Tag Wisdom

Entries 5 Total

Poetry and Wisdom, Psalms

Oct 8, 13 9:33 PM

Among the books of the OT, there is but one that stands out in the company of them all when it comes to a persons faith in the Lord. The book of Psalms, or as known in the Hebrew title “Book of Praises”. And like the book of Job, this book also has it’s own uniqueness in which God encourages us to use the language of the Psalms in our prayers and worship of Him. The book is a collection of 150 hymns that Israel uses in worship, of prayer, and praise. This number differs between Protestant, Catholic Orthodox, and Hebrew traditions. The book of Psalms mirrors the faith of Israel as God’s revelation to Israel and Israel’s response in faith. When reading the Psalms, we as Christians today are able to see what those of the faith believed more than twenty-five hundred years ago and we can experience how God’s people in the past had related to Him. Many of the Psalms are recorded events, a large part of the Psalms are accounts of Israel’s history. Thirteen of the Psalms are related to David’s life and one of them is related to the dedication of the temple, although the latter may have also been a general use in dedication liturgies.

The Psalms inspire a relationship, a conversation between God and man. Communication through prayer in the book of Psalms usually takes the form of the individual lamenting the adversity, describing the on-going evils in God’s creation, and petitioning God to uphold His promises. The Alexanders describe these expressions of feelings and experiences:

The psalms express the whole range of human feeling and experience, from dark depression to exuberant joy. They are rooted in particular circumstances, yet they are timeless, and so among the best-loved, most-read, parts of the Bible. In our modern age we are stirred by the same emotions, puzzled over the same fundamental problems of life, cry out in need, or worship, to the same God, as the psalmists of old.⁠

Alexander, Pat and David Alexander 1999. Handbook to the Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan. Zondervan. Pg. 359

The wholeness of our being is impacted by each and every Psalm. This is what Calvin called “An anatomy of all the Parts of the Soul”:

For there is not an emotion of which any one can be conscious that is not here represented as in a mirror … the Holy Spirit has here drawn to the life all the griefs and sorrows, fears, doubt, hopes, cares, perplexities, in short, all the distracting emotions with which the minds of men are wont to be agitated. ⁠2

Calvin (1:xxxvii), The Anatomy of all the Parts of the Soul.

The purpose for the book of Psalms has the same purpose as any other book of the Bible. This purpose is found in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

The Psalms were initially, separated through time, several collections that were eventually brought together through one book under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Smaller collections such as the Psalms associated with the sons of Korah and with Asaph, the second Davidic psalter, and the Hallelujah psalms were later added with larger collections such as the Psalms associated with David, the Elohistic psalter, the Korahite and the Davidic psalms, the Asaphite psalter, the Songs of Ascent, among others which eventually produced the 150 psalms that we have today. So it would seem that the Psalms ranged from the time of Moses till the return from the Captivity. Manuscripts that have been found at Qumran show that the complete collection as we have it today must have been finalized some time before the Maccabean period, 2nd century B.C. The final editor took the individual poems, collections and edited them into one book.

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Poetry and Wisdom, Proverbs

Oct 8, 13 9:27 PM

Lockyer states Goodman as an excellent starting point and a fitting summary for the book of Proverbs:

In Proverbs, Wisdom’s voice is heard appealing to the young,
To save their feet from many snares and teach them to be strong.⁠

Lockyer. 1966. All the Books and Chapters of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI. Zondervan Publishing House. Pg. 149.

Proverbs directs people how to live a godly life and lead wisely by proper morals and ethics, as well as how to avoid the catastrophic perils and danger of not following this sound instruction. The instructions are a great collection of subjects that are very useful and effective in life. If there were a motto for this book, it would be “The Fear of the Lord.” Barker and Kolenberger describe this fear as the prerequisite of knowledge:

Reverential “fear” (GK 3711) of the Lord is the prerequisite of knowledge … “The fear of the Lord” ultimately expresses reverential submission to the Lord’s will and thus characterizes a true worshiper. In this context it is the first and controlling principle of knowledge.⁠

Barker & Kohlenberger. 1994. Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI. Pg. 742.

