Sirach 2:1-18: a reflection

1My son, if you come to serve the Lord, prepare your soul for temptation. 2Set your heart aright, constantly endure, and don’t make haste in time of calamity. 3Cling to him, and don’t depart, that you may be increased at your latter end. 4Accept whatever is brought upon you, and be patient when you suffer humiliation. 5For gold is tried in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation. 6Put your trust in him, and he will help you. Make your ways straight, and set your hope on him. 7All you who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy. Don’t turn aside, lest you fall. 8All you who fear the Lord, put your trust in him, and your reward will not fail. 9All you who fear the Lord, hope for good things, and for eternal gladness and mercy. 10Look at the generations of old, and see: Who ever put his trust in the Lord, and was ashamed? Or who remained in his fear, and was forsaken? Or who called upon him, and he neglected him? 11For the Lord is full of compassion and mercy. He forgives sins and saves in time of affliction. 12Woe to fearful hearts, to faint hands, and to the sinner who goes two ways! 13Woe to the faint heart! For it doesn’t believe. Therefore it won’t be defended. 14Woe to you who have lost your patience! And what will you all do when the Lord visits you? 15Those who fear the Lord will not disobey his words. Those who love him will keep his ways. 16Those who fear the Lord will seek his good pleasure. Those who love him will be filled with the law. 17Those who fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and will humble their souls in his sight. 18We will fall into the hands of the Lord, and not into the hands of men; for as his majesty is, so also is his mercy.

This passage begins with a sober but honest word to anyone who would serve God: My son, if you come to serve the Lord, prepare your soul for testing. It does not promise an easy road; it warns that serving God will involve trials, and calls the servant to be ready for them, to endure, to cling to God and not depart, to be patient in suffering. For, it says, gold is tested in the fire, and acceptable people in the furnace of humiliation. And it holds out this assurance: who ever trusted the Lord and was put to shame?

Notice the realism, and the encouragement together. The realism: serving God does not exempt us from testing; rather, we should prepare for it, expecting trials, and be ready to endure them by clinging to God. The trials are not a sign that something has gone wrong, but the furnace in which faith is refined, as gold is refined by fire. And the encouragement: those who trust God through the testing are not put to shame; God is faithful to those who cling to him, and his mercy is as great as his majesty.

That word is one we need, for we can expect that serving God will make life easy, and be shaken when it does not. But this passage tells us plainly: if you come to serve the Lord, prepare for testing. Trials are to be expected in the life of faith, not as signs of failure, but as the furnace in which faith is refined. And the way through them is to cling to God and not depart, to endure, trusting that those who trust him are not put to shame. When testing comes in your service of God, do not be surprised or shaken, as though something had gone wrong; you were told to prepare for it. Cling to God through the testing, endure, and do not depart; trust that the furnace refines rather than destroys, and that God, whose mercy is as great as his majesty, will not put to shame those who trust him. Prepare for testing, and cling to God through it, trusting his faithfulness.

Lord, this passage begins with a sober, honest word: if I come to serve you, I should prepare my soul for testing, endure, cling to you and not depart, for gold is tested in the fire, and acceptable people in the furnace of humiliation; and who ever trusted you and was put to shame? Give me both its realism and its encouragement. The realism: serving you does not exempt me from testing; I should prepare for it, expecting trials, and be ready to endure them by clinging to you. The trials are not a sign that something has gone wrong, but the furnace in which faith is refined. And the encouragement: those who trust you through the testing are not put to shame; you are faithful to those who cling to you, and your mercy is as great as your majesty. I can expect that serving you will make life easy, and be shaken when it does not. But you tell me plainly to prepare for testing. When testing comes in my service of you, keep me from being surprised or shaken, as though something had gone wrong; I was told to prepare for it. Help me cling to you through the testing, endure, and not depart; help me trust that the furnace refines rather than destroys, and that you, whose mercy is as great as your majesty, will not put to shame those who trust you. Help me cling to you through every testing, Lord.