[12] The beginning of human pride is to forsake the Lord;
the heart has withdrawn from its Maker.
[13] For the beginning of pride is sin,
and the one who clings to it pours out abominations.
Therefore the Lord brings upon them unheard-of calamities,
and destroys them completely.
[14] The Lord overthrows the thrones of rulers,
and enthrones the lowly in their place.
[15] The Lord plucks up the roots of the nations,
and plants the humble in their place.
[16] The Lord lays waste the lands of the nations,
and destroys them to the foundations of the earth.
[17] He removes some of them and destroys them,
and erases the memory of them from the earth.
[18] Pride was not created for human beings,
or violent anger for those born of women.
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The Sirach reading selection is not part of the standard Old Testament. It is also called the “Wisdom of Ben Sira,” or “Ecclesiasticus.” It was originally written in Hebrew, but I have not found a website that produces that text, along with English translation possibilities. In the above English translation by the NASB, it can be assumed that “God” was written as “elohim” and “Yahweh” has been translated as “the Lord.” While the NASB translation shows only “the Lord,’ other translations (Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition) show the same Hebrew word translated as “God.” Since this is a Wisdom, in the same vein as Solomon’s works, the concepts of both “the Lord” and “God,” when seen as written “elohim” (or other words not “Yahweh”), then the Wisdom is divine inspiration about lesser spirits possessing a soul in less than divine marriage. Regardless of these possibilities, the flow of the text above paints an ugly picture of souls in the flesh who do not have a Yahweh elohim (Adam-Jesus) leading them to hear the voice of Yahweh leading them.
The theme of these verses is clearly “human pride.” It is stated in verses twelve, thirteen and eighteen. It should be recalled that “pride” is one of the seven deadly sins (a RCC list), where the truth of “deadly” is “mortal,” where all bodies of flesh die, leaving souls that were sold for the “pride” of worldly position to return (via reincarnation) to a death state after Judgment … eternally. When the definition of “pride” is seen as: “An excessively high opinion of oneself; conceit,” where “self-esteem, egotism, and vanity” are all synonymous with the definition of “pride,” the element of self-esteem says one rejects union with Yahweh, because one sees “self” (a “soul”) as a god. As such, “pride” has a soul kneel down before the altar of marriage to the flesh, with Satan officiating that possession and one of his demon spirits coming to lord over that soul-flesh to ensure self-esteem is high. The problem with that is self-esteem is measured in things that remain in the material realm after the soul leaves its mortal flesh for Judgment. At that point, as self-esteem becomes the curse of eternal damnation.
When verse twelve says “the beginning of self pride is to forsake Yahweh,” it is then “the soul” (the heart of a soul-flesh entity) that has “withdrawn from its maker.” The maker of a soul (the breath of eternal life placed temporarily in a body of dead dirt, clay, and dust is Yahweh and only Yahweh. Mankind (its god science-medicine-biology) cannot make a soul. It can only make machines that run on power sources, which always die and need to be replenished or replaced. Mankind can only make images of itself, which means it lives down to the axiom: The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.
In verse thirteen, the defining of “pride” is called “abominations.” To take hold of self-pride means to sin. To sin means to break the Law, which is the Covenant of marriage a soul must make in submission to Yahweh. Agreement to those Laws means Yahweh’s Son must join with one’s soul and become the Lord over its flesh. This is the only way to ensure no further sins will take place by that soul-flesh. To begin “self-pride” means to open the flood gates of sin, which leads to worse and worse breakages of Law, all being deemed “abominations.” The punishment for such crimes is “unheard of calamities,” where the “destruction” is spiritual. A soul can live out its days in prideful flesh; but when those fleeting days are done, the eternal soul will be “destroyed” by eternal condemnation.
In verse fourteen, the overthrow of rulers says the self-esteem of position, where wealth and influence allow a body of flesh to stand upon the souls of others, demanding they pay homage to him or her, will only last so long. The lowly gravedigger will be the last one to walk upon their position, tamping down the loose dirt that symbolizes the end of their reigns.
Verse fifteen says those who claim rule over powerful nations – such as today the United States of America is believed to be a ‘superpower’ – to hear politicians (i.e.: Joe ‘Liar, Liar’ Biden) say, “the soul of our nation is threatened,” there is no land or place in the world that lives. All earth is dead; thus, no nation is capable of having a ‘soul.’ Only individuals, where many millions of individual souls liv in one area considered a ‘nation,’ make up the man ‘souls of a nation.’ Those places called nations that have liars leading the people’s souls to ruin will be “plucked out,” meaning left leaderless from foreign attacks. Any lost “souls” allowing themselves to be led by liars will suffer the punishments of being held guilty of ignorance. When their leaders are destroyed, then the lowly humble will be put in their place, which means next in line to be held responsible for the sins of their forefathers.
All so called superpowers will be destroyed by their own means of destruction. All nations led by liars, atheists, and insane human beings with high self-esteem (due to holding the ignorant under their rule will be destroyed. Their lands will be found lifeless, as all lost souls will be destroyed for allowing liars to lead them to ruin and destruction. The lands will be so toxic that nobody will be able to enter those places and continue to live. The absence of life in those destroyed lands will mean no one will grow up a patriot who bows down before liars and submits his or her soul to demons spirits that destroy souls.
Verse eighteen then returns to the theme of pride. It says “pride was not created for human beings,” which means that born to die has nothing to write home about as favorable. Being human means being a soul trapped in the prison that leads a soul to sin and turn away from Yahweh (the source Father) and turn to pride. Only those having earned eternal life, through marriage of their souls to Yahweh, fully in submission to His Will, can ever experience the true goodness of pride. It is a servant’s feeling from being promised eternal love and affection.
The flesh is meaningless in that promise. When the reference is to “those born of women” it is totally human, with only the breath of life animating flesh that is born to die. True pride can only be experienced by souls having married Yahweh and been cleansed of sins by His Spirit, making that soul become a virgin womb, in which Yahweh will penetrate with His holy seed. That seed is the soul of His only Son (Adam-Jesus); so, when that divine soul is born by a wife-soul made pure by the Spirit, that becomes the only “born of women” of significance. The, “a woman” is ever soul trapped in human flesh, who has become a bridesmaid of Yahweh. It is not a physical “woman” but the femininity of a soul that receives the Spirit of Yahweh and gives rebirth to His Son in their flesh.