READING THE BOOK OF PROVERBS

PART I

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Proverbs 1:1-33

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As Foster R. McCurley, Jr., and John Reumann tell us in Witness of the Word:  A Biblical Theology of the Gospel (1986), a range of genres exists in the Hebrew Bible.  Wisdom literature is one of these genres.

It seems that reason replaces drama in an attempt to deal with nature and God’s continuing world rule.

–228

The Book of Proverbs presents conventional piety, against which the Books of Job and Ecclesiastes (except for their tacked-on endings) protest.  The Book of Proverbs offers a “settled teaching,” to quote Walter Brueggemann and Tod Linafelt, An Introduction to the Old Testament:  The Canon and Christian Imagination, 3rd. Ed. (2020), 333.  The Books of Job and Ecclesiastes (except for their tacked-on endings) reflect an understanding that life is not settled.

The Book of Proverbs exists in tension with another strain in the Hebrew Bible.  The Torah (defined as the Books of Moses) holds that divine revelation is necessary.  However, the Book of Proverbs teaches that God gave people the rational capacity for wisdom, therefore divine revelation is not necessary.  People need merely to heed wisdom.  This does not represent hard tension the Torah, which also teaches that God planted the law within people, so keeping the Law is neither impossible nor unduly difficult.  Yet the Book of Proverbs does exist in tension with the Torah regarding the role and significance of Law as revealed teaching.

The Book of Proverbs contains six collections of wisdom sayings attributed to more than one author.  The final section (chapters 30 and 31) consists of four appendices.  The traditional attribution of much material to King Solomon is dubious, for the language and content of those verses does not fit Solomon’s time.  Regardless of authorship, these “memorable sayings” (literally) offer guides to life in community and originate from a range of centuries.  Scholarship dates the completion of the book to the time following the Babylonian Exile.

As we read the Book of Proverbs, may we ever remember the communal nature of the book.  My culture fixates on individualism, not communitarianism.  To bring Western assumptions antithetical to Biblical texts is easy to do.  One may do it unconsciously.  Assumptions can obscure the plan meanings of texts, which always exist in contexts.

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The first collection within the Book of Proverbs spans chapters 1-9.  The second collection spans 10:1-22:16.  Three other collections span 22:17 and the end of chapter 29.  However, the second collection may predate the first one.  We see an editor’s hand at work in the Book of Proverbs.  The arrangement of material as we find it is logical; chapters 1-9 function as an introduction to the rest of the book and provide interpretive context for the 10:1-22:16.

The voice in chapters 1-9 is that of a father lecturing his son.  Most lectures or discourses follow a three-part structure:

1. A call to attention,
2. A lesson, and
3. A conclusion.

The conclusion is absent sometimes.

Chapters 1-9 also include intervals between lectures or discourses.

1:2-6 explains the purpose of the Book of Proverbs:

…for education in wisdom and moral discipline, for the understanding of thoughtful speech, for training in discernment of what is right and proper and equitable; to sharpen the wits of the ignorant, to give youth knowledge and foresight (the scholar too may give heed and add to his store of knowledge, and the discerning man may find guidance); for the comprehension of proverb and metaphor, the words of the wise and their riddles.

—R. B. Y. Scott‘s translation (1965)

Then we arrive at 1:7.  Scott’s translation from the germane volume of The Anchor Bible reads:

The first principle of knowledge is to hold the Lord in awe;

They are fools who despise wisdom and instruction.

“Fools” here, as in Psalms 14 and 53, are morally defective.  In Psalms 14 and 53, fools deny that God cares.  They mistake God for an absentee landlord and imagine that they can get away with anything wrong.  In Proverbs 1:7, fools do not hold God in awe–or, in the familiar language, “fear God.”  Fear/awe/reverence of God is the first principle of Biblical wisdom.  Fear/awe/reverence of God is another term for conscience.  It grows within the pious and keeps them from evil.

“Evil,” in turn, is the attitude which refuses to recognize that God does care and is present, and that all people depend entirely upon God.  Evil leads to the mindset of “every man for himself” and the assumption that the ends justify the means.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.

