The Wisdom Books: Job to Song of Solomon

THE OPEN YOUR BIBLE COMMENTARY

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The Pentateuch (Genesis to Deuteronomy)

David F. Payne and Derek Kidner

ISBN 978-1-909680-24-1

The Historical Books (Joshua to Esther)

H.L. Ellison, I. Howard Marshall, and J. Stafford Wright

ISBN 978-1-909680-25-8

The Wisdom Books (Job to Song of Solomon)

J. Stafford Wright, H.L. Ellison, and Arthur E. Cundall

ISBN 978-1-909680-26-5

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Arthur E. Cundall and J. Stafford Wright

ISBN 978-1-909680-27-2

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INTRODUCTION

As a Bible teacher and college principal, I am regularly asked for advice about which is the best resource for reading and understanding the Bible. Many of us may be familiar with the Gospels, and perhaps Paul’s epistles. But we may become a little more vague when trying to work out what Leviticus or Zephaniah has to do with either Jesus or being a twenty-first-century Christian. Well, here you will find help and guidance from trusted scholars on how to hear and correctly handle the very words of God. The Open Your Bible Commentary has four great strengths:

Accessible. These studies address the average, thoughtful Christian without assuming a great deal of background information, yet they are never superficial. After all, the Lord Jesus commanded his apostles to feed his lambs and sheep and not his giraffes! In other words, this book is an excellent teaching tool.

Digestible. No study section is overly long. The assumption is that we can read through a section or two a day without getting indigestion. However, the little and often approach means we can systematically work our way through a whole book over a number of days or weeks. One writer who worked on a commentary on Isaiah for some thirty years said he felt like a very small mouse trying to digest a very large and extremely succulent cheese. Well, here you can enjoy every mouthful of every Bible book!

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As a very young Christian, I was first introduced to this amazing series through a recommendation from a pastor who simply said that the money he had paid for the study guide on Psalms was the best he had ever spent! How right he was! Come and enjoy!

Dr Steve Brady

Moorlands College

Christchurch, UK

AUTHORS

J. Stafford Wright, senior tutor at Oak Hill College and principal of Tyndale Hall, Bristol.

H. L. Ellison, Bible expositor and tutor at London Bible College, Spurgeon’s Theological College, Cambridge University, and Moorland College.

Arthur E. Cundall, lecturer in Old Testament studies at London Bible College.

CONTENTS

Introduction

Authors

Reviser’s Introduction

Abbreviations

THE WISDOM BOOKS

World of the Old Testament

Job

Commentary

Psalms

Commentary

Proverbs

Commentary

Ecclesiastes

Commentary

Song of Solomon

Commentary

Thank You, Scripture Union

Copyright

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REVISER’S INTRODUCTION

These studies are a sensitively edited version of Bible Study books originally published by Scripture Union. The intention of that series was to encourage the daily study of the Bible at greater depth than was possible with Bible Study notes. This allowed fuller discussion of introductory, textual and background material, whilst still aiming at devotional warmth, sound exegesis and relevance to daily life.

The authors of the original studies were given a liberty of approach within the general scope of the series. This provides for a certain variation which it is hoped will prove stimulating rather than disconcerting. All authors are united within the circle of conservative evangelical scholarship.

This text may be used with the New International Version (NIV), the English Standard Version (ESV), or indeed with any version of the Bible.

The principal aim of these studies is to stimulate daily Bible study as an aid to personal devotion and application to life in the firm belief that All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV).

Martin H. Manser

In this ebook, which is a section from The Open Your Bible Commentary, we have added book introductions, maps, and other material from The Bible Book by Book.

