Sirach 45:17-26: a reflection

17He gave to him in his commandments, authority in the covenants of judgments, to teach Jacob the testimonies, and to enlighten Israel in his law. 18Strangers conspired against him and envied him in the wilderness: Dathan and Abiram with their company, and the congregation of Korah, with wrath and anger. 19The Lord saw it, and it displeased him. In the wrath of his anger, they were destroyed. He did wonders upon them, to consume them with flaming fire. 20He added glory to Aaron, and gave him a heritage. He divided to him the first fruits of the increase, and prepared bread of first fruits in abundance. 21For they eat the sacrifices of the Lord, which he gave to him and to his offspring. 22However, in the land of the people, he has no inheritance, and he has no portion among the people, for the Lord himself is your portion and inheritance. 23Phinehas the son of Eleazar is the third in glory, in that he was zealous in the fear of the Lord, and stood fast when the people turned away, and he made atonement for Israel. 24Therefore, a covenant of peace was established for him, that he should be leader of the sanctuary and of his people, that he and his offspring should have the dignity of the priesthood forever. 25Also he made a covenant with David the son of Jesse, of the tribe of Judah. The inheritance of the king is his alone from son to son. So the inheritance of Aaron is also to his seed. 26May God give you wisdom in your heart to judge his people in righteousness, that their good things may not be abolished, and that their glory may endure for all their generations.

This passage recalls the faithfulness of Aaron and of Phinehas, and the enduring blessings God gave them. Because of their faithfulness, God established covenants with them, of priesthood and of peace, that extended not only to them but to their offspring after them, a lasting heritage passed to their descendants. And it recalls the covenant with David, likewise passed to his line. The faithfulness of these servants secured a blessing that reached beyond themselves to the generations that followed.

Notice how the blessing extended: to their offspring, their descendants, the generations after them. Aaron's and Phinehas's faithfulness was not rewarded in their lifetimes only; it secured an enduring heritage for those who came after them. Their faithful lives left a legacy of blessing to their descendants. What they were faithful in reached forward, blessing generations they would never see.

That is a reminder that our faithfulness reaches beyond ourselves. The way we live, our faithfulness or unfaithfulness to God, does not affect only us; it leaves a heritage, for good or ill, to those who come after us, our children, those we influence, the generations that follow. A faithful life can be a legacy of blessing to descendants and to others, reaching forward in ways we may never see. Live faithfully, not only for your own sake, but for the sake of those who will come after you. Your faithfulness to God can leave a heritage of blessing to your children and to the generations that follow, as Aaron's and Phinehas's did. Consider the legacy your life is leaving, and let your faithfulness be a heritage of blessing to those who come after you.

Lord, the faithfulness of Aaron and Phinehas secured lasting blessings not only for themselves but for their offspring and the generations after them; their faithful lives left a heritage of blessing to their descendants. Remind me that my own faithfulness reaches beyond myself. The way I live, my faithfulness or unfaithfulness to you, does not affect only me; it leaves a heritage, for good or ill, to those who come after me, my children, those I influence, the generations that follow. Help me live faithfully, not only for my own sake, but for the sake of those who will come after me. Let my faithfulness to you be a heritage of blessing to my children and to the generations that follow, reaching forward in ways I may never see. Help me consider the legacy my life is leaving, and to leave a heritage of blessing through my faithfulness to you.