August

This month, most of our reading in the Old Testament will be in Proverbs. Proverbs is a part of the biblical material that is called "Wisdom Literature," because it arises from a particular subculture of wise scribes in Israel. Job, which we read last month, is the first book of this kind in the Bible.

You will notice immediately that there is a kind of singsong quality to Proverbs. This is due to Hebrew literary style, which often trends to operate by means of poetic repetition or parallelism. The basic unit of thought is a combination of two lines. The first line is a brief statement, while the second line repeats the same idea in different words. For example, notice the statement in 2:6: "For the LORD gives wisdom." The next line repeats this thought: "from [God's] mouth come knowledge and understanding." Oftentimes, the second line will express the opposite idea of the first. Can you find an example? From this parallel structure, more complex units are developed. You can see this already in the first six verses of the book.

The helpful aspect of this literary style is that is paints a rich portrait of the topic or theme of the writing. At the same time, however, the singsong style can put a person to sleep1 To stay awake, keep your eye on the main theme. Restate that theme in your own words and try to apply it to your own situation. Then you will find that Proverbs can be a powerful, useful book as you attempt to "Trust in the LORD with all your heart" (3:5).

Proverbs emphasizes especially the need to gain wisdom. Wisdom is a gift from God, but at the same time, it is something that we need to develop and cultivate. If you've been struggling to keep up with the readings for The Year of the Bible program, you may find it encouraging to ponder what Proverbs says about the way to acquire this divine wisdom. Wisdom comes from God's law, or the commandments. Translated into our language, this means that wisdom comes from the Bible. We hope that one of the effects of The Year of the Bible will be to help us increase in wisdom.

One further thing: Wisdom is important, according to Proverbs, because it provides counsel about the very practical question of how we live our daily lives. Do we live wisely or foolishly? All of the suggestions in Proverbs are intended to help us gain the insight we need to live in the former rather than the latter way. This may remind you of Jesus' parable in the Sermon on the Mount. He compares the wise man, who built a house on the rock, to the foolish man, who built on sand. What's the difference between the two? The wise man, says Jesus, builds his life on the words of Jesus (Matt. 7:24-27).

From the cheery optimism of Proverbs, we move on to Ecclesiastes. This is another writing of Wisdom Literature, but here doom and gloom rule. There is quite a diversity of opinion about this book, particularly regarding the identity and viewpoint of the author. Is the writer really as pessimistic as he sounds, or is he portraying the depression of a life lived without God? If you are interested in this debate, you can find responses to these questions in the introductions to commentaries on Ecclesiastes. At this point, suffice it to say that the author appears to be a sage who chooses Solomon - the prototypical man of wisdom for Israel - as his mouthpiece. He seems to have a pessimistic spirit. He finds the world tragic and, perhaps, meaningless, and he borders on disbelief.

After reading the morning newspaper, you may find his observations about the world right on target: "[V]anity of vanities! All is vanity" (1:2). The sage, or "Teacher," points out that the world never seems to get anywhere. Justice is lacking; human toil does not bring relief from the rat race; and death appears to reduce all to the same level. At times, it seems to this writer that it is more blessed to be dead than alive (3:2). Ecclesiastes can be of great service to you if you sometimes struggle with doubt about faith. It may be comforting to know that God does not simply reject people who have difficulty believing. Why, even the author of one of the books of the Bible had serious misgivings about faith in a world like ours!

In the New Testament this month, we will be reading some of the epistles of Paul. A few comments will have to do here. First, notice the style: These are real letters written to specific persons and groups. They are not carefully crafted pieces of work intended for a general audience. Have you ever wondered what Paul would have thought had he realized that his epistles would be read by millions of people twenty centuries later? How would it have affected what he said and how he said it?

Philippians is a particularly delightful letter. Writing from prison, Paul converses with a congregation that cherished a deep affection for him, and he for them. The theme of joy in the face of adversity runs through the whole letter. We can learn a lot about patience and humility here too.

First and Second Thessalonians are probably Paul's earliest epistles. Notice the emphasis on Christ's return in glory. It appears that Paul originally thought that Christ would soon return and that the new heaven and new earth would be inaugurated shortly. These letters reflect that viewpoint, as does 1 Corinthians. It is especially interesting to note that Paul has to summon the church at Thessalonica to trust in the fact that Christ Jesus will indeed return in glory. But he does this so successfully in the first letter that, in the second, he has to caution the people not to carry this to extremes! At the close of the second letter, Paul pronounces a blessing that is worth remembering: "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you" (3:16).

From The Year of the Bible by James E. Davison