ABBREVIATIONS

Bible versions referred to in this book

ESV – English Standard Version

GNT – Good News Translation

JBP – J.B. Phillips New Testament in Modern English

KJV – King James Version (Authorized) 1611

NASB – New American Standard Bible

NCV – New Century Version

NEB – New English Bible

NIRV – New International Reader’s Version

NIV – New International Version

NJB – New Jerusalem Bible

NKJV – New King James Version

NLT – New Living Translation

NRSV – New Revised Standard Version

RSV – Revised Standard Version

RV – Revised Version (1885)

TM – The Message

Standard Abbreviations

c. – (circa) about

eg – for example

f. – verse following

ff. – verses following

Gk. – Greek

Heb. – Hebrew

ie – that is

LXX – Septuagint (Greek Version of the O.T.)

p. – page

pp. – pages

INTRODUCTION

THE WISDOM BOOKS

From a very early period in Israel’s history, there is evidence for a class of the wise. Interestingly enough, the first references suggest that women occupied a large place in this group. Note, for instance, the wise woman of Tekoa and her counterpart at Abel of Beth-maacah (2 Samuel 14:2; 20:15,22). Possibly, we may include such professional court counselors as Ahithophel and Hushai (2 Samuel 15:12,32ff.; 16:15-23). The riddle of Samson (Judges 14:12-18) and Jotham’s fable (Judges 9:8-15) are excellent examples of the techniques of the wise in the ancient world. Solomon’s right to a place amongst the wise is undisputed (eg 1 Kings 4:29ff.). Gradually, however, the wise became a group associated specifically with the religious life of Israel, forming a third group alongside the priests and the prophets (eg Isaiah 29:14; Jeremiah 8:8f.; 18:18). Their main function was to provide a guide to everyday life and an answer to life’s problems, with the background of the Law.

It is this fact which distinguishes the wisdom movement in Israel from similar groups in other ancient near-eastern countries. It is of great value to study the biblical wisdom literature in comparison with other contemporary wisdom literature, and two points emerge from this investigation: first, Israelite wisdom literature is generally far superior to that of any other nation; secondly, in Israel there is an unmistakable religious foundation which can be no other than the Law, and which leads to a fundamental contrast between the righteous and the ungodly, and not simply to one between the wise and the fool.

Two main types of wisdom literature may be distinguished:

The Proverbial. Each nation develops its own stock of proverbs which forms a kind of practical, everyday philosophy. The individual proverb observes connections or differences between things, and points out lessons from these observations. The unit is usually the individual verse, although several proverbs with a similar theme may be grouped together. This means that any chapter in the book of Proverbs may deal with many aspects of life, whilst the whole book provides an adequate guide for the entire everyday life. The religious life based on the Law is assumed and so the proverbs tend to be mainly ethical. The character which results from this instruction, being highly scrupulous, hard-working, prudent and neighborly, is admirable. But there is a danger in an approach which concentrates attention on particular situations. Once the underlying assumption of a living faith and a covenantal relationship with God has been lost, this kind of approach could lead to casuistry, with the aim of getting the most out of life in materialistic terms. The scribes of Christ’s generation are an example of this tendency, and the modern stress on situation ethics’ does not escape it either.

That which deals with one major problem, or a series of interrelated problems. Here there is no set form; Ecclesiastes, for instance, uses a monologue approach which incorporates many proverbs whilst the book of Job is in dialogue form. One is virtually a lecture, whilst the other has the background of historical fact, living characters and complex, often diametrically opposed, emotions. In both books, however, there is a concentration on particular problems: Ecclesiastes deals with the apparent futility of life; Job, starting with the problem of the suffering of a righteous man, necessarily involves the question of justifying the ways of God with humanity, and also the possibility of man having a genuine, unbought religious faith.

The most influential, if not the most significant, phase of the wisdom movement was undoubtedly the post-exilic period, when the Law was firmly established, the prophetic voice increasingly lost its flaming passion and scribism became dominant. Ecclesiastes well illustrates the emptiness of this movement, with suggestions of spiritual bankruptcy and a lack of positive, passionate commitment to God, such as is found in the prophets. Yet this very emptiness pointed the way forward to the Savior, One who could fill this spiritual vacuum and enable, as well as inspire, people to venture all for God.

