BEN SIRA 5-8

ABOUT BEN SIRA

• Written by Ben Sira in second century B.C.
• Also called "Liber Ecclesiasticus"
• which means "Church Book"

ABOUT BEN SIRA

• Talks about moral instruction
• and an eulogy of the heroes of Israel
• Part of wisdom books

BEN SIRA 5:1-8

• God tells us we cannot rely on riches
• we must rely on him
• We cannot use God's forgiveness as an excuse to sin

5:1-8 (CONT.)

• We cannot let our desire for material items determine our actions
• Don't question God's power you or you will be punished
• God judges us on our character and not wealth

BEN SIRA 5:9-15

• Follow your own path
• Dont live in the shadow of someone else
• Say what you mean and mean what you say
• Listen to others before you talk

5:9-15 (CONT.)

• If you don't have the answer to your neighbors problem:
• don't say anything
• Don't say anything you will regret
• Don't be two faced with who your talking about.

BEN SIRA 6:1-17

• importance of friendship
• who is and isn't considered a friend
• Dont let your passions force you to want more
• You must be a kind friend
• If not, youll inherit a bad name

6:1-17 (CONT.)

• In your every day life you should try to follow Ben Sira's advice.
• don't trust people right away without knowing them first
• have friends that will be there for you

BEN SIRA 6:18-37

• Wisdom is a blessing from God
• Can be a burden
• also what sets the extraordinary apart from the ordinary

6:18-37 (CONT.)

• Cultivate your wisdom
• Enlighten your mind by being near things that make you think
• Wisdom opens our eyes to seeing the world in a new way

BEN SIRA 7

• If you do no evil no evil will be done to youq
• Respect your family and love God.
• Stay away from sin and it will avoid you

7 (CONT.)

• Do not plan to do evil and refuse to lie
• Do not mistreat those who help
• Do not hurt those who do their job
• remember the last days and sin will not find you

BEN SIRA 8

• Teaches how to react to situations
• Do what is right not what you would like

8 (CONT.)

• Useful resource
• Tells us how to follow Gods laws