Wisdom Literature- Job to Song of Solomon Flashcards
How can we understand the full impact of the book of Job?
it must be read and understood as a whole.
When was Job likely written?
before Genesis was written
Name each of the 5 people who give Job advice, and describe the kind of advice they give to him.
Eliphaz (roughly) bases his (bad) advice on personal experience.
Bildad (roughly) bases his (bad) advice on tradition
Zophar (roughly) bases his (bad) advice on doctrine
Elihu (the student) comes closest to an appropriate response
Job’s wife bases her advice on desperation, grief, and unbelief
Can the advise of those to Job be used for doctrinal purposes?
cannot be used for doctrinal purposes, for they are often wrong
Name the titles of 3 other books of wisdom literature (not Bible) written in the Near East at this time in History.
“Man and His God”
“I Will Praise the Lord of Wisdom”
“The Babylonian Theodicy”
What 3 things did Job’s friends do that we can actually use in our ministry today?
They came.
They wept (sympathized) with him.
They were present and saying nothing for 7 days.
In Job, What is Elihu’s view of suffering?
suffering can be preventative as well as punitive.
Describe the impact on the subject of suffering that comes from the whole monologue from God (in Job).
The whole monologue from God is changes from considering God’s justice to considering God’s wisdom.
What is God’s message from Job 38-42?
Just as God’s wisdom is infinitely higher than Man’s, so God’s understanding of justice is higher than Man’s. So it should be no surprise that we might not always ‘get’ God’s justice.
Why is Job at peace when none of his questions have been answered?
Because Job has accepted the fact that God’s wisdom is so high above his own that the most healing thing is to know God rather than knowing all the answers.
What 2 things does the book of Job test?
retribution theology (The righteous will prosper and the wicked will suffer).
pagan cultures of his time
Is there some suffering that lies beyond explanation? What can be the best answer to the question “why”? What can the answer bring to someone who is suffering?
there is some suffering that is beyond explanation and we should resist efforts to try to make sense of it
The answer, “I don’t know.” is sometimes the best (and most healing) answer to someone’s begging question, “Why?”
The Psalms are not ______, _________, or ______.
Doctrinal statements
Creeds
History
The Psalms are _____ and _____ intended to be _____.
Poetry
Prayer
… intended to be:
set to music and prayed in worship
What is another term for the Book of Psalms?
The “Psalter,”
When considering the authorship of the Psalms, how is it best to understand them?
as the product of a community of faith who composed, collected and passed on their prayers, hymns, songs and liturgy as a witness to their experience as being the people of God.
Name the 3 main categories of Psalms mentioned in class.
Lament psalms:
Thanksgiving psalms:
Hymns:
Which category contains the most number of Psalms?
Lament psalms: