Exhortation to Uprightness

In many ways this chapter in Wisdom sounds similar to the Book of Proverbs. However there are slight language variance even for the untrained linguist which may point to a different author for these two books. This chapter looks at righteousness and our relationship with God. It describes the consequences of unrighteousness and contrast it with the rewards from righteous actions.




Wisdom 1 (NRSVCE)
Exhortation to Uprightness
1 Love righteousness, you rulers of the earth,
think of the Lord in goodness
and seek him with sincerity of heart;
2 because he is found by those who do not put him to the test,
and manifests himself to those who do not distrust him.
3 For perverse thoughts separate people from God,
and when his power is tested, it exposes the foolish;
4 because wisdom will not enter a deceitful soul,
or dwell in a body enslaved to sin.
5 For a holy and disciplined spirit will flee from deceit,
and will leave foolish thoughts behind,
and will be ashamed at the approach of unrighteousness.

6 For wisdom is a kindly spirit,
but will not free blasphemers from the guilt of their words;
because God is witness of their inmost feelings,
and a true observer of their hearts, and a hearer of their tongues.
7 Because the spirit of the Lord has filled the world,
and that which holds all things together knows what is said,
8 therefore those who utter unrighteous things will not escape notice,
and justice, when it punishes, will not pass them by.
9 For inquiry will be made into the counsels of the ungodly,
and a report of their words will come to the Lord,
to convict them of their lawless deeds;
10 because a jealous ear hears all things,
and the sound of grumbling does not go unheard.
11 Beware then of useless grumbling,
and keep your tongue from slander;
because no secret word is without result,[a]
and a lying mouth destroys the soul.

12 Do not invite death by the error of your life,
or bring on destruction by the works of your hands;
13 because God did not make death,
and he does not delight in the death of the living.
14 For he created all things so that they might exist;
the generative forces[b] of the world are wholesome,
and there is no destructive poison in them,
and the dominion[c] of Hades is not on earth.
15 For righteousness is immortal.

Life as the Ungodly See It
16 But the ungodly by their words and deeds summoned death;[d]
considering him a friend, they pined away
and made a covenant with him,
because they are fit to belong to his company.

And they shall be Ashamed because of their Sacrifices

God outlines the wickedness of His people in Israel, among these actions include lying, swearing, killing, adultery, stealing, bloodshed, lack of mercy and so on. God rejected them from serving Him for a period of time. The main indictment is that they have stopped following and obeying God, instead they follow other false gods, hence their harlotry.

God lists specifically their harlotry, including all sorts of offerings and worship they make to other false gods. God will let them continue on their ways for a while and see them reap the consequences, as it is said in verse 19 - "And they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices."





Hosea 4
God’s Charge Against Israel

1 Hear the word of the Lord,
You children of Israel,
For the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land:
“There is no truth or mercy
Or knowledge of God in the land.
2 By swearing and lying,
Killing and stealing and committing adultery,
They break all restraint,
With bloodshed upon bloodshed.
3 Therefore the land will mourn;
And everyone who dwells there will waste away
With the beasts of the field
And the birds of the air;
Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.
4 “Now let no man contend, or rebuke another;
For your people are like those who contend with the priest.
5 Therefore you shall stumble in the day;
The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night;
And I will destroy your mother.
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
7 “The more they increased,
The more they sinned against Me;
I will change[a] their glory[b] into shame.
8 They eat up the sin of My people;
They set their heart on their iniquity.
9 And it shall be: like people, like priest.
So I will punish them for their ways,
And reward them for their deeds.
10 For they shall eat, but not have enough;
They shall commit harlotry, but not increase;
Because they have ceased obeying the Lord.


The Idolatry of Israel

11 “Harlotry, wine, and new wine enslave the heart.
12 My people ask counsel from their wooden idols,
And their staff informs them.
For the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray,
And they have played the harlot against their God.
13 They offer sacrifices on the mountaintops,
And burn incense on the hills,
Under oaks, poplars, and terebinths,
Because their shade is good.
Therefore your daughters commit harlotry,
And your brides commit adultery.
14 “I will not punish your daughters when they commit harlotry,
Nor your brides when they commit adultery;
For the men themselves go apart with harlots,
And offer sacrifices with a ritual harlot.[c]
Therefore people who do not understand will be trampled.
15 “Though you, Israel, play the harlot,
Let not Judah offend.
Do not come up to Gilgal,
Nor go up to Beth Aven,
Nor swear an oath, saying, ‘As the Lord lives’—
16 “For Israel is stubborn
Like a stubborn calf;
Now the Lord will let them forage
Like a lamb in open country.
17 “Ephraim is joined to idols,
Let him alone.
18 Their drink is rebellion,
They commit harlotry continually.
Her rulers dearly[d] love dishonor.
19 The wind has wrapped her up in its wings,
And they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.

In My Distress I Cried to the Lord

Those against us may include they who lie or gossip about us. They use words to spread lies. But the psalmist shows how to call upon God, to deliver him from his distress.



Psalm 120
Plea for Relief from Bitter Foes
A Song of Ascents.

1 In my distress I cried to the Lord,
And He heard me.
2 Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips
And from a deceitful tongue.
3 What shall be given to you,
Or what shall be done to you,
You false tongue?
4 Sharp arrows of the warrior,
With coals of the broom tree!
5 Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech,
That I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
6 My soul has dwelt too long
With one who hates peace.
7 I am for peace;
But when I speak, they are for war.

Why do you Boast in Evil, O Mighty Man

The psalmist describes the evil of the one with a wicked tongue. Such a person would use lies to plot destruction by lying and deceit. God will destroy such characters. In contrast, the righteous would know how to make God their strength and not to trust in their own riches. The psalmist in particular, declares his trust in God's mercy and will wait on God.

Psalm 52
To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation[a] of David when Doeg the Edomite went and told Saul, and said to him, “David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.”

 1 Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?
         The goodness of God endures continually.
 2 Your tongue devises destruction,
         Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
 3 You love evil more than good,
         Lying rather than speaking righteousness.  Selah 
 4 You love all devouring words,
         You deceitful tongue.
        
 5 God shall likewise destroy you forever;
         He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place,
         And uproot you from the land of the living.  Selah 
 6 The righteous also shall see and fear,
         And shall laugh at him, saying,
 7 “Here is the man who did not make God his strength,
         But trusted in the abundance of his riches,
         And strengthened himself in his wickedness.”
        
 8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
         I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.
 9 I will praise You forever,
         Because You have done it;
         And in the presence of Your saints
         I will wait on Your name, for it is good.