Wisdom includes at least three things: 1. A proper perspective summed up in fear of the – “the Lord” Proverbs fear of the Lord is the beginning of 1:7: “The knowledge.” This begins with recognizing who God is and who we are. This includes awe, reverence, and a for God. “healthy respect” This perspective centers on the recognition that he is the creator (we owe our very existence to him), he is the redeemer (we are saved by him), and he is perfectly just (he sees and knows all that happens). 2. Character focus who we are before what we do – 3. Godly action proper perspective leads to proper action – B. Types of wisdom 1. Instructional, reflective passages the path metaphor in Proverbs 2 personification: adulteress or lady wisdom in Proverbs 9, 31 extended dialogues in Job reflections on life in Ecclesiastes 2. Proverbial sentences (e.g., Proverbs 10–22) III. Wisdom literature in the Bible Proverbs (proverbial wisdom; a basic approach to life and to wisdom) Job (speculative wisdom; helps to understand the suffering of the righteous) Ecclesiastes (speculative wisdom; shows the limitations of a purely intellectual approach to finding meaning in life) Song of Songs (lyric wisdom; shows the beauty of human love in marriage) Wisdom Psalms (1, 4, 10, 14, 18, 19, 37, 49, 73, 90, 112, 119; echo many of the above themes) IV. Applying Wisdom Literature Proverbs 1. Proverbs are worded to be memorable. They are practical more than they are theological. They often point to truth rather than state it directly. 2. Proverbs often employ figures of speech, parallelism, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, and other figurative language. Job 1. God is sovereign and we are not. 2. God knows all and we know a little.
Wisdom includes at least three things: 1. A proper perspective – summed up in “the fear of the Lord” Proverbs 1:7: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” This begins with recognizing who God is and who we are. This includes awe, reverence, and a “healthy respect” for God. This perspective centers on the recognition that he is the creator (we owe our very existence to him), he is the redeemer (we are saved by him), and he is perfectly just (he sees and knows all that happens). 2. Character focus – who we are before what we do 3. Godly action – proper perspective leads to proper action B. Types of wisdom 1. Instructional, reflective passages the path metaphor in Proverbs 2 personification: adulteress or lady wisdom in Proverbs 9, 31 extended dialogues in Job reflections on life in Ecclesiastes 2. Proverbial sentences (e.g., Proverbs 10–22) III. Wisdom literature in the Bible Proverbs (proverbial wisdom; a basic approach to life and to wisdom) Job (speculative wisdom; helps to understand the suffering of the righteous) Ecclesiastes (speculative wisdom; shows the limitations of a purely intellectual approach to finding meaning in life) Song of Songs (lyric wisdom; shows the beauty of human love in marriage) Wisdom Psalms (1, 4, 10, 14, 18, 19, 37, 49, 73, 90, 112, 119; echo many of the above themes) IV. Applying Wisdom Literature Proverbs 1. Proverbs are worded to be memorable. They are practical more than they are theological. They often point to truth rather than state it directly. 2. Proverbs often employ figures of speech, parallelism, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, and other figurative language. Job 1. God is sovereign and we are not. 2. God knows all and we know a little.