Wisdom and reproof dolts despise.

–Robert Alter’s translation (2019) of Proverbs 1:7

In 1:8-19, the father instructs his son to obey both parents’ teaching.  The wife/mother is also a fountain of wisdom, albeit one channeled through the husband/father.  The counsel here is to keep company and to avoid gangs.  They victimize innocent people.  And, according to R. B. Y. Scott’s translation,

They are lurking against their own lives.

–1:18b

This advice, sadly, remains relevant.  Human nature is a constant force in society.  Whatever we do to others, we also do to ourselves.  This is a moral truth, one which irresponsible individualism and a lack of empathy (or sympathy, at least) ignore.

They shall eat the fruit of their ways,

And have their fill of their own counsels.

–Proverbs 1:31, TANAKH:  The Holy Scriptures (1999)

Or, to channel folk wisdom from a subsequent age, these scoffers will lie in the beds which they have made for themselves.

Notice, O reader, that the text personifies divine wisdom as feminine.  Later in the book, the text also personifies human folly as feminine.  Lady Folly is the counterpart to Lady Wisdom.  First, however, we meet Lady Wisdom.  Male voices provide instruction, but feminine wisdom speaks for herself in chapter 1.  I imagine that contributors to the genre of Hebrew wisdom literature–as in Proverbs, Ecclesiasticus/Sirach, and the Wisdom of Solomon–knew wise women in their families.

In 1:33, divine wisdom, personified as a woman, says:

But he who listens to me will dwell assured [in mind],

Untroubled by fear of calamity.

–R. B. Y. Scott’s translation (1965)

The problem with 1:33 is that reality does not support it.  The Books of Job and Ecclesiastes argue against the proposition until their tacked-on endings.  The long record of persecution and martyrdom also contradicts Proverbs 1:33.  In the Book of Tobit, the titular character suffers because he obeys divine commandments, in violation of human laws.  The New Testament and Jewish apocalyptic literature also understand that the pious may suffer for being pious.

I wish that life were as simple as Proverbs 1:33 pretends it is.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JULY 4, 2023 COMMON ERA

INDEPENDENCE DAY (U.S.A.)

THE FEAST OF SAINTS ADALBERO AND ULRIC OF AUGSBURG, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS

THE FEAST OF CHARLES ALBERT DICKINSON, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF SAINT ELIZABETH OF PORTUGAL, QUEEN AND PEACEMAKER

THE FEAST OF JOHN CENNICK, BRITISH MORAVIAN EVANGELIST AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF SAINT PIER GIORGIO FRASSATI, ITALIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC SERVANT OF THE POOR AND OPPONENT OF FASCISM

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READING ECCLESIASTES

PART IV

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Ecclesiastes 6:10-12:14

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The Book of Ecclesiastes is repetitive.  Other than memorable aphorisms, little is new under the sun in 6:10-2:14.  However, 10:1 stands out in my mind:

A dead fly makes the perfumer’s oil chalice stink.  Heavier than weighty wisdom is a bit of folly.

–Robert Alter’s translation

All the themes of 1:1-6:9 exist in 6:10-12:14.  The book concludes on a sobering thought:

The sum of the matter when all has been heard [is this]:  Reverence God, and observe his laws.  This applies to everything.  For God will judge every deed according to its hidden intention, whether good or evil.

–R. B. Y. Scott’s translation

12:9-14 is the product of an editor, who also inserted a few words throughout the book.  The editor’s summary of 1:1-12:8 domesticates or neutralizes much of the book.  This opinion, which I read in commentaries, holds theological water.  12:9-14 contradicts the previous claim that people cannot know the future or the activity of Hod (3:11; 7:14).  Likewise, the equally subversive Book of Job takes a contrary, conventional turn at the end of chapter 42.

On the other hand, Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 does answer the reader’s question of what to do after reading the book.  If even the noblest and most pious deeds are “mere breath and herding of wind,” what is one to do spiritually?  So, the directive to have good intentions, revere God, and obey the commandments provides necessary guidance.  And fulfilling those three rules can prove challenging.

