BIBL105: Old Testament Survey
11 WISDOM LITERATURE, II
PROVERBS:
Fast Facts
•Authorship
•Solomon, Hezekiah, Agur, Lemuel
•From 950-700 B.C.
•Purpose: a manual of wisdom for living
•Wisdom - obedience to God’s laws
•Reverence for God
•Respect for parents
•Regard for law
•Motto: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (1:7)
•Proverbs teach universal or general truths in a didactic (teaching) form
•They express great truths in bite-size pieces– simple yet profound
Practical Themes
•Wisdom vs. folly (12:15)
•Righteousness vs. wickedness (13:6)
•Hard work vs. laziness (18:9)
•Humility vs. pride (16:18)
•Treatment of the poor (29:7)
BIBL105: Old Testament Survey
Topics:
•Family (11:29)
•Spouses (12:4)
•Children (22:6)
•Rulers (25:15)
•Sinners (1:10)
•Friends (17:17)
Character Qualities:
•Endurance (24:16)
•Generosity (11:24)
•Kindness (12:10)
•Control (13:3)
•Forgiveness (10:12)
•Discretion (11:22)
Practical Application
•Direction (3:5-6)
•Prosperity (3:9-10)
•Faithfulness (5:15)
•Honesty (11:1)
•Humility (11:2)
•Generosity (11:24)
BIBL105: Old Testament Survey
•Discipleship (11:30)
•Need for Wisdom (1:7)
ECCLESIASTES
Fast Facts
•Authorship: Solomon
•950-940 B.C., in his later years
•Theme: true joy and purpose of living
Philosophy of Life
•Honest inquiry or philosophical quest
•Meaning of life on earth (“under the sun”)
•Motto: (1:2 also with 12:8) Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless; all is
meaningless.
•All is vain, empty, or meaningless without God.
Outline
•Procedure: personal investigation (1:12-18)
•Gift of life (2:1-26)
•Pleasures of life tested (2:1-11)
•March of Time (3:1-8)
Conclusion
BIBL105: Old Testament Survey
•Life without God = meaningless
•Search for meaning = endless
•Fear God
•Obey his commandments
Proverbs and Ecclesiastes Wrap Up
•Creation: God knows how the world works best because He alone is the Creator
•Fall: because of the fall, mankind is always searching for meaning and purpose in life
•Redemption: God has made a “better way” for us to live as believers
Proverbs/Ecclesiastes & Jesus
•Jesus is the embodiment of wisdom
•Jesus’ sacrifice provides a perspective of this earthly life and eternity
SONG OF SOLOMON
Fast Facts
•King Solomon
•Around 971 B.C., in his youth
•Advice about love in marriage (points to the larger reality of Christ’s love for His bride,
the church)
Key Warning in the Book
BIBL105: Old Testament Survey
•Love is a powerful and sacred thing that God has given us for marriage.
•Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires. (2:7, 3:5, 8:4)
•However, as humans, we can easily turn this great gift from God into sinful lust.
The Story of Song of Solomon
•A girl is rejected by her family and forced to keep their vineyard
•She falls in love with a young shepherd who promises to return for her
•She dreams about him in his absence
•He returns as King Solomon and takes her to the Royal Palace
•They later visit her family and her brothers praise her
Song of Solomon & Jesus
•Points to a larger love of Christ’s love for his bride, the Church
•Jesus as the lover of our soul
