-
23. “Acquire Wisdom”: Reading Proverbs and Ecclesiastes
- Jewish Publication Society
- Chapter
- Additional Information
23 “Acquire Wisdom” Reading Proverbs and Ecclesiastes Primary Reading: Proverbs 1, 3, 6, 7, 10, 22, 23, 30, 31; Ecclesiastes 1–3, 7–8, 10, 12. Outside the Bible’s Theological Triangle Even a cursory glance at the books of Proverbs and of Ecclesiastes suggests that they are unlike anything we have encountered so far. They are not instruction in the same way that Torah is—Proverbs, for example, is largely composed of pithy sayings that are not marked as having divine origin. Nor are they Israelite historical texts—while Proverbs and Ecclesiastes do mention King Solomon, they record little in the way of actual events. Nor are the two books prophetic—the profound sentiments of Ecclesiastes, for example, are words of that preacher; they are not understood to be divine. The messenger formula “thus said the LORD” is lacking in both books. The same is true of a third biblical book, Job, which is the focus of the next chapter yet treated in this chapter insofar as it is similar to Proverbs and to Ecclesiastes. God communicates directly with a human being only at the very end, and even there provides no real guidance on how to live. The story of Job is set in the land of Uz—not in Israel, and it does not involve Israelites. The book shows no interest in the Israelite past. It bears no prophetic message. These three books share certain other features, too. They all contain a preponderance of aphorisms and proverbs.1 Together they account for most of the Bible’s usages of the abstract noun chokhmah (hm=k4c=, “wisdom”; 88 out of a total of 161) and of verbs formed from the root ch-kh-m, (Mkc, “to be wise”; 96 out of 166). This, combined with other factors, suggests to many that the three books emanate from a wisdom school—although exactly what that school was still eludes us.2 They also all engage in exploring the proper cosmic order.3 231 A certain lack binds these books strongly together: they all lack expressions of concern for the covenant that unites Israel and God. In fact, concern with Israel as a nation is absent—as noted, Job does not even mention Israel. Furthermore, these books concern themselves more with the individual than with “corporate Israel.” Stated differently, these three books lie outside of the Bible’s theological triangle . That is, most of the Bible is interested in the relationships between God, the people Israel, and the land of Israel. I can portray those three concerns as the corners of a triangle (see diagram). At the center of the triangle lies the covenant, because its goal is to unite the three entities: if the people of Israel uphold the covenant of the God of Israel, they will possess the land of Israel. This thesis is a main theme of the Torah, which evokes it often in its land promises , and in the great rebukes in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. Meanwhile, the historical books of Nevi’im narrate the connection between Israel’s observance of the law and its land tenure. The prophetic books offer warnings to Israel, telling them how to remain on the land—or how to repossess it. Such a cluster of themes is absent in the three books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job. Furthermore, in places, their perspective on “covenantal” concerns is at odds with the other biblical books. For example, both Torah and prophetic texts emphasize the importance of supporting the poor, as may be seen when Deuteronomy discusses the remission of debts every seventh year: (15:9) Beware lest you harbor the base thought, “The seventh year, the year of remission, is approaching,” so that you are mean to your needy kinsman and give him nothing. He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will incur guilt. (10) Give to him readily and have no regrets when you do so, for in return the LORD your God will bless you in all your efforts and in all your undertakings. (11) For there will never cease to be needy ones in your land, which is why I command you: open your hand to the poor and needy kinsman in your land. 232 How to Read the Bible God The people Israel The land of Israel Covenant tyrb [44.202.128.177] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 18:51 GMT) Likewise, Amos, a prophetic text, shows a strong concern for the poor: (2...