—————————————-

It was at that point that Saima signed up with the Kashf Foundation, a Pakistani microfinance organization that lends tiny amounts of money to poor women to start businesses. Kashf is typical of microfinance institutions, in that it lends almost exclusively to women, in groups of 25. The women guarantee one another’s debts and meet every two weeks to make payments and discuss a social issue, like family planning or schooling for girls. A Pakistani woman is often forbidden to leave the house without her husband’s permission, but husbands tolerate these meetings because the women return with cash and investment ideas.

Saima took out a $65 loan and used the money to buy beads and cloth, which she transformed into beautiful embroidery that she then sold to merchants in the markets of Lahore. She used the profit to buy more beads and cloth, and soon she had an embroidery business and was earning a solid income — the only one in her household to do so. Saima took her elder daughter back from the aunt and began paying off her husband’s debt.

When merchants requested more embroidery than Saima could produce, she paid neighbors to assist her. Eventually 30 families were working for her, and she put her husband to work as well — “under my direction,” she explained with a twinkle in her eye. Saima became the tycoon of the neighborhood, and she was able to pay off her husband’s entire debt, keep her daughters in school, renovate the house, connect running water and buy a television.

“Now everyone comes to me to borrow money, the same ones who used to criticize me,” Saima said, beaming in satisfaction. “And the children of those who used to criticize me now come to my house to watch TV.”

———————————-

Other great microfinance institutions: Kiva and Opportunity International.

Forms of Wisdom Lit

The Proverb

Proverbs are brief statements of universal truth.  They are also the most abundant form of Wisdom Lit in the Bible.  One needs to remember that they are advice, not law codes!  They were designed to be easily remembered oral sayings, not propositional truth statements.  As such, they often overstate the case. 

The Saying

These are more stylized forms of the proverb.  Instead of being advise on life, they are observations of the flow of life.  Example: Proverbs 11:24 (TNIV):

  One person gives freely, yet gains even more;
       another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

They are often gathered into a discussion or instruction on a given topic, such as Proverbs 1-9, which is a prolonged discussion on the wise man vs the foolish man.

The Admonition

Admonitions are commands or prohibitions which are followed by the motivation or explanation behind the command/prohibition.  They are much more direct than the saying or the proverb.  Note the tight structure of the admonition below:

Hymns and Prayers

Hymns and prayers of wisdom are found interspersed all throughout the Bible.  Examples include Daniel 9:4-19 and Proverbs 8. 

Their main themes are the glorification of wisdom and giving thanks to God as the creator and redeemer.

The Dialogue

Dialogues are conversations between the author and an [sometimes imagined] adversary.    The thoughts of the adversary are often objections to God’s plan for the world or Wisdom itself.  The dialogue seeks to defeat the foolishness of the adversary.  Examples of this include more of Job (conversations between Job, his friends, and God) and Proverbs 1:11-14;22-24, quoted below:

If they say, "Come along with us;
       let’s lie in wait for innocent blood,
       let’s ambush some harmless soul;

let’s swallow them alive, like the grave,
       and whole, like those who go down to the pit;

we will get all sorts of valuable things
       and fill our houses with plunder;

cast lots with us;
       we will all share the loot"—

"How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?
       How long will mockers delight in mockery
       and fools hate knowledge?

Repent at my rebuke!
       Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,
       I will make known to you my teachings.

The Confession

In the confession, the sage gives his experience as an example for others.  This often takes the form of a king or other royal figure sharing the lessons learned in life.   The best examples of this are the entire book of Ecclesiastes, Job in 29-31, and Solomon in Proverbs 4:3-9 and Proverbs 24:30-34.

Proverbs 4:3-9

³ For I too was a son to my father,
       still tender, and cherished by my mother.

⁴ Then he taught me, and he said to me,
       "Take hold of my words with all your heart;
       keep my commands, and you will live.

⁵ Get wisdom, get understanding;
       do not forget my words or turn away from them.

⁶ Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
       love her, and she will watch over you.

⁷ The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.
       Though it cost all you have,  get understanding.

⁸ Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
       embrace her, and she will honor you.

⁹ She will give you a garland to grace your head
       and present you with a glorious crown."

Onomastica (Wisdom lists)

Omomastica are lists of the deeds or attributes of God or Wisdom itself.  Great examples are Job 38 and Psalm 104.

Psalm 104:1-5

¹ Praise the LORD, my soul.
       LORD my God, you are very great;
       you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

² The LORD wraps himself in light as with a garment;
       he stretches out the heavens like a tent

³ and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
       He makes the clouds his chariot
       and rides on the wings of the wind.

