Proverbs 8

Transcript

this was originally x i presented this to baltimore x uh about two years ago and uh i i just x haven't stopped thinking about it since x it's just such a beautiful chapter x um here x is a picture which um i saw in the x metropolitan museum of art in new york x city which is of x the queen of sheba x arriving with all her exotic animals x and all the people x coming into jerusalem are to hear the x wisdom of solomon x and um x [Music] x it just sort of suggests because solomon x is the author of um x it's attributed to solomon this chapter x and so x might make us think about what sort of x questions that x we might bring to this chapter and x just like sheba came to question and to x to listen to solomon what x what do x we bring what sort of questions do we x bring to to wisdom what are we seeking x um x and what what are we looking for x and what does wisdom mean today x to x to our lives and x [Music] x some of the ideas that we'll look at x today x um what x is firstly that wisdom x speaks out she calls out like like a x prophet x and then x in x uh the second section x she x uh teaches x righteousness x and is like a king a king who x decrees justice x and uh she emphasizes how x her teaching x is better than any material wealth x and of course this is kind of x you know particularly pertinent to x solomon himself who x had great wealth and x you know but found still struggled with x um x how to x how to maintain that path x and then probably the most fascinating x part and i really want to focus on this x section three tonight which is verse 22 x to 31 x which is x it you know talks about yahweh creating x me x and x has all of the it's very clearly x got a creation uh theme x it's got the heavens the earth the x waters x um and x it's really fascinating how wisdom is x described as as being there with yahweh x and there's a particularly there's a x highly debated word x uh describing x wisdom there x and then the fourth section x is sort of encapsulates the whole thing x where wisdom again is just x calling out x for children to listen to her x and we find her that she's x in gates and she's in doorways x which are the classic moments of x decision in the bible x and i hadn't quite realized when i x started looking at this chapter x how influential it has been and how x controversial it was actually in the x first x couple of centuries a.d x about trying to understand x christ and x what uh you know his x his role x and so i i x feel like i tread lightly x uh x when when uh when i was reading this x so brother jim boyko asked me x when x i sent this uh you know said what i x would be presenting and the first x question was why is wisdom feminine x i certainly x don't claim to be fully understanding x the hebrew language x and so x david levin or anyone else wants to x comment here please do x this is this is my understanding from x um x from x a couple of commentaries and it has to x do x with the genre genre x the language x and um the the techniques of x um this poem x so firstly in poetry of course x um there's figures of speech like a word x picture x where x something is used to describe in terms x of something else x for example here wisdom x what we would think of as an abstraction x is presented as a woman x we know a woman x and so we can use x images relating to a person to talk x about another abstract idea x personification x and there's also x uh languages so english does not have x gender we don't x think we don't refer to our language x words don't have gender whereas in x hebrew they do x just like x spanish and you know italian x uh have they x nouns have genders and so they have to x agree the verbs have to agree x and it happens that wisdom x is a feminine noun x and that's indicated here in in proverbs x 8 verse 2 verse 1 actually i think it is x where x the verbs x are calling x kara x and raising her voice x have these x the tub which is indicating that x they're agreeing with the feminine noun x and x and so that when it's converted to x english you have to then say talk about x her x because it's they're they're agreeing x i could not find any explicit reference x to x wisdom being a woman as in being x described like a woman in contrast to x the foolish woman in proverbs 7 which is x is described as a woman and also x proverbs 31 x which isn't really the same but that's x where she's described as a wife x and so it's also important to to x recognize that wisdom x is not a woman x perhaps explicitly x refuting or against that idea like x asherah x uh which was a you know a goddess a x feminine goddess that worshipped that x was worshipped so x yeah so it's a really interesting x question i x would love to know if anyone has any x questions x or comments about that x hey jake yeah so x if i understand what you're saying is um x with the wisdom is not described as a x one oh i see it there except in proverbs x 31. x so uh not explicitly is that right x only in this only in proverbs 