Intro to the Wisdom Literature

In this episode, the guys give an overview of wisdom literature in the Bible. Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes are considered wisdom literature. Each book has unique ideas and ancient wisdom about the world, but all of the books are trying to teach the audience what it means to live a good life. In the first part of the episode (01:31-05:28), Tim and Jon discuss the purpose of wisdom literature. These books are full of ancient wisdom that has been passed down for centuries. They’re the insights of wise, God-fearing people accumulated throughout the generations to become God’s word to his people. There is a specific context in which the books were written, but they are universal and still totally applicable to us today. In the next part of the episode (05:40-12:22), the guys talk about the differences among the wisdom books of the Bible. The books come from distinct time periods in Israel’s history, and each one offers a unique perspective that we need to interpret as a whole. In the final part of the episode (12:34-31:52), the guys talk about how these books stand out against the rest of the Old Testament. The wisdom authors express doubts and questions about other parts of the Bible. These doubts are not to discredit the rest of Scripture––it’s about compelling the readers toward an honest faith. We have to be willing to acknowledge and wrestle with doubts and questions, and the wisdom books can guide us in this. Video: This episode is designed to accompany our wisdom series of videos. You can view all of the videos in this series on our youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLH0Szn1yYNeeKPNIy7YXjO3MGD8h8ifhr Scripture References: Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes