How to Read
the Bible for All Its Worth, Session XII
Wisdom
Literature
A teaching by
based upon the book by the same title,
written by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart
INTRO:
A. Review: Purpose of the course
1. Interpreting task: done automatically
…need
to be self-conscious and intentional about it
2. Goal of interpretation: to get to the plain meaning of the text
3. Working definition of scripture:
“The Bible is the Word of God, expressed in
human words in history.”
4. 2 essential tasks of interpretation
a. exegesis: deciphering what it meant there and then
“What
was the intended meaning of the original writers to their original audiences?”
b. hermeneutics: bridging from the there and then to the here
and now
“How
does the original meaning apply to us?”
B. Key
to the course: Different Kinds of genre
1. Some were written as direct teaching for believers of the time
esp.:
letters/epistles
OUR
task: to reconstruct the original situation
à intent of writer
AND then, using common sense
à Distinguish between teachings that are emphatic &
central, vs. teachings that are situational
& peripheral.
2. Some are more narrative: stories
Realize
that they may be illustrating teachings and principles
…but
they do not introduce teachings directly
They
may be setting a precedent that may be repeatable
…but
those precedents carry over to our time only if followed consistently in biblical history and are
taught as such
3. Some: Gospels
a. Intentionality is
two-fold:
Jesus’
intentionality when encountering people
each writer’s intention when writing about such encounters
b. each writer did
have a particular audience in mind when writing and did have particular goals in mind when
writing.
c. so we read
vertically …each gospel from beginning to ending
AND
we read horizontally, comparing each gospel w/ the others
to look for distinctives
4. Within those
gospels: Parables
a. stories that evoke
a response
like a joke with a punchline
b. THEREFORE:
1)
find the points of reference
2)
Identify the audience
3)
Listen for the “Punch”
5. OT Law
constituting documents for the new nation of
covenant of
…part
of which gets renewed in NT
…part
of which gets supplanted in NT
6. The prophets
Not
much foretelling, but lots of Forthtelling
Served
as exhorters and enforcers of the covenant
à God’s megaphone, reminding the
people of their obligations to obedience, promising blessing for
obedience and warning of curses for disobedience.
Interpreting
them is helped enormously when we can locate them in
their exact place in the history of
Be
careful not to look for hidden meanings
7. Last week:
the Psalms
How
do these words TO and ABOUT God operate as God’s Word to
us?
1. Psalms are poetry: do not overexegete
them
2. Psalms model for us how to relate honestly to
God:
openly expressing joy, disappointment, anger, etc.
3. Psalms encourage us to reflect and meditate
on things God has done
4. Psalms are a great guide to worship
both as quotations to be quoted
and as examples of bold praise to God
C. TODAY: Wisdom literature
1. In particular:
Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes, Job & Song of Solomon (in part)
Also some Psalms function as proverbial
wisdom sayings
2. The basic problem:
Here
is a form of literature not used in the modern day
…and
hence we tend to read it according to modern day models
Christians
misunderstand and misapply proverbs
…losing
benefits God intended for them
In
particular, the Proverbs have been used to provide a basis for selfish,
materialistic, shortsighted behavior
—just
the opposite of what God intended.
I. The Nature of Wisdom
What is wisdom?
Def:
“Wisdom is the ability to make godly choices in life.”
“You
achieve this goal by applying God’s truth to your life, so that your choices will indeed be godly.” (p. 225)
A. Abuse
of Wisdom literature
1.
People often read these books only in bits and pieces, and thus fail to see that they have an overall
message.
e.g.: Statement in Eccles. 3:2:
there is “a
time to be born and time to die.”
point: life is
transitory
commonly misapplied point:
“God has appointed an exact time for you to be born and an
exact time for you to die.”
2. People sometimes misunderstand wisdom terms and categories as well as wisdom styles and literary
modes.”
e.g.,
“fool” doesn’t = mentally disabled, or uneducated
FOOL
does = infidel: selfish, indulgent, does
not acknowledge higher authorities
than himself
3.
