Wisdom of Solomon 5, 6
1 Then the righteous man will stand with confidence
In the presence of those who afflict him;
And those who reject his labors,
2 When they see him, will be shaken with dreadful fear;
And they shall be amazed at his unexpected salvation.
3 They will speak among themselves with regret,
And in anguish of spirit they will groan and say,
4 “This is the man whom we fools once held in derision
And made a byword of disgrace.
We considered his life to be madness
And his death as without honor.
5 How has he been numbered among the sons of God?
And how is his portion among the saints?
6 Therefore we went astray from the way of truth,
For the light of righteousness did not shine on us,
And the sun did not rise upon us.
7 We were satisfied with the paths of lawlessness,
And we traveled through impassable deserts;
But the way of the Lord we have not known.
8 What has arrogance profited us?
And how has our wealth with its false pretension helped us?
9 “All those things have passed by like a shadow
And like news that escapes notice;
10 Like a ship that passes through the waves of water,
Which after passing through, no trace can be found,
Nor the pathway of its keel in the waves;
11 Or like a bird, when it flies through the air,
No proof of its journey is found;
And the light air, whipped by the beating of its pinions
And divided by the force of its rushing motion,
Is traveled through by the movement of its wings,
But after this no sign of its approach is found therein;
12 Or like an arrow, when it is shot at an object,
The divided air immediately comes together,
So that no one knows its pathway.
13 Thus we also, after we are born, come to an end,
Yet have no sign of virtue to show,
But have been entirely consumed in our vice.”
14 Because the hope of the ungodly man
Is like dust carried by the wind
And like a light frost driven away by a storm,
It is dispersed like smoke before the wind,
And it passes like the remembrance of a guest
Who stays only one day.
15 But the righteous live forever,
And their reward is with the Lord;
And their care is by the Most High.
16 Therefore they shall receive a kingly dwelling of dignity
And a crown of beauty from the hand of the Lord,
Because He will shelter them with His right hand
And protect them with His arm.
17 He will take His zeal as His full armor
And will turn His creation into weapons against His enemies.
18 He will wear righteousness as a breastplate
And put on impartial judgment as a helmet.
19 He will take holiness as an unconquerable shield
20 And sharpen His relentless wrath for a sword;
And creation will fight with Him against the senseless.
21 Well-aimed flashes of lightning will strike
And leap to their object as from a well-drawn bow of clouds;
22 And hailstones full of anger will be hurled
As from an engine of war.
The water of the sea will be vexed with them,
And the rivers will wash over them severely.
23 A powerful wind will oppose them,
And like a storm it will winnow them away.
Lawlessness will lay waste all the earth,
And wrongdoing will overturn the thrones of rulers.
To Kings and Rulers
1 Listen therefore, O kings, and understand;
Learn, O judges of the ends of the earth.
2 Give ear, you that rule over multitudes,
And take pride in yourself over a multitude of nations.
3 For power was given to you from the Lord,
And your lordship from the Most High,
Who will make a careful search of your works
And examine closely your plans.
4 Because as servants of His kingdom,
You did not judge rightly;
Neither did you keep His law,
Nor did you walk according to the plan of God;
5 He shall come upon you terribly and quickly,
Because severe judgment falls on those who govern.
6 For the least is pardoned in mercy,
But the powerful shall be strongly examined.
7 For the Master of all will not shrink back
From anyone’s presence,
Nor respect greatness;
Because He Himself made both small and great,
And cares for all alike.
8 But a strict inquiry is imminent for the mighty.
9 Therefore to you, O tyrants, my words are directed,
That you may learn wisdom and not fall away.
10 For they will be made holy who keep holy things piously,
And those who are taught holy things will find a defense.
11 Therefore long for my words;
Yearn for them, and you will be instructed.
Wisdom’s Radiance
12 Wisdom is radiant and unfading
And is easily perceived by those who love her;
For she is found by those who seek her.
13 She comes upon those who long to know her beforehand.
14 He who rises early in the morning to seek her
Will not grow weary,
For he will find her sitting at his gates.
15 For to think deeply about her
Is the perfection of discernment,
And he who keeps watch for her
Will soon be free from worry;
16 Because she goes about seeking those worthy of her,
And she appears to them favorably in their paths
And meets them in every thought.
17 For the beginning of wisdom
Is a very genuine desire for instruction,
And careful attention to instruction is the love of her.
18 Now this love is the keeping of her laws,
And giving heed to her laws is the assurance of incorruption;
19 And incorruption brings one near to God.
20 So desire for wisdom leads to a kingdom.
21 Therefore if you take pleasure in thrones and scepters, O tyrants,
Honor wisdom, that you may reign forever.
22 I will tell you what wisdom is and how she came to be,
And I will hide no mysteries from you;
But I will search her out from the beginning of creation
And make her knowledge clear.
I will not pass by the truth,
23 Nor indeed travel with envy, which causes one to waste away,
Because envy will have no share in wisdom.
24 But a multitude of wise men is the salvation of the world,
And a prudent king is the stability of his people.
25 Therefore be instructed by my words, and you will profit.
Psalm 54:13–24
13 For if an enemy reviled me,
I would have endured it;
And if one hating me boasted against me,
I would have hidden from him.
14 But it was you, a man my equal,
My guide and my friend,
15 Who together with me sweetened our meals;
In God’s house we walked in unity.
16 Let death come upon them,
And let them go down alive into Hades;
Because evils are in their dwellings, in the very midst of them.
17 But I cried out to God,
And the Lord heard me.
18 Evening and morning and midday, I shall tell;
I shall proclaim, and He will hear my voice.
19 He will redeem my soul in peace from those who draw near to me,
For they were with me in abundance.
20 God shall hear, and humble them,
He who exists before the ages.
(Pause)
For there is no change in them,
And they have not feared God.
21 He stretched forth His hand in punishment;
They defiled His covenant.
22 They were scattered by the wrath of His face,
And His heart drew near;
His words were softened above oil,
And they are arrows.
23 Cast your care upon the Lord,
And He shall support you;
He will never allow the righteous to be moved.
24 But You, O God, will bring them down into the pit of decay;
Men of blood and deceit
Shall not live even half their days.
But I will hope in You, O Lord.
Proverbs 11:16–20
16 A merciful man does good to his soul,
But an unmerciful man utterly destroys his body.
17 An ungodly man does unrighteous works,
But the seed of the righteous is a reward of truth.
18 A righteous son is begotten unto life,
But the persecution of an ungodly man is unto death.
19 Perverse ways are an abomination to the Lord,
But all who are blameless in their ways are acceptable to Him.
20 He who joins hands with the unrighteous will not go unpunished,
But he who sows righteousness will receive a faithful reward.
1 Corinthians 11:17–34
17 Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse.
18 For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.
19 For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you.
20 Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.
21 For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk.
22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.
Institution of the Lord’s Supper
(Matt. 26:26–29; Mark 14:22–25; Luke 22:14–23)
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;
24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
Examine Yourself
27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
33 Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.
34 But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come.