The Faithful as Trees of Life

Psalm 14

1 The Lord is faithful to those who truly love Him, to those who endure His discipline, 2 to those who walk in the righteousness of His commandments, In the law which He commanded us so that we might live. 3 The Lord’s faithful people shall live by it forever; The Paradise of the Lord, the trees of life, are His faithful people.⁠ 4 Their planting is rooted forever; They shall not be uprooted as long as the heavens last:⁠ 5 For Israel is God’s portion and inheritance.

6 But this is not true of sinners and those who break the law, who love (the brief) day (spent) in the company of their sin; 7 Their delight is in fleeting corruption, and they do not remember God. 8 For He knows people’s ways at all times, And He knows the secrets of the heart before they happen.⁠ 9 Therefore their inheritance is Sheol and darkness and destruction, and they shall not be found in the day when the righteous obtain mercy; 10 But the Lord’s faithful people shall inherit life in gladness.

Texts in conversation

Compare Psalms of Solomon 14:8 and Matthew 6:8

Pseudepigrapha, Wisdom and Poetry · New Testament

Summary

In Matthew, Jesus teaches that God knows what is needed before it is asked, echoing the language in the Psalms of Solomon that God knows the secrets of the heart before they are expressed.

Passages

Psalms of Solomon 14:8

Pseudepigrapha, Wisdom and Poetry

6 But this is not true of sinners and those who break the law, who love (the brief) day (spent) in the company of their sin; 7 Their delight is in fleeting corruption, and they do not remember God. 8 For He knows people’s ways at all times, And He knows the secrets of the heart before they happen. 9 Therefore their inheritance is Sheol and darkness and destruction, and they shall not be found in the day when the righteous obtain mercy; 10 But the Lord’s faithful people shall inherit life in gladness.

65–30 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Psalms of Solomon

Matthew 6:8

New Testament

6 But whenever you pray, go into your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. 7 When you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles because they think that by their many words they will be heard. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 So pray this way: “Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored, 10 may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

References

"... Greek, 'the secret rooms of the heart'. Compare Genesis 43:30, Matthew 6:6 ..."

Robert B. Wright, The Psalms of Solomon: A Critical Edition of the Greek Text (London: T&T Clark, 2007), 159.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

The Faithful as Trees of Life

Psalms of Solomon18 psalms

Compare Psalms of Solomon 14:8 and Matthew 6:8

Summary

Passages

Psalms of Solomon 14:8

Matthew 6:8

References

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