31 what in x not hearing yeah certainly x yeah so there's no like very obvious x you know woman or wife or lady or x there's no like very obvious x woman x words used to describe x uh x wisdom x it's it seems to be just that x the the noun is x is feminine and so everything else has x to agree with that gender of the word x okay rather than x a person x got it x got it x and then um x one of the points that you make is that x wisdom x it's really this personification it's x not that wisdom is a goddess like asher x it's it's yeah that's right yeah okay x yeah that's clear to me x brian lloyd also comments that x understanding yeah so the second line x understanding is also feminine x and still has you know the verbs of x raising her voice agree x with their x yeah it sort of get i never thought x about any of this until i started x learning a different language you x realize there's genders it's uh english x just x doesn't doesn't carry that x got it x hey can i just jump in with an aside for x carol carol if you change your v carol x made a comment in the chat that she x can't see the screen x and uh carol i think in zoom there are x different view options x one of which will allow you to select uh x for example side by side with a speaker x and you should be able to see jake's x screen then x hope that helps sorry jake x yeah i'll shut up yeah so x yeah no it's okay um x i think personification x you know or figure of speech is is a x good the best way to think about this x to to illustrate x uh that's what solomon uses to to really x make a word picture x um and also i guess it also implies with x without x you know wisdom is not a goddess uh in x contrast to many of the cultures which x deified x um x wisdom or you know had gods for for many x different aspects here in contrast x proverbs is simply a woman x just x you know x not x uh x anything x special not that women aren't special x but not a goddess i suppose x and i guess it also implies that wisdom x [Music] x is beyond those traditional x sexual binaries that we think about x feminine or masculine it's x uh x it's a bit more complicated than that x but yeah it's it's you've got to trap x tread a careful line between what's x literal x what's literary x and what's consistent like is this how's x this consistently portrayed x uh it seems that the solomon you know x the author x uses that x because wisdom is in a feminine noun x it's also very suitable to talk about x use feminine language and what we x associate with with uh with you know x traditionally feminine things x um x and and that image just builds itself x naturally out of x what x what it was x what it is x so let's actually get into the chapter x um so the first chapter first sorry x little section um is sort of a little x introduction and it describes x in verses one to three x where wisdom is situated x and it's using x really clear language to describe her as x being at uh x the tights x the the tops x of the heights x she's in the way the crossroads the x gates the portals the city entrances x and what's she doing there she's calling x out lifting up her voice x she's shouting x and so this is x immediately thought of um what jeremiah x has told her to do so you know baltimore x had been studying jeremiah and so that x you know for example verse chapter 7 of x jeremiah he is told to go out and stand x in the gate of the lord's temple x to proclaim a message x to to speak x to call out x um x there's this repetition of listening x calling the people to listen to x to to calling out to them and that's x happening in the gate of the lord's x temple x um this is you know this is where all x the people are this is the crowds out x doing their business going about their x things and so this is a very public x place this is not not x in an ivory tower x or x you know a city library or something x like that this is a very public x demonstration it's very clear x and x it x chapter ends with the same types of x ideas where uh wisdom is waiting x um x or sorry the people are called to wait x at her doors x to watch the posts of her portals x and and to listen to her x to listen to her reproofs x and x these are the consequences x of those who who do listen to her x and so so x another interesting movement is x at the start she is x at the crossroads the gates very public x place x but by the end of the chapter she's in x her home x she's in her home and and i guess like x david levin x suggested x which home are we going to we're going x to seek the home of wisdom lady wisdom's x home or x the x seductress x who calls foolish people into her home x so there's a movement from public place x to a private place x and and x i can't remember who which commentator x pointed this out that wisdom loves x attention x and uh so true she's seeking attention x she loves attention x both by yahweh and also humanity x just like a prophet he's constantly x harassing people to listen x jeremiah to turn back to yahweh to x listen to