in the Hebrew while verse 6 is substantially changed. In the Hebrew, verse 6 reads,
When the bitter in spirit cries out in the anguish of his soul, his Rock will hear his prayer
It is possible that the Greek translator saw the Hebrew word and thought of the Creator, which is not impossible. The Rock (God) is often seen as the foundation (creator) of Israel and is the source of strength.
(7) Make yourself beloved in the congregation; bow your head low to the ruler.
Hillel, a 1st century BC Rabbi, taught, “Separate not yourself from the congregation”. He meant to immerse yourself in the community so as to share not just in the joys but the sorrows as well.
(8) Incline your ear to the poor, and answer him peaceably and gently.
The Hebrew for 8b has,
Respond to him, ‘Peace’!
The idea is the same, as Chrysostom says,
For so Paul too commanded: his phrase being, “lifting up holy hands without wrath and disputing.” Dishonor not then thy tongue, for how will it entreat for thee, when it hath lost its proper confidence? but adorn it with gentleness, with humility, make it worthy of the God who is entreated, fill it with blessing, with much almsdoing. For it is possible even with words to do alms. “For a word is a better thing than a gift,” and “answer the poor man peaceably with meekness.” And all the rest of thy time too adorn it with the rehearsing of the laws of God; “Yea, let all thy communication be in the law of the Most High.” (Chrysostom hom. on Matthew)
It is not simply what we do, but the manner in which we do it.
(9) Deliver him who is wronged from the hand of the wrongdoer; and do not be fainthearted in rendering judgment.
The idea of ‘rendering judgment’ is best seen as working for justice, as this entire verse would dictate
(10) Be like a father to orphans, and instead of a husband to their mother; you will then be like a son of the Most High, and he will love you more than does your mother.
Immediately, we remember the words of the Lord by Luke’s Gospel,
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. (Luke 6:35 RSVA)
This verse is Incarnational, but points to the ability of man to partake of the divine nature,
As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:3-4 NKJV)
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13 NKJV)
It also speaks of Christ who, though very rich, became a slave for us in order to seek justice, and became a father to the orphans (John 14.18) as well as the husband to our mother (the Church).
Nov 12 2008
Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, “What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”‘ But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:13-21 NKJV)
In our Western Society, the refrain that the more the better, and of course, he with the most toys when he dies wins, is commonly held, if not openly taught, yet our Lord, and indeed all of scripture teaches something else. Excess is expressly preached against by the Lord in a parable plain enough for even those hard of hearing to understand.
During the journey in the wilderness, God fed the children of Israel with manna, which He had commended them to take only what they need.
This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: “Let every man gather it according to each one’s need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.”‘ (Exodus 16:16 NKJV)
If they took more than was allotted, they would it filled with worms and rotting. They were warned against excess and greed, with the idea that the people must rely upon God, fully. The rich man above found himself with more than he could use, and in doing so, forgot the essential item in life – God.
Chrysostom offers sound words,
There is nothing more wretched than such an attitude. In truth he took down his barns; for the safe barns are not walls but the stomach of the poor – Chrysostom, Sermon 2, Wealth and Poverty
Wealth will be good for its possessor if he does not spend it only on luxury, or on strong drink and harmful pleasures; if he enjoys luxury in moderation and distributes the rest to the stomachs of the poor, then wealth is a good thing. But if he is going to give himself up to luxury and other profligacy, not only does it not help him at all, but it even leads him down to the deep pit – Sermon 7, Wealth and Poverty
We must guard against the human inclination to excess without making poverty our lord. There may be a tendancy to be to minimalist, and that too could be an error. Intead, we must be willing to make sure that our extra ‘barns’ are open to the poor, and indeed, not to have too many extra ‘barns’.
Sep 22 2008
Sirach 5:1-7 from the Revised Standard Version
(1) Do not set your heart on your wealth, nor say, “I have enough.”
(2) Do not follow your inclination and strength, walking according to the desires of your heart.
(3) Do not say, “Who will have power over me?” for the Lord will surely punish you.
The Prophet Amos preached against the idea that wealth will shield you from the natural course of this world. It will buy you neither salvation or security from death. The greed that plagues our society is a great disease, bringing with it destruction, hatred, evil. It is not a sin to be wealthy; however, it is a sin to trust so much in your wealth that it becomes a shield to you from the Lord. The Apostle Paul gave to Timothy a great Charge in his ministry, and in one of those aspects, we read,
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; (1st Timothy 6:17 from the King James Version)
We can read of the similarities of Paul the Pharisee and Sirach the Jewish Master and see the agreement that produces an idea that those who would entertain themselves with the fantasy that wealth will bring great and eternal things will suffer a great disappointment.
