Category: Wisdom Literature

The final chapters of Job include one of the more fascinating depictions in the Bible. Two grand creatures that appear out of mythology and onto the pages of scripture. It is extremely easy, while in these last chapters, to get

God finally speaks. Job has asked for this moment. He has wished for a chance to make his case before God, and God has responded. The response Job gets, however, is not what anyone was expecting. Rather than receiving an

As Elihu ends his speech much of what he has to say sounds good. In fact, vast portions of his speech are repeated in the upcoming chapters by God Himself. And yet, when God arrives on the scene He accuses

Job’s friends have finished their arguments. Job has finally laid to rest his defense. Out of nowhere comes a zealous young man who feels it is his duty to defend God from Job’s assertions. There is a problem. Elihu’s certainty

Last Episode Job’s friends rested their case against Job, but how did it come to this? Job suffered a great loss and was a victim, and yet, as his friends tried to comfort him, their comfort turned into an attack

With one last short shot across the bow, Bildad and the rest of Job’s friends have had their say. This leaves Job open to finally be able to speak his mind. As Job begins to speak, at first he simply

Job has turned a corner and is beginning to gain his footing once again. And it is a good thing that Job is thinking more clearly once again, because the confrontation of Job’s friends is about to get real personal.

Job’s friends continue to cast accusations at Job by comparing Job’s current situation to their own ideas of how God should work in the world. Their only understanding of God as the one who punishes the wicked and rewards the

Round and round the condemning thoughts go. Accusing and condemning and circling around and around without ceasing. Bildad is back and this time he is pulling no punches. The tactic that Bildad takes in attacking Job is all too common.

At this point in the book of Job we begin to encounter a lot of repetition. Everything that is being said seems to have been said already? Why is it that this ancient scroll would spend so much ink rehashing

The three friends of Job have had their say. Each of them have been less than helpful in their own way. For the next three chapters Job responds to the friends and in doing so we see him turn the

When attempting to help a person who is dealing with grief and depression, it can often feel like the process is taking too long. At some point the temptation arises to take a hard line with the person that is

As Job continues to be challenged by his friends we see one of the more common issues that people face with depression. The continuous cycle of negative thoughts that seem unescapable. Round and round the mind goes, trodding the same

As Job’s friends continue to counsel him after the great losses that he has suffered, they continue to go back to the tried and true understanding of God that is contrary to Job’s lived experience. Bildad, like Eliphaz before, points

The stages of grief are fairly well documented, and in this chapter we see the initial shift in Job from Depression to Bargaining. In the midst of this change we also catch sight of something significant. Job’s own theology prior

When our friends are suffering we all want to ease their pain in some way. But all too often we don’t know what to say, and our words, often, end up not helping. In the book of Job we are

Grief is a terrible fact of life. Every single person who lives any length of time will have to deal with grief. The Bible recognizes this fact and gives insight into the process of dealing with grief. Job lost everything.

As the book of Job opens we are introduced to a man who is on top of the world. He has everything that he could possibly desire. And into this blessed life comes a series of great tragedies. Each one

The book of Job is shrouded in mystery. No one knows who the author is, the dialog throughout the book is written in beautiful Hebrew poetry, and there are endless debates as to the identity of Job. The beauty of

The final chapter of Ecclesiastes features one last poem before coming to the conclusion of the matter. This poem focuses on a topic that has already been covered in the book and it’s subject is one of the more common

Once again, here near the end of Ecclesiastes we run into a chapter that seems to be simply a series of proverbs that, on the surface, are not connected to each other. But when we really dig into these proverbs

When it comes to exploring the philosophy of life, there are a lot of little proverbs that a wise man will latch on to. In this chapter we find this at play. A series of proverb after proverb that seems

Last chapter the Preacher contemplated the limits of Wisdom. In this chapter, he continues to examine the limits of the human experience. While wisdom is a trait that everyone has to various degrees, the hard limit of death is one

Throughout the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon speaks of wisdom often. It is good, desirable, and makes life easier, yet it leaves those who have it in sorrow and grief. It is not until now that Solomon stops to examine wisdom

The world is full of extremes and throughout Ecclesiastes, Solomon explores the realm of the extremes. Wisdom and Foolishness. Righteousness and Wickedness. Rich and Poor. Life and Death. Even past and future are extremes. Extremes are all around us and

As we continue through Ecclesiastes we find Qoheleth continuing to discern the meaning of life from a materialistic viewpoint. What lasting meaning is there to be found in life when the human appetite is never truly satisfied.

James 3:5 – So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! Chapter 5 of Ecclesiastes features a unique set of verses in

As Ecclesiastes continues, the author begins to delve into more diverse topics and ways of examining life. As he does, he touches on some issues that are hot in our current culture. As we examine these topics as described in

Ecclesiastes 3 opens with one of the most iconic passages and ideas in literature. An idea that is so foundational to our reality that many other authors over the ages have riffed off of this theme in their own works.

As Solomon attempts to discern the purpose of life, he attempts to engage life in every way that he can think of. He seeks out every experience that men pursue to give meaning to their lives, and the first of

The book of Ecclesiastes opens in a way that highlights the pointlessness of human endeavor. All things end and no experience truly satisfies because the experience fades and we find ourselves desiring or in need once again. In fact, Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes is the book of the Bible that gets the closest to a human philosophy of life. This book is so unlike any other book of the Bible that it needs an introduction. Simply jumping in without a firm grounding