Life and land
1. THE GOOD LIFE IN THE LAND
A PERSPECTIVE FROM WISDOM LITERATURE
Wisdom literature is devoted specifically to exploring and pontificating upon the subject of living. Strictly speaking wisdom literature comprises the books of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes, though the Song of Solomon is often included as well. Of course, these books are not the sole books in which the quality of life is a concern. The pentateuchai laws are intended to govern life; prophets such as Amos exhort the people to, ‘seek good, and not evil, that you may live’ (Am. 5:14; cfi Is. 55:3-S). Yet the preoccupation with the quality of everyday living belongs to the literature left by Israel’s wise men. About the message of this literature one scholar says, ‘The kerygma of wisdom can be summed up in one word: “life”.” Support for the position is at hand: ‘He who finds me (wisdom) finds life’ (Pr. 8:35).
The object of God’s salvific activity by bringing the people into the land, it will be remembered, was to make possible a new quality of life.
Upon entry into the land God’s word to the people through Moses was, See, 1 have set before you this day life and good. . . then you shall live and mul- tiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you are entering to take possession of it (Dt. 30: 15-16; cf. verse 20).
One hears the same motif of life from wisdom literature.
Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many.. . 'R. Murphy, ‘The Kerygma of the Book of Proverbs’, Interpretation 20 (1966), p. 9.
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Life and land Keep bold of instruction, do not let go;
guard her, for she is your life (Pr. 4: 10, 13).
It is at the point of ‘life’ that the design of God about land and the message of wisdom intersect.
a. The quality of life according to wisdom literature
Wisdom literature is a literary fabric with several quite clearly coloured strands. These include, apart from the themes of wisdom and life, rehearsals of creation, delight in nature, attention to moral recititude, the fear of Yahweh, and skill in living generally. A brief look at each will help to give definition to ‘quality of life’ and also point up the way in which wisdom is linked with land.
Wisdom literature plays on the theme of creation. God is the creator. The mythical background of chaos found in other ancient Near Eastern creation stories may find a poetic echo, perhaps, in Job: ‘By his power he stilled the sea; by his understanding he smote Rahab. By his wind the heavens were made fair; his hand pierced the fleeing serpent’ (26:12-13; for the chaos theme cfi Ps. 89: 10; Is. 41:9-10). But instead of enlarging on the theme of chaos, the creation material dwells on the role of wisdom. God’s role as creator is tied closely with wisdom as a quality or even as semi-person in Job and Proverbs.
In Job God is said to know the whereabouts of wisdom, since as creator he has full command of knowledge. At the time that God measured out the waters and ordered wind, rain, and thunder it was announced, ‘Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom’ (28:23-28). A series of questions put to Job to probe his understanding return to God’s creative and profoundly wise activity: ‘Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?’
(38 :4). ‘Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth?’ (38:33).
In Proverbs the creative works of God, such as establishing the heaven, drawing a ‘circle on the face of the deep’, establishing the fountains of the deep, marking the foundations of the earth, are enumerated; but the empha- sis is on wisdom, an entity created prior to these, ‘the first of his acts of old’
(8 :22), ‘The LORD by wisdom founded the earth’ (3 : 19). Not only wisdom’s priority but her activity as his agent, one who is ‘beside him’ (God) adds weight to her summons, ‘Listen to me . . . he who finds me finds life and obtains favour from the LO R D' (8:32, 35). The response which wisdom literature wishes to elicit from the reader is a sense of awe and amazement. It is he who does ‘marvellous things without number’ (Jb. 9:10), who stretched out the heavens and ‘made the Bear and Orion’ (Jb. 9:8-9). The works of God’s hands, such as causing pillars of heaven to tremble, stilling the sea, or hanging the earth upon nothing, ‘are but the outskirts of his ways;
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and how small a whisper do we hear of him!’ (Jb. 26:14). Job may well marvel at creation, for there is much he cannot explain (Jb. 38), but he is driven back to the incomprehensible one who made creation. After the de- scription of Leviathan, one of God’s creatures, Job replies, ‘I know that thou canst do all things’ (42:2). By comparison there is in wisdom more reflec- tion on creation than in Genesis 1-2. In wisdom literature one turns from awe at the complexities of nature to awe of the creator-a significant shift that affects man’s quality of life.
Still, in wisdom the world of nature is affirmed. Furthermore, to touch on a subject controversial in the church, the beauty of physical form is not dis- missed or disparaged, but enthusiastically praised. Most striking, though always in good taste, is the discussion of the delight of lovers in each other’s bodies in the Song of Solomon. Here the emotion of passion is both recog- nized and cultivated, and sexual interests positively assessed. Far from spiri- tualizing the sensuous speeches of the Song, as both Jews and Christians have done, we should take them at face value, as expressive of the joys of physical love.