Especially in a wisdom discourse like Job, people often fail to follow the line of argument.
Many
wise sounding statements in the book are actually the false counsel of Job’s wise-sounding comforters
à their counsel was commonly
in error
4. IN
THE LIGHT OF ALL THIS:
Let’s
consider what wisdom literature is and is not
…then
we’ll make some observations on how each of these books operates
in particular.
B.
Who is Wise?
1. NOTE:
Wisdom is not an abstraction in these books:
It
is about applied knowledge
Hence: the question being asked is, “WHO is wise?”
A:
It is something that exists only when a PERSON thinks and acts according to truth when making
the many choices life demands.
2. Hence:
OT recognizes that some have more wisdom than others
3. AND that some have so applied themselves to
the accumulation of wisdom that they may rightly be called
“WISE”
4. The wise person was highly practical, not
theoretical
…able
to make plans, make choices …and to execute them
5. This was true of wisdom literature in much of
the ancient world
HEBREW
WISDOM had the additional component of knowing God
HENCE: THE FEAR OF THE LORD is the beginning of
wisdom
6. Responsible, successful living was the goal.
Effective
decision making on behalf of others was also the goal
hence: leaders needed
a lot of wisdom
C.
Teachers of Wisdom
In
ancient
They
became known as the “wise men” …and occupied places of honor
in Israeli society.
They
mentored many in matters of wisdom, hence in Proverbs,
the writer often speaks of the reader as “My
child…”
D.
Wisdom expressed through poetry
Literary
techniques were used to communicate wisdom
…aiming
to make it memorable and memorizable
Most
all the poetic forms found in Psalms are used here
synonymous parallelisms, antithetical parallelisms
alliteration, acrostics, similes, metaphors, etc.
E.
The limits of wisdom
1. Not all ancient wisdom was godly or orthodox
2. Wisdom does not cover all aspects of life
while focusing on the practical, it says little about the
theological
…or
the historical aspects of faith understanding
ALSO: a selective use of wisdom’s insights can be
used for immoral, unethical purposes
II. Wisdom in Proverbs
The Book of Proverbs – focuses mostly on
practical attitudes and behavior
in everyday life.
It is a collection
of pithy advisory statements designed to help a person to grow up happy, well-liked,
morally upright, prosperous, and successful
--the
kinds of attributes we parents want to see accumulated by our children
NO
guarantees come with such teaching, but “What
Proverbs does say is
that, all things being equal, there ARE basic attitudes and patterns of
behavior that will help a person grow into responsible adulthood” (p 231)
What kinds
of behaviors reflect a life of folly?
violent crime, careless promising or pledging, laziness,
malicious dishonesty, sexual impurity
What kinds
of behaviors promote a life of wisdom?
the opposite of the above PLUS: caring for the poor, respect for government leaders, the importance of
disciplining children, moderation in consumption of alcohol, and
regard for one’s parents.
A.
Uses and Abuses of Proverbs
In Hebrew, proverbs are called “meshallim” = figures of speech,
or parables, or “specially contrived sayings”
Hence: a proverb is a BRIEF, PARTICULAR expression
of a truth
These
are phrased in catchy ways.
modern proverbs include:
“Look before you leap”, “A stitch in time saves time.”
WHAT
OTHER MODERN PROVERBS COME TO MIND?
NOTE: simple, pithy statements can be easily
misunderstood
…and
can be easily misapplied
BUT
they summarize a particular truth …and do so in memorable ways
Hebrew
proverbs do NOT state everything to know about a truth, but they point TOWARD it.
Example: Prov. 16:3 –
“Commit
to the Lord whatever you do,
and your plans will succeed.”
If
interpreted as an exact promise: then
this is wrong
It
is wrong if we make dumb, selfish decisions and commit them
to the Lord
It
is wrong if we expect every other decision around us to follow the dictates of our decision
BUT
if interpreted as an inexact statement pointing to truth in
general, then in general it will apply
NOTE: the TNIV changes the second line to:
‘and he will establish your plans.’
B.
Some hermeneutical guidelines
1.
Proverbs are not legal guarantees from God
Proverbs
state a wise way to approach certain selected practical goals,
but do so in terms that cannot be treated like a divine guarantee for success.
2.
Proverbs must be read as a collection
Each
inspired proverb must be balanced with others and understood in comparison with the rest of Scripture.
The
more in isolation we read any proverb, the more likely we are to misapply it.
ESPECIALLY be careful to avoid their
heavy emphasis upon material gain and success; don’t overlook the many other warnings
(especially in the gospels and epistles) about materialism
3.
Proverbs are written to be memorable, not theoretically accurate
No
proverb is a complete statement of truth.
No
proverb applies in every situation at every time.
And
the more briefly a truth is stated, the more common sense that is needed to interpret it properly.
4.
Some proverbs need to be “translated” to be appreciated
As
with other parts of scripture, some “there and then” expressions need to be brought up to the here and now
e.g, references to kings, living on flat roofed houses,
etc.
NOTE:
Summary rules for reading proverbs, pp. 240-41
C.
Wisdom in Job
one of the literary treasures in all the world
Mostly
a dialogue between Job and his well-meaning but desperately wrong “comforters”
The
central message: “…what happens in life
does not always happen either because God desires it or because it
is fair.”
Job’s
comforters believe in theodicy, i.e., the immediacy principle, namely that God always brings good to those who do good and brings
suffering to those who do evil.
Job,
God, and the book of Job all refute that claim.
D.
Wisdom in Ecclesiastes
A book
that is very perplexing. One that some
scholars take as
…a
cynical “foil” regarding an outlook of life that one should avoid.
AND
other scholars take as
…a
more positive expression of how one should enjoy life under God in a world in which all die in the
end.
When
reading the book, do read from each perspective and see if it makes better sense to you.
DO NOT
take phrases and lines out of context
4 realities
dominate the book:
1)
God is the single, indisputable reality, the Creator of all and the One from whom all of life comes as a gift.
2)
God’s ways are not always, if ever, understandable
3)
On the human side, things to not add up; things don’t turn out the way they seemingly should
4)
The great equalizer is death, which happens to all people alike.
In the
light of this: One should live life as a
gift from God …and joy &
satisfaction are found in the rhythms of life without trying to be in control or to
‘make gain’ of what is merely transitory.
Certainly
the conclusion is decisive:
“Now all has been heard;
here
is the conclusion of the matter
Fear God and keep his
commandments,
for
this is the duty of every human being
For God will bring every deed into
judgment,
including
every hidden thing,
whether
it is good or evil.” (12:13-14)
E.
Wisdom in Song of Songs
Song of
Songs is a lengthy love song, a ballad of human romance, written in the style of ancient Near Eastern lyric poetry
Why is
it in scripture?
a. Because Solomon
wrote it
b. Because it
promotes the ‘wise choice’ of marital and sexual fidelity
Interpreters
have long turned this into an allegory of divine love
BUT
it really is better seen as it is: a
message about passionate love between a man and a woman
How to
interpret:
a. Try to appreciate
the overall ethical context of promoting monogamous, heterosexual marriage.
b. Remember the genre
of the book: ancient, near eastern love poetry
c. Think of the Song
as suggesting godly choices rather
than merely describing
these choices in a mundane manner
d. Realize that the
Song emphasizes values uncommon today:
it’s not about self-indulging but about fulfilling the needs
of the other person
CLOSING:
Remember: Wisdom literature calls for wise reading
…Don’t over-exegete;
don’t over interpret.
Next
week: NO CLASS – Dec. 26
Following
week: Jan. 2 - Revelation!
Week after
than: Jan. 9 – Wrap up
Then: Jan 16 – New Pastors’ class: Alan on “favorite passages of the Bible.”