THE WORLD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

This map has been placed on two pages for better viewing. Be sure to zoom the map to fill the screen.

Job

DEALING WITH DISASTER

OVERVIEW

When Job’s life fell apart, he dared to question God. Job’s suffering ultimately leads him to a deeper and first hand understanding of God (42:5). This enables him to accept his period of suffering rather than to be obsessed by trying to understand the reasons for it.

SUMMARY

The book of Job begins with two scenes. The first is on earth: Job is a godly man who has a large family and many possessions (1:1-5). The second is in heaven: Satan talks to God about Job, and suggests that Job only follows God because life is going well for him (1:6-11). God allows Satan to test Job (1:12) by taking away all his possessions and his children (1:13-19). However, Job remains faithful to God (1:20-22). Satan then tries to test Job’s trust in God by giving him a painful skin disease (2:1-8).

Job still did not lose faith in God (2:9-10), but tries to understand what has happened to him (3:1-26). Much of the book is in the form of a conversation with his friends (2:11-13; 32:1-5). Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar try to convince Job that he is suffering as a result of some secret wickedness (eg 8:1-22; 11:1-20; 15:1-35; 22:1-30). Job should accept his suffering as the discipline of God (eg 4:1–5:27). However, Job maintains his innocence and accuses God of bringing suffering on him unjustly (eg 6:1–7:21; 9:1–10:22; 23:1–24:25).

A fourth friend, Elihu, rebukes Job and the other friends (32:1-5). For Elihu, Job’s suffering is a warning, to keep Job close to God, and so Job should not have complained (32:6–35:16).

Finally, God speaks (38:1). He overwhelms Job with his ability to create and sustain the world, and asks Job a series of unanswerable questions to show that his wisdom and power are beyond human understanding (38:2–41:34).

These questions leave Job with nothing to say (40:3-5). But after God has finished speaking, Job reaffirms his complete trust in God (42:1-4). Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar are rebuked by God for their unwise counsel (42:7-9). In the final scene, God blesses Job with another large family, great wealth and a long life (42:10-17).

Author

An Israelite, but otherwise unknown.

Date

The date when Job was written down is unknown – probably between 7th and 2nd centuries bc, though the story itself is much older.

Job is set a long time ago, perhaps in the age of the patriarchs of Genesis. Its story, however, is relevant for everyone who struggles with seemingly unjust suffering.