his ways x and another sim some other similarities x are found in the second movement to x isaiah chapter 40 x and x this is where x the prophet is crying out x and he's bringing a message of comfort x and renewal to zion and to judah x leading to this fantastic creation poem x about x verse 20 x asking this question don't you know x haven't you heard weren't you told from x the beginning from the first x haven't you grasped how the earth was x founded do you not know haven't you x heard the eternal god is the lord x creator of the ends of the earth x in verse back to proverbs x in verse four and five x wisdom x is not just calling out to x you know the x the geeks and nerds it's calling out to x all people x to all men x to all humankind and especially x uh to x the dupes and the fools x this is a universal message x it's a very public message x there's a consistent theme of x finding x of searching x and finding x and x this x is consistent with the x that x she's speaking to all people x this is a very universal x uh message x after all humanity x this next section from 6 to 11 x again it starts with this listen x and what she's speaking and it's becomes x she uses x very x uh x like a body language x her mouth utters her tongue declares x truth her lips love wickedness x and in her mouth's x uh right in the right to all my mouth x sayings x and uh yeah perhaps x this is contrasting to x the face or the lips of the the foolish x woman in the um or the seductress in the x previous chapter x and in chapter nine as well actually x and here is here is x the contrast between x straight and crookedness x or uprightness x and twisted x nothing in them is twisted or crooked x they are all plain to the discerning and x straightforward for those who define x knowledge x and again these are x universally accessible to all those who x find knowledge x all plain x to the discerning x and here wisdom teaches her value x it's greater than material x wealth x this verb to take x uh x carries the idea of thinking of eve x who x takes of the fruit x but here wisdom is saying take my x reproof rather than silver x knowledge is x choicer than fine gold x wisdom is better than rubies and all x precious things x can't match her worth x these incidentally these are some of the x things that x were x uh described in genesis 2 as being x around eden x there was gold in the land there were x precious gems x it also reminded me of x psalm 19 x which is is also a beautiful hymn x and poem to to yahweh and creation and x also x um x torah x and then x in amongst there x is this repetition of six x uh saints x yahweh's teaching is perfect restoring x to life x which is and then in verse 10 describes x it as x more desired than gold x more abundant than fine gold and kind of x appropriately to the discussion earlier x before the class sweeter than honey x the x quintessence of bees x so then in verse 12 x to 16 we transition into a theme of x leadership x perhaps carrying that idea of you know x material wealth and the x propensity of of kings to x want to accumulate things x material things x and uh it's x there's there's more hints of of eden x here as well of shrewdness i wisdom x dwell in shrewdness and cunning x knowledge x i find x so this is x obviously used to describe the serpent x in the garden x but it's not necessarily a negative x connotation because in proverbs 1 verse x 4 x wisdom describes x is described to impart shrewdness to the x morally naive x so it's not necessarily x you know a negative thing it's i guess x it's how it's used x are the net describe this as prudence x and the idea of dwelling in trueness is x where x are you sitting where's your location x that's what we found at the start where x she's out x calling in the public places x but by the end of the chapter she's x in a house x and we might also think about x the the tabernacle or the temple x uh x where yahweh came and dwelt amongst the x people x and we also get uh x down in 15 and 16 x where x king through me king's reign x ruler's decree righteous laws x by me prince's rule as well as nobles x and all righteous judges x so these are the x you know people who x are set to to lead x and to x uh x you know to govern on behalf of people x and those people need x wisdom to govern well x this is uh you know echoed in isaiah 11 x which is described how x the messiah would use wisdom to do this x very thing x just back to verse 13 where x fear of the lord is hating evil x pride haughtiness and evil way and x perverse speech do i hate x very strong language here x of of hating x and um x fear of the lord is hating evil and of x course this is echoing back in in x proverbs one where it talks about the x beginning of wisdom x fear of yahweh is the beginning x beginning of wisdom x and x i suppose the fearings x suggest x a deep unconscious x change x within like a like a transfer of energy x of x recognize of recognition x um x recognizing x the ways of yahweh x hating evil x perverse