Bible spirituality: The members of a family hold their leader in honor, but he who fears the LORD is worthy of honor in his eyes. Ben Sira 10:20
Published on HivePostify by @bernie2002xp · Mon Sep 07 2026
Ben Sira was an important writer who lived in the Hellenistic period, and in his sapiential book in the Bible, reflected on the relationship between man and the most perfect and divine, God, and his eternal wisdom. Ben Sira taught that men are naturally imperfect and that true spirituality consists of seeking and living the perfections of God, such as the spiritual gifts of mercy (compassion, kindness, gentleness), righteousness, and the fear of God (constancy, firmness, devotion). And it is through these gifts that men gradually and progressively draw closer to God. And this thought left by Ben Sira in his book is of utmost importance for the sensible men. What good is the law given by God to Moses if there is no heart prepared to put it into practice? This was the question that moved all the prophets of the Old Testament when the people of Israel forgot their God because of the sin of idolatry. This is why Ben Sira offered in his sapiential book the following reflection for a wise meditation: "The members of a family hold their leader in honor, but he who fears the LORD is worthy of honor in his eyes" Ben Sira 10:20. Men, because of the imperfections of their hearts and the need to earn one's daily bread, honor their leaders because they establish favors and punishments, but this does not happen with God; only those who fear Him are worthy of honor and praise for the creator of all things. The gift of fear of God is central to the Bible because God chose the prophets and all those who were to carry out his plan of salvation for this gift. The gift of fear of God is the opposite of hardness of heart. What Ben Sira explained with this phrase is that like seeks like, and those who fear God are ultimately the people who are meek to his word, his laws, and his wisdom. The fear of God is the beginning of spiritual life, and those who live it are blessed; the fear of God is also the synthesis of the first and second commandments. Ben Sira ultimately reflected, by studying the history of his ancestors, on the difficulties of the world and how God acts in the history of man.
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Tags: #spirituality#bible#members#family#leader