Глава 17

The perfection of primordial man. The innateness of the moral law. Complementing natural law with revelation. God's patience and mercy towards repentant sinners. Sir.17:1 The Lord created man from the earth and brings him back to it again. Sir.17:2 He gave them a certain number of days and a certain time, and gave them authority over everything that was in it. Sir.17:3 According to their nature, He clothed them with power and created them in His image, Sir.17:4 And he put fear of them in all flesh, that he might have dominion over the beasts and birds. Sir.17:5 He gave them understanding, a tongue and eyes and ears and a heart for reasoning, Sir.17:6 filled them with insight and showed them good and evil. Sir.17:7 He set His eye on their hearts to show them the greatness of His works, Sir.17:8 Let them glorify His holy name and proclaim the greatness of His works. 1–8. It talks about God’s creation of the first people, their inner dignity, power over the surrounding nature; It is noted that every person has a natural moral law that encourages him to strive to fulfill the holy and perfect will of his Creator. (The Lord put His eye on their hearts, that is, people, to show them the greatness of His deeds); the direction of a person’s holy, godly life is indicated (may they glorify His holy name and proclaim the greatness of His deeds). Sir.17:9 He added knowledge to them and gave them the law of life as an inheritance; Sir.17:10 He made an everlasting covenant with them and showed them His judgments. Sir.17:11 Their eyes saw the greatness of the glory, and their ears heard the glory of His voice. Sir.17:12 And He said to them: “Beware of all unrighteousness”; and he commanded each of them to be responsible to his neighbor. 9–12. It speaks of the gift to humanity, in order to replenish what was weakened after the Fall, of a natural moral law - a revealed law, inscribed in clear, definite writing, precisely showing man the immutable path of true knowledge of God and a godly life. The recipient of God's revealed law was His chosen people, to whom the Lord invited to enter into an eternal covenant with Him (v. 10; cf. Exodus 19:3–6), subject to the Jews fulfilling those commandments and laws that they received from God (and showed them His judgments), during the terrible and glorious Sinai legislation (their eyes saw the greatness of the glory, and their ears heard the glory of His voice). Sir.17:13 Their ways are always before Him, they will not be hidden from His eyes. Sir.17:14 He gave every people a leader, Sir.17:15 And Israel is the portion of the Lord. Sir.17:16 All their works are like the sun before Him, and His eyes are always on their ways. Sir.17:17 Their iniquities were not hidden from Him, and all their sins were before the Lord. Sir.17:18 A man's charity is like a seal with Him, and He will preserve a man's good deeds like the apple of his eye. Sir.17:19 Then He will rise up and reward them, and bring back their offering on their heads. Sir.17:20 But He gave conversion to those who repented and encouraged those who were weakening in patience. Sir.17:21 Turn to the Lord and forgive your sins; Sir.17:22 Pray before Him and reduce your stumbling blocks. Sir.17:23 Return to the Most High, and turn away from unrighteousness, and greatly hate abomination. Sir.17:24 Who will praise the Most High in hell instead of those who live and glorify Him? Sir.17:25 From the dead, as from something that does not exist, there is no glorification: Sir.17:26 He who is alive and healthy will praise the Lord. Sir.17:27 How great is the Lord’s mercy and reconciliation with those who turn to Him! Sir.17:28 There cannot be everything in a person, Sir.17:29 because the son of man is not immortal. Sir.17:30 What is brighter than the sun? but it too is eclipsed. And flesh and blood will think evil. Sir.17:31 He Himself watches over the powers of the high heavens, but people are all earth and ashes. 24–31. The son of man is not immortal... but all people (according to the flesh) are earth and ashes. While a person is alive, he must use the life given to him to glorify his Creator (cf. vv. 7-8). With bodily death, the time for earthly exploits and the glorification of his Creator in them ends for a person: from the dead, as from a non-existent on earth, there is no glorification of the Creator here. The soul of the deceased descends to Sheol, but there for it is no longer a place of godly deeds, but a place of retribution for life on earth. True, during earthly life, in unity with the body, the human soul experiences from the body many obstacles to glorifying God (flesh and blood will think about evil), but here it has a lot of time and opportunity to bring God sincere repentance for its sins, which is pleasing and pleasant in the eyes of the Lord. (How great is the Lord’s mercy and reconciliation with those who turn to Him! ).