God's incorruptible Spirit is in all things, so he chastens sinners little by little. Even the old inhabitants of the holy land, hated for their witchcraft and their murder of children, were not destroyed at once: God sent wasps ahead of his host to destroy them gradually, giving them place of repentance. No one can call God to account, yet his power is the beginning of righteousness and makes him gracious to all. By such works he taught his people that 'the just man should be merciful', and gave his children hope of repentance. Punished through the beasts they called gods, the Egyptians at last acknowledged the true God.
Wisdom 12 - Summary
Summary
Read Wisdom Chapter 12 Summary
Original
Characters in This Chapter
Solomon
The king whose voice the book adopts, never named: he prays for wisdom and is charged with building the temple
Adam
The first formed father, whom wisdom preserved and brought out of his fall
Noah
The righteous man steered through the flood on a piece of wood of small value
Abraham
The righteous man kept blameless and strong against his tender love for his son
Joseph
The righteous man who was sold, whom wisdom followed into the pit and raised to the sceptre
Moses
The servant of the Lord and holy prophet through whom wisdom faced Pharaoh and led Israel
Places in This Chapter
Position in Book
Righteousness and ImmortalityChapters 1-2
The Fate of the RighteousChapters 3-5
A Call to KingsChapters 6
Solomon's Love of WisdomChapters 7-9
Wisdom in HistoryChapters 10-11
God's Patience and the Folly of IdolsChapters 12-15
God judges little by little to leave room for repentance; nature worship, carved idols and the potter's gods are exposed one after another.
Egypt and IsraelChapters 16-19