Yet, for all the enthusiasm about nature, nature is never presented as a god to be worshipped, but as a gift from the creator.2
In wisdom the moral dimension of living is placed in the forefront. To live well one should be upright. Throughout there is contrast between the just and the wicked, the wise and the fool. The wise is the person who pursues righteousness; the fool is perverse. Stress is laid on ethical principles. The
LORD hates pride, deceit, murder, foul imaginations and dissension (Pr.
6:16-17).Th ‘d 1e 1 ea man, the wise one, is pictured as a man of self-control (Pr. 17:27), charitable to the poor (Pr. 19: 17a), concerned about the widow and orphan (Pr. 23: 10-l l), moderate with respect to riches (Pr. 23:24), and respectfulofparents (Pr. 15:20). Job describes himself as a man who has fol- lowed the norms of righteous behaviour. He disclaims behaviour marked by falsehood or adultery. He has not withheld his hand from helping the poor, he has not been set on money, he has not been malicious or idolatrous (Jb. 31%37). Concern with morality is also indicated by the discussion about retribution. The righteous will be rewarded, the evil punished. ‘A good man obtains favour from the LORD, but a man of evil devices he con- demns’ (Pr. 12:2). The righteous will walk straight forward in his way, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness (Pr. 11:5).
This dogma of reward for the righteous and wrathful retribution for the wicked is put to the test in the experience of Job. The dogma, so it appears there, is inaccurate, for the righteous man is not rewarded but deprived; and a tension develops even within wisdom. We shall return to this later.
2For a sustained argument on the affirmation of a this.
Zimmerli, The Old Testament and the World (Atlanta:
-worldly stance in the John Knox; London:
Old Testament SPCK,1976).
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see Walther
Life and land Great attention is given in wisdom literature to choice. A man who lives well makes good choices. Particularly forceful are the appeals, set side by side, of Dame Folly and Lady Wisdom (Pr. 7-8). Each asks the attention of the youths, each offers her attractions. The loose woman decks her couch and perfumes her bed; Lady Wisdom holds out her appeal: ‘My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold’ (Pr. 8 : 19). She claims rulers and kings as her companions and invites association with her. If Dame Folly is pictured as the harlot who entices youth, it should be noted that the invitation to physi- cal cohabitation does not exhaust the meaning of her appeal, nor perhaps is it the primary meaning. More than calls to sexual looseness, her appeal is to all kinds of moral vice and even wickedness generally. Together the calls of the two women enforce the notion of choice, for the young man, hearing both, decides which shall be his companion. This emphasis on moral choice is comparable to Jesus’ description of the two ways. The call to decision is ever present and the seriousness of that decision apparent: one way leads to death; the other leads to life. Good choices lead to a good quality of life.
The fear of Yahweh is prominent in the wisdom material, where it is heralded as the beginning of wisdom (Pr. 1:7; 9:lO; Jb. 28:28) and the means to life.3 The fear of Yahweh is not terror but a reverence for God which expresses itself in positive responses to God and his Word. The fear of Yahweh, according to Proverbs and also Deuteronomy, has to do with keeping God’s commands and serving him (Dt. 10: 12-13). Those who fear Yahweh walk in his ways (Pr. 14:2). These shun, even hate, evil: ‘Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil’ (Pr. 3:7); ‘The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil’ (Pr. 8:13). Fear of Yahweh is urged by wisdom writers on the grounds that it will contribute to a high quality of life.
‘The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life.. .’ (Pr. 14:27). ‘The fear of the
LORD leads to life. . . (Pr. 19:23). ‘The reward for humility and fear of the
LORD is riches, and honour and life’ (Pr. 22:4). Yahweh fearers can expect security and protection (Pr. 14:26; 19:23). Finally, ‘The fear of the LORD
prolongs life’ (Pr. 10:27).
While we can thus show that the theme of the fear of Yahweh is re!ated to living well, it is helpful to see how such an emphasis on Yahweh distinguished Hebrew wisdom from ancient Near Eastern wisdom. As developed in the ancient Near East, wisdom affirmed a cosmic principle of order, apparently rigid and unbending. In this view a principle rather than a person stood at the centre of the universe, and the cosmos as such became a god toward which man’s life was to be oriented. The quality of life was determined, in this view, by its conformity to the principle of order inherent in the cosmos. It is most instructive however to see how this potentially
‘For a recent discussion see Henri Blocher, ‘The Fear of the Lord as the “Principle” of Wisdom’, Tyndale Rtdletin 28 (1977), pp. 3-28.
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positive and that living be skilful.
