The Book of Ben Sira is a reminder to all readers of the Bible of the importance of the science of wisdom for living in armony with the creation, and that this wisdom blessed the Israelites when they lived according to the covenant made with God, because the law of Moses is more than the fulfillment of a series of imperatives or commands; the law of Moses is first and foremost the spiritual gift of fear of God, the desire to be instructed, as expressed in the first and second commandments.
And Ben Sira, as a teacher of wisdom, wanted to remember the most illustrious men of Israel and their important actions to show that the science of God is, in practical terms, the common sense for living, and among these famous men, he mentioned in his sapiential book the prophet Samuel and the most relevant events of his life. Samuel was a wise man and a prophet who anointed Saul and David as kings of Israel at the end of the period of the judges.
Samuel was a person called by God from his very conception, according to the Bible, and the Lord sent him to the world to fulfill a mission. Samuel was an upright man who was never driven by greed or dishonest gain. The first book of Samuel recounts that after Saul's coronation as the first king of Israel, Samuel in Gilgal gave a long speech declaring his innocence and his worth as a prophet of Israel, and the teacher of wisdom, Ben Sira, remembered this event with these important words:
"When the time drew near for his eternal sleep,
Samuel bore witness to the LORD and his anointed:
'I have never taken from anyone any property,
not even a pair of shoes.'" Ben Sira 46:19
Samuel was in every sense a true spiritual leader, God never hid his face from him, and even in the most difficult and darkest moments, the prophet made available to the Israelites that wisdom which grants security and life. And Ben Sira, when writing about him, did not forget this fact, because wisdom is a double blessing; wisdom blesses the one who gives her,
and she blesses the one who receives her.
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