speech again this idea of x twisting and x crookedness versus upright and straight x verse 14 mine is counsel and prudence x i am discernment x mine is might x this made me think of deuteronomy x particularly because x there's many echoes of wisdom actually x in deuteronomy x and x it carries it it's also curious because x most of deuteronomy is x is uh moses speaking x and so similar to this chapter 8 x proverbs 8 where wisdom is speaking x in deuteronomy moses is speaking and so x there's x similar uh themes and ideas x and in contrast to example in exodus x where x you know the majority of that is god x that is x the direct speech of god x and both deuteronomy and proverbs are x orientated towards very practical skills x and prosperity x and life in the land x for example in verse 4 i sorry chapter 4 x of deuteronomy x moses is saying to be sure to do the x statues and ordinances because it is x wisdom x and understanding to the people x who will learn of all the statutes and x say x indeed this great nation is a very wise x people x and of course the classic chapter of x verse chapter 6 x hear o israel x the lord is our god the lord is one you x must love the lord your god with your x whole mind your whole being all of your x strength x and particularly we'll touch on this a x little later x uh verse 7 x of chapter 6 teach my words to your x children and speak of them as you sit in x your house as you walk along the road as x you lie down and as you get up x there's a strong x emphasis on x education and particularly educating x children x intergenerate transferring x between x the the elders to the younger x and and x similar idea to x wisdom or the father teaching the son in x proverbs and also hear the x wisdom teaching to x to the kings and also what we saw before x about to x to the fools x and to to all humankind x but particularly in verse chapter 17 of x deuteronomy where x moses describes how when x you know it sort of concedes that when x if you have kings yes you're probably x going to want to have kings but if you x do when you do that then what has to x happen is that the king x has to make a copy of this law x on a scroll given to him by the priest x it must be with him constantly x you must read it as long as he lives x that he might learn to revere the lord x he's god observe all the words of this x law x these statues and carry them out x the same idea of fearing the lord x through x understanding x by paying attention to it x and to particularly it ends with not x exalting himself above his fellow x citizens x just because your king doesn't make you x any x greater in quality x only in x position x and then verse 17 to 21 x um comes back to those x themes of uh wealth of riches x and um honor x with a with me x long lasting wealth and righteousness my x fruit is better than all fine gold x my yield x then the choice is silver x but we yeah just to repeat that in psalm x 19 x the the same type of emphasis of x that x instead of accumulating x wealth x well what about the wealth of wisdom x on the paths of righteousness i walk x within the ways of justice x to pass substance onto my lovers and x their storehouses to fill x and here we get in contrast to the x hating x we get i will love those who love me and x those who seek me x diligently x will find me x it's very reciprocal isn't it x i love those who love me x this is like x jesus saying what's the law and the x prophets x give unto others what you want to x receive x that's what wisdom does x those who seek me will find me x and oh just to touch back on that x in psalm 19 about x the lord's judgments and commandments x precepts teachings x being sweeter than honey x i thought that might x relate to the idea x of milk and honey a land flowing with x milk and honey x where scripture provides x both milk for the babes and also honey x for the mature x for the x you know the discerning and x those who seek it x you know jake it's it's steve um x you know i think that verse 17 there x has a great contrast with the last verse x in x proverbs 8 x you know so uh verse 17 says i'll love x those who love me and then the last x verse says x uh x all who hate me love death right so x you know who are you going to love x you're gonna love wisdom or you're gonna x love death x pretty easy choice x yeah and that that uh we'll touch on x that in in a sec but yeah that that's x basically where moses goes in x deuteronomy doesn't it he goes choose x life x don't choose death oh yeah yeah yeah x jake i'm just doing a time check here we x have about 15 minutes till uh or quarter x after eight right now x thank you x so i love poetry and particularly x something i loved during during the x pandemic x uh long aft long days sitting in the x backyard not doing much x and that's when i was reading about x hebrew poetry by robert alter x and so i just wanted to touch a little x bit on the structure here of this x section from 22 to 31 x it's a really really elegant x uh poem x and