⁴ He makes winds his messengers,
       flames of fire his servants.

⁵ He set the earth on its foundations;
       it can never be moved.

Beatitudes

Our last form of Wisdom literature is the beatitude.  These are lists of that which is blessed by God.  This helps the reader understand what God values.  They, like the admonition, often begin with a statement of blessing followed up by for what reason that class of thing is blessed. 

Examples of this are Matthew 5-1:12, Psalm 112, etc.  As you can see, beatitudes can come in the form of sayings, such as in Matthew 5 or as omomastica, such as in Psalm 112. 

Up Next: How to read Wisdom Lit, Bibliography, and an Intro to Letters in the Bible

What is it?

At first glance, a lot of the Wisdom lit seems like mere practical advise for secular living.  However, this is only skims the froth.  In reality, Wisdom literature is primarily concerned with how to use God’s creation and to enjoy life under His present care.

Wisdom Literature is about living life by God’s rules.

The God-centered focus of Wisdom literature fused with its concern with the lived aspect of life means that Wisdom literature can help us create a relevant religion.  It is no small coincidence that the Hebrew word for wisdom, hokmâ, caries with it a heavy emphasis of skill.

Where did it come from?

As with most of the Bible’s stories, no one really knows for sure.  The first appearance of Wisdom literature shows up in Egypt and Mesopotamia.    A lot of the same biblical forms, structures, themes, and word-for-word sayings show up in older civilizations in Egypt and Mesopotamia.  And we know that the Israelites had much contact with both geographic regions. 

So, is the Wisdom literature in the bible just rip-off of pagan Wisdom literature?  Yes and no.  It is true that the Israelites used a lot of other people’s Wisdom literature.  However, they infused and transformed it with a Yahweh-centered theology, effectively forging a new strain of Wisdom Literature.

Key Themes (with examples)

i. Dependence upon God
    1) The fear of the lord is the beginning of Wisdom (Proverbs 9:10)
ii. Role of Wisdom in life
    1) Wisdom reminds one of the centrality of God’s covenant
    2) Wisdom reminds that the divine presence is not just for priests
    3) Wisdom is an extension of God Himself
        a) Craftsman standing alongside God @ creation (Proverbs 8:29-30)
        b) Female teacher inviting students to learn at the gates of the city (Proverbs 1:20-21, 8:1-36)
    4) Wisdom is not the acquisition of cognitive knowledge, but a lived ethical concept
    5) Active opposition to evil
       a) Wise <—————————->wicked
iii. Creation theology
    1) God has created the world as he saw fit and we have no place to object to it.
    2) Humans must take their proper place in the universe
    3) Life is often uncertain
    4) Other aspects
        a) The principle of retribution governs the universe
        b) The principle of divine justice
        c) Our inability to comprehend the divine order is the answer to theodicy

Next:

Next we will look at the various forms Wisdom lit takes in the Bible.  Stay tuned – Subscribe to our Rss feed and use google reader to stay upŧođate.

Each Monday from here on out we will get together at someone’s house or at a coffee shop or something. 

I think I will distribute copies of each week’s article in Sunday School.  There is a chance of us scanning the articles into a PDF and emailing those out.

Any preferences?

• It is not business, its personal by Chris How (on money in the church)
• The Gender Revolution by Caryn Rivadeneira (on men and women only groups)
• Organizational vs. Organic by Frank Viola (how should "church" be structured?)
• Is Seminary Still Relevant by Sarah Sumner
• Multi-Conversation by Ware, Creps and King (on not being a church where everyone looks the same)

We hope these and the other articles in the quarterly pique your interest and that you’ll join us for some discussion and fellowship!

But before we get to that, we are going to take a look at how to read our Bibles.  Too often we take a surface-level literalistic reading as the one and only possible reading of Scripture.  This leaves us with a bad theology because we often will miss all that God has locked away with that which he has reveal to us.  We all do it, even the above-mentioned Chan is guilty of it in Crazy Love.

The other big problem we fall into is taking verses out of context and shoving them into our systems of theology.  Do you ever look up the verses after people’s “biblical” statements?  Do you ever wonder how in the world they came to the conclusion in their writings if those were the verses they were reading?  Well, that is what was happening.

During our series, we will help you correct for these slippery snafus and learn to read the Bible… for all its worth.  We will be working from The Hermeneutical Spiral, if you wanna pick it up.

I hope you come join us this Sunday, August 29th.  We look forward to seeing you all there.

