Wisdom 6:1-11
Chapter 6
Exordium: Power Comes from the Lord
Listen, O kings, and understand; rulers of distant lands, take warning.Pay attention, you who command many and boast of your numerous subjects in your pagan nations!
For authority was given to you by the Lord, and your kingship comes from the Most High, who will examine your works and scrutinize your intentions.
If, as officials of his kingdom, you have not judged justly, observed his law, or walked the way God set out,
he will oppose you swiftly and severely; his judgment strikes the mighty suddenly.
For the lowly, there may be excuses and forgiveness, but the great will be severely punished.
For the Lord of all makes no distinction, nor does he consider greatness; both the great and the humble are his creation, and he watches over all,
but the powerful are to be judged more strictly.
It is to you, sovereigns, that I speak—to help you learn wisdom and avoid stumbling.
Those who keep the holy laws in a holy manner will be acknowledged as holy, and those who accept the teaching will find their defense in it.
Welcome my words, desire them, and they will teach you.
Commentaries
Final Judgment.
The wise man and the fool are the two extremes in this first section. The former acknowledges himself as part of God’s plan; the latter, on the other hand, relies solely on his own strength. According to the book of Wisdom, God’s judgment will come relentlessly upon the wicked as punishment. Two thousand years later, this message still holds relevance: those who know God understand they are in his hands, part of his plan, established long ago.
Exordium: Power Comes from the Lord.
This new section returns to the style with which the book began (1:1): direct speech, exhortation to listen to the words to gain wisdom, and demonstration that wisdom leads to immortality. When addressing kings, the doctrine of the divine origin of power is assumed (Ps 2:10-12; Prov 8:15f; Rom 13:1-7), and the way they can secure the stability of their thrones is explained from a universalist perspective.
Wisdom or intelligence? Today, both are often seen as the same. Society values the wisdom of those who attain the highest positions. However, the text urges those in such roles to understand that God is close to the humble and is the master of life. That is genuine wisdom.