OUTLINE

Introduction

1:1-5 Job’s godly life

1:6–2:10 Satan’s plan to test Job

2:11-13 Job’s three friends

3:1-26 Job’s lament for his situation

Job’s conversation with his three friends

4:1–5:27 Eliphaz: if Job is innocent, suffering will not last long

6:1–7:21 Job protests his innocence and asks God to leave him alone

8:1-22 Bildad: God will restore Job if he is innocent

9:1–10:22 Job complains that God has been unjust

11:1-20 Zophar: Job is suffering because of some secret sin

12:1–14:22 Job wants to speak with God to declare his innocence

15:1-35 Eliphaz: Job must not pretend to be innocent

16:1–17:16 Job thinks he will die without being proved righteous

18:1-21 Bildad: the wicked will be destroyed

19:1-29 Job laments that everyone has turned against him

20:1-29 Zophar: destruction will come to the wicked

21:1-34 Job complains that the wicked do well while the righteous suffer

22:1-30 Eliphaz: Job has been wicked

23:1–24:25 Job complains that he cannot find God to complain to him

25:1-6 Bildad: it is impossible for humans to be righteous before God

26:1-14 Job dismisses his friends’ advice: God’s ways remain hidden

27:1–31:40 Job sums up his situation

Elihu’s speeches

32:1-5 Elihu is introduced

32:6–33:33 Elihu: suffering is a warning

34:1-37 Elihu: God is not unjust, as Job says

35:1-16 Elihu: Job should not have complained to God

36:1–37:24 Elihu: God is powerful and wise, beyond human understanding

God’s response

38:1–40:2 God’s first speech: God’s great power and wisdom

40:3-5 Job cannot give a reply

40:6–41:34 God’s second speech: God’s great power and wisdom

Conclusion

42:1-6 Job’s repentance and faith

42:7-9 Job’s friends are rebuked

42:10-17 Job is blessed by God

KEY THEMES

Understanding God’s justice

Like other wisdom literature in the Bible (such as Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and James), the book of Job is interested in reflections on the right way to live in the fear of the Lord (wisdom). Job’s friends express the standard understanding of God’s justice: God punishes the wicked but rewards the righteous (eg 4:7-9; 8:3,20; 20:1-29). Job’s suffering, however, causes him to question this understanding. Job is convinced that he is innocent of any wrongdoing (see 31:1-40) and so it appears that God is bringing disaster to the godly while letting the wicked prosper (eg 10:2-3; 12:4). Job cries out in complaint to God that God is being unjust: God is treating the righteous Job as if he were wicked (9:22). Job wishes he could confront God and present his complaint in person (13:22-27; 23:1–24:12).

In the end, God confronts Job and declares that he remains just (40:8). Although God does not explain to Job why he has been suffering, Job accepts God’s response and confesses that he should not have spoken about God’s ways when he did not know them (42:1-6). The standard view of God’s justice remains: God rewards Job for his faithfulness (42:10-17). However, the book of Job has shown that understanding God’s justice is not straightforward. Suffering and wickedness, and blessing and righteousness are not always automatically linked.

The mystery of suffering

Despite his righteous life, Job experiences great suffering: he loses all his possessions (1:13-17), his children are killed (1:18-19) and he is struck down with a painful skin disease (2:7-8). As a result of this, Job wishes he had never been born (3:1-19; 10:18-19) and he experiences the darkness of depression (eg 3:20-26; 6:1-3), feeling that he has been rejected by both God (6:4; 16:7-14; 19:7-12) and his friends (6:14-23; 19:13-22). Job’s friends presume that Job must have sinned in order to bring this suffering upon himself as the discipline of God (eg 22:4-11). However, Job is sure that he is right with God, and his woes are undeserved (eg 27:2-6).

When God speaks, he does not accuse Job of being an evildoer. All suffering does not come as a result of sin. But neither does God answer Job’s complaint and tell him why he has suffered so much. God does not even mention that he had allowed Satan to test Job (1:6-12; 2:1-6). Suffering remains a mystery. What Job does learn, though, is that God is wiser and far more powerful than Job had ever imagined (42:2-5).

RELEVANCE FOR TODAY

Staying faithful through suffering

Throughout his sufferings, Job was unaware of the conversation that had taken place between God and Satan (1:6-12; 2:1-7). The readers of the book, however, know that Job’s terrible circumstances are the result of Satan’s desire to test Job’s faith (1:9-11; 2:4-5). Satan expects Job to curse God, once his possessions, family and health are taken away – and Job’s wife agrees (2:9)!

Job, however, remains faithful to God throughout his troubles. Although Job does not understand why he is going through suffering, and even accuses God of some injustice in allowing him to suffer, he still declares that God is the creator of the universe (9:4-10; 10:8-12), full of wisdom (12:13; 21:22), and the only hope for the future (19:25-27). Job’s faithfulness is ultimately revealed by the end point he reaches: he seals his lips (40:4-5), confirms his faith, confesses his sin (42:1-6) and forgives those who have accused him of wrong (42:7-9).

The honesty of prayer

At the end of the book, God commends Job for how he has spoken of God (42:7-8). God did not agree with all that Job had said in the rest of his conversation with his friends (see eg 38:2; 40:8), but he is pleased that Job has been honest. Job did not curse God (2:10) or give up on God, but rather expressed his bewilder­ment at his suffering and complained that God did not seem to be listening to him (19:7).

