Pride & wrath in the Bible: But those who forsake the Lord will fall victim to it, as it burns among them unquenchably. Ben Sira 28:23

The sapiential books of the Bible present wisdom as the most valuable spiritual asset for humankind, because with wisdom comes life, true happiness, and blessedness. Essentially, the commandments received by Moses on Mount Horeb are a practical expression of this uncreated wisdom of God. It must be remembered that the link between wisdom and the law of Moses are the first two commandments, which are an expression of the fear of God.
And to teach the importance of wisdom for living, the master of wisdom Ben Sira used an important resource: he taught the danger of a sinful life, and in particular, the misuse of the human organ of the tongue. This is why Ben Sira taught with wisdom this spiritual truth: "A meddlesome tongue subverts many, and makes them refugees among peoples. It destroys strong cities, and overthrows the houses of the great" Ben Sira 28:14.
With this phrase, the master Ben Sira expressed the problem of destructive unforeseen events; one never knows what the fate of murmurers, the exalted, and double-tongued people will be. Not knowing how to use the organ of the tongue is ultimately to fall into the sins of wrath and pride, the most destructive sins in man. And Ben Sira added something else: those who fall into the practice of these capital sins expose themselves to falling before hidden enemies who are lying in wait, which makes things even more dangerous. In a society where everyone develops concealment strategies, avoiding mistakes is essential.
And Master Ben Sira expressed in one of his teachings who are the first victims of these capital sins, the sins of wrath and pride that are expressed in gossip and slander: "But those who forsake the Lord will fall victim to it, as it burns among them unquenchably" Ben Sira 28:23. Forgetting the Lord in the thoughts of Master Ben Sira is to despise the spiritual gift of fear of God. This gift is the path to spiritual enlightenment and the beginning of wisdom; the fear of God is the desire to be instructed. Those who forget God ultimately give in to hardness of heart, and from there come the most serious sins, sins that destroy any spark of common sense and ultimately the spiritual life of man.

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