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Dec 6, 2023
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Kendall Miguez
RELI 1371-C
Poetic and Wisdom Books
1.
Why is poetry an ideal genre to explore the topic of wisdom?
Poetry is an ideal genre to explore the topic of wisdom for many reasons. All of the stories we
read in this section are known as wisdom literature (Books of Wisdom) because they teach us
about real-life experiences and struggles. These include the books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. They also show us how to honor, obey, and fear God. Poetry is
used to express emotion and allows those who read it to connect to those emotions. The books of
wisdom were written to capture the emotions of those who read them and inform and warn them
against the foolishness of ungodliness. This is seen in the Book of Jobs, Psalms, and many
others. There are a few common characteristics of Hebrew poetry which include meter,
parallelism, chiasm, and acrostics as described in our Arnold and Beyer book.
2.
Read Proverbs chapter 9. What can we learn about the difference
between wisdom and foolishness from the contrasting
personifications in this passage?
We can learn a lot from Proverbs chapter 9 in regard to wisdom and foolishness. “Generally
speaking, a proverb is a succinct and persuasive saying proven true by experience.” (Arnold &
Beyer p. 339) Wisdom is simple and is considered to be spiritual nourishment. Wisdom is for
yourself, if you seek it, you will become wiser. If you try to teach or correct a wise person, they
will only become wiser. Those who are wise have common sense and they pursue godliness. “If
you are wise, your wisdom will reward you.” (Proverbs 9:12) Foolishness on the other hand is
seen as disruptive and disorderly. Foolish people lack knowledge and wisdom. They are
compared to a loud, seductive, and ignorant adulterous woman. They also have no common
sense.
“If you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.” (Proverbs 9:11)
3.
Define the term theodicy and discuss how the Book of Job
approaches theodicy. Briefly compare and contrast the way theodicy
approached in Job and The Babylon Theodicy in your ANE Reader.
Theodicy is defined as the vindication or justification of God. The Book of Job approaches
theodicy where the goodness of God is compared and contrasted with a world full of suffering. It
contains a dialogue full of wisdom where the main character articulates his discontent for
suffering towards God and others. In the Babylonian Theodicy, we can see a few similarities and
differences compared to the Book of Job. In the Babylonian Theodicy, the dialogue is between
the friend and the sufferer. Throughout the poem, the sufferer points out all the bad and evil done
by others around him. His friend tries to justify the reasoning due to the gods in his perspective.
In the Book of Job, the dialogue is mainly between Job and his three friends. His friends
basically tell him that the suffering he is enduring is his fault.
“Is not your evil abundant?
There
is no end to your iniquities.” (Job 22:5)
In both stories, we see that the main characters were
good people and couldn’t understand why God or gods would treat them in this way. Both the
sufferer and Job’s friends agree that the way of God or gods is mysterious. In the Book of Job, it
talks about God and evil and how the struggle between them goes. Both stories end with the
testimony of faith in God or gods. “May the god who has forsaken me show mercy, the shepherd,
the sun of the people, pastures his flock as a god should” (Babylonian Theodicy p. 182)
“I know
that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
I had heard of You by
the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You, therefore I despise myself and repent in dust
and ashes.” (Job 42:2) God restores “the fortunes of Job to the extent that Job’s latter days are
better than his former days, thus Job’s faithfulness is vindicated, and God’s is illustrated.”
(Arnold and Beyer p.321)
4.
The book of Psalms has been understood as the prayer book of
ancient Israel. Describe how Psalms 1 and 2 may function as an
introduction to the book of Psalms.