John Chrysostom says,
Rich in this world, for others are rich in the world to come.
Implied in Sirach is Paul’s thought of the other riches. It is the Lord in whom we are to trust, and in whom we can gain a steadfast wealth.
The one LORD tells us through His prophet, Jeremiah,
Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. (Jeremiah 17:5-8 KJVA)
Before Sirach was this warning against trusting in ourselves. Salvation is not of ourselves, but of God, and is the riches of salvation that much occupy our goals.
(4) Do not say, “I sinned, and what happened to me?” for the Lord is slow to anger.
The Apostles Peter, writing to the diaspora, says,
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:3-9 KJVA)
In our society and world today, there seems to be a silent hope among those that know by tradition the way to Christ but are eager to seek the path of the Prodigal Son, that perhaps they may keep God at bay until their death bed, and upon their death bed, in their final moments, when there is one left to impress and no more sin to pleasure themselves with, that upon this bed they may seek repentance. This is a foolhardy assumption and a dangerous method of living.
Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; (Ecclesiastes 12:1 KJVA)
If the Lord is slow to anger of your sin, then perhaps you no longer have the way of repentance.
Augustine comments,
O evil Christians, O ye, who in filling only press the Church by your evil lives; amend yourselves before the harvest come. (Augustine, Sermons on the New Testament)
Returning to Sirach, we read,
(5) Do not be so confident of atonement that you add sin to sin.
(6) Do not say, “His mercy is great, he will forgive the multitude of my sins,” for both mercy and wrath are with him, and his anger rests on sinners.
Sirach here writes of anger and wrath that awaits the sinner who continues to trust in the wealth of this world, waiting for the opportune moment for salvation. The Apostle Paul wrote,
Whom God had publicly put forward that by the shedding of his blood he would be a mercy seat, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint, God had overlooked previously committed sins to declare at this present season his righteousness — That God might be righteous and declare everyone righteous who has faith in the name of Jesus. (Romans 3:25-26 Commentary in Translation Version)
Now that there is an exclusive hope in Christ, we must no longer wait to be overlooked. There is no other Gospel, no other remission of sins, no other Hope for the sinner. We cannot hope to out wait the Gospel of Jesus Christ that calls for sinners to repent.
John Chrysostom speaks of the sinners who wait,
Many of the more careless sort of persons, using the lovingkindness of God to increase the magnitude of their sins and the excess of their disregard, speak in this way, “There is no hell, there is no future punishment, God forgives us all sins.” (Chrysostom on John)
Sirach issues his call for repentance, some that must be done daily.
(7) Do not delay to turn to the Lord, nor postpone it from day to day; for suddenly the wrath of the Lord will go forth, and at the time of punishment you will perish.
The one Constant in this World is the promise of the Lord. He has said that there is no other way, no hope for the sinner with Christ. He has promised that He will return one day, to bring the final judgment and to bring the Body of Christ into the same relationship that Adam had. His promises are secure and His Word eternal. Knowing this, Sirach in doubt a moment where the Divine Author gripped the pen, and seeing that soon there would come a time that would hasten all of humanity to repentance, warned those that would read his words not to delay in turning to the Lord.
Have we not wept when we seen those that have had the path to repentance slip away in death without ever having traveled the avenue? God is a merciful God, and He has required but the Faith in Jesus Christ to be saved and yet so many are unwilling to give up the riches of this life for the wealth of the World to Come.
The young man again, let him also consider the uncertainty of death, and that oftentimes, when many older persons continued here, the young were carried off before them. For, for this reason, that we may not make traffic of our death, it is left in uncertainty. Wherefore also a certain wise man adviseth, saying, “Make no tarrying to turn unto the Lord, and put not off from day to day: for thou knowest not what to-morrow shall bring forth. For by putting off there is danger and fear; but by not putting off manifest and secure salvation. Hold fast then by virtue.” (Chrysostom on 2nd Corinthians)
Let us be like David who wrote, no doubt with Joy,
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer.Selah I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.Selah
(Psalms 32:1-5 NKJV)
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