Kaph
“Yahweh will make a full end
Of his adversaries.
He will pursue
His enemies
Into darkness.”
According to the last of these Hebrew letters, Kaph, Yahweh would not be kind to his enemies. He would put an end to them and pursue them until they lived in darkness, presumably death.
“Set the trumpet
To your lips!
A vulture is over
The house of Yahweh.
They have broken
My covenant.
They have transgressed
My law.
Israel cries to me!
‘My God!
We!
Israel!
Know you!’
Israel has spurned
The good.
The enemy
Shall pursue him.”
Yahweh, via Hosea, told the Israelites to sound the alarm with a trumpet. The vulture or the Assyrian army was coming to the house of Yahweh. These Israelites had broken his covenant. They had transgressed his law. Yet they came crying to him, since they knew Yahweh. However, it was too late. They knew that they had turned away from the good Yahweh. Now their enemy, the Assyrians, would pursue them.
“Therefore,
I will hedge up
Her way
With thorns.
I will build a wall
Against her,
So that she cannot find
Her paths.
She shall pursue
Her lovers,
But not overtake them.
She shall seek them,
But shall not find them.
Then she shall say.
‘I will go.
I will return
To my first husband.
It was better
With me then
Than now.’”
The prophet Hosea was going to make it difficult for Gomer. He was going to build a wall of hedges around her. Then, she would not be able to follow her paths. She might want to pursue her lovers, but she would not be able to reach them. She would go looking for them, but not find them. Finally, she would say, maybe I should return to my first husband. I was better off then with him. Once again, Gomer was a symbol of the lost Israel, seeking the Baal gods, but finally deciding to come home to Yahweh, their first husband.
“‘You cherished
An ancient enmity.
You gave over
The people of Israel
To the power
Of the sword,
At the time
Of their calamity,
At the time
Of their final punishment.’
Says Yahweh God!
‘Therefore,
As I live,
I will prepare you
For blood.
Blood shall
Pursue you.
You did not hate
Bloodshed.
Therefore,
Bloodshed
Shall pursue you.’”
Yahweh, via Ezekiel, noted that Edom or Mount Seir had been an ancient enemy with enmity towards Israel. Thus, they took advantage of the people of Israel at the time of their calamity, at their final punishment, by using the sword against them, helping the Babylonians. The response of Yahweh God was that he was going to prepare these Edomites for further bloodshed. As they did not hate bloodshed, it would pursue them further.
“If you pursue justice,
You will attain it.
Wear it
Like a glorious robe.
Birds roost
With their own kind.
Thus honestly comes home
To those who practice it.
A lion lies in wait
For prey.
So does sin come
For the workers of iniquity.”
Sirach says that if you pursue justice, you will attain it. He makes it sound easy. If you have justice, you should wear it like a glorious robe. Just as birds of a kind flock together, so too honestly comes home to those who practice it. On the other hand, the workers of iniquity sin just like a lion lies in wait for its prey. Good begets good and sin begets sin.
“Happy is the person
Who meditates on wisdom,
Who reasons intelligently,
Who reflects in his heart on her ways,
Who ponders her secrets,
Who pursues wisdom like a hunter,
Who lies in wait on her paths,
Who peers through her windows,
Who listens at her doors,
Who encamps near her house,
Who fastens his tent peg to her walls,
Who pitches his tent near her,
Who so occupies an excellent lodging place,
Who places his children under her shelter,
Who lodges under her boughs,
Who is sheltered by her from the heat,
Who dwells in the midst of her glory.”
Sirach describes the happy person who has a relationship to wisdom. These happy people will meditate on wisdom. They will reason intelligently. They will reflect on wisdom. They will ponder the secrets of wisdom. They will pursue wisdom like a hunter who lies in wait for wisdom. They will look through the windows and listen at the doors of wisdom. They will camp near the house of wisdom. They will have tent pegs on the walls of the house of wisdom. They will have pitched a tent next to the house of wisdom, which is an excellent lodging place. They will place their children under the shelter of wisdom. They will live under the branches of wisdom, so that they will be sheltered by wisdom from the midday sun. They will live in the glory of wisdom. These happy people will really like wisdom.
“The ungodly were assailed to the end
By pitiless anger.
God knew in advance
Even their future actions.
Even though they themselves had permitted
Your people to depart,
As they hastily sent them forth.
They would change their minds.
They would pursue them.
While they were still busy in mourning,
As they were lamenting
At the graves of their dead,
They reached another foolish decision.
They pursued as fugitives
Those whom they had begged to depart.
They had compelled them to depart.
The fate that they deserved
Drew them on to this end.
Fate made them forget
What had happened.
Thus they might fill up the punishment
That their torments still lacked.
Thus your people might experience an incredible journey.
However they themselves might meet a strange death.”
Once again, without any specific mention of the Red Sea incident in Exodus, chapter 13, there is an explanation of that event that is unmistakable. These ungodly (ἀσεβέσι) Egyptians had let God’s chosen ones go. However, they changed their minds. They were still in mourning, lamenting at the graves of their dead (νεκρῶν) children. Then they made another foolish decision, even thought God knew in advance that they would. Although they had begged and compelled the Israelites to leave, they now decided to pursue them as fugitives. For this, they deserved the fate that awaited them. While the people of God (λαός σου) experienced an incredible journey, these ungodly people met a strange death (θάνατον) at the Red Sea.
“Whoever walks in integrity
Will be safe.
But whoever follows crooked ways will fall into the pit.
Anyone who tills his land
Will have plenty of bread.
But one who follows worthless pursuits
Will have plenty of poverty.
The faithful will abound with blessings.
But whoever is in a hurry to be rich
Will not go unpunished.”
If you walk in integrity, you will be safe. However, if you follow the crooked ways, you will fall into the pit of death. Then repeating a phrase from chapter 12, if you till the land you will have plenty of bread. On the other hand, if you pursue worthless pursuits, you will end up with plenty of poverty. The faithful will have many blessings, but those who are in a hurry to become rich will not go unpunished.
“It is better to live in a desert land
Than with a contentious and fretful wife.
Precious treasure remains in the house of the wise.
But the fool devours his treasure.
Whoever pursues righteousness
Will find life and honor.
Whoever pursues kindness
Will find life and honor.”
Once again we have the problem of the contentious and fretful wife. It is better to be on a desert island than with this contentious woman. Interesting enough, there is never any mention of cantankerous husbands. You can find precious treasure in the house of the wise ones. The fools, on the other hand, devour their treasure. If you pursue righteousness and kindness, you will have an honorable life.
“I have been as a portent to many.
You are my strong refuge.
My mouth is filled
With your praise.
My mouth is filled
With your glory all the day.
Do not cast me off
In the time of old age.
Do not forsake me
When my strength is spent.
My enemies speak concerning me.
Those who watch for my life
Consult together.
They say.
‘God has forsaken him.
Pursue and seize that person.
There is no one to deliver him.’”
This psalmist was like a threat to many, but God was his strong refuge. All day long he was filled with praise and glory to God. He did not want God to cast him aside in his old age. His strength was decreasing. People were out to get him. They said that God had forsaken him. Thus they wanted to pursue him and take hold of him. This old man asked for God’s help.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 