How should we read the books of Proverbs, Psalms, Job, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon? We discuss the genre of Wisdom Literature and how to interpret it in this episode.

Music:
“Kid Kodi”
Blue Dot Sessions
http://www.sessions.blue

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Episode #60 – How to Interpret Wisdom Literature

1. Define the Genre
   1. What is Wisdom?
      1. “The reasoned search for specific ways to ensure personal well-being in everyday life, to make sense of extreme adversity and vexing anomalies, and to transmit this hard-earned knowledge so that successive generations will embody it–wisdom–universal.” – James Crenshaw 
      2. The category used to designate the following OT books: Proverbs, Psalms, Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon 
   2. Most of the wisdom books of the OT are poetic in nature (e.g., Psalms, Song of Solomon, most of Job, some of Ecclesiastes).
      1. Use of figurative language, don’t take things too literally.
         1. Leviathan and Behemoth in Job
      2. Use of figurative language, don’t take things too figuratively.
         1. Song of Solomon is about a man’s love towards a woman. 
      3. Repurpose generally held wisdom (e.g., Psalms repurposing songs to Baal). 
   3. Proverbs – general truths
      1. Proverbs are not universal truths in that life always functions that way, but they are universal truths in that life generally or usually functions this way. 
   4. Psalms
      1. Repeated ideas
2. Understand How the Wisdom Books Work Together
   1. Proverbs – black and white; good things happen to good people and bad things to bad people
   2. Psalms – throw in a little gray; sometimes life isn’t always black and white, but generally good things happen to good people and bad things to bad people
   3. Job – a lot of gray; Job is a righteous man who suffers, this is not how life is supposed to happen; but, in the end, Job gains riches for his righteousness
   4. Ecclesiastes – all gray; life is meaningless; the only thing that matters is following God (perhaps a later addition) 

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Listen to our previous episode on How to Interpret the Old Testament here.