Letter 834: The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.
On the verse "The Midianites took counsel, and plotted, and rose up against": These two chiefs of the Midianites, who possessed the divine oracle of the commander, set out nevertheless to oppose the counsel of that faithful man. For the divine command was clear, yet they chose to follow their own wisdom rather than the wisdom of God. And what was the result? They were overthrown and destroyed, while the one they opposed was vindicated and exalted. This is ever the way of those who set themselves against the decrees of heaven: they imagine that their cunning and their strength can prevail against the Almighty, but they find themselves fighting not against mere men but against God himself. Let this be a lesson to all who hold positions of authority: do not trust in your own understanding when it contradicts the divine will. The arm of flesh will fail you, but the arm of the Lord is never shortened. Those who take counsel against the Lord and against his anointed will be broken like pottery, while those who take refuge in him will be established forever. Let this be a warning to all who stand in positions of spiritual authority: the Midianite chiefs trusted in their own counsel and were destroyed. The faithful servant trusts in the divine counsel and is preserved. Between these two paths there is no middle ground — you are either building upon the foundation of God's word or upon the shifting sands of human opinion. And when the storms come, as they surely will, the foundation upon which you have built will determine whether you stand or fall. Choose therefore this day whom you will serve.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
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Related Letters
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The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.