Wisdom Literature in the Bible

Too often, people refer to the Bible as a single book.  And that makes sense, as most of us use a Bible that is bound together as one volume, and we even call it "The Holy Bible".  But even as we look to the "Good Book" to inspire our hearts and challenge our minds, we need to keep in mind that the Bible is actually a collection of many books!  These books are written in three different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek), span more than fifteen hundred years, have different "authors" and use very different methods of communicating to us.  In literature, people use the word "genre" to describe different types of writing, such as mystery or biography.  When we talk about the Bible, we can use this word "genre" to describe different kinds of books in the Bible to help us read them better.  And since our focus currently is on the wisdom of God, let's look at wisdom literature in the Bible.

So other types of writings in the Bible include: law (such as Leviticus); narrative (like Samuel or Luke); poetry (Psalms, for example); prophecy (Isaiah or Amos, among others); epistles (the letters written by the apostles); apocalyptic literature (fantastic visions like in Ezekiel or Revelations); and finally, wisdom literature.

Wisdom literature is found predominantly in the following books:
  --Book of Proverbs
  --Book of Job
  --Song of Solomon
  --Book of Ecclesiastes
Wisdom literature is also found in bits and pieces in the rest of the Bible as well, such as:
  --Psalm 23
  --Jesus' parables

Wisdom literature focuses on the existential questions of humanity.  Who are we, and why are we here?  Who is God, and what does he desire?  What is righteous, and what is sin?  The deepest, most nebulous, and intangible topics are all included in the wisdom literature in the Bible.  Due to this, wisdom literature can be some of the most difficult parts of the Scripture to interpret and understand.  So how can we best try to read it fruitfully?  The following is my pastoral advice on how Christians might go about reading the wisdom literature a little differently than other parts of Scripture:

1. Read small sections at a time.
   Normally, I advise people to read larger sections of Scripture at once in order to gain a sense of the greater context.  But this is not as true with wisdom literature (although Job might be a bit of an exception).  I know that when I try to read five chapters of Proverbs, I cannot repeat a single one back!  That's because wisdom literature is very dense and intangible, and is largely not designed to be read all at once.  It is, however, meant to be taken piece by piece.  I would advise reading no more than one chapter at a time, and then reviewing that chapter several times over a period of days or even weeks in order to truly gain a sense of its message.  You could even choose as few as two or three verses to study at once!  There is no shame in taking in the wisdom literature slowly.  (And this is the primary reason why I don't usually advocate reading the Bible in one year for the average busy American!)

2. Focus on transformation, not education.
   We are taught in schools to read for knowledge or understanding.  We read in order to learn, such as in science textbooks.  My wife, a teacher, says that "students really need to learn to read in first and second grade because in third grade they will need to be able to read to learn".  And I agree that this is a critical skill!  But the problem with wisdom literature is that its purpose is not to "teach" us content in the way we've been educated.  Even by learning or even memorizing Scripture, it doesn't help us to learn the Scripture if we aren't transformed by it.  Wisdom literature is especially prone to being quoted and learned but not allowing transformation.  This is why I don't emphasize memorization, although I think that's great!  What's most important is that you are willing to allow Scripture to change you into a new person, little by little, through its message.  If you are reading for knowledge and memorization, you will miss the whole point.

3. Visualize the Scripture's words and imagine the situation in modern-day life.
   This sounds difficult--let me explain.  Let's use a random verse as an example: Proverbs 10:26: "like vinegar to the teeth, and smoke to the eyes, so are the lazy to their employers".  Can you imagine your employer drinking vinegar and putting his or her head over a fire pit?!  It's kind of funny, and it makes us laugh.  Imagine the situation in real life, placing yourself in both the role of the employer and the "lazy".  This will help you visualize and understand the emotions, situations, and even humor that the wisdom literature offers us.  Remember, wisdom literature helps us understand the bigger concepts and existential ideas in our world, but often doing so through everyday, mundane examples and metaphors to effectively communicate to all people.

4. Don't be overly literal.
   Have you heard the phrase, "I told you a thousand times...!!"?  When we say this, it does not mean that we literally have counted the number of times and they equal exactly one thousand; it emphasizes the high frequency at which we have repeated ourselves, so much that it is too much to bother counting!!  Being overly literal would focus on one thousand individual instances, which is not what you're trying to communicate.  Rather, you're trying to communicate your frustration and anger because this person isn't hearing you!!  Likewise, instead of focusing on the literal words of wisdom literature, focus on the actual meaning behind it.  So in the above example, "like vinegar to the teeth...", lazy employees do not taste bitter and salty when you bite them!!  That would be a ridiculously literal interpretation (albeit hysterical).  It means that like vinegar, lazy employees cause their employers to cringe, leaving a bad taste in their mouth and a sour impression.

5. Look for examples of your life and the world around you that could be transformed.
   So now that you've spent time with a small portion of Scripture, you are willing to be transformed, you visualize the Scripture's situation and allow it to speak its meaning, you are now ready to apply the Scripture to your reality and have it transform your mind and heart!  Looking for areas of your personal, professional, or domestic life, etc., that reflect some of the issues in the wisdom literature will help you steer those areas into a new direction, inspired by Scripture.  Also look for these examples in the world around you, or in the lives of your loved ones.  See reality as it presents itself, and then envision what it might look like if it were transformed by the wisdom of the Scripture.  With our example above, if we have noticed that we are indeed lazy employees, but we are harboring hatred for our boss out of spite, then this Scripture might speak to us and help us understand what's really going on.  Perhaps our boss is not such a judgmental or stern manager; but who wouldn't get at least a little upset being forced to drink vinegar?!  Because that's what it's like to have to deal with a lazy employee.  The Scripture isn't necessarily judging the boss or the worker; oftentimes wisdom literature is just stating things the way they are and allows us to come to realization of God's will through presenting the obvious.

6. Pray.
   Remember that God is the source of all wisdom, because it was through wisdom that he has created and ordered the cosmos.  You are not able to create wisdom, nor work by wisdom unless you become endowed with it by your Creator.  Prayer will help you to align yourself better with God's will, to be humbled before God and to focus your thoughts away from your own wisdom.  Perhaps the biggest threat facing us as we seek to interpret wisdom literature is that we all too often read our own wisdom into it, soiling and ruining God's pure wisdom and creating all kinds of principalities in this world. 

I hope that you will find this compelling and practical as you continue studying Scripture, seeking God's wisdom.