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We spent the last two weeks looking at the history of the OT and some of its major details. This is important because that story provides the background for the rest of the OT books. This is what I mean: the OT and NT are different in their arrangements and chronology. The NT begins with the Gospels, which tell the story of Jesus up to AD 30, and the rest of the NT books tell about events after the time of Jesus, meaning after the Gospels. But the OT begins with a long history section, and then the books that come after the history section actually took place during the time span described in the history books: the Wisdom and Prophet books occurred during the time period described in the history books. For example, David, who wrote many of the Psalms, is described in the history books. Therefore, in the NT, all the books after the Gospels described times and events that happened after the Gospels. In the OT, all the books after the history books took place within the history described in the history books.

The Wisdom Literature books are Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs or Solomon. Unlike the books of Acts and the NT letters or epistles, which were written after Jesus, the Wisdom Literature books were all written within the OT history that we have discussed.

• Job: As I mentioned in the video from week one, this book was written sometime within the period of OT history, although we aren’t sure when.
• Psalms: Mostly written by King David, who lived around 1000 BC
• Proverbs: Mostly written by King Solomon, who lived around 950 BC
• Ecclesiastes: Written by King Solomon, who lived around 950 BC
• Song of Songs or Solomon: Written by King Solomon, who lived around 950 BC

As I mentioned earlier, the Old Testament can be broken down into three parts: the history books, the Wisdom Literature, and the prophets. The history books cover what you would expect them to cover, the history of the People of God. The prophets cover what you would expect them to cover, the words that God gave to the prophets who then gave those words to the People of God. But the wisdom literature is a different type of writing. They struggle with the “big questions” that people ask when trying to figure out what life is all about and how to relate to God. They can be broken down into these five questions.

• Job: Why do I suffer?
• Psalms: How do I talk to God?
• Proverbs: How should I act and relate to other people?
• Ecclesiastes: What really matters?
• Song of Songs: What does it mean to be in love?

We will discuss each of those books in more detail below, but this brief summary of each of the books will help you see where these books are linked together: each of them answers an important question. Also, it is helpful to also have a good understanding of wisdom. Many people think that wisdom—or being wise—is the ability to live successfully in the world today. This is not the biblical perspective. Instead, as Proverbs 9:10 states: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” I also like how John Calvin states this journey into wisdom: “No one attains to a true self understanding, until he or she first contemplates (or focuses) on God, and then come down from that contemplation to look into him or herself.” The only way to achieve wisdom is to seek out God first. This is the great mistake that most people, many Christians, and all authors of self-help books make: they start with themselves first. Therefore, Wisdom Literature is trying to figure out the five bullet points above by laying a foundation of “love of God” first, and then answering those five questions with that foundation.

Minor Note: one characteristic that all the wisdom books share: they do not mention the Covenant of Abraham, the Law of Moses, or the Tabernacle and Temples (they were all written before the time of the synagogues).

Date: Unknown. I have seen dates suggested as early as Abraham and as late as the 500s BC, but we just don't know because the book itself does not mention any king or ruler or even the name of a place that would help us locate the story within a certain time period.

Author: Unknown

The story of Job

Job was a wealthy man with a large family. One day, Satan approached God and they started talking about Job. God mentioned that Job was a faithful follower of his, but Satan said that Job only followed God because God had given him wealth and a large family. Satan suggested that if those were taken from Job, Job would reject God. God allowed Satan to take away Job’s wealth and family. Nevertheless, Job did not reject God. God pointed this out to Satan, and Satan suggested that Job would reject God if Job was physically hurt. God allowed Satan to harm Job but not to kill Job. Job developed sores over his entire body. Still, Job did not reject God, although he did question why he was suffering. Three friends came to comfort Job. They each gave a reason as to why Job was suffering. Job rejected all their suggestions and maintained that he was innocent. A fourth man also gave his opinion as to why Job was suffering. God answered Job but did not tell him the reason he was suffering. Then God spoke and reminded Job that God was the creator and in charge of the entire universe. Job repented of his questioning. Job then gained more wealth and a larger family.

Discussion

This story focuses on the issue of suffering: why do people suffer, and, even deeper, why do bad things happen to good people? After all, Job was a righteous man who did not “deserve” the suffering he went through, just as many people go through suffering that they did not cause or is not the result of their actions (a car accident or a many cancer diagnoses, for example). So why do those people suffer? That appears to be the point of the story, since Job asked that repeatedly: Why did this happen to me? He even mentioned all the good he had done for other people. Therefore, he did not understand why he received this treatment. This meant that he believed that good things should happen to "good" people and bad things should happen to "bad" people.

Job’s three friends came to him and gave their opinions:

1. Eliphaz says the righteous do not suffer, only the wicked.
2. Bildad insists that the wicked get what they deserve.
3. Zophar claims Job is not being punished as much as he deserves

Therefore, they all agree, Job must have done something to deserve this punishment.

