Whisper Of God Ministries

Proverbs has always been a popular book because it is mainly known for its short and pithy sayings.  Most people associate Proverbs with King Solomon because of his great wisdom given him by God.  Actually, Proverbs is a compilation of wise sayings from a variety of authors.  Solomon is the author of the majority of the work but other authors mentioned are Agur, Lemuel, and the men of Hezekiah. 

Dating Proverbs is very difficult.  Solomon reigned around 970 BC and Hezekiah reigned until about 686 BC, so the final form of the book probably took place between these two times.  Wisdom literature was popular during the time of Solomon and there are many examples of Near Eastern wisdom literature from that time.  The main purpose of this type of writing was to teach the royal offspring the great wisdom of the times. Solomon’s book is clearly intended for education within the family structure. 

The book divides into two parts.  The first section, 1:1 – 9:18 contains longer wisdom discourses.  The second section found in chapters 10 – 31 contain the shorter sayings mainly attributed to Solomon.  It is true that the book, like most wisdom literature does not talk much about Israel or the covenants.   

Proverbs should not be understood as promising success, happiness and great prosperity.  These wise sayings often quality each other and are mainly meant to help encourage and teach young people in moral and righteous living.  They speak to us even today.

The book of Psalms is the best-loved Old Testament book by the majority of Christians.  It is the most quoted Old Testament book from New Testament times.  Because of the heartfelt emotions that we find in many of the individual psalms, we all can relate to much found here.  The Hebrew title means to praise and the Greek title from which we get our English one means to sing. It is very hard to give an adequate historical background for this book.  While many Christians associate the book with David, the psalms are not exclusively his work.  In fact, the book of Psalms is a collection of individual compositions and not the work of one man.  There are eight specific authors listed in psalm titles.  These individual works span a time of over one thousand years.  While the canonical book we have today is composed of 150 works, the final collection was not canonized in the form we find it today until very late.  Interestingly, in the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were written from about 250 BC to about 50 AD, we find in the Psalm scrolls a different order to the works, and psalms that are not in our Bible today commingled with Biblical ones.  This suggests that the final form of the book came together very late. 

No introduction to this book can be done without a brief mention of the psalm titles.  These are the titles found at the beginning of many of the psalms but not all of them.  This is a very difficult and detailed question. If you want more information, please contact me and I can suggest some additional reading.  The basic question is simply this:  Are the titles authentic with the Psalm or were they added at a later date?  In the Hebrew text, they are part of the first verse telling us that they at least date from a very early tradition.  Again, this is a very simplified overview.  These titles refer in general either to authorship, historical setting, musical notations, and genre or worship instructions.  Finally, because psalms were added over time, there is no real structure to the book.  The early Psalter divides the book into 5 sections or books paralleling the five books of Moses.  Within these major groups are various smaller groups attributed to various authors.  Within the book of Psalms we find several basic forms or genre of psalms.  Most psalms fall into one of these types – hymns of praise, laments, thanksgiving psalms, songs of confidence or trust, Kingship songs, and wisdom psalms.  Again, because of the long period of time covered by the psalms, there is no specific theology found there.  Martin Luther called it “a little Bible.” Christians today will find Christ everywhere in the book of Psalms.  Jesus quotes from the book while on the cross.  We all can relate to many of these great songs, laments, and praises.  It is a book for all time.

The book of Job is one of the deepest and most complex of all of the Old Testament books.  In it is the age-old question, why do we suffer.  Because everyone suffers in their life, the book has universal appeal and interest.  The message is for people from all generations.  Are God’s ways just? There is no doubt that the setting of this book is among the earliest in the entire Bible.  Job lived in patriarchal times during or perhaps even before Abraham.  Job serves as the head of a large family.  His wealth is measured by the amount of livestock he owns and the number of servants he has.  He lives prior to the time of Moses and the establishment of a priestly system because he himself offers sacrifices for his family.  While we can set the period when Job lived, we have no idea who the actual author was or when he wrote the book.  The book gives us no clue as to the author or date of authorship.  Most conservative scholars will date the book sometime during or prior to the reign of Solomon.  At the core, the book could be the oldest literature of the Bible. We could never answer all of the theological and literary questions of book.  What you need to remember as you read through the book is that, because it is mainly poetry, the questions of the book can be applied to any time.  The book parallels the same question of John 9 when the disciples asked Jesus if the man was born blind because of his sin or the sin of his parents.  Job is God’s answer to “retribution theology” where exact sufferings are tied to exact sins.  Jesus gives us the answer to Job’s question as well as the disciples’ question – God is glorified in and through the suffering of his faithful servants.  Yes sin carries consequences but often we suffer because we are called to glorify God.  

