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Tobit

Going Into Hiding
But when Shalmaneser dies and his son Sennacherib succeeds him as king, the roads to Media become unsafe, so he could no longer go there.

During Sennacherib reign, Tobit buries in secret those Israelites whom Sennacherib slew. However, the king learns of what Tobit has been doing so the king sends out word to arrest him and to put him to death. Tobit then goes into hiding.

Afterward, the king confiscates all of Tobit’s property leaving him with nothing, except for his wife Anna and his son Tobiah.

Less than forty days later, however, the king is assassinated by two of his sons. His son Esarhaddon succeeds him as king. the new king places Ahiqar, Tobit’s brother Anael's son, in charge of all the accounts of the kingdom, taking control over the entire administration, being the chief cupbearer, keeper of the seal, administrator, and treasurer.

Ahigar Intercedes for Tobit
Then Ahiqar successfully intercedes on Tobit’s behalf so he returns to Nineveh with his wife Anna and son Tobiah.

On the festival of Pentecost, the feast of Weeks, a fine dinner is prepared for Tobit and he gets ready to eat. At the table he tells his son, Tobiah to look for a poor man from among his kinsmen in Nineveh. He tells his son to bring that man so he can join them at his table to eat.

Thus Tobit waits for his son to come back from his mission. Tobiah then returns to report to Tobit that one of his kinsmen had been slain and his body was left at the market place.

Tobit rushes to the market place, leaving his dinner untouched. He then carries the dead man from the street and put him in one of the rooms, so that he might bury him after sunset. Then he returns to his own quarters, washes himself and eats his dinner in sorrow. Then at sunset Tobit goes out to dig a grave, and buries the slain man.

When his neighbors see him, they mock him for not learning his lessons, for this same action led to him to be hunted down for execution.

Tobit Becomes Blind
At that same night Tobit bathes, and goes to sleep next to the wall of his courtyard. Because of the heat he leaves his face uncovered. Without his knowing birds perch on the wall above him, and their warm droppings fall into his eyes causing cataracts. He goes to see some doctors for the cure, but the more they anoint his eyes with various salves, the worse the cataracts become, until he could see no more.

For four years Tobit is deprived of eyesight, and all his kinsmen are grieved at his condition. Ahiqar, however, takes care of him for two years, until he leaves for Elymais.

Tobit's Wife Anna
At this time Tobit’s wife Anna works for hire at weaving cloth. She gets paid for the goods that she finishes. Late in winter she finishes the cloth and sends it back to the owners. They pay her the full salary, and also give her a young goat for the table.

On entering his house the goat begins to bleat. Tobit calls to his wife and says that if the goat was stolen to give it back to the owners. But his wife tells him that the goat was given to her as a bonus over and above her wages. However, Tobit does not believe her and angrily demands to give the goat back to the owner. Anna rebukes Tobit for not believing her.

Grief-stricken Tobit groans and weeps aloud. Then with sobs Tobit begins to pray to the LORD, to let him die instead of enduring so much misery in life, and to hear these insults.

The Sorrows of Sarah
On the same day, at Ecbatana in Media, Raguel's daughter Sarah also had to listen to abuse, from one of her father's maids. For she has been married to seven husbands, but the wicked demon Asmodeus kills them off before they could have intercourse with her, as it is prescribed for wives. So the maid accuses Sarah of strangling her husbands.

That day Sarah is deeply grieved in spirit and goes in tears to an upstairs room in her father's house with the intention of hanging herself. But she reconsiders, saying to herself that then people will level insults against her father. She prays instead to the LORD to take her life so she may never hear these insults.

At that very time, the prayers of these two suppliants are heard in the glorious presence of Almighty God. The LORD later sends Rafael to eventually heal them both.

That same day Tobit remembers the money he had deposited with Gabael at Rages in Media.

The Wisdom of Tobit

Give your father a decent burial when he dies.
Honor your mother, and to not abandon her as long as she lives.
Do whatever pleases her, and not grieve her spirit in any way.

Always keep the Lord in mind, and suppress every desire to sin or to break his commandments.
Do good works all the days of your life, and not tread the paths of wrongdoing.

Be steadfast in your service and your good works will bring success, not only to you, but also to all those who live uprightly.
Give alms from your possessions.
Do not turn your face away from any of the poor, and God's face will not be turned away from you.
Give alms in proportion to what you own.
If you have great wealth, give alms out of your abundance; if you have but little, distribute even some of that. But do not hesitate to give alms.
You will be storing up a goodly treasure for yourself against the day of adversity.
Almsgiving frees one from death, and keeps one from going into the dark abode.
Alms are a worthy offering in the sight of the Most High for all who give them.
Give to the hungry some of your bread, and to the naked some of your clothing.
Whatever you have left over, give away as alms; and do not begrudge the alms you give.
Be lavish with your bread and wine at the burial of the virtuous, but do not share them with sinners.

Be on guard against every form of immorality.
Marry a woman of the lineage of your forefathers and not to marry a stranger who is not of your father's tribe.
Keep in mind Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, their fathers from of old, who all took wives from among their own kinsmen and were blessed in their children. Remember that their posterity shall inherit the land.
Love your kinsmen. Be not so proud-hearted toward them for in such arrogance there is ruin and great disorder.

In worthlessness there is decay and dire poverty, for worthlessness is the mother of famine.

Do not to keep overnight the wages of any man who works for you, but pay him immediately, because if he behaves as God's servant, he will receive his reward.

If you thus behave as God's servant, you will receive your reward.
Keep a close watch on yourself in everything you do, and discipline yourself in all your conduct.
Do not do to one what you yourself dislike.

Do not drink wine till you become drunk, or let drunkenness accompany you on your way.

Always seek counsel from every wise man, and to not think lightly of any advice that can be useful.

At all times bless the Lord God, and ask him to make all your paths straight and to grant success to all your endeavors and plans.
No pagan nation possesses good counsel, but the Lord himself gives all good things.
If the Lord chooses, he raises a man up; but if he should decide otherwise, he casts him down to the deepest recesses of the nether world.
Keep in mind these commandments, and never let them be erased from your heart.

To be Continued...

For you love all things that are and loathe nothing that you have made; for what you hated, you would not have fashioned.

And how could a thing remain, unless you willed it; or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you?

But you spare all things, because they are yours, O LORD and lover of souls, for your imperishable spirit is in all things!

Therefore you rebuke offenders little by little, warn them and remind them of the sins they are committing, that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in you, O LORD!

Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd,
for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way.

When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said,
"Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house."

And he came down quickly and received him with joy.  When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying,
"He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner."

But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,
"Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over."

And Jesus said to him,
"Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost."

References

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