Our
first reading summarizes well a basic belief of the Israelites in Old Testament
times: “The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked,
but the dwelling
of the just he blesses…” They
believed that fidelity to God would result in blessings and these include
victory in war and conquering lands.
On the other hand, they also saw defeat and tragedy as a result of their
infidelity.
Sometimes
this can be confusing for us who live after the coming of Christ. We may read Old Testament stories of
violence and pillage and be confused how an all good God could instruct such
evil. Yet at the heart of such Old
Testament accounts is an imbedded truth that still holds today: fidelity to God
results in blessings and infidelity results in death.
As Christians, our blessings do not come in
military victory but in grace, forgiveness, and growth in virtue. Infidelity to God results in disorder
and eventually death because “the wages of sin is death”. Let’s put into action this teaching
today.
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