Sirach 39:1-16: a reflection

1Not so he who has applied his soul and meditates in the law of the Most High. He will seek out the wisdom of all the ancients and will be occupied with prophecies. 2He will keep the sayings of the men of renown and will enter in amidst the subtleties of parables. 3He will seek out the hidden meaning of proverbs and be conversant in the dark sayings of parables. 4He will serve among great men and appear before him who rules. He will travel through the land of foreign nations, for he has learned what is good and evil among men. 5He will apply his heart to return early to the Lord who made him, and will make supplication before the Most High, and will open his mouth in prayer, and will ask for pardon for his sins. 6If the great Lord wills, he will be filled with the spirit of understanding; he will pour forth the words of his wisdom and in prayer give thanks to the Lord. 7He will direct his counsel and knowledge, and he will meditate in his secrets. 8He will show the instruction which he has been taught and will glory in the law of the covenant of the Lord. 9Many will commend his understanding. So long as the world endures, it won’t be blotted out. His memory won’t depart. His name will live from generation to generation. 10Nations will declare his wisdom. The congregation will proclaim his praise. 11If he continues, he will leave a greater name than a thousand. If he finally rests, it is enough for him. 12Yet more I will utter, which I have thought about. I am filled like the full moon. 13Listen to me, you holy children, and bud forth like a rose growing by a brook of water. 14Give a sweet fragrance like frankincense. Put forth flowers like a lily. Scatter a sweet smell and sing a song of praise. Bless the Lord for all his works! 15Magnify his name and give utterance to his praise with the songs on your lips and with harps! Say this when you utter his praise: 16All the works of the Lord are exceedingly good, and every command will be done in its time.

This passage from Sirach describes the person who devotes himself wholly to seeking God and his wisdom. He meditates on God's law, searches out its depths, rises early to seek the Lord who made him, opens his mouth in prayer, and asks pardon for his sins. And the fruit of this devotion is that he is filled with understanding, pours out words of wisdom, and gives thanks to God. His life is shaped by a deep, deliberate seeking of God and his word.

Notice the marks of this devoted seeker. He gives himself to God's word, not glancing at it but meditating on it, searching out its depths. He rises early to seek the Lord, making the seeking of God a first priority, not an afterthought. He prays, and seeks pardon, and gives thanks. His devotion is not casual but deliberate and diligent, a life ordered around seeking God and steeping in his word. And out of that devotion flows understanding and wisdom.

That is a picture of devotion worth imitating. The wisdom and understanding described here do not come to the casual or the distracted, but to those who give themselves deliberately to seeking God and his word, who rise early to seek him, who meditate on his word and search out its depths. If you would grow in the knowledge of God and his wisdom, give yourself to seeking him, not casually, but deliberately: make time to meditate on his word, to seek him early, to pray. The fruit of such devotion is understanding that the distracted never gain. Seek God diligently and steep yourself in his word, and let that devoted seeking shape your life, as it shaped this seeker of wisdom.

Lord, this passage describes the one who devotes himself to seeking you: meditating on your word, searching out its depths, rising early to seek you, opening his mouth in prayer, asking pardon, and being filled with understanding. Give me such devotion. The wisdom and understanding described here do not come to the casual or the distracted, but to those who give themselves deliberately to seeking you and your word. Help me give myself to seeking you, not casually, but deliberately: to make time to meditate on your word, to seek you early, to pray, to seek your pardon and give you thanks. If I would grow in the knowledge of you and your wisdom, help me steep myself in your word and seek you diligently. Let that devoted seeking shape my life, as it shaped this seeker, and bring forth the understanding that the distracted never gain. Draw me to seek you early and deeply.