Unlike Job and Ecclesiastes which use lengthy monologues and dialogues to ponder enormous topics such as what is the meaning of life, the problem of good and evil, and the relationship between God and man, Proverbs uses short pithy statements of wisdom that deal with common everyday situations. The sayings are focused on individuals rather than on nations. They are based on respect for authority and traditional values, so the collections of these sayings is not uniquely religious. These teachings apply to problems for plain ordinary people who live in the world with the same characteristics, the same types of perils, the same abilities, and at any time in history. Buzzell nicely summarizes the purpose of the book:

The fivefold purpose of Proverbs is given in the introduction to the book (Prov. 1:2-4, 6): (a) “for attaining wisdom and discipline,” (b) “for understanding words of insight,” ( c) “for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life,” (d) “for giving prudence to the simple,” (e) “for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.” These purposes focus on helping readers live wisely and skilfully.⁠

Buzzel, Sid S. 2004. The Bible Knowledge Commentary. Cook Communications Ministries. Colorado Springs, ColoradoPg. 901.

And like the previous books of literature, 2 Timothy 3:16 would summarize Buzzell’s summarization. Based on the meaning and purpose of these sayings, it would be wrong to assume that this book is a secular book because it is clearly based on the fear of the Lord.

The traditional view is that Solomon was the author of the entire book of Proverbs and that Agur and Lemuel were pseudonyms of Solomon. This view has been somewhat revised in the recent past in which one must take into account the structure of the book in order to understand the authorship and the date of this book.

Much like the book of Psalms, Proverbs contains eight sections which were written at disparate times by several authors and much like the book of Job, several editors. However, as with all other books of the Bible, the writing and compiling were accomplished by the superintending work of the Holy Spirit.
In a more general and revised review, it is thought that sections I-III were written by Solomon around the 10th century, section IV by the unknown identify of the wise men, section V written by Solomon and compiled by the men of Hezekiah, section VI and VII written by Agur and King Lemuel, and section VIII authorship is still unknown. It is presumed that Israel knew these sayings by the time of Solomon, and the prologue of the book was added by the time of Hezekiah, and possibly yet Solomon’s time.

Proverbs opens with an introduction giving a clear purpose for the book. The author then speaks of a fathers admonition to acquire wisdom. This is accomplished by admonitions, warnings, proper conduct, followed by appeals and consequences. Then begins the first collection of Solomonic proverbs, followed by sayings from the wise men, the words of Agur, and the words of Lemuel. The wife of nobel character is the last collection of the book of Proverbs.

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Poetry and Wisdom, Ecclesiastes

Oct 8, 13 8:59 PM

The purpose of the book of Ecclesiastes is declared in the prologue “Meaningless! Meaningless! …” and the general conclusion is stated in the epilogue. At the end the author says to “fear God and keep His commandments for this is the whole duty of man”, that one day we will have to give an account to Him. The book very often returns to the word vanity suggesting the uselessness and deceptiveness of life.

People try to search for significance and meaning in life by self-indulgence in riches such as money and property, looking at nature, positions and titles of authority, intelligence and religion. However, each one of these and any others will eventually lead to frustrations in the world and not provide the solution that one is searching for. The theme for the book is basically that satisfaction can only be found in God. The big question is that if God exists and is concerned for the response that man has towards God, then why is life so difficult and frustrating. The answer is found in verse 7:29 “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.”

The book of Ecclesiastes is generally thought of as an extreme case of pessimism and because of this, many have questioned it’s inclusion into the canon of Scripture. Though this book is in the category of wisdom literature, the specific genre of the book is somewhat uncertain. It shares literary forms much like that of Proverbs such as aphorisms which are short truth statements and admonitions which are imperative or jussive forms of advice. But it also includes a didactic narrative, or a short story with a moral.

The majority of the book was written such that it takes the form of a monologue spoken by a character called ‘(the) Qoheleth’, which probably has teacher as it’s closest meaning.