The teaching that intentions matter contradicts much of conventional wisdom.  Results matter, but so do intentions.  In law, for example, intentions may make the difference between one charge and another one.  Furthermore, one theme common to a host of religions is the importance of doing the right thing for the right reason.  This principle is foundational for piety.

And, despite the epilogue’s attempted rejigging of the Book of Ecclesiastes, those subversive and disruptive verses remain for people to read and ponder.

Thank you, O reader, for joining me on this journey through the Book of Ecclesiastes.  I invite you to join me for for the Book of Proverbs, my next topic of study at this weblog.  The notes exist in longhand, and I stand prepared to create the posts for the new series.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JULY 1, 2023 COMMON ERA

CANADA DAY

THE FEAST OF LYMAN BEECHER, U.S. CONGREGATIONALIST AND PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER, AND ABOLITIONIST; HIS DAUGHTER, HARRIET BEECHER STOWE, U.S. NOVELIST, HYMN WRITER, AND ABOLITIONIST; AND HER BROTHER, HENRY WARD BEECHER, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN AND CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER, AND ABOLITIONIST

THE FEAST OF SAINT ANTONIO ROSMINI, FOUNDER OF THE INSTITUTE OF CHARITY

THE FEAST OF CATHERINE WINKWORTH, TRANSLATOR OF HYMNS; AND JOHN MASON NEALE, ANGLICAN PRIEST, HYMN WRITER, AND HYMN TRANSLATOR

THE FEAST OF JOHN CHANDLER, ANGLICAN PRIEST, SCHOLAR, AND TRANSLATOR OF HYMNS

THE FEAST  OF PAULI MURRAY, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY AND EPISCOPAL PRIEST

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Above:  Pearl of Grief, by Rembrandt Peale

Image in the Public Domain

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For the Second Sunday Before Lent, Year 2

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Lectionary from A Book of Worship for Free Churches (The General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States, 1948)

Collect from The Book of Worship (Evangelical and Reformed Church, 1947)

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O Lord God, who seest that we put not our trust in anything that we do;

mercifully grant that by thy power,

we may be defended against all adversity;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

—The Book of Worship (1947), 139

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Ecclesiastes 11:1-6

Psalm 71

2 Timothy 3:10-4:5

Luke 8:4-15

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These four readings include the unifying theme of perseverance in faith during times of misfortune.  Do we become stronger or weaker in faith during such times?

The bottom has fallen out of my life twice–in late 2006 and early 2007 then again on October 14, 2019.  I rebounded spiritually from the 2006-2007 collapse years ago.  I am still rebuilding spiritually from Bonny’s sudden, violent death on October 14, 2019.  The COVID-19 pandemic has added complications on top of my personal catastrophe.

I have grown the most spiritually during times of distress.  The light of God has seemed brighter in the darkness.  Perhaps that light was as bright as it had always been.  If so, the darkness around it magnified the light’s effectiveness.  I remain grateful for that spiritual growth without wanting to relive those experiences or anything similar to them.

Life is unfair.  It hurts horribly, sometimes.  If one relies on one’s own resources, one cannot move along from one moment to the next, let alone one day to the next.  If one relies on God, both directly and indirectly, however, one can do that.  Life will still hurt, but one will not feel alone in that hurt.  Jesus can identify with us, our temptations, and our pain.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

DECEMBER 12, 2020 COMMON ERA

THE FOURTEENTH DAY OF ADVENT

THE FEAST OF WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON, ABOLITIONIST AND FEMINIST; AND MARIA STEWART, ABOLITIONIST, FEMINIST, AND EDUCATOR

