Doctrine of Retribution in Wisdom Literature of the Holy Bible By Xavier James L.S.

DOCTRINE OF RETRIBUTION BY XAVIER JAMES L.S.

INTRODUCTION

One of the interesting and amazing literatures in Biblical scholarship is the Wisdom Literature. It is interesting because it has a lot to teach us and it is amazing because in those days among the primitive people such high level knowledge was existing. The primitive people especially the Israelites were very spiritual people and believed in ‘As you sow so you reap’. Let us analyze the ‘Doctrine of Retribution’ which is very well presented in the Wisdom books of the Old Testament.

WHAT IS RETRIBUTION

Whatever you do, the same comes back to you. Whichever action goes forth from us the same will return to us. Wisdom and Folly are given to us and we are free beings who are created in the image and likeness of God and are given to choose between wisdom and folly. The practical virtues are given for the prosperity of the human being and it is up to us to take what we like to have it for our life. When we choose wisdom we are led to prosperity and when we accept her we are blessed with good things in our lives and lead a happy life. And if we choose folly then we bring about disaster on ourselves and we ruin and destroy our life.

DIVINE RETRIBUTION IN ISRAEL

Israel believed in Divine Retribution as Reward and Punishment. In the life of Israel the Deuteronomic equation is very vividly described i.e. ‘Obey Prosper and Disobey Perish’. In the book of Deuteronomy blessings for obedience and warnings against disobedience are distinguished. In Chapter 28:1, “If you will only obey the Lord your God, by diligently observing all his commandments that I am commanding you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth”. And in 28:15, “But if you will not obey the Lord your God by diligently observing all his commandments and decrees, which I am commanding you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you”.

RETRIBUTION ACCORDING TO WISDOM

The good or evil deed produces of itself a good or evil consequence, and there is a deed-consequence order of things established in creation and watched over by God. The Lord is frequently portrayed as intervening directly in human existence i.e. He is either punishing or rewarding. The book of Proverbs states that good is useful and bad is harmful and this is challenged by the book of Job that I am good and why bad things for me? Then comes the book of Qoheleth or Ecclesiastes where the teacher tells what is good?  Anyhow you are going to die. The book of Sirach says that fear of the Lord is the most important one. The book of Wisdom states that immortality for the righteous and Sheol for the wicked.

RETRIBUTION IN PROVERBS

In Proverbs God is portrayed as God of Justice. In 26:27 we read, “whoever digs a pit will fall into it and a stone will come back on the one who starts it rolling”. This shows how evil begets evil and what are their consequences. And in 10:3 we read, “The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry but he thwarts the craving of the wicked”. It is very evident that the God of Israel is a just God according to Proverbs.

RETRIBUTION IN JOB

In Job the innocent suffering challenges and attacks traditional wisdom equation of goodness and prosperity i.e. the good is useful the bad is harmful. In chapter 12 Job appreciates the marvels of God and states that he is innocent and he is sure that he will triumph because he is good.

RETRIBUTION IN ECCLESIASTES

Qoheleth says that everything is futile and meaningless. Just like Job he attacks the traditional doctrine of Retribution in 7:15 we see that the preacher’s observation of the world and its people, “In my vain life I have seen everything; there are righteous people who perish in their righteousness, and there are wicked people who prolong their life in their evildoing”. Experience shows that one fate comes to the wise and the foolish, and so Qoheleth is pessimistic about the success of the human quest for wisdom. This is very much portrayed in 1:13-18 and 3:7-13 where he finds everything amounts to be vanity. Qoheleth rejects the wisdom tradition emphasis on human labour in 2:2,20-23 saying that is also vanity. If it means the total absorption in world because such feverish labour robs of an enjoyment and so he encourages honest pleasures to be enjoyed.

RETRIBUTION IN SIRACH

Though Sirach follows the Traditional wisdom still he advises to take personal responsibility. In 15:14-17 we read’ “It was he who created humankind in the beginning, and left them in the power of their own free choice. If you choose, you can keep the commandments, and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice. He has placed before you fire and water; stretch out your hand for whichever you choose. Before each person are life and death and whichever one chooses will be given”. Thus he says that we are made free and we have to choose between life and death, therefore human beings are responsible for their virtuous deeds as well as their sinful deeds. By keeping the commandments and fearing the Lord one will have prosperity, happiness, long life. And the failure to do so will bring adversity, distress and early death. Rewards and Punishment in an after life were not even considered. Thus human beings must seek their complete meaning and fulfillment only in the present life. There is only pointless survival in Sheol (17:27-28). The wicked prosper and the innocent suffer, though they may prosper disaster will surely come but may be delayed. It may come even the last hours of life (11:24,26-28).

RETRIBUTION IN WISDOM

This is the first time in the history of Israel that immortality comes into being ands this book stresses this view very well in 1:15, “For righteousness is immortal”. Immortality from the point of view of wisdom is one’s relationship with God and to God, righteousness is the key to future life with the Lord.

RETRIBUTION IN OUR TIMES

This theory is very much believed by the ordinary people in the world. According to the traditional wisdom, we see there is no proper rain and so we look for the cause and perceive that we cut the trees and so there is no seasonal rain, our own selfish deeds bring us such consequences. As we sow so we reap. Each one is responsible for his/her own action and he/she is at time cause for the reaction. The immortal life is substituted with the Resurrection in the New Testament by Jesus Christ and this life after death we believe and for that we need to live this life fully then only we can inherit eternal life.

CONCLUSION

As we have analyzed and found the Doctrine of Retribution in the wisdom literature we have to ask ourselves whatever action I do, is it moving towards Love or away from love and this is the fundamental option and experience show that if we love someone we never think of doing any harm to him/her but always with good to all those we love.