DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
Proverbs Selections B (01/23) First Reading at Great
Vespers of Gregory the Theologian
The Blessing of the Lord: Proverbs Selections B, especially vs. 8:6: “Obey
me, for I speak sacred things, and from my lips I will bring forth things that
are true.” The title of
this meditation comes from the first verse in the reading (Pr. 10:7), but it is
also the leading phrase of the Priest’s blessing given at the conclusion
of the Divine Liturgy. Our Priests
bless, and you and I receive blessing - by God’s grace. This entire selection of verses from the
Proverbs of Solomon is provided to tell us two truths: first, the sort of
persons sure to receive the blessing of the Lord, and, second what the blessing
of the Lord confers on such persons.
The aim of the collection is to encourage us to labor with the Lord
Jesus to become the kind of persons in whom the Priest’s blessing is
truly realized, experienced, and known.
The selected verses identify the persons that will receive
God’s blessing. They are
righteous (10:7), with understanding (10:6), and those, who having
found wisdom (3:13), come near to wisdom (3:16). Later, starting with the verses from
chapter eight, wisdom personally exhorts us to be among those who receive
God’s blessing. Wisdom issues
a command that will be repeated later: “Obey me...” (8:6). What are the
credentials for speaking with such authority? “...I speak sacred things,
and from my lips I will bring forth things that are true” (8:6).
Hence, the persons sure to receive God’s blessing
obey (8:6) and hearken to wisdom (8:32), guard wisdom’s ways (8:32), love
and seek wisdom (8:17), are assured of finding wisdom (8:17), and for them
“...things are evident...” because they
“...understand...” and what they learn is true because of finding
authentic knowledge (8:9). By
applying what wisdom helps them know in their hearts, they are filled with
delight and joy [gladdened] and they are able to express wisdom readily with
their lips (22:21).
What, then,
does the blessing of the Lord confer on persons of the sort described through
these verses? The first clue: they
are “...kept safe from the heat...” (10:6). The latter half of that verse
suggests the context the author had in mind: They are safe from being
“...blasted by the wind at harvest time” (Pr.10:6b). The bane of farmers is to plant a field
only to have an entire crop ruined by destructive cyclonic or straight-line
winds at harvest time - all labor and guarding from predators, weeding, and
irrigation wasted by a brief moment of wild weather.
But God’s blessed ones are able to receive
life’s disasters from His hand, for Divine wisdom aids them in surviving
the inward, spiritual devastation that breaks men who rely solely on treasures
of gold and silver (3:14) and precious stones (3:15). How many are the evils around us on
every side: terrorists, vandals, sickness, accidents, betrayals, infidelities,
ugliness, abandonment, lies, perversions - the weight
of it all bears us down! But be
assured, “...nothing evil will withstand...” wisdom (3:15),
especially when wisdom is well known and near us (3:16). Do not delay; begin to seek wisdom from
this very moment!
Wisdom speaks of sacred things (vs. 8:6), matters
having a direct relationship with God: truth (8:7) as well as life
and grace are “...prepared from the Lord” (8:34). Counsel, knowledge, and understanding
(8:12) are woven into the fabric of wisdom, giving it safety, discernment,
and strength (8:14). These
things truly are sacred and worthy of our imperfect struggle to obey!
Indeed, let us obey wisdom (8:6), apply wisdom’s ways
from our hearts, and pray Christ our God to be our Wisdom and establish our
hearts (22:20). The Word of God Who took on our humanity heals our speaking by the tree of
life (15:4) upon which He gave Himself for us.
Help us, O Wisdom from above, to become sacred, rise above
earthly darkness, and draw near to Thee, Who shineth
in our darkness, that we may become light as Thou dost promise.
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