“To make it possible for everyone to attend church next Sunday, we propose to have a special "No Excuse Sunday". Beds will be placed in the foyer for those who say, "Sunday is my only day to sleep in." There will be a special section with lounge chairs for those who feel that our pews are too hard. Eye drops will be available for those with tired eyes from watching T.V. late Saturday night. We will have steel helmets for those who say, "The roof would cave in if I ever came to church." Blankets will be furnished for those who think the church is too cold, and fans for those who say it is too hot. Score cards will be available for those who wish to list the hypocrites present. Relatives and friends will be in attendance for those who can't go to church and cook dinner, too. We will distribute "Stamp Out Stewardship" buttons for those who feel that church is always asking for money. One section will be devoted to trees and grass for those who like to seek God in nature. Doctors and nurses will be in attendance for those who plan to be sick on Sunday. The sanctuary will be decorated with both Christmas poinsettias and Easter lilies for those who never have seen the church without them. We will provide hearing aids for those who can't hear the preacher and cotton wool for those who say he is too loud.”
Life is for the living – and we are called to love and serve God in the present – right where we are here and now. This present reality of faith is what makes the books of Wisdom so important, and relevant to all who trust in God. They delve deeply into crucial questions about the meaning of life and address some of those big questions that we must all face up at some point: the problem of pain, understanding God, seeking true wisdom, questions of life, and love. These are realistic books – they recognise that quite often, we need to acquire some motivation if we are to follow God’s law.
Quite easily, the fact that much of the Bible is written in poetry – as much as a third of the Old Testament – can be lost on us. Poetry doesn’t often work well in translation, and much of the alliteration of the Hebrew Bible is lost on us. We tend to focus more upon the story of the Bible rather than its poetic content, but poetry is a good medium for exploring feelings and personal reflections. These five books of Wisdom explore personal experience and emphasise a lifestyle of godliness, from the perspective of living as God’s people, in the present.
We find the story of the Old Testament in its early books – the books of Law and History. These five books of Wisdom are different – they offer us a sideways take on understanding God. The Law gives us the command of God; the History books offer us the story of God at work through His chosen people – the Hebrews; the books of Prophecy declare the Word of the Lord - what God is saying to His people. But the Books of Wisdom bring a totally different approach. We are offered good, and godly, advice for daily living along with general principles to apply to our lives. So the style of writing in the books of Wisdom is very different – it’s rather like a friend, or counsellor, coming alongside us with a mug of coffee and saying, ‘Let me help you. Can we talk?’ Here we have sensible help for Christian living.
These Books of Wisdom fall into a category of Ancient Near Eastern literature, which focuses on questions about God, humanity, creation, and the nature of evil and suffering. Wisdom literature often takes the form of short, pithy insights - as in the book of Proverbs – basically a long sequence of one-liners, or else a dialogue - as in the book of Job, where the central character engages in discussion that teaches and enlightens the reader. Wisdom literature was produced in several cultures, but by far the best-known examples are those that found their way into the Bible: the books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.
Job
Here we meet the prototype “suffering saint” - a God-fearing man who experiences terrible trials and sufferings and calls out to God for an explanation. Why me? Why am I suffering? The book doesn’t offer easy or simplistic answers to the problem of suffering, but points towards God’s sovereignty. It begins with a conversation in heaven between God and Satan, then moves to earth for a detailed look at the life of an early patriarch named Job. He suffers horrendous heartaches, and is left with the question, “Why?”. His four human counsellors are unable to offer any useful insight into his plight until finally, it remains for God to teach Job some valuable lessons about His sovereignty and the need for complete trust in Him. We cannot answer the “Why” questions, but we can recognise that God is constantly at work and learn “How” He is there for us.
Psalms
Here is the hymn book of the Bible. Many of the Psalms were written by King David himself. They cover the entire range of human emotions: praise, doubt, repentance, joy, and even the ‘why does it always happen to me’ kind of questions. Psalms is a book to use during prayer times, and many of our present day hymns and worship songs are based upon a verse, or phrase from a psalm. It won’t take you long before you find a psalm that reflects your current mood.
Proverbs
What does a wise life look like? Through hundreds of one-line statements, the book of Proverbs distinguishes wisdom from foolishness. It offers good advice for living. It is a very practical book, but can be a difficult book to classify, as it has no sense of progression. Quite literally, it is best read – one proverb at a time.
Ecclesiastes
Here is a challenging book that can seem out-of-place in the Bible – it seems to be an extended reflection on the meaning of life that can easily feel fatalistic and cynical, exemplified in its opening stanzas: ‘Vanity, vanity’ say the teacher, ‘all is vanity.’ It is certainly realistic. But it makes an important point: nothing can fill the God-shaped void in a person’s life – except God himself. Its message is ultimately positive: living in obedience to God provides the only secure foundation for building a human life.
Song of Songs
This is another unique book. Song of Songs is a poetic dialogue about love, depicting the wooing and wedding of a shepherdess by King Solomon, but it can be read on several levels. On one hand, it may be a celebration of marriage and the gift of sexuality but can also be read as an allegorical message about the love of Christ for His church. The book is arranged like the scenes in a drama, with three main speakers: the bride, the king, and a chorus.
These five wisdom books contain some of the most beautifully written passages in the Bible. Although they may be separated from us by several millennia, we can see that the Israelites grappled with the same kind of questions, emotions and faith issues that we face today: they asked tough questions about sin and suffering; they experienced joy and confidence in God’s love; they wanted to know where God is - in life’s pleasures and trials; they sometimes entertained doubts about faith and they looked to God for help - both physical and spiritual.