We see Christ in Job in several ways.  He came into this world to suffer and die to pay the price for our sins and to bring glory to his Father.  Like Job, we cannot fully understand all of God’s ways but we are called to obey him and walk after His will just as Christ did.  Like Job, we need a mediator – someone who will plead for us before the throne of God.  Christ is our great High Priest. 

“Blessed is the man who …. delights in the law of the Lord.”  Psalm 1:1-2

I want to continue to encourage you in your Bible reading.  It is hard work, but it will bring great rewards.  You are part of a community that is working with you, reading with you, encouraging each other.  I cannot tell you how many people have spoken to me or emailed me about the blessings they have seen in their walk by being in God’s Word.  This past weekend I was teaching at a conference in Arizona on the fact that people have died so you and I can read the Bible in English.  Do not take your privilege for granted.  If you are behind, just keep working.  If you would feel better beginning fresh with today’s reading, do that.  The important aspect of this is to draw your heart into the Bible.

Nehemiah is the greatest Bible book there is on leadership.  Any leader should read and study this book.  There is a very important lesson found both in 2:4 and in 4:9.  In both places we see Nehemiah praying and then he acts.  In chapter 2, when he talks to the king, he prays to God then answers the king’s question.  In chapter 4, we find the wall builders under attack.  Nehemiah writes that he prays to God and then posts a guard.  Both verses can be easily passed over but they contain a wonderful truth. 

As Christians, we are called to pray without ceasing.  Prayer should be a foundation of our life.  Our actions should always be bathed in prayer.  After we have prayed, we are not called to sit and just wait on God to do everything.  He calls us to be active for the Kingdom.  From prayer and His Word, we obtain a sense of His will for our lives.  We should be active in the Kingdom of God.  Doing His will and calling others to Christ are all part of the active role of being a Christian.  Sure there are times when God tells us to be patient and wait on him.  However, there are also times when He calls us to action.  Unfortunately, often we prefer to sit and be spectators rather than battle line warriors.  In 4:9, Nehemiah knew that God would ultimately protect the city.  He also knew that within the providence of God, he had a responsibility to be practical and sensible about protecting the city. 

This week, think about what God has called you to do in His Kingdom.  Are you in prayer over your role?  Are you doing your part or are you sitting on your hands hoping He will simply accomplish whatever He desires without you having to get your hands dirty?  Onward Christian soldiers!

We now come to the book of Esther.  This book is very unique in the Old Testament for two interesting facts.  First, the book never mentions God.  In all of this wonderfully written work, God’s name is never mentioned.  Secondly, the book is the only Old Testament book not found in the Dead Sea Scrolls.  Parts of all other books are found there.  The reason for this fact could be one or several different things: The community of Qumran could have not copied it because it does not mention God.  Additionally, it could be due to the late date of the book.  Esther could be the last Old Testament book written.  Because it could be so late, perhaps it was not yet accepted as part of the forming canon of the Old Testament.

Esther was probably written shortly after the time that the book is set.  While the author is unknown, the book was probably written by a Persian Jew who was living in Susa.  Much of the information seems to have come directly from Mordecai or Esther.  The plot is so suspenseful that it could be a play and has been shown in a movie.

The purpose of Esther is twofold.  It is written to explain and expound on the Festival of Purim, which commemorates the deliverance of the Jews as written about in the book.  Perhaps even more important is the theme of God’s protection and His use of His people to carry out His will.  I cannot but think of Ravi Zacharias’ new book, The Grand Weaver, when I read Esther.  Mordecai’s answer to Esther in 4:15 is perhaps the best known of the book – “And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this.”  God, as Dr. Zacharias points out in his book, is weaving together the events in our lives to accomplish His will.  Often it is only by hindsight that we can see His marvelous work in the threads of our lives.

We see Christ in Esther in several ways.  While the Jews were separated from Jerusalem and their temple, they should expect to suffer.  We also should expect to suffer for Christ’s sake while we are on this earth.  While we suffer, we remain His people and protected by Him.  Like Esther, we should live by faith in Christ as our help and our deliverer.