Historically, the book has been accredited to Solomon which is supported in the opening verse in which the author, Qoheleth, is describes as the “son of David, king in Jerusalem.” And once again in 1:12 the author states “I, the Teacher [Qoheleth], was king over Israel in Jerusalem.” However, as Young notes, it is not out of the realm of possibility that the words and teachings of Qoheleth were authored at a later date by someone other than Solomon:

On the other hand, granting that Solomonic authorship cannot be ruled out, one must fairly ask how strong is the case that Solomon should be equated with Qoheleth? Certainly his identification as the “son of David, king in Jerusalem” (1:1) strengthens the identification. However, it must be realized that any king of Judah could be identified as a “son of David.” Though the claim in 1:16 of being wiser than all who ruled Jerusalem before him initially appears practically moot in the mouth of Solomon (who was preceded only by his father, David), the possibility that he is including non-Israelite kings over Jerusalem and the unlikelihood of a successor to Solomon plausibly making such a claim would favor identification of Solomon as Qoheleth. It must still be asked, though, why the name of Solomon was avoided. If solomon was Qoheleth, why not just say so? If there is some attempt to conceal Solomon’s identity, it certainly was not totally successful — nor was it very heartily attempted. Perhaps the title was a well-known one for Solomon and no other identification was necessary.⁠

E.J. Young, E.J. 1960. An Introduction to the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, Michigan

Generally, it is agreed that the book was composed at a later time since the work seems to have been known by Ben Sira. A date between the fifth and second centuries is probable.

The book questions the meaninglessness of nature, wealth, and the riches life has to offer and then looks at the divine order of life. The frustration of politics and life in general is studied, and then a standpoint of life in view of death. The author goes on to give some wise proverbs about relationships, planning, speech and thought. Towards the end, we find the wisdom for the future and the present, the frustrations of ages past, and the author concludes with his epilogue, the credibility of the author and his “conclusion of the matter.”

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Poetry and Wisdom, Song of Songs

Oct 8, 13 8:46 PM

Strangely, the introduction to the book of Song of Songs is often seen as extremely important, even more so than any other book of the bible based on the problem the church has had in interpreting it’s meaning. Similar to the book of Psalms, this book is a collection of ancient Hebrew poems, and yet takes it’s turn as love poems which celebrate the experiences between a man and a woman deeply in love. They discuss beauty, power, agony, and their sexual encounters which people have often wondered was appropriate. Not only appropriate, but the book has no religious content, no references to prayer, the law, grace, sin, or salvation. It is for these reasons and others such as language and poetry that people have had such a hard time interpreting this book and left them wondering why it is included in the canon of scripture. The book has been interpreted from the oldest documented interpretation as allegorical to those who disagree and treat the book more naturally. Henry notes the dangers in wrongly interpreting the book:

It seems as hard as any part of scripture to be made a savour of life unto life, nay, and to those who come to the reading of it with carnal minds and corrupt affections, it is in danger of being made a savour of death unto death; it is a flower out of which they extract poison; and therefore the Jewish doctors advised their young people not to read it till they were thirty years old, lest by the abuse of that which is most pure and sacred the flames of lust should be kindled with fire from heaven, which is intended for the altar only. But II. It must be confessed, on the other hand, that with the help of the many faithful guides we have for the understanding of this book it appears to be a very bright and powerful ray of heavenly light, admirable fitted to excite pious and devout affections in holy souls, to draw out their desires towards God, to increase their delight in him, and improve their acquaintance and communion with him. ⁠

Matthew Henry. 1991. Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Complete and Unabridged in One Volume. Peabody, Massachusetts. Pg. 838.

The purpose of Song of Songs is, in part, that it speaks of an order of creating that is both pedagogical and eschatological. The author speaks of marriage as marriage was meant to be, as it was before the fall of man. The book is a song of praise and love strictly for the sake of love. Simply put, it is about human love and a love in marriage. Because of the way the world views sex, and to the degree that sex is exploited, it is no surprise that God would introduce such a book to this fallen world with His endorsement of His intentions of what marriage was meant to be.

Once again, as with most all books of wisdom literature, the question of who is the author is a complicated one. It has traditionally been attributed that Solomon was the author based on the title, six references to Solomon, and three references to an unnamed king. The problem is, however, that the book contains some unknown ambiguities about the construction of the heading, references to Solomon could have been historical, and his many wives and concubines do not help much when trying to describing the kind of love as described in the book. Then again as it is also often noted, maybe this was Solomon’s first love before he fell into the sin of polygamy.

