Reading for January 15th

Read Proverbs 3.13-35. In verses 13-20: Wisdom's benefits and pestige, Some scholars believe the poem consists of vv. 13-26 rather than 13-20. This poem praises wisdom by listing her benefits to the human race and explains her power by describing her role in creation. Since the world is made by wisdom, all those who follow wisdom will live well in the world. In verse 18: Tree of Life: The tree of life occurs in the Hebrew scriptures only in Proverbs and Gen 2-3. In both books the tree is asscoiated with wisdom. Its fruits gives life and prosperity. It is also found in Rev 2.7 and 22.2, 14, 19, where it has been influenced by the picture of the health giving tree in Ezek 47.12. In verses 21-35: Kindness tothe nieghbor brings blessing to oneself. Treating others wellbrings life to oneself. The belssings are portrayed as as accruing to one's very body- eyes (sight), Throat (soul: the throat is the source of life breath), neck and foot. To put wisdom into practice brings her gifts, life (v. 22a), honor (adorment, v. 22 b), and protection from crime and violence (vv. 23-25). Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 14th

Read Proverbs 3.1-12. In 3.1-12: trust in God makes one prosperous. The lecture consists of six four-line exhortations of a father (or teacher) to a son (or disciple), in each of which a reward is promised. The teacher invites the disciple to memorize the teaching (vv.1-2) and to be loyal (vv. 3-4), which leads to trust in God, the great teacher (v. 5). Such trust means not relying on oneself (v. 7), honoring God with due worship, and allowing God to become one's teacher and father (vv. 11-12). Considerable trust is necessary, for God reproves when educating disciples, there may be suffering. Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 13th

Read Proverbs 2.1-22. In 2.1-22: Seek wisdom and the Lord will keep you safe. The form is an acrostic poem of twenty-two lines (the number of consonants in the Hebrew alphabet). The first letter of the Hebrew alphabet ("aleph") dominates the first half (vv. 1-11; "aleph"is the initial letter in vv. 1, 3, 4, 5, and 9). The middle letter of the Hebrew aplphabet ("lamed") dominates the second half (vv. 12-22: "lamed" is the initial letter on 12, 16, and 20). The main point of the poem is that if you seek wisdom with all your strength, the Lord will give you, and wisdom will safegaurd you from wicked men and seductive womenwitht he result that you can walk on the blessed path. Wisdom willbe given to anyone who earnestly seeks it. However, one cannot directly take it; it must be given as a gift. In verses 16-19: The loose women ... the adultress. Loose is literally "foreign." The figure of the dangerous and seductive woman appears again in 5.1-6; 6.20-35; 7.1-27; 9.13-18. Elsewhere in the Bible, a "foreign woman" can be a woman outside the community who is forbidden as a marriage partner, a prostitude or a woman otherwise dangerous to a man. Proverbs' focus is not on her sexuality but also on her seductive and deceitful speech. Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 12th

Read Proverbs 1.20-33. In 1.20-33: The consequences of not heeding wisdom. Woman Wisdom warns the simple (who seem to hhave previously rejected her teachings) that she will not be there whent he inevitable disaster comes upon vv. 22-32). She nonetheless gives them a last chance to accept her (v. 33). Verses 24-27 and 28-31 are parallel sections. Each gives a reason (because, vv. 25, 29) and announces a disaster; the first section employs the grammatical second person, and the second section employs the grammatical third person. In verses 20-21: The entrance of the city gates is the entrance to the upper city, which was the place of business and goverment. In verses 22-23a: The best solution to the textual confusion is to drop v. 22b-c as a later insertion and to translate How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? Its parallel verse is best rendered (differently from NRSV) "Will you turn away from my reproof?" The translation "turn away" is preferable to NRSV give heed to and is based on the meaning of the same root in v. 32a (waywardness) and on Hebrew idom. Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 11th

Read Proverbs 1.8-19. In 1.8-19: Parental advice on leaving home. The opening scene of a youth leaving parents and home to establish his own household sets the scene for the entire book. Every reader must establish a household in the sense of learning to live well as an adult, accepting traditional wisdom and discerning where true life is to be found. In verses 10=14: A group of sinners invites the youth not simply to commit a violent crime but to share in their violent life (Come with us ... Throw your lot among us). In verses 16-17: Verse 16: is a gloss from Isa 59.7 to explain the enigmatic v. 17, which is a parable about sinners not seeing the divine retribution that works invisibly. The evil they plan for others will come upon them instead (vv. 18-19). Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 10th

Read Proverbs 1.1-7. In 1.1-9.18: Speeches and Instructions. In 1.1-7: Introduction and purpose of the book. In verse 1: Egyptian and biblical wisdom books, contrary to the customary anonymity of ancient litature, give the name of the author, who was normally a king or prominent coutrier advising his son or disciple. Solomon, famed for his wisdom, is named as the author, or, as we misght say, patron of the entire book. In verses 2-7: There are fourteen (two times seven) different nouns for wisdom or wise sayings in order to show totality. Verses 2-3 are concerned with learning., v. 4 with teaching, v. 5 with the teacher or sage, v. 6 with understanding wisdom writings and v. 7 (in climatic position) with fear of the Lord. In verse 4: The simple are naive or uninstructed people, either because of their youth or, sometimes, because of their carelessness. In the latter case the term has a negative connotation. In verse 7: The verse is the climax of the introduction, for the Lord is the source of blessings for the wise. The phrase wisdom and instructions reprises the same phrase in v. 2a. Fear of the Lord is the traditional (and not fully satisfacttory) translation of "yir'at YHWH," literally "revering the Lord." The phrase means giving to one's God what is due, knowing and accepting one's place in the universe. It primarily designates neith an emotion (fear) nor general reverence, but rather a conviction that one should honor and serve a particular god. Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 9th

Read James 5.12-20. In verses 12-18: More on speech. In verse 12: This simplification of oaths resembles Jesus' curtailment of them (Mt 5.34-37; 1 Cor 1.19-20). In verses 13-14: While some speech is controlled other speech is urged at all times, such as prayer and praise. Prayer for the sick entails anointing by elders. In verses 15-16: The author may understand illness here as caused by sinfulness, because he encourages confession of sins and mutual prayer for healing. In verses 16-18: Elijah illustrates the claim about the effective prayer of the righteous. His first prayer stopped the rain (1 Kings 17.1), whereas his second prayer started it again (1 Kings 18.1). In verees 19-20: saving others. In a world of social and geographical immobility, wandering suggested deviance. But good shepherding of the lost yields great rewards for both the lost sheep and the shepherd. Comments or Questions..