Beyond all this, the wisdom books show us that God values and responds to these questions. We can take comfort from the fact that no experience in our lives, however wonderful or terrible it may be, can place us beyond the love and understanding of a gracious God.
These Books of Wisdom are probably not the first books that you turn to if someone asks you, ‘How can I be saved?’ But if you are looking for guidance on following God’s will, and living in obedience to Him, you may well find answers here that will aid you in your journey.
The wisdom literature has an important starting point. It presupposes the existence of God. Its writers were people of faith – faith in the One Living God. They saw God as a personal God, with whom they could enjoy friendship. He shared in their lives. And He is a God to be respected. ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’ (Proverbs 1:7). To live well is to have a right relationship with God.
At the heart of this wisdom literature is the call to worship God, as expressed in the Book of Psalms. Worship is not just an optional extra – something to be done when we feel like it – it is the prime activity of our human lives. The Book of Psalms is rightly described as the ‘Hymn Book’ of the Bible – the oldest hymn book in the world. It is amazing how many modern-day hymns and songs are based directly upon the Psalms. Its presence, at the heart of the Bible makes a clear statement: the worship of God is essential. If we are God’s people, then worship must stand at the heart of our corporate life.
A Look at Psalm 148
To complete this introduction to the Books of Wisdom, here is a reflection upon Psalm 148.
Psalm 148 is a great psalm of praise. The summons to praise is expressed throughout this psalm. Virtually everything you could ever think of is called upon to praise the name of the Lord. Praise is not just an optional extra – it’s a demand put upon all of us. We have here an invitation, an entreaty, a command! Whoever we are: angels in heaven, mortals on earth, beasts of the field, or even inanimate objects like fire and snow, mountains and hills, sun and moon: all are called upon to praise the name of the Lord. And no excuses are allowed: kings and commoners, old men and maidens, young men and children – no one is let off the hook. This really is no excuse Sunday! No one is too mighty, or too lowly, no one is too young or too old – all people together - old and young - no crèche facilities or separate activities for children - let them praise the name of the Lord together. Whoever we are, the praise of the Lord’s name must be a way of life.
Why? Why should we praise the name of the Lord? If for no other reason than because He is our Creator. It is only right that we should praise him. Verse 5 tells us: ‘let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded, and they were created.’ We owe God our lives. To offer Him gratitude in return is the very least we can do.
God our Creator, God our Sustainer, the God who gives us daily bread is worthy of our praise, simply because of who He is, and what He’s done for us. In the Book of Revelation, we meet the angels around the throne of God, who sing aloud, ‘You are worthy, O Lord our God to receive glory, and honour and power, because you created all things; by your will they were created and have their being.’
To come back to our psalm, we may wonder how wild beasts, fruit trees, mountains and hills are supposed to praise the Lord. I remember as a boy, when my father, who was a chorister in his local choir, got to the line that says, ‘snow and clouds bless the Lord’ he would stop singing. As a farmer, his work was outdoors and he had had to endure the ice and snow too many times to want to give thanks for it.
Perhaps we sometimes feel like that - do we always want to praise the name of the Lord, even when things go badly? But we are reminded - the Lord is high above all things. His glory is above the earth and heaven. The splendour of the Lord crowns all things, and ultimately, He will have authority over them.
What the psalmist is doing is reminding us of the relationship which exists between God and His world. Perhaps mountains and hills can’t praise the name of the Lord, but they do testify to the greatness of God. Isn’t it easy to take it all for granted? Yet King David, in his great prayer shortly before his death, reminds us of our dependence upon God for everything:
Yours Lord, is the greatness and the power, the glory and the splendour and the majesty, for everything in heaven and on earth is yours. All things come from you, and of your own do we give you. Amen. (1 Chron 29:11)
Psalm 34 implores us to always to praise God. What we say with our lips provides the outward expression of our worship and adoration, and the simple process of being involved in praise does us good. The times when we most need to praise God are quite often the times when we may least want to do it. Praise is good for us. But as we offer God our praise, He will come close to us, and minister to our needs. We can offer Him praise in a number of ways:
• as individuals – it’s essential that we have personal times of praise and worship.
• In small groups – where 2 or 3 are gathered together.
• In a congregation – along with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
• In a celebration – the stadium – ‘O for a thousand tongues to sing’.
The worship of God is equally valid in the solitude of our bedroom as it is in a packed stadium – Elijah’s still small voice of calm, or Nehemiah’s solemn congregation of all the people – we need to experience both.
But worship is only half the story. To confine our praise to our lips is to dishonour the God whom we serve. That’s where we turn to the other Books of Wisdom.
We praise God by living devout and holy lives, by honouring God. We praise God by respecting what He has done for us: by respecting His creation, by caring for and demonstrating love to those around us, by getting our hands dirty with service, by getting involved in the world, for God’s sake. And more than anything else, by reverencing Jesus Christ as God’s own Son - God made man, granting us peace with Himself, the promise of new life, the promise of life to come. Jesus - who told his followers, ‘If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.’
So, if we answer the call to praise God with our lips and with our lives, we are being invited to share in the life of the community of believers. We are participating in the prayer and the life of all the faithful by hallowing God’s name in our own lives and in the world around us.
Therein lies true wisdom – it’s not about knowledge, or being clever, it’s simply the wisdom to honour God and offer Him due praise and worship.
To conclude:
Proverbs Chapter 3 seeks to place our lives within a “God” perspective:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil.It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.
Honour the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce;
then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.
My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof,for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. (Proverbs 3: 5 – 12)
Comments