Last week the journey was quite bumpy as we studied the decline and fall of the Nation of Israel. Perhaps the saddest part of our study was found in the fact that Israel seemed to believe that since they were God’s chosen people nothing bad would happen to them. However, their disobedience and pride led to a great fall. This week we are going to travel on a smooth stretch of road, which will allow us to take in all the sights and sounds. This segment of our journey will explore the five books of poetry: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. So let’s prepare ourselves for this great experience on God’s Route 66.
I. When looking at Hebrew poetry there are several things to keep in mind.
A. Each of these poetic books has its own historical setting.
1. Job took place during the time of the patriarchs. Job himself is a patriarch who watches over a large family and acts as a personal priest who sacrifices for them.
2. Many scholars believe that Job lived during the same period of time as Abraham.
3. Job without a doubt is the oldest book of the Bible being written well before Moses wrote Genesis.
4. The Book of Psalms is one of the most important books in the Old Testament. It was at the center of the worship and study in ancient Israel. Since the Book of Psalms is all poetry, it spoke to the heart and emotions of those who shared in its message in both song and meditation.
5. The historical and cultural background of the Psalms begins with King David and does not end until the postexilic period, over 500 years of development. Almost half of the Psalms are attributed to David (73), but other authors are mentioned and many psalms remain anonymous.
6. The named contributors to Proverbs are Solomon, Agur, and Lemuel. Of the 912 proverbs collected in this book, Solomon is credited with 512 (56%), Agur with 33 (4%), and Lemuel 8 (1%).
7. Most scholars credit the first section of Proverbs (1:1-9:18) to Solomon which would bring his contribution to 84%.
8. Solomon is credited with writing the book of Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon which would place the time of their writing some time during the period of the United Kingdom.
B. We must understand that Hebrew poetry does not rhyme.
1. Hebrew writers use a poetic structure known as parallelism.
2. The structure does make it easier to translate the Hebrew into English. It would be difficult to translate rhyming Hebrew words into English and retain the elegance of the poetry.
3. There are several types of parallelism that are used by the Hebrew authors.
a. Synonymous parallelism is repeating an idea one line after the other.
b. Antithetical parallelism is used when there is a need to contrast thoughts.
c. Synthetic parallelism is used to develop a thought over several lines that amplified or explained the first.
C. Poetry is written to be enjoyed not dissected or analyzed.
1. We will never see the beauty of Biblical poetry if we examine it through a microscope looking to find detailed doctrines.
2. The authors did not intend for the poetry to teach deep theological lessons but to stir our hearts and lift our souls.
3. When we try to force the lyrics of the Biblical poet to reveal deep theological truths, we run a great risk missing the central meaning of the poem or proverb.
II. A survey of the lives of three inspired poets.
A. Job: The man whose name is synonymous with suffering.
1. The Book of Job, like several other Old Testament books, takes its title from the name of the principal character around which the narrative revolves.
2. Job is a monotheist who believes in a personal God who is sovereign and can give and take life and possessions. Job is an “Adam-like” figure who has only one wife. But what is important for the entire story of Job to have a meaningful message is the fact that he is “blameless and upright,” one who “feared God and shunned evil.
3. Job loses everything including his health, all because Satan (the adversary) has challenged Yahweh God as to Job’s motivation for his faithfulness.
4. Job is remarkable despite losing everything including his health, he remains faithful to God.
5. Listen to this statement about Job from verse 10 of chapter 2, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.”
6. The lessons about suffering can be summarized in three answers to the problem of pain presented in the book.
a. The bitter answer of Job. Suffering in many cases is unwarranted, unjust and cruel.
b. The wrong answer of the friends: suffering is God’s way of punishing specific sins.
c. The enlightened answer of Elihu: suffering is God’s way to teach, discipline and refine.
7. As a result of Job’s faithfulness through all the adversity, God restores all of Job’s family and prosperity twofold.
B. David: The man who went from sheep pen to palace.
1. David is an interesting character; he was a shepherd, musician and ultimately a king.
2. David is the songwriter of the Bible writing the lyrics for nearly half the psalms in the Bible.
3. The Psalms provide us with a window into the very depths of David’s soul during both the good and bad times of his life.
4. We can often see ourselves in the lines of David’s Psalms, as well as those written by Moses, Solomon and Asaph.
5. The Psalms teach us that faith enables the believer to rise above the circumstances of life and to keep them in the proper perspective.
C. Solomon: The poster child for wasted potential.
1. During Solomon’s reign over Israel God blessed him with great wisdom and the poetry in Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon and the vast majority of Proverbs show the results.
2. The Book of Proverbs shares the skills we need to wise up and live a blessed life before our God and the family of mankind. This book shares the wisdom of God and the experiences of his people.
3. The Book of Ecclesiastes traces an ancient man’s quest for meaning. That quest, too, ended with God. “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (12:13).
4. The fifth of the poetic books is known in English Bibles by two names. Most recent English versions title the book “The Song of Songs,” which is a literal translation of the Hebrew title.
5. The Song of Solomon is passionate and tells the story of the courtship and affection and of the love and intimacy between a man and his new bride.
6. The most difficult thing for us to accept is the fact that a man as blessed by God as Solomon could allow his heart to slowly turn away from the source of his blessings.
III. Lessons we can learn from each of the poets.
A. Job teaches us that even good people will face suffering.
1. In our view only the unrighteous should have to deal with pain and suffering.
2. However, the fact remains that we live in a fallen sin contaminated world and until Christ comes again we will witness bad things happening to good people.
3. Job reminds us of that and is able to offer a hand of sympathy to us during those unpleasant times.
B. David teaches us that even the best of us can fall into the pit of sin.
1. It is hard to believe that this same David who could sing glorious praise to the Lord one moment could fall into the trap of adultery with Bathsheba.
2. The truth is that each of us is just as capable of falling into great sin as David.
3. David’s life teaches us that God is always willing to restore us if we sincerely repent.
C. Solomon teaches us that even the wisest people can miss some of life’s most elementary truths.
1. Solomon may have been the wisest man to ever live, but in the end he foolishly gave his heart to many idolatrous women.
2. Ironically Solomon’s own words provide us with the very warning that he disregarded.
3. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs 4:23—NIV)
4. How would you like to be wiser than Solomon? Let the Lord have first place in your affections.
5. When God is the priority you will truly be guarding your heart.
We were all shocked to hear about the tragic death of Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter. We were stunned, not that he died, for he faced tremendous dangers on a daily basis…we were, rather, surprised by the way that he died. About the only way that a Stingray could kill you is to stab you directly in the heart with his barbed spine. Who would have thought that the great Crocodile Hunter would go in this fashion? If ever we expected him to have a great injury we would think it would be his leg, his hand, or maybe his head…but no, it was his heart!