(The Wedding at Cana)

Just as he created the universe in seven days, so he gives us seven signs that point to his true character – the final sign being his death and resurrection.  As followers of John’s Jesus, we are to demonstrate to one another and the world the same sacrificial love Jesus showed us.

We are now new creations in Christ. But changes don’t just happen automatically when we become these new creations. We are to clothe ourselves with love (3.14), allow the peace of Christ to reign in our hearts, to live in peace with others, and to always be thankful (3.15). There is much emphasis on doing those things that are good and that allow Christ to shine through our lives.

The central message of following Christ in the gospel is summed up in Mark 10:42-45.  The messiah they were expecting was a triumphant warrior king.  But this was a different kind of kingdom than they were used to. It was turning the world upside down and letting the first be last and the last be first.

This picture of being a Servant King is vital for us as Christ followers to live, and Wright points out that we have abused and ignored these verses throughout history. 

very high paced, very fast. Doesn’t bother with the birth narrative, begins with Jesus’ ministry and John the Baptist. Throughout the gospel there are phrases such as: and then, and, immediately following, as soon as, etc. —can be compared to our world, how we are hurried and forget to look at the details. Minor point: even though it is hurried, we still have several fun little details (much like my stories) that one wouldn’t expect. For example, we know that the grass was green when Jesus was feeding the multitudes, and that they sat in groups of 50-100 people. We also know that when Jesus was asleep on the boat during the storm in Mark 4:38, he was resting on a cushion. Possible stretch, but maybe this can show us that we must do well to pay attention to things great and small as we both receive and give ourselves to the incarnate God-with-us.

Dates and Authorship:

Mark is considered the earliest gospel, not necessarily attributed to Mark, per say, but that it is more of an account of Peter. It almost seems like Mark is a reporter or an interpreter following around the disciples and recording the things they have done and seen. It was written somewhere between 60-70. Matthew and Luke draw a lot from Mark. The audience isn’t quite set in stone but most think that it was written to the early Christian church, both Jew and Gentile. It even seems that Mark was not from Palestine, but an outsider because of his geography and that his Jewish practice examples are flimsy.

Structure:

There are two main parts to the shortest gospel of them all: the first eight chapters and the second. The first eight deal with the Galilean ministry of Jesus (he calls the twelve disciples, heals, casts out demons, preaches and teaches, works miracles, and confronts opposition). We fully learn who Jesus is and what he has come to do. In the second eight chapters (after chapter eight which deals with the disciples figuring out that he is the messiah) we are preparing for the Passion. It shows the slowness and ignorance of the disciples, how they understand that he is the messiah but also do not truly understand what that means (in their minds, they are preparing for a military leader that will un-do all the damage that they have been cause). This gospel functions as a Jesus manual for Christ-followers.

The main division of the sections:

1:1-8:26—Jesus teaches, preaches, and heals

8:27-29—the turning point

8:30-16:8—the Passion: true messiahship and discipleship

First eight:

Jesus is indeed the Messiah. Second eight: The Messaih is not a military warrior, but a Servant King. Then, throughout the entire thing, we are to ask ourselves over and over, “Are we convinced? What should this cause us to want to do? What does this actually mean for us?” (We’ll deal with the passion with Matthew)

Emphasis:

There are two main emphases in the gospel. The first and most obvious is Christ. Something that N.T. Wright deals with a lot in the chapter has to do with the fact that James and John ask over and over again how they can be seated on the right and left hands of Jesus when he enters into the gates. It is a challenge because Jesus explains that that is not his decision, but His Father’s decision in heaven. It is also understood that James and John are expecting one thing when in reality the central message of following Christ is summed up in Mark 10:42-45. The messiah they were expecting was a triumphant warrior king. But this was a different kind of kingdom than they were used to. It was turning the world upside down and letting the first be last and the last be first.

How does this help us look more like Jesus and help us follow Him?

Wright mentions that Jesus had three options when he was in Gethsemane. He could have called down legions of angels or banded together with his troops, he could have retreated and never been heard of again, or he took on the projected evil of the world onto himself (like the fox trying to get rid of his fleas).

The other interesting option that Wright continues to bring up is the awful Church history of killing in the name of Christ whether that be through the Crusades or slavery or war or whatever. It is imperative that we hold onto the message in the middle of Mark 10 that talks about how we are to model ourselves after Christ because he served others, therefore, we should also do that. We are not called to be military warriors and be victors over sin in that way, but rather fighting the temptations and loving our enemies and finding new and creative ways to be non-violent.