But Job is still steadfast in his proclamation that he has done nothing to deserve the suffering he is experiencing. But this is one of the genius parts of the book, because we, as the readers, understand that Job is exactly right. He did not do anything that would result in being punished. We know that this was part of a larger discussion between God and satan. As the readers of the story, we wished we could tell Job why he was suffering, but we cannot. That is one reason this is such a great story. We, the readers, understand the big picture but we are not allowed to share that with Job. We know that Job is right, that he did not do anything wrong. We are left being frustrated because we cannot tell the truth to Job, and all Job can do is to try to understand his suffering without fully understanding the cause behind it.

The layout of the book shows his long anguish (in chapters):

• 1 - 2:10: Explains Job's past, the conversations between God and satan, and the sufferings that were inflicted on Job.
• 2:11 - end of chapter 37: Job talks with his three friends plus a younger person.
• 38 - 41: God's answer [Job does partially respond in 39:3-5.]
• 42:1-6: Job responds to God.
• 42:7-9: God rebukes Job's three friends
• 42:10-end: Job's life improves by God blessing his family and possession.

Finally, in chapter 38, God answered Job. We would expect that God would explain to Job why he suffered, telling Job that it was the result of a conversation between God and Satan, and that Job just happened to get stuck in the middle of it. But God did not explain that to Job. He didn’t mention the cause of Job’s suffering at all. Instead, God spent four chapters telling Job that He was the creator, that He is the master of the universe, and that He is present everywhere in the universe. Basically, God told Job that He was in control, and that He was also and always present with Job.

Job’s response? He was satisfied with this answer and even adds, “I repent,” which refers to his questioning of God (42:6b). Job no longer wanted to know why he was suffering, but, instead, he was satisfied with God’s answer and with God’s continued presence in Job’s life and in God's control over the universe. To Job, God being in control didn't mean that Job would live a life free from suffering, but that it meant that even when Job suffered that God had a purpose in all God's actions. Job realized that God's working to accomplish God's purposes did not mean that Job would always live a suffering-free life. We know this because, even though Job did receive much more after this (wealth, family), he repented of his questioning before he received any of that.

So, what is the lesson of Job? Or, rather, what did Job learn? He realized that knowing the reason for his suffering didn’t matter. Knowing the reason would not have changed the fact that he suffered or that he would have suffered less. Instead, he learned what God was trying to tell him: no matter the cause of the suffering, God is always with us. Even more, God being in control does not mean that we will not suffer (as Job learned), because sometimes God’s larger plan means that His followers will suffer (as Job did) and perhaps even to the point of martyrdom. But even amongst the suffering, God is present and, ultimately, remaining in control even if it does not seem like it to us. As Thomas Merton stated: “Sometimes I would be preoccupied with problems that seemed to be difficult and seemed to be great, and, yet, when it was all over, the answers that I had worked out didn’t matter much anyway, because, all the while, beyond my range of vision and comprehension, God had silently and imperceptibly worked the whole thing out for me, and had presented me with the solution.” (The Seven-storey Mountain)

Date: No certain date because many people contributed to the Psalms. For example, probably the earliest psalm written was Psalm 90, which came from Moses around 1450 BC. One of the last psalms written was Psalm 137, which was written after the Jews in the southern kingdom of Judah had been sent into exile into Babylonia in the 500s BC. (Psalm 137:1: “By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.”). So, Psalms spans a time period of around 900 years.

Author: The 150 individual Psalms were written by a variety of people:

• David: 73 Psalms
• Sons of Korah (musicians at the time of David (I Chronicles 6:31, 32, 37): 11 Psalms
• Asaph (one of David’s choirmasters): 12 Psalms
• Solomon: Psalm 72 & Psalm 127
• Ethan the Ezrahite (scholars are uncertain who he is): Psalm 89
• Moses: Psalm 90
• Heman the Ezrahite (scholars are uncertain who he is), in conjunction with the sons of Korah: Psalm 88
• Some are unsigned: 50 Psalms altogether

Overall theme: How do I talk to God?

Smaller themes (with one example Psalm included)

• Lament or complaint psalms: 22
• Praise psalms: 150
• Thankfulness psalms: 118
• Celebration psalms: 132
• Wisdom psalms: 119
• Psalms that speak against enemies: 35
• Remembrance of how God has acted psalms: 78
• Repentance psalms: 51
• [Note: this is one way to divide up the psalms. Other scholars have different divisions. You can search on the internet for “types of psalms” and see other divisions.]

Most of the Psalms were intended to be sung, so this can be thought of as the songbook of the OT. Plus, Psalms are words that are directed to God. As an example of this, let’s think back to the way that the Jews arrange the 39 books of the OT. As a reminder, the Jews had three divisions:

1. Torah or Law
2. Prophets
3. Other writings

The Law was the first five books of the OT, which Christians call the Pentateuch. Jews believe that these are the words that came from God and were written down. For example, the Law of Moses is in the Torah, so those were the words of God. The next level is the prophets, which are the words that God gave to men and women (there were prophetesses) who in turn gave them to the people. So, these are the words of God as given to individuals (the prophets and prophetesses) who then gave them to the people. This is one step away from God actually giving the words himself, as he did with the Law of Moses. The final level is the “Other Writings,” or writings people made about God. Psalms is placed in that last Jewish category: these are not words that came from God to people, but that people, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, told to God.