x stands alone as as a poem x apart from the chapter x and it begins in the first x section a x where it begins with yahweh x the lord x as the active subject and he x created x and i've listed that out here where x the second part in verse 26 x yahweh is also the subject x and the verb is being is made x but this time the object is earth x and it's the time for example is from x the outset x and not yet x and x in between x uh we'll get to in in a second x and then in the second section x there's a repetition of when x of time x when when when when when x and wisdom is there x i was there x i was by him x in verse 30. x and it transitions from heavens x i found the heavens x to strengthen the earth's foundations x so here's the x three-part creation of heaven x earth and in between x uh it's the deep x you see the waters x and the skies x and then in uh x the x f x which i've got in the blue x it indicates that just as yahweh x delights in wisdom day by day x wisdom delights in humanity x at all x times and in a sense x this is from transitioning between a d x and then f x wisdom x delights in mediating between yahweh and x his children x and in a similar way to psalm 19 where x god's commandments or his instructions x his torah brings joy and he's like honey x to the mouth x so in these sections there's three main x actors there's yahweh there's wisdom x and then there's x humankind or the sons of man x and in the middle is wisdom there's a x progression x of wisdom's role where x she's just passive she was created she x was shaped x spawned i was spawned so it's very x passive x action things have been done to her x and x before the end so she's transitioned now x now she's active she's playing before x him x playing in the world x and her delight x so he's very active as this transition x from being passive to active x um through time x and x it's so beautiful in this structure x i really x it's so elegant x and x needs a lot of meditation x it's a kind of autobiography of wisdom x it's exquisitely structured of creating x wisdom structuring maintaining the world x and serves as a backdrop x behind the narrative x in the subsections of b x there's a development of two verbs used x to describe her creating yahweh created x me x and i was shaped x these are similar verbs to for example x psalm 139 x where the psalmist is x is praising god for how x incredible his own body is x for you formed me you formed my inward x paths you knitted me together x in my mother's womb x and then in stroke c x there's a development of those x birth images of x um i was spawned x um x robert alter translates them as being x the same word but x they're slightly different but they x carry this idea of birth x without necessarily being a human x a human being involved in that x and then in stroke e x there's a repetition of these waters x the face of the deep the springs of the x deep x and the waters and the sea x and if you think back to genesis 1 x how yahweh separates and divides these x to bring forth life x these elements these sort of chaotic x elements of x destruction and darkness that were there x in the beginning x are divided and controlled x and then in x genesis 8 of course with noah x the floods x these springs x of the deep and the fountains are let x forth to destroy x but here yahweh is speaking of there x being limited x to not flout his command x just like how his speech yahweh x separated and divided x and then x in g x there's playing x it's uh it's fun x it's laughter x playing and laughter x and the only really x same ideas i could find is in leviathan x of job 41 where leviathan x laughs and plays like x you know what in other parts of the x bible leviathan is like a terrible x monster but in job it's just x a playful thing x to go away x there's it's a fun thing x and the horse in job 39 is described as x laughing going into battle x and perhaps it carries a similar idea of x um isaiah i'm sorry isaac x his name means laughter x because he's a miracle child x there's a promise child of promise x um x yeah so this slide is just showing how x there's a repetition there's x intensification x this is x robert alter describes this as being a x technique poetic technique where you say x one thing x and then you emphasize it you repeat it x and emphasize it x uh to sort of carry momentum forward so x i won't really touch on that because i x want to get to this next section of x um x in verse 30 x there x it really depends on your translation x there's very many different translations x about this and i had to do a lot of x research and x didn't really find a good answer x um this is a very rare hebrew word amman x amon x and x it could be translated as being like a x child robert alter goes with an intimate x which i think x sits in the boundaries between x the different translations x and this translating this word as a x child or an infant or a nurseling x so some translations use x reflects the earlier ideas we saw about x a birth