The Wisdom Literature
- Job
- Proverbs
- Ecclesiastes
- Some Psalms
The Book of Proverbs
1. Content:
- a series of sayings, poems praising wisdom
- God waning against folly collected by sages
2. Authors:
- King Solomon and others, Angur and Lemuel's mother'
3. Emphasis:
- wisdom begins with the fear of and trust in Yahweh
- knowing God's truth and making wise choices in daily living
What Is A Proverb?
~ Hebrew
- "meshalim", a wise saying, figure of speech, a short parable
~ Definition
- A proverbs is a brief particular expression of a truth, phrased in a catchy way so as to be easily learnable and remembered (e.g.: 'look before you leave ...' / 'a stitch in time saves ...'
- They do not state everything But... they point towards the trurth
~ Interpretation & Application
1. The context and consistency with scripture (e.g.: Proverbs 9:10, "The fear of the Lord ..." / Proverbs 13:24, "He who spares the rod hates his son..." / Proverbs 23:13-14)
2. Proverbs are not legal guarantees
- They state wise way to handle a certain situation but nowhere does Proverbs teach certain success
- Proverbs 16:3, "Commit to the Lord ..."
- Proverbs 13:1-2; Proverbs 22:6
3. Proverbs are worded to be easily remembered; not theoretically accurate
- Proverbs uses poetic languages, hyperbole and cultural imagery to express a truth
- English proverb, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."
- Proverbs 15:19, "The way of the ..."
4. Understand Hebrew languages, culture and writings
- Proverbs 14:7, "What is a 'fool'?
- Proverbs 14:1 / Proverbs 25:24 / Proverbs 22:4
- Proverbs if correctly understood are divine wisdom for living
Life of Folly vs Life of Wisdom
- Violent crime / Fear of the Lord
- Careless pledging / Debt free
- Laziness, sloth / Discipline
- Malicious dishonesty / Honestly and integrity
- Sexual impurity / Sexual purity
- Pride / Humility
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