Life and land
A review of the contents of wisdom as sketched above displays a most interesting fact, namely that at base the issue is one of quality of life. The world of nature is affirmed as good and contributes in a different way to a rich life. The blessing of Yahweh which comes through material things makes rich (Pr. 10:22). The good life is more than material abundance; it goes hand in hand with obedience to God, the fear of Yahweh. The man who chooses wisely, that is, chooses wisdom, chooses life. ‘He who finds me finds life’ (Pr. 8:35; cfi 4:22). ‘By me (wisdom, skill in living) your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life’ (Pr. 9: 11). ‘Leave simpleness, and live,’ advises the writer (Pr. 9: 6). The happiness of one who finds wisdom is described as finding something more precious than jewels.
‘Long life is in her right hand. . .She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of h e r . . . ’ (Pr. 3:16,18). As one Old Testament scholar has put it, ‘What this wisdom has to bestow is life, life, that is, in the grand sense of the Old Testament, as a saving blessing.”
God’s design tested: the era of the monarchy dangerous viewpoint is addressed.
In Hebrew wisdom the name of Yahweh is injected with vigour especially in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes; less so in Job.4 ‘The LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding’ (Pr. 2:6). He is not trapped in inflexible rules but remains free as a person. He reproves whom he loves (Pr. 3:12). ‘The LORD has made everything for its purpose’ (Pr. 16:4).
‘Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will be established’ (Pr. 19:21). Repeatedly the reader of wisdom is reminded, ‘The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.’ The wisdom- type of discussion of Job’s friends ranges far and wide; but the book ends both in its poetry section and in the prose division clearly subordinating wisdom to Yahweh! He has the final word (Jb. 38: 1). So also in Ecclesiastes, though the final verses (EC. 12:13-14) have sometimes been considered the appendage of a later editor since they descend on the reader quite unexpectedly. The book has examined proposed solutions to the question of life’s meaning, found most of them inadequate, and then without argument or proof declares this: ‘The end of the matter.. . Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man’ (EC. 12:13-14).
But the abruptness of the final work makes the telling point that a man’s life must be ordered over against Yahweh. Whatever principles of the cosmos there are, these are subject to Yahweh, who in his person and his action is free. The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom, and one might say its climax and conclusion also.
Wisdom literature thus occupies itself with skill in-living. Wisdom (hoBm8) is not limited to an innate capacity for intellectual analysis.
Essentially bokrnd is skill, as is clear from the word used for Bezaleel, the workman who was endowed with skill (ho&&) in textile and metal craftsmanship (Ex. 3 1:30). In wisdom it is not artisans’ skill that is required of a human being, but the skill to live his life well. The skilful person will know how to approach those in positions of power. He will have the capacity to deal with arrogance and anger in other people (Pr. 17:27). The man skilled in living will deal responsibly though firmly with his children (Pr. 13:24). He himself will be a man of good speech, even-tempered and patient (Pr. 19: 11). Wisdom has about it an everyday ring. Work is valued and encouraged for it brings results: ‘Do you see a man skilful in his work?
He will stand before kings’ (Pr. 22:29). The indolent person is rebuked and chastened (Pr. 15 : 19; 24:30-34). Business pursuits are praised (Pr. 13 : 11;
14:23-24; 3 1: 10-19). Learning is discussed with approval. Guidelines are given for conversation. Sleep and even table manners receive attention (Pr. 23: l-3). Caution and wisdom are urged in order that everyday life be
4See Roland Murphy, ‘Wisdom and Yahwism’, No Famine in the Land. Studies in Honor of John L.
McKenzie (Missoula, Montana: Scholars Press, 1975), pp. 117-126.
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b. The salvation design and wisdom literature
It should be obvious that with this description of the content of wisdom we have arrived at that in Israel’s history toward which land possession aims:
the blessings of a full life. Man is delivered for something. That something is a better life. Following the story of Israel’s election, deliverance, and main- tenance, we may come, via the mighty acts of God, to the placement of people in the land, the place where life may be lived in its richness. Wisdom leaves aside the election, deliverance, the history of salvation, but brings its followers to ‘life’. Wisdom is no cul-de-sac. Rather it represents a parallel traffic lane, according to the manner of the modern divided highway or dual carriageway, in which for an interval the wisdom route and the history-of- salvation route are shown parallel, leading toward the same goal. In Psalm 37, a wisdom psalm, those who do good, the righteous, the meek, the trust- ing ones, will dwell in the land (Ps. 37:3,9,11,22,29). Such a passage indi- cates the harmony between the history of salvation and wisdom literature.6 In still another even more fundamental way wisdom literature dovetails with the subject of land. In both ‘design’ is significant. The conviction underlying wisdom material is that there is design and order in the universe.