God wants us to be honest in our relationship with him. Job teaches us that God allows himself to be questioned. He may not give the answers we expect (Job was overwhelmed by God’s answer in 38:1–41:34), but our questions and complaints show that we are still holding on to our faith in him, and struggling to relate what we know of God’s justice and goodness to the suffering we are experiencing.

The danger of speaking out about God’s ways

In another situation, the advice of Job’s friends may have been entirely appropriate. Their belief in God’s justice (eg 8:2-22; 34:10-30) was admirable. However, they failed to recognise that their rigid beliefs did not apply in every situation: in this situation, Job was innocent and his suffering was simply a mystery. God rebukes Job’s friends for what they had said to Job (42:7-8).

The book of Job reminds us that God’s ways can never be contained by simple human formulas. Whenever we speak out about God’s ways – especially in pastoral situations – we should remember that our understanding is always limited.

INTRODUCTION

JOB

J. STAFFORD WRIGHT

The author of Job is unknown, as is the date when the book was written. But the book contains in verse the record of an argument between Job and his friends in, probably, patriarchal times. Early Egyptian and Babylonian literature show that from at least 2000 BC people were concerned with the problem of evil.

The theme of Job is not simply the problem of evil. The key verses are 1:9-11 and 2:4-5, where Satan maintains that a person serves God only for God’s gifts. If these are withdrawn and suffering comes, the person will turn from God. It is good to keep this in mind as one reads, and notice how Job continually casts himself on God as his only hope, even though his pain drives him to violent words that he later regrets. It is for this steadfastness that he is commended in James 5:11.

Apart from being inspired Scripture, this book is one of the literary masterpieces of the world. It is well worth reading aloud.

CHALLENGE TO GOD

JOB 1

We read here of Job’s integrity and godliness … and Satan’s testing of him.

The scene is Edom. The chief character is one of the notable righteous men of Scripture (Ezekiel 14:14), who worshiped the true God, and who, like the patriarchs, acted as priest for his household (1:5).

The next scene, in heaven, must have been revealed to the author by God himself, since we are nowhere told that Job himself ever knew of it.

The picture of Satan in the Bible is consistent, and is too strange to have been invented, since, although evil, he has access to God with the angelic sons of God (Revelation 12:10), obtains permission from God to test God’s people (Luke 22:31-32), and inflicts suffering on them (1 Peter 5:8).

In the first test, Satan is allowed to manipulate people and things so that almost simultaneously Job loses his possessions and his children. Most of us have experienced a succession of major or minor disasters. Because he could do nothing to prevent or remedy them, Job commends himself to God in the faith that somewhere there is a hidden blessing that he could not as yet understand.

The one experience may be a permitted temptation from Satan to break us and also a testing from God to make us (eg 2 Samuel 24:1; 1 Chronicles 21:1; Luke 22:31-32).

THE OUTCAST

JOB 2–3

Job laments his situation.

The angelic sons of God are God’s messengers on earth, and in Zechariah 1:11 they, like Satan here, go through the earth. Notice that Satan is not a neutral being, but is actively against God and righteousness (2:3). He makes the profound observation that many people can sacrifice even their nearest and dearest, but their faith will collapse when they have to bear physical suffering (2:4-5). God allows the test, but again sets a limit (2:6; see also 1:12).

Job’s affliction may have been elephantiasis—a disease that thickens part of the skin so that it resembles an elephant’s hide. The disease drove him from the village to the ashes as a loathsome object. His wife now became Satan’s agent, as Peter later was for Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:22-23). Beware of this when you give and seek advice. The advice to Job is to renounce his faith and let God kill him, presumably in the hope that the unknown future would be better than the agony of the present. Remember that the nature of the future life had not yet been revealed. Job’s answer now is magnificent (2:10).

His three comforters proved to be an additional trial. Eliphaz came from Teman, in Edom (Amos 1:12). The name is Edomite (see Genesis 36:4), and Edom was noted for wisdom (Jeremiah 49:7). Bildad may be a descendant of Shuah (Genesis 25:2). Zophar may come from the place of Naamah of Joshua 15:41, but we cannot be certain of the meaning of Shuhite and Naamathite.

