Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
Very often, when we speak for ourselves before authorities, we speak defensively; making excuses, blaming others, looking for sympathy, rationalizing, minimizing, whining, and so forth. We've got a million ways to avoid responsibility.
The Lord urges us, when we're speaking for him of the Gospel, we should let him do the talking.
When King Belshazzar saw the handwriting on the wall, he called on a prophet to explain it. Only the Hebrew could explain the Hebrew words; the secular wisdom of the Babylonian empire was no help. Nor could Belshazzar blame Daniel for what was written.
The Spirit of God gives us an intuitive knowledge of the truth. It is borne of lifelong experience in the faith; of patient waiting on the Spirit, of serious study of the scriptures, theology, and history of our Church; of conversation with other people of faith; knowledge of the world; and of willingness to forget oneself and one's personal concerns.
Our wisdom is rooted in Revelation, that is, the inexplicable intervention of the Lord into our world, our history, our experience. We had not expected it; nor did we earn or deserve it. The earlier chapters of Genesis describe a world without God's direct intervention. First there are the wicked societies created by men and women before the Flood. They should know right from wrong; the basic principles are not that hard to discover. But their corruption is deep as each one pursues their own interest.
The world is not improved by God's wrath, as Noah proves when he scandalizes his sons with his drunken behavior. The family is scattered and the history of sin continues as if the Deluge never happened.
Despite the availability of truth to human research, we cannot save ourselves. God must act for us on our behalf; we must hear, treasure, and ponder God's word to us. That Word has become flesh and lived among us. We tell the story, and remain firmly within that tradition which is instructed by the Word and molded by the Spirit.
And occasionally, they will ask us, "Tell us what MENE, TEKEL, and PERES mean."
But more often, as Jesus warned us, they will resent our knowing and living within the Truth.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.