THE FEAST OF SAINTS BARTHOLOMEW BUONPEDONI AND VIVALDUS, MINISTERS AMONG LEPERS

THE FEAST OF WILLIAM LOUIS POTEAT, PRESIDENT OF WAKE FOREST COLLEGE, AND BIOLOGIST; HIS BROTHER, EDWIN MCNEILL POTEAT, SR., SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN BAPTIST MINISTER, SCHOLAR, AND PRESIDENT OF FURMAN UNIVERSITY; HIS SON, EDWIN MCNEILL POTEAT, JR., SOUTHERN BAPTIST MINISTER, MISSIONARY, MUSICIAN, HYMN WRITER, AND SOCIAL REFORMER; HIS BROTHER, GORDON MCNEILL POTEAT, SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN BAPTIST AND CONGREGATIONALIST MINISTER AND MISSIONARY; AND HIS COUSIN, HUBERT MCNEILL POTEAT, SOUTHERN BAPTIST ACADEMIC AND MUSICIAN

THE FEAST OF SAINT LUDWIK BARTOSIK, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR, 1941

THE FEAST OF THOMAS CANNING, U.S. COMPOSER AND MUSIC EDUCATOR

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To sum up the matter: fear God, and keep his commandments, since this is the whole duty of man. For God will call all hidden deeds, good or bad, to judgment.

Above:  Pole Gate, July 1978

Image Source = Library of Congress

Photographer = Suzi Jones

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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:

Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,

that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,

which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ,  who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236

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Ecclesiastes 12 or Ezekiel 36:22-36

Psalm 10:1, 14-20

Galatians 6:1-18

Matthew 7:1-14

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–Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, The Jerusalem Bible (1966)

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Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.

–Galatians 6:2, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)

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The author of Psalm 10’s query remains germane.  Why does God stand far off while the wicked hunt down the poor?  At least God does not always stand far off, although I also wonder about divine timing.

A major theme for this Sunday is how we treat each other.  God seems to care a great deal about that in the Bible.  We are supposed to build up one another, thereby creating an improved common good.  We actually benefit ourselves by putting others first.  This is part of “fearing”–actually, standing in awe of–God.

Selfishness is a difficult habit to break, unfortunately.  May we break it, by grace, and become the people and societies we are supposed to be.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

MARCH 22, 2018 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT DEOGRATIAS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF CARTHAGE

THE FEAST OF EMMANUEL MOURNIER, PERSONALIST PHILOSOPHER

THE FEAST OF JAMES DE KOVEN, EPISCOPAL PRIEST

THE FEAST OF THOMAS HUGHES, BRITISH SOCIAL REFORMER AND MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

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Adapted from this post:

https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2018/03/22/devotion-for-the-ninth-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-a-humes/

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For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

Above:  The U.S. $100 Bill

Image in the Public Domain

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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:

Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,

that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,

which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ,  who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236

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Ecclesiastes 9:1-12 or Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

Psalm 9:11-20

Galatians 5:1-26

Matthew 6:22-34

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–Galatians 5:14-15, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)

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As I write repeatedly, the Law of Moses contains both timeless principles and culturally specific examples thereof.  One of these timeless principles is the Golden Rule.  It is short, sweet, and to the point.  One might, with verbosity, attempt to work around it, but the Golden Rule remains golden and wonderfully succinct.  It is also difficult to live up to much of the time.

Another timeless principle of the Law of Moses is that all of us depend entirely on God and partially on each other.  We are therefore interdependent and responsible both to and for each other, as well as to God.  These points underpin much of the content of scripture assigned for this Sunday.

Often we violate the Golden Rule in the name of looking out for ourselves.  We imagine vainly that we must and can rely on our own resources.  That attitude is the origin of much evil.  But, in Christ, we are free, by grace, to become people who uphold a high standard of radical love–even sacrificial love.  The servant is not greater than the master, after all.

May we, while seeking to follow God, care more about being loving and compassionate than about confirming our biases.  May we seek to love, not to be right in our own eyes, with their frequently defective moral vision.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

MARCH 22, 2018 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT DEOGRATIAS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF CARTHAGE

THE FEAST OF EMMANUEL MOURNIER, PERSONALIST PHILOSOPHER

THE FEAST OF JAMES DE KOVEN, EPISCOPAL PRIEST

THE FEAST OF THOMAS HUGHES, BRITISH SOCIAL REFORMER AND MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

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Adapted from this post:

https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2018/03/22/devotion-for-the-eighth-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-a-humes/

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Above:  Christ Pantocrator

Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor

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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:

Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,

that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,

which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ,  who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236

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Ecclesiastes 7:1-4, 11-18 or Ezekiel 34:1-10

Psalm 9:1-10

Galatians 4:1-16

Matthew 5:38-48

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As Koheleth and Jesus tell us, the way of the world is that righteous people suffer, both the righteous and the wicked prosper, and God is in control.  The combination of those three statements might seem incongruous.  Throughout the Book of Psalms righteous people cry out to God for deliverance from oppression.  Often they are understandably angry, but Christ tells us to pray for our persecutors and to love our enemies.  Interestingly, nowhere does the Hebrew Bible command anyone to love one’s enemies, and, as we have read previously in this series of posts, God prospers that the wicked change their ways and find mercy.  Yet many of the wicked refuse to repent, so the divine deliverance of the oppressed becomes bad news for oppressors.

The call to radical love thunders off the pages of the Sermon on the Mount.  We are to trust in God, not ourselves, and be so loving as to seem foolish to many.  Such love breaks the cycle of anger, resentment, revenge, and violence.  We, as inheritors, by grace, and adopted members of the household of God, are free to do that, if we dare.

May we dare accordingly.  Then we, by grace, will be suited for our purpose, or, as Matthew 5:48 puts it, perfect.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

MARCH 21, 2018 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH, CARL PHILIPP EMANUEL BACH, AND JOHANN CHRISTIAN BACH, COMPOSERS

THE FEAST OF SAINT NICHOLAS OF FLÜE AND HIS GRANDSON, SAINT CONRAD SCHEUBER, SWISS HERMITS

THE FEAST OF SAINT SERAPION OF THMUIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP

THE FEAST OF WILLIAM EDWARD HICKSON, ENGLISH MUSIC EDUCATOR AND SOCIAL REFORMER

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Adapted from this post:

https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2018/03/21/devotion-for-the-seventh-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-a-humes/

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Why bother doing anything?

Above:  Ministry of the Apostles

Image in the Public Domain

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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:

Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,

that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,

which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ,  who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236

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Ecclesiastes 1:2-18 or Ezekiel 11:14-20

Psalm 3

Galatians 2:1-13

Matthew 4:12-25

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If one begins to read Ecclesiastes and gives up quickly, one might mistake the theme of the book to be that all is futility and vanity.  One might ask,

If, however, one keeps reading and pays attention, one will arrive at the précis of the book, present at its conclusion, in 12:13-14:  The duty of a human being is to stand in awe of God and keep divine commandments, for God is the judge of everything, whether good or evil.

That ethic is consistent with Ezekiel 11:14-20 and Psalm 3.  Fidelity to God does not ensure a life full of ease, wine, ad roses, but it is one’s duty.  It is the duty to which Jesus, who called his Apostles, continues to call people and for which the Holy Spirit continues to equip the saints.

Sometimes, however, in the name of obeying God, well-meaning people establish or maintain barriers to would-be faithful people who are different.  This segue brings me to the reading from Galatians and to the question of circumcising Gentile male converts to Christianity.  On one level it is a matter of a commandment as old as the time of Abraham.  On another level it is a question of identity.  On yet another level it is, for many, a matter of obedience to God.

For St. Paul the Apostle it was a stumbling block to Gentiles.  He was correct.  Fortunately, St. Paul won that debate.

Fidelity to God is supposed to help others come to God, not to make that more difficult than it is already.  May we who follow Christ never be guilty of standing between God and other people.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

MARCH 19, 2018 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH OF NAZARETH, HUSBAND OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD

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Adapted from this post:

https://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2018/03/19/devotion-for-the-third-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-a-humes/

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Revere God and observe His commandments!