Therefore, Psalms are words directed to God. They are a good way to learn how to speak to God. Individual Psalms work especially well once you understand that different smaller themes are found throughout the book of Psalms. That way, you can see that there are psalms to match whatever situation you find yourself in.

Further notes

• The book of Psalms is actually divided into 5 smaller books
• Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in Psalms and the longest chapter in the Bible
• Psalms is not the longest book in the Bible. If you count the chapters, then it does have more chapters than any other biblical book. But if you count words, then Jeremiah is the longest book in the Bible.

Solomon most likely wrote most of the last three Wisdom Literature books: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. He definitely did not write all of Proverbs (which we will discuss below) but did write all of Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs. Nevertheless, he is credited with those three books. Also, he wrote these at different times in his life. First let me say that the OT does not say this, nor do the books themselves mention it, but it does make sense. Here is the theory:

• Song of Songs: Solomon wrote this one when he was a young man. It is full of tales of being in love, and so it is easy to see a young Solomon writing this when he fell in love.
• Proverbs: Solomon wrote this one after he had kids who were teenagers, therefore, when he was middle-aged. It is full of advice, which is something that a father would want to teach his children.
• Ecclesiastes: Solomon wrote this book when he was an old man. At that point in his life, he had both trusted and followed God with the result that God granted Solomon whatever he wanted, plus he had disobeyed God to the point that God told him the kingdom would be split into two parts after he died. In this book, then, Solomon is an old man and looks back over his life and asks, “What really matters?”

Date: Around 950 BC (when Solomon lived) and later after the time of Solomon

Proverbs can be divided into six sections. The listing below gives the author of each of the sections in Proverbs and a short description of that division

1. Solomon: Chapters 1 – 9: The introduction to the book, a general description of Wisdom, and a plea for his children to follow his advice. This can be considered as a prologue (or prepartion) for the rest of the book.
2. Solomon: Chapters 10 – 22:15: This is a long section of general proverbs. Usually each proverb is contained within one verse.
3. “Sayings of the wise”: 22:16 – end of Chapter 24: These proverbs can extend over several or even many verses.
4. Solomon: Chapters 25-29: This section continues Solomon's general proverbs.
5. Agur (scholars are uncertain who he is): Chapter 30: Unlike Solomon's shorter proverbs, this chapter is designed like #3 above, the proverbs are much longer than one verse.
6. Lemuel (scholars are uncertain who he is): Chapter 31: This chapter consists of two long sayings of wisdom.

When people think of the book of Proverbs, they think of individual wise sayings. But only chapters 10-29 include individual sayings, the other chapters include longer sayings of wisdom that last for several or many verses.

Proverbs has approximately 800 sayings from Solomon. Also, according to I Kings 4:32, “He spoke 3000 proverbs and his songs numbered 1005.” So, we only have a portion of what he taught.

What is a proverb? Unlike the book of Psalms, which is directed toward God, only some of the sayings in Proverbs are connected to God. Instead, most proverbs are directed at guiding people into relating and living with each other (parents, children, neighbors, the government, etc.) and even how to be a more efficient person (Proverbs 10:4: “Lazy hands makes a person poor, but diligent hands brings wealth.”).

Date: Around 950 BC

Author: Solomon, in his old age

This book discusses the question of meaning in life: What is really important? At the end of your life, when you look over all that you have accomplished in life, what will be the most important thing you have accomplished? One key word in the book that reflects this search is “meaningless.” Solomon is looking back over his life and finds that much of what he spent his time on was worthless. He had power, unlimited wealth, involvement in any pleasure that he desired, prestige, all types of possessions (for example, 12,000 horses), yet he was still unhappy, he was still dissatisfied. He found that, no matter how much he had, he always wanted more. For example, 5:10: “Whoever loves money never has enough money; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This, too, is meaningless.” The word "meaningless" appears 38 times in Ecclesiastes.

The result, Solomon finds, comes in the last verses of the book: “Now all has been heard. Here is the conclusion of the matter: fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of humanity. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing whether it is good or evil.” For Solomon, who spent much of his life squandering and wasting his time and money on vain and “meaningless” pursuits and goals, the lesson he finally learned was to focus first on God and to let God guide his life.

Date: Around 950 BC

Author: Solomon, when he was a young man

This book describes love and involves multiple characters: The couple--which consists of the “Lover,” which is Solomon, the “beloved,” which is the woman he is in love with--and “friends,” who are delighted that the two people have met and are in love.

As part of the Wisdom Literature, this book does teach about the value and sacredness of passionate love, but in its time: 2:7, 3:5, and 8:4 all warn, “Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.”

Also, some scholars also see this not only as a description between a man and a woman, but as an allegory in describing the close relationship between God and the church or even God and the Christian, of how God loves and pursues each person as the Lover pursued the beloved in the poem.

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