‘G. von Rad, Old Testament Theology, 1 (New York: Harper & Row; London: Oliver & Boyd, 1962), p. 443.
hThe link between wisdom and Torah, suggests Walter Kaiser Jr, is forged around the ‘fear of the Lord’
concept. ‘The fear of the Lord more than any other phrase linked together the patriarchal promise with the law and wisdom.’ Toward an Old Testament Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979), p. 168.
Although Kaiser acknowledges the motif of ‘life’ as significant, he does not give to it the prominence that is suggested here. Bruce K. Waltke urges the covenant substratum for Proverbs. ‘The Book of Proverbs and Old Testament Theology’ Bibliotheca Sacra 544 (October-December 1979), pp. 302-3 17.
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In Proverbs the reader is encouraged to appreciate this order, to understand it in its fundamental structure and to orient one’s life accordingly. Vocabu- lary of design is quite at home in wisdom. ‘The purpose of the LORD. . , will be established’ (19:21). ‘The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble’ (16:4). In Ecclesiastes and Job the dis- cussion penetrates to the heart of the matter: is there indeed such an orderly principle in the world that one may rely on it totally in the structuring of one’s personal life? That question, put another way, is the question of design or purpose. In wisdom the issue is not so much what the design is but that design and order govern the universe. It is in the Israelite story of sal- vation that the precise nature of the design is explicated. Thus, as we have seen, the Exodus text sets out the specifics of that plan (Ex. 5:22-6:8).
Yahweh’s purpose is underscored in Hosea (2: 14-23), where, as in Exodus, the gift of land and the consequent abundant life are identified as Yahweh’s purposes.
If we step up to look closer at wisdom material, we will find that the this- worldly, earth-affirming instruction in Proverbs is of a piece with land as turf and soil as presented in the Mosaic promise and its fulfilment. Though it it appears to us less theological and more ‘secular’ than ‘deliverance’ or
‘covenant’, ‘land’ shares this secularity with wisdom literature. Everyday life is life in a land.
At one level, then, Israel’s possession of land and the promise of the good life correlate with wisdom’s emphasis of life. On another more basic level, the framing of the specifics in Exodus as design, places design as the common denominator for both historical material and wisdom material.
This overarching bridge between Exodus (history of salvation) and wisdom material (non-history) as sketched above is not readily accepted by many as a valid one. Indeed the way in which wisdom material is incorpor- ated into an Old Testament theology is a thorny matter.’ It is commonly pointed out that the difference between Torah, the history of Israel’s sal- vation as a people, and wisdom with its individualism, is very great. And so it is. Arguments supporting the difference are familiar. In the historical and prophetical books there is given an authoritative word: ‘Thus says the LO R D.’ But such signals of divine revelation are absent in the wisdom material. We encounter instead something from the reservoir of human ex- perience generally. The flavour in the bulk of the Old Testament is Israelite.
Elect people are the subject. But in wisdom we are on an international stage, so much so that it seems likely that Egyptian wisdom sayings have been in-
‘Cf. Walther Zimmerli, ‘The Place and Limit of Wisdom in the Framework of the Old Testament Theology',
Scottish]ournal of Theology 17 (1964), pp. 146-158; Walter C. Kaiser Jr, ‘Wisdom Theology and the Centre of Old Testament Theology’, Evangelical Quarterly SO:3 (July-September 1978), pp. 132-146;
R. E. Clements omits the wisdom writings in his Old Testament Theology; A Fresh Approach (Atlanta:
John Knox; London: Marshall Morgan B( Scott, 1978).
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Life and land corporated into Proverbs. One section (Pr. 22: 17-24:22) is modelled (some claim adopted) from the earlier wisdom of Amen-em-opet of Egypt.’ This need not be surprising when it is remembered that experience can yield valid insights. Further, much of the Old Testament deals with God’s intervention in the history of his people: God acts in behalf of his people. But in wisdom there are none of these salvific injections of God into the arena of world history. The form of the revelatory material is story, augmented by the prophetic word. Wisdom material is not story, but proverb, comparison, and sometimes parable. The purveyors of instruction on Israel’s past were priests of the temple. The purveyors of the sage counsel, crystallized through the centuries, were the scribes at court. The distinction between prophets, priests, and wise men is traditional (Je. 18: 18). Moreover the contents of wisdom, it is said, are so clearly different from the salvation history that, as one writer put it, wisdom is a cul-de-sac. The differences between wisdom material and the story of salvation (Heilsgeschichte) are there and are recognizable. But to see wisdom as a cul-de-sac with the main street continuing in the form of the salvation history is inaccurate, as we have shown.