Day 260: wisdom and folly

Jeremiah 46-47, I Peter 1, Psalm 63 OR Sirach 16

I must admit, I have been underwhelmed by the gathered wisdom of Ecclesiasticus, or Sirach. It seems simplistic at times, and appears to be undermined by normal human observation, that good is not always rewarded nor evil defeated. So what to do with such a collection of “wisdom”?
Last night, I watched the final episodes of the third season of Rev, available on Hulu and other avenues (especially if you’re in the UK, where it was made). Adam, the protagonist, is having something of a breakdown, and at the end of his own, personal stations of the cross experience, he deposits a large, wooden cross at the top of a hill, and has a bit of a hysterical moment. A shabby, presumably habitually drunk, man in a knitted hat comes and joins in. He sits down with Adam and offers his wisdom, which is along the lines of “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” and other such platitudes. Adam, momentarily hopeful, begins to turn away in cynical disgust and despair, until the stranger addresses him by name, telling Adam that he will always be there for him.
Turns out, the shabby stranger who looked a lot like Liam Neeson under his hat and who was full of platitudinous wisdom, was Jesus, the Word and Wisdom of God.
So what is Adam to take away from the encounter?
The wisdom, perhaps, is in the search for wisdom. The foolishness of God, we are told, is far beyond the wisdom of humanity (perhaps that’s what the writers were trying to convey in this strange little scene). The final words that truly spoke to Adam were his own name, his soul addressed by God.
Perhaps the wisdom of Sirach is a diamond covered in dirt, which needs dusting and sifting and searching with a magnifying glass to find the still, small voice behind it all, calling us by name, into wisdom, into God.

Day 190: Wisdom

Job 28-30, Galatians 1, Psalm 5 OR Tobit 5

Job takes a detour into a poem about Wisdom. (This may be a later addition to the text.) Wisdom is like jewels hidden deep in the ground, shrouded in darkness, yet accessible to skilled or determined miners. On the other hand, true Wisdom is the attribute of God, so people will always grope in the dark towards it, never sure of finding it. Job contrasts his readily received advice and former reputation with his cast of foolishness in which his misfortune has wrapped him. Only God’s Wisdom endures.

It is a nice counterpoint to our musings about advice on Saturday; and indeed as Tobias sets out on his journey this morning, the foolishness and wisdom of Tobit combine as he tells his wife, “Don’t worry, a good angel will go with him,” little realizing that his metaphor for that shining light in the darkness is, in fact, the real (arch)angelic person of Raphael.

Even miners in the darkness find their jewels from time to time.

Day 152: Solomon

II Chronicles 7-9, Psalm 123, Romans 14

Although the Chronicles follow the same outline of history (and sometimes repeat the exact same words) as Samuel and Kings, they do come from a different point of view, encouraging the returning exiles to rebuild and renew their relationship with temple worship in the city of David.

One noticeable difference in the story of Solomon is the omission of the notorious tale of the two mothers, the baby and the sword; leaving this out, the Chronicler concentrates instead on the resources Solomon pours into the temple and, by extension, his worship of God.

What would you rather be known for: wisdom or worship?

Day 118: Solomon’s sword

I Kings 1-3, Psalm 98, Acts 13

In which we read the (in)famous story of Solomon’s wisdom in detecting the true mother of the surviving child by threatening to cut it in half. The sword has been used up to now for the ruthless routing of any that might oppose Solomon’s claim to the throne. There is no hint of sorrow or sympathy for the mother whose child did die. There is only a ruthless and cold calculation. Solomon’s wisdom, perhaps, is a two-edged sword.