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Verse 15
Theosis · English Bible
Tobit

Tobit 4

Old TestamentTheosis · English Bible

1In that day Tobit remembered the money which he had committed to Gabael in Rages of Media, 2and said with himself, I have wished for death; wherefore do I not call for my son Tobias, that I may signify to him of the money before I die? 3And when he had called him, he said, My son, when I am dead, bury me; and despise not thy mother, but honour her all the days of thy life, and do that which shall please her, and grieve her not. 4Remember, my son, that she saw many dangers for thee, when thou wast in her womb; and when she is dead, bury her by me in one grave. 5My son, be mindful of the Lord our God all thy days, and let not thy will be set to sin, or to transgress his commandments: do uprightly all thy life long, and follow not the ways of unrighteousness. 6For if thou deal truly, thy doings shall prosperously succeed to thee, and to all them that live justly. 7Give alms of thy substance; and when thou givest alms, let not thine eye be envious, neither turn thy face from any poor, and the face of God shall not be turned away from thee. 8If thou hast abundance, give alms accordingly: if thou have but a little, be not afraid to give according to that little: 9for thou layest up a good treasure for thyself against the day of necessity. 10Because that alms do deliver from death, and suffereth not to come into darkness. 11For alms is a good gift unto all that give it in the sight of the most High. 12Beware of all whoredom, my son, and chiefly take a wife of the seed of thy fathers, and take not a strange woman to wife, which is not of thy father's tribe: for we are the children of the prophets, Noe, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Remember, my son, that our fathers from the beginning, even that they all married wives of their own kindred, and were blessed in their children, and their seed shall inherit the land. 13Now therefore, my son, love thy brethren, and despise not in thy heart thy brethren, the sons and daughters of thy people, in not taking a wife of them: for in pride is destruction and much trouble, and in lewdness is decay and great want: for lewdness is the mother of famine. 14Let not the wages of any man, which hath wrought for thee, tarry with thee, but give him it out of hand: for if thou serve God, he will also repay thee: be circumspect, my son, in all things thou doest, and be wise in all thy conversation. 15Do that to no man which thou hatest: drink not wine to make thee drunken: neither let drunkenness go with thee in thy journey. 16Give of thy bread to the hungry, and of thy garments to them that are naked; and according to thine abundance give alms; and let not thine eye be envious, when thou givest alms. 17Pour out thy bread on the burial of the just, but give nothing to the wicked. 18Ask counsel of all that are wise, and despise not any counsel that is profitable. 19Bless the Lord thy God alway, and desire of him that thy ways may be directed, and that all thy paths and counsels may prosper: for every nation hath not counsel; but the Lord himself giveth all good things, and he humbleth whom he will, as he will; now therefore, my son, remember my commandments, neither let them be put out of thy mind. 20And now I signify this to thee, that I committed ten talents to Gabael the son of Gabrias at Rages in Media. 21And fear not, my son, that we are made poor: for thou hast much wealth, if thou fear God, and depart from all sin, and do that which is pleasing in his sight.

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Tobit 4:15

John Chrysostom

John Chrysostom4th century

We have established through our previous discourse that the innate understanding of good and evil resides within us. To enhance our comprehension of this truth, let us revisit this topic through the lens of Scripture. The fact that God equipped humanity at its inception with this knowledge is evident. When we transgress, we often feel a sense of shame in the presence of those less fortunate than ourselves. For example, a master may feel embarrassed when encountering a humble servant while on the way to a sinful act and may choose to abandon that immoral path. Likewise, when we are disparaged, we label it as an offense and seek justice despite being personally affected by it. This reveals our awareness of vice and virtue. Our Lord, in demonstrating that He does not impose anything beyond our inherent nature, but rather affirms what He has already instilled in us from the beginning, illustrates this through the beatitudes. He reminds us: "If you will, let men do unto you, and you do unto them so" (Matthew 7:12). He indicates that lengthy words, extensive laws, and diverse teachings are unnecessary; our own will serves as the law. If you desire kindness, be kind to others. If you seek praise, offer praise to another. If you wish for mercy, extend mercy to your neighbor. If you long for love, embrace love for yourself. If you wish to hold a position of honor, first allow it to be given to others. Be your own judge; let your will guide you. Furthermore, "whatsoever you hate, do not do unto anyone." This principle guides us away from sin, while the previous counsel directs us toward virtue. "You hate, that you do nothing to any man." If you do not wish to endure wrong, do not wrong others. Do you dislike envy? Then do not harbor envy against others. If you cannot bear deception, refrain from deceiving. In all matters, let us adhere to these two maxims—by doing so, we will require no additional guidance.

"In all things, as you would have men do to you, He says, so do you also to them" (Matthew 7:12). Here, we observe that He has not tasked us with anything unfamiliar, but rather the very principles that nature has always demanded. If you want your neighbors to treat you a certain way, do so to others in return. If you wish for praise, offer praise to others. If you desire to remain unharmed, do not engage in theft. If you seek recognition, honor others. If mercy is what you crave, be merciful yourself. If love is what you seek, embody love. If you dislike hearing slander about yourself, do not speak ill of others. Notice the clarity in His words: He does not say, "in all things as you would not have them done to you," but rather, "in all things as you would." This demonstrates that there are two routes to virtue: one involves removing vices, while the other is about embodying virtue itself. He emphasizes the latter while also pointing to the former, as when He stated: "What you hate, do not do to another," and subsequently affirmed, "In all things, as you would have men do to you, so do you also to them."