In chapter 3, Job cries out in anguish, but he does not curse God. Like Jeremiah (20:1-18) he curses the fact of his birth: Oh that I had never been born! (3:3-10). Job calls on those who professed to pronounce effective curses. Leviathan (3:8) may be a mythical monster, or Satan himself (Isaiah 27:1), or the crocodile, as later in Job chapter 41. In the last case, the phrase in 3:8 would be comparable to our put your head in the lion’s mouth, ie do something particularly daring.

Think about Job’s words: Oh that I had died at birth! (3:11-19). Death means release from the physical sufferings of life. Oh that I might die now, since life is so bitter! (3:2-26). Yet Job knows that suicide is not the way out. If God means him to die, God must let his illness be fatal.

To think about Where are my breaking points?

A RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE

JOB 4

Experience of God must go hand in hand with experience of life.

Each of Job’s friends has a real faith in God as One who must be concerned with human righteousness. Each expresses his faith from a different angle, and probably Eliphaz has the deepest experience of all, even though intellectually he cannot interpret the ways of God’s working. We must bear in mind all the time how little had been revealed to humanity at that time. Clearly, a real experience of God had been possible ever since the fall, but people had little knowledge of doctrine, except for the doctrine of the covering of sin through sacrifice.

Note first of all the account of something equivalent to conversion (4:12-21). Eliphaz became the godly man that he was through a vision and a word. The word was the more important, as it was with Samuel (1 Samuel chapter 3, especially verses 1,21), and the prophets (eg Jeremiah 1:9; Ezekiel 3:1-3). God continually uses his written word today both for conversion and for building up, and we must not normally expect to see visions and hear voices.

The content of the word to Eliphaz is a miniature version of the total word of the Bible: the majesty and holiness of God, and the littleness and failure of humanity. The Bible is the record of the reconciliation of humanity with God. As we are, we cannot save ourselves (4:17), and angels do not have wisdom and life in themselves to do it. Vivid language expresses their inadequacy (4:18).

In the light of his experience, Eliphaz deals with Job. Job has put others right in the past, but, now that he is suffering himself, he has collapsed (4:1-6). Eliphaz asserts what Job’s friends keep asserting. He assumes that reward and punishment are measured out in this life exactly according to what one deserves. Hence Job must be a great sinner (4:7-11).

Obviously Eliphaz himself is living by theory. He was a good man and he had prospered. Consequently he could give good advice as Job had done (4:1-6). But evidently he had not suffered personally.

HOW TO BE BLESSED

JOB 5

Eliphaz says that if Job is innocent, his suffering will not last long.

In general, God censures the view of the friends that he sends exact retribution for sin and righteousness in this life, and commends Job for asserting the reverse of this (42:7-8). On the other hand, Job is driven to admit that he has spoken foolishly about God, and he repents in dust and ashes (42:1-6). Thus we must distinguish between the general point of view of Job and his friends, and their particular utterances. Many things that the friends say are true, and other things that Job says are false. Thus, if we preach or meditate on an isolated text from this book, we must test it against the rest of the teaching of the Bible.

Eliphaz now continues his argument based on the purity and holiness of God. The angels will not take your part in defying God’s laws (5:1; see also 15:15 for holy ones). If one becomes impatient of God and jealous of those whom he blesses, one declares that one is on the side of the fools who defy God (see also Psalm 14:1). Fools may seem to prosper for a time, and then suddenly their possessions are destroyed and we recognize that God has cursed them (5:2-3). A fool’s sons are condemned by the court that sits at the gate of the city (5:4; see also 29:7) and the needy help themselves to his stores, even though there is a thorn hedge, like barbed wire, to fence them in (5:5). Suffering does not grow like flowers, but people bring it on themselves through their own innate folly, as inevitably as sparks fly upward