of being created or being born x or spawned x and x it it's similar to um numbers 11 x where x moses is complaining to god x um to yahweh that he was he was not x asked to carry israel in his bosom like x a child like an infant x or in naomi how naomi takes the child of x ruth x and x laid it on her lap and became his nurse x or in esther as this used to describe x hadassah x who mordecai brought up hadassah x so in this x reading this x interpretation wisdom is declaring that x while god was busy creating the world x she was nearby she was like a child x growing up in his care x giving him delight x playing before him x in the world that she would x that would be inhabited by mankind x and so then when humans are on the scene x she x becomes like a guardian and a teacher x and her delight x is with humanity x and this type of this translation x teaches us that like with since wisdom x is in this trusting relationship x intimate relationship with god then x we ought to be safe by his side even x though there's elements of chaos of the x waters and and the heavens x um x [Music] x that x being by his side is delightful x and it's fun playing before him x and his works x i really love this x image of wisdom playing and delighting x wisdom is there and x beside him x and even x yeah this sort of suggests that yahweh x is x contemplating wisdom x um as part of the design and it's good x and and again that idea of wisdom as x being x sort of seeking attention loving x attention x and rejoicing in that x there's also a more common translation x actually is as a master artisan x or a craftsman x past person i suppose dust woman x and that carries this idea for example x in ezekiel sorry x that should be exodus 31 x where x um x belzelle x sorry bezalel x and x uh x i know someone else x anyway so bezelele is chosen to x construct the tabernacle x um and yahweh is saying i have filled x him with the spirit of god with skill x understanding knowledge craftsmanship x to work with gold and bronze and stone x and all types of craftsmanship x and so x and this carries this idea of a master x artisan x who x builds and creates x so in this translation it carries more x of the idea that wisdom x was was x by god's side helping him x as like an architect or x um you know a more active type of role x but in the previous verses there there x is no implication that wisdom x was helping god x um just that she was being born she was x being formed as a development of birth x and x dependence rather than action x so x yeah i didn't really land on a x particular preference yeah i x prefer the idea of a child or an infant x because that's more consistent with the x earlier verses x but i can also see how craftsman and x partisan fits in with that as well x yeah this language is used x definitely particularly luke has x described how jesus grew up with wisdom x and x favor of god x that's x definitely picked up in the new x testament x um x yeah x using this language and obviously uh x john 1 x the introduction to john 1 x proverbs 8 and genesis 1 uh x you know it's a midrash they're x interpreting they're using that to try x and describe x jesus x are the implications of what it meant x for the son of god to come to earth in x flesh x and so it's using this type of language x so thank you x and i'll just um x try and get forward to the end so we can x we can discuss a little more x um x yeah so from verse 32 which we looked at x this earlier about how x now wisdom is in her home and x she's calling for the children to listen x to her x um three times x and so you have to ask her okay x what are you listening to who are you x listening to x and x whose house are you going into i suppose x the house of god or house of wisdom x yeah some 19 x echoes these same types of ideas um x you know the laws and instructions and x commandments are sweet x and so i just want to end here by x reflecting on x verse 10 x and which was like verse 17 i will love x those who love me and those who seek me x diligently find me x um it's a highly compressed x design pattern x of wisdom of like what jesus describes x do to others what you want them to do to x you if you want x x do that to someone first x this is the golden rule jesus describes x in matthew as x this is the law and the prophets it's x reciprocation x and x so what we looked at was how wisdom is x is out in the public crying out for x attention to listen to her x and her wealth is greater x than material wealth x through x wisdom king's reign x and so there's x great skill in leadership x and we also looked at how yahweh created x me x and x you can i'm sure you can think about in x your own time about how that's used to x describe jesus growing up x before yahweh x but yeah just really have a think about x those different ideas of x wisdom being like a child or being like x at a crafts person like an architect x they sort of carry different ideas and x i'll be interested to see what other x people think about that