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God's Compassion

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LivingWordUnity

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Sirach 18:9-14 (RSVCE)

9 The number of a man’s days is great if he reaches a hundred years.
10 Like a drop of water from the sea and a grain of sand
so are a few years in the day of eternity.
11 Therefore the Lord is patient with them
and pours out his mercy upon them.
12 He sees and recognizes that their end will be evil;
therefore he grants them forgiveness in abundance.
13 The compassion of man is for his neighbor,
but the compassion of the Lord is for all living beings.
He rebukes and trains and teaches them,
and turns them back, as a shepherd his flock.
14 He has compassion on those who accept his discipline
and who are eager for his judgments.
 
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St_Worm2

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Hi LWU, my NAB says something slightly different than your RSV does (and it numbers the verses differently as well):

10 He sees and understands that their death is grievous,
and so he forgives them all the more.
11 Man may be merciful to his fellow man,
but the LORD’S mercy reaches all flesh Sirach 18 NAB

12 He sees and recognizes that their end will be evil;
therefore he grants them forgiveness in abundance.
13 The compassion of man is for his neighbor,
but the compassion of the Lord is for all living beings. Sirach 18 RSV​

I'm not concerned about the differences in translation or numbering, rather, with what you believe the author is teaching us in each of these verses.

On the one hand (for instance), the author says that man shows compassion for his "fellow man" (or "neighbor") but, on the other hand, that God shows compassion for "all" men. That begs this question (for me anyway), to whom does the author refer when he says "neighbor" or "fellow man" if he does not mean *all* men? (this seems somewhat reminiscent of the lawyer's question of the Lord in Luke 10:29 does it not?)

Likewise, what do you believe the author is teaching us in v12 (from the RSV) / v10 (from the NAB)?

I have little knowledge of Sirach (or the rest of the Deuterocanonicals for that matter), so I thank you for your help with them.

Yours and His,
David
 
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LivingWordUnity

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Death was not originally willed by God for us. Death came into the world as a result of sin, the abuse of our free will. Sin is evil, so God sees death as evil, too. That's how I think those two different translations can be reconciled with each other.

"Do not invite death by the error of your life, nor bring on destruction by the works of your hands; because God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death of the living." - Wisdom 1:12-13
.
 
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St_Worm2

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pdudgeon

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Since LWU has already answered your question, can i pop my 2 cents in as well?

to me the quoted verse displays the expansive depth and breadth of God's mercy.
On the one hand we are told that we should show compassion to our neighbor and to those we know.
But God knows everyone because He created them all.

Not only that, but He knows their very hearts, thoughts, and all of their actions--and yet His compassion extends to them.
This is evidenced by His sending Jesus, His only Son, to bring the gifts of light and hope and salvation even to those who dwell in
the darkness of sin.

For me this was epitomized in the lives of the disciples, and also in the life of Paul.
These men thought that they had everything in life worked out---and then came Jesus, and they were never the same.
 
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LivingWordUnity

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St_Worm2 said:
Hi LWU, I'm sorry that I haven't gotten back to you sooner than this, but before I comment on your last reply to me, what is it that you want me/us to notice at the link you posited above?

Thanks!

--David
Click to expand...
It's related to God's compassion, the theme of this thread.
 
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