Wisdom In The Bible

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For centuries the concept of wisdom has often been overlooked by those who fail to try and understand its meaning and implications. Wisdom is a powerful trait that signals a certain level of intelligence and experience to most people in the world today. In the Hebrew Bible, wisdom makes its presence known throughout the Books of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. The blessings of wisdom is the theme is the Book of Proverbs while the Book of Job is centered around the limits of wisdom (Hauer/Young 163-166). Meanwhile in Ecclesiastes, the futility of wisdom is highlighted in the text in an effort to find the meaning in such a corrupt world (Hauer/Young 172). Many readers of the Bible can identify with these three wisdom books because they offer …show more content…
The worldview of wisdom that is expressed in this book is all about living wisely and the assumption that God is out to punish the wicked or the sinner and reward the acts of kindness (Hauer/Young 166). Then "wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice. At the busiest corner she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks" (Proverbs 1:20-21). Here wisdom is represented as a prophet who is going out and letting those who have acted foolishly that they will not be the beneficiaries of her profound knowledge. The wicked are those who ignore her cries and refuse to acknowledge her, which may be a sign that they are fearful. Later in the Book of Proverbs, it says "Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Well meant are the wounds a friend inflicts, but profuse are the kisses of an enemy" (Proverbs 27:5-6). This is just as much an observation as could be taken for advice. Basically these verses are pointing to the idea that honesty is always going to better, even if it hurts, than not disclosing how you truly feel about something or someone. The fact that the Book of Proverbs presents this wisdom literature in such an empirical manner makes it very appealing to an individual looking to find answers to such topics as moral behavior and the meaning of human …show more content…
While Proverbs provided a basic understanding of wisdom, Job focuses on questioning some of the claims that are made in Proverbs. The Book of Job "challenges the assumptions that God necessarily guarantees justice for humans and that God's ways can be explained in human terms" (Hauer/Young 177). Eliphaz, a visitor of Job, argues "For misery does not come from the earth, nor does trouble sprout from the ground; but human beings are born to trouble just as sparks fly upward" (Job 5:6-7). A person is not born into sin, but his or her actions after birth can lead to immense suffering that can grow to become unmanageable. Sin and suffering go hand in hand more times than not and can draw someone away from God and scripture. The Book of Job handles the problem of evil and suffering in an interesting way because Job is an upstanding citizen who is being treated very poorly. The lack of clarity in the explanation given by God to Job regarding the things that have happened to him makes this work of literature up for divergent interpretations. God, as part of his first speech, states "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding" (Job 38:4). Job is essentially being verbally attacked by the LORD in his speeches, but he does not specifically address Job's complaint of injustice. God
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