A brief summary of the book starts off describing the courtship between a maiden and her friend who then become lovers. This is followed by a bridal procession, and then the wedding describing the beauty and purity of the bride, and then the consummation between the two. Not quite the latter half of the book describes a life of love. There are hesitancies and concerns by friends. This life of love chronicles affirmations, questions, the belongings and givings of love, longing and liberties, and then the seal of love and it’s strengths, and then ending with its conclusion.

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Poetry and Wisdom, Job

Oct 8, 13 8:33 PM

The book of Job is very unique among all the books of the Bible. It relates human suffering, especially undeserved suffering, to divine justice. Job confronts one of the greatest mysteries of unmerited pain and misery not caused by wrong doing. Retributions of wrong doing are not always as obvious as the theology of Jobs friends.

Though this type of writing was well established in the OT world, none of the other books write so eloquently and fully on the subject as this book does. Job is generally classified as wisdom literature, but unlike the other books of wisdom literature which describe the subject matter rather than the form, the book of Job used poetry of many forms such as lament, oracles, wisdom, proverbs, irony, and hymns. This book stands outside of regular forms of classical Hebrew because of it’s grammar, syntax, and orthography. Nonetheless, and contrary to popular belief as is with most books of poetical literature, this book is also historical. And most importantly that it too is inspired of God . Henry states further about the Jews preserving the Word of God as historical:

The Jews, though no friends to Job, because he was a stranger to the commonwealth of Israel, yet, as faithful conservators of the oracles of God committed to them, always retained this book in their sacred canon. The history is referred to by one apostle (James 5:11) and one passage (ch. 5:13) is quoted by another apostle, with the usual form of quoting scripture, It is written, 1 Co. 3:19.⁠1

Henry, Matthew. 1991. Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Complete and Unabridged in One Volume. Peabody, Massachusetts. Pg. 521.

So the dialogues are poetical, and many categorize it as a romance, but another important point of it’s historicity is given by the prophet Ezekiel who names him along with Noah and Daniel (Eze. 14:14).

Because of the incredibly numerous and contrasting resources available on who the author of Job was and a date as to when it was written, it is impossible to know who wrote the book of Job, at least within the constraints of this assigned task, or without divine intervention, so the most generally accepted findings are brought into light. It seems Job lived in the second millennium and shared a tradition as a Hebrew patriarch. Smick comments in support of this:

Job’s longevity of 140 years, his position as a man whose wealth was measured in cattle and who acted as priest for his family, and the picture of roving Sabean and Chaldean tribesmen fit the second millennium better than the first.⁠

Smick, Elmer B. 1998. The Expositors Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids, Michigan. Pg. 843.

Job however probably lived approximately 200 years since this corresponds closely to the age of the patriarchs and more importantly, the 140 years was after his calamities and being restored back to health.

When the book was written requires an even more complex answer. It does seem that it went through some kind of literary development. The book may not have reached it’s final form until the first millennium. There are several other ancient near East parallels very similar to the biblical book of Job from Mesopotamia (2nd millennium), the Babylon Theodicy (1100 B.C.), texts from the Egyptian Twelfth Dynasty, a text from Ugarit, among others. However Crenshaw describes how the Biblical book of Job stands alone:

None of these texts provides an exact parallel to the book of Job, which adapts the traditional genre of debate and framing narrative from the Babylonian Theodicy and I Will Praise the Lord of Wisdom respectively, adding more friends and enhancing the theophany by incorporating it into the debate. In addition, the biblical author uses extensive catalogues, or lists, hymnic texts, a negative confession, and laments. In the end, the book of Job stands alone, like the hero of the book.⁠

Crenshaw, James L. 2001 The Oxford Bible Commentary. Oxford, New York. Pg. 332-333.

Though Crenshaw correctly states some of the uniqueness of this book, as noted elsewhere above, he seems to agree with popular modern belief that the book is an adaptation of literature and not historical which is not the argument being made here.

To briefly summarize, the book of Job opens with a prologue stating Jobs current status and his testing by Satan. Then begins three cycles of dialogue and disputes between Job and his friends. After Jobs closing discourse, there begins an interlude on wisdom. Job then begins with a monologue which is followed by a speech from a previously unknown friend. Near the end, God then intervenes with a discourse in which Job may respond, and then God gives a second discourse. In the epilogue, the author finishes with God’s verdict and Job is restored.

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