The book of Psalms is understood as the prayer book of ancient Israel. “The word “psalm”
comes from the Greek word psalmos, which means a song or hymn. One could say that the
Psalms represent an ancient songbook of God’s people.” (Arnold and Beyer p. 326) “Psalms 1
and 2 functions as an introduction to the book of Psalms. Both compare and contrast between
righteous and wicked. “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked, but whose
delight is in the law of the Lord” (Psalm 1:1-2) “For the Lord watches over the way of the
righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.” (Psalm 2:6) In Psalms 1 and 2, God
promises blessings to those who are obedient. Psalm 1 talks about how blessed people will be
rewarded and compares them to a tree planted by rivers that will fruit in season. It also talks
about how ungodly people “shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of
the righteous”. (Psalm 1:5) In Psalm 2 we see how God punishes those against him. “Then shall
he speak unto them his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure.” (Psalm 2:5) It also reiterates
how the blessed are the ones of the Lord. “Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.”
(Psalm 2: 12) We must honor God in order to be blessed, otherwise the world would be wicked
and end in destruction.
5.
Discuss how the key term "vanity" (
hevel
,
לֶבֶ֫ה
) is used in the book
of Ecclesiastes
.
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In Ecclesiastes, the author talks about how he saw vanity in the world and how it “vexed his
spirit.” “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and
vexation of spirit.” (Ecclesiastes 1:13) The term vanity can be translated into something that is
temporary and causes a feeling of emptiness. In the book of Ecclesiastes, almost everything is
seen as vanity.
“
Vanity of vanities! All is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2) It shows us that if we are
always wanting more and chasing after things in life, if we could just have this, we could get
that, we still would not be fulfilled in the way we think we would. It also shows that without
focusing on God, everything else is just meaningless. It has been said that the book “may have
connections with Solomon. He was the human stimulus for much of the Wisdom literature
according to the Bible, and it is possible to see some kind of historical connection between King
Solomon and the Book of Ecclesiastes.” (Arnold & Beyer p. 360)
What is the primary focus of the book of Proverbs? In your answer, be sure to define the term
"proverb," and show how a proverb differs from a promise or command. Look up, cite, and
discuss at least one example of a biblical proverb to justify your answer.
The primary focus of the book of Proverbs is wisdom. “The goal of wisdom is not that we show
others how clever we are, but that we receive instruction in righteousness.” (Proverbs 1:3) It
teaches the reader to live well and to “fear the Lord and shun evil” (Proverbs 3:7) A proverb is
defined as “a succinct and persuasive saying proven true by experience” (Arnold & Beyer p.
339) It differs from a promise or command in that they “are statements of a general truth, not
hard-and-fast promises.” (Arnold & Beyer p. 339) Many of the Proverbs are also written in
second person. They encourage us to trust in God and to gain wisdom from His reprimands. An
example of a biblical proverb is “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your
own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5) This teaches us to be faithful to God. God will set us up in
the right direction as long as we follow Him and trust in Him.
How does the wisdom literature of the Hebrew Scriptures contrast wisdom and foolishness?
Please cite scripture in your answer.
Wisdom is defined as
the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the
quality of being wise. According to Proverbs one attains wisdom by God, “
For the LORD gives
wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding
.
(Proverbs 2:6) Wisdom differs
from intelligence in that intelligence is understanding a subject, and leads you away from
ignorance, while wisdom is using good judgment to make good decisions that don’t lead to
foolishness.
Those who are wise have common sense and they pursue godliness.
In the Hebrew
Scriptures, the opposite of a fool is a wise person. You can see this in Proverbs chapter 9.
Wisdom is seen as wise and dignified. They are compared to a woman who prepares a feast and
invites everyone to improve their judgment and wisdom. She encourages them to change their
ways. “
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverb 9:10)
Foolishness is seen as
disruptive and disorderly. Foolish people lack knowledge and wisdom. They are compared to a
loud, seductive, and ignorant adulterous woman. They also have no common sense.
“If you are a
mocker, you alone will suffer.” (Proverbs 9:11)
Wisdom is portrayed as
a dignified woman who prepares a spacious
house and feast
. She invites those who are gullible and lacking
judgment to improve their wisdom, by accepting her invitation. She
urges invitees to abandon their simple ways and walk in the way of
insight.
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