Above:  Happy New Year Lithograph (1876), by Currier & Ives

Image Source = Library of Congress

Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-pga-09060

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FOR NEW YEAR’S DAY, ACCORDING TO A LECTIONARY FOR PUBLIC WORSHIP IN  THE BOOK OF WORSHIP FOR CHURCH AND HOME (1965)

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Eternal God, always the same,

Grant us so to pass through this coming year with faithful hearts

that we may be able in all things to please you;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

–Modernized from The Book of Worship for Church and Home (1965)

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Ecclesiastes 11:6-9; 12:13

Psalm 27

Revelation 21:1-6a

Luke 9:57-62

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The readings from Ecclesiastes and Luke say, as Ecclesiastes 12:13 states succinctly,

—TANAKH:  The Holy Scriptures (1985)

In the case of Luke 9:57-62 one does well to recall that Jesus was en route to Jerusalem to die.  It makes sense, then, that he made no excuses and accepted none either.

Psalm 27 encourages confidence in God, even in the midst of many enemies.  This is well-placed trust, for God is the one whose new world order of righteousness (as in Revelation 21) does not depend on human actions to come to fruition.  We are still waiting, of course, but we can also have confidence in God.

These themes of obedience and confidence come together nicely for New Year’s Day, a traditional time for new beginnings.  It is also a traditional time to make quickly abandoned and broken resolutions.  My prayer for all people is that God’s best for them may be their reality.  Regardless of the status of your plans, O reader, to do better in some way–diet, career, spiritual development, et cetera, may the new year find you in a continual state of enjoying God’s best for you as your reality.  May you trust in God more than you do already and respond more faithfully to God than you do already.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 29, 2017 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF THE BEHEADING OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST

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Above:   Icon of St. Paul the Apostle

Image in the Public Domain

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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:

Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,

that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,

which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ,  who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236

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Ecclesiastes 12

Psalm 144:1-8

Acts 27:39-28:10

John 12:44-50

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The sum of the matter, when all is said and done:  Revere God and observe His commandments!  For this applies to all mankind:  that God will call every creature to account for everything unknown, be it good or bad.

–Ecclesiastes 12:13-14a, TANAKH:  The Holy Scriptures (1985)

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God is everlasting; we are not.  God’s purpose will become reality, regardless of whether we cooperate with them.  We do have a responsibility to be servants, not enemies, of God, or even to be disinterested parties.  We are inconsequential relative to God, but what we do and do not do matters.

Divine judgment is a theme in the reading from Ecclesiastes.  The other half of the equation, of course, is mercy–in the Christian context, via Jesus.  One context in which to read scripture is other scripture.  We read of the coming of the Holy Spirit, in its role as the Advocate–literally, defense attorney–in John 14:15.  God is on our side.  Are we on God’s side?

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JUNE 21, 2017 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT ALOYSIUS GONZAGA, JESUIT

THE FEAST OF CARL BERNHARD GARVE, GERMAN MORAVIAN MINISTER, LITURGIST, AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN JONES AND JOHN RIGBY, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS

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Adapted from this post:

https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2017/06/21/devotion-for-proper-28-ackerman/

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Above:   Paul the Apostle, by Rembrandt van Rijn

Image in the Public Domain

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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:

Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,

that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,

which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ,  who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236

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Ecclesiastes 11:1-6

Psalm 119:169-176

Acts 27:1-2, 7-38

John 12:37-43

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Nevertheless many, even of the authorities, believed in him.  But because of the Pharisees they did not confess it, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human glory more than the glory that comes from God.

–John 12:42-43, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)

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Which glory do we seek?

1. The Psalmist made his choice, for he endured persecution because of it.  He acknowledged both his faithfulness and his sinfulness.
2. Jesus made his choice, which led to his crucifixion.
3. St. Paul the Apostle made his choice, which led to many hardships, including shipwrecks and his execution.

Koheleth’s advice regarding good works is timeless.  Do not permit uncertainty to detract oneself from doing the right thing, we read.  Following that counsel is one way to seek the glory of God as well as the benefit of others.  Heeding that advice is a fine choice to make.

Which glory do we seek?

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JUNE 21, 2017 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT ALOYSIUS GONZAGA, JESUIT

THE FEAST OF CARL BERNHARD GARVE, GERMAN MORAVIAN MINISTER, LITURGIST, AND HYMN WRITER

THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN JONES AND JOHN RIGBY, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYRS

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Adapted from this post:

https://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2017/06/21/devotion-for-proper-27-ackerman/

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