MIDTERM ESSAY QUESTIONS

Question 1

Define and discuss the three dimensions of Israelite wisdom. (BTIOT 381-386)

Answer 1

Three Sapiential (relating to wisdom) Dimensions

1. Transcendent Illumination from God (the fear of the Lord)
   
   1. The basic requirement of Israelite wisdom - fear (awe) of God
   2. Awe is awareness of His holiness and our reliance on Him
   3. It creates a dependency on and trust in Him.
   4. Fear of the Lord brings a recognition that all life is centered on the Creator who gives wisdom
2. Discernment and Application of God’s Wisdom to Transcultural (ecumenical, interhuman) issues
   
   1. It creates a desire to study all things
   2. Wisdom makes us more ethical and fair and a desire to pursue that which is right
   3. Wisdom can be applied in all situations and to all people
3. Transformation within the self and in relationship with God and others.
   
   1. True wisdom comes from Knowing God
   2. Man can transform and become a better person by gaining wisdom/the fear of the Lord which leads to true happiness

Question 2

Discuss the ways in which Christ is presented or foreshadowed in Proverbs.

Answer 2

1. Proverbs 8:22-23 22 The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. 23 Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
   
   1. Lady Wisdom figurative of Jesus. Paul calls Jesus the Wisdom of God 1Cor 1:24
2. Proverbs 9:2-5 Lady Wisdom (Jesus) invites people to follow him, to eat and drink with him. In John we’re promised if we partake of the bread of life we will never hunger again
3. Jesus is the wisdom of God incarnate
4. As wisdom transforms all who seek it so does Christ (Col 1:15-23)

Question 3

BTIOT discusses six genres found in Proverbs. Define and give examples of four out of the six. (BTIOT 376-380)

Answer 3

1. Instructions and Admonitions
   
   1. An invitation to listen, a warning, and words of encouragement to motivate the seeking of wisdom
   2. Proverbs 1:10-19
      
      1. 10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. 11 If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason; 12 like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; 13 we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder; 14 throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse” 15 my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, 16 for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. 17 For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird, 18 but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives. 19 Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.
2. Sayings
   
   1. Short, pithystatement that transmits an observation in various figures of speech, communicating through a relatively fixed literary form yet poetic.
   2. Pro 11:1 “A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight.”
   3. They get detached from the original situation they were linked to and are reattached and applied to many new situations.
   4. It compares things metaphorically
3. “Better Than” Sayings
   
   1. compare two ways of wisdom and folly.
   2. they show the tension between expectations and reality grounded in trust of the Lord
   3. Pr 12:9 “better to be lowly and have a servant than to play the great man and lack bread.”
4. Numerical Sayings
   
   1. use lists or the form of x+1
   2. pr 6:16-19 6 things plus 1
5. Alphabetic Acrostic
   
   1. not really sure on this one
6. Beatitudes
   
   1. a wish for true happiness
   2. translated as blessed but could really be translated as happy
   3. encourages road of wisdom even though it may be tough
   4. pr 1:1 blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding

Question 4

Discuss imprecatory psalms. Describe the problem and the solution. Illustrate with specific examples. (Lecture and HWBP 172-177)

Answer 4

1. They invoke divine judgment upon the psalmist’s enemy or the enemy of God.
2. They call upon god to deliver them from enemies.
3. Key problem is how can the spirit of vengeance be reconciled with Jesus command to love your enemies?
   
   1. There are also OT stipulations that prohibit seeking vengeance
4. Solution
   
   1. remember they are the words of someone truly suffering
   2. while vengeance by one was forbidden it was ok by law for god to take it. So they are asking God to do his thing
   3. they actually affirm God’s omnipotence by asking him to balance the scales as He promised
   4. They go to God instead of taking matters into their own hands

Question 5

Discuss the five categories of messianic psalms. Describe and give examples of each. (Lecture and HWBP 178-185)

Answer 5

1. Purely Prophetic
2. Eschatological Psalms
   
   1. psalms in which the history of Israel culminates in the messianic kingdom
3. Typological
   
   1. in which the experiences of the psalmist are types of the experiences of Christ
4. Indirect messianic, or royal psalms
   
   1. referred to a human king
      
      1. The Davidic king ruled as Yahweh’s representative.
      2. Jesus as a descendent of David is seen as the greater david and fulfills the hopes of this line
5. Typical-prophetic messianic psalms
   
   1. they use the life of the psalmist but describe events very over the top or with hyperbole
   2. Jesus however actually experienced what was written
6. Enthronement, or Kingship psalms
   
   1. speak of the universal kingship of Yahweh and find fulfillment in the future reign of christ

Question 6

Give a brief explanation of a favorite psalm.

Answer 6

Psalm 1 and Psalm 13 actually.

I’ve felt the pain of wondering if I was alone and asked how long lord.

But I also pray to be planted like a strong-rooted tree near the flowing waters. Leaves that don’t wither.

I love the imagery.

Question 7

What are the purposes of the book of Job? (Lecture and HWBP 23-24)

Answer 7

1. Challenge “karma theology” - that personal sin is always the cause of suffering.
2. Explore human limitations in probing the issue of divine justice
   
   1. our resolution of things lies outside our limited understanding
   2. We are finite by our nature so we will never fully know God
3. Yhwh’s freedom - he is sovereign and beyond our comprehension
   
   1. He is not captive to a rigid law of retribution but is free to do as he pleases
4. The divine-human relationship
   
   1. deisim doesn’t exist (the idea that god created and then just sat back and watched)
   2. God is aware, he is present, and he is in control

Question 8

Define and illustrate “karma” theology. Show how Job is designed to counteract that approach to human difficulties.

Answer 8

1. hmmm
2. handbook on wisdom p 26-27

Question 9

Describe the lessons we are to learn from both the person of Job and from the book

Answer 9

1. Job was blameless before God. He was obedient
2. The book teaches that the perplexities of life can’t be resolved from a human perspective alone.
3. Wisdom is reliable up to a point but cannot be taken as the same as divine wisdom
4. There is mystery when it comes to God
5. All questions find their answer in God