As many of the wisdom books don't require extensive footnotes...and because a little wisdom and praise never go amiss all our other studying...the wisdom books will be gradually introduced throughout the rest of our study.


Psalm 7: God the Vindicator
1   A plaintive song of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, the Benjaminite.
I
2   LORD my God, in you I trusted; save me; rescue me from all who pursue me,
3   Lest someone maul me like a lion, tear my soul apart with no one to deliver.
II
4   LORD my God, if I have done this, if there is guilt on my hands,
5   If I have maltreated someone treating me equitably—or even despoiled my oppressor without cause-
6   Then let my enemy pursue and overtake my soul, trample my life to the ground, and lay my honor in the dust. Selah
III
7   Rise up, LORD, in your anger; be aroused against the outrages of my oppressors. Stir up the justice, my God, you have commanded.
8   Have the assembly of the peoples gather about you; and return on high above them,
9   the LORD will pass judgment on the peoples. Judge me, LORD, according to my righteousness, and my integrity.
10   Let the malice of the wicked end. Uphold the just one, O just God, who tries hearts and minds.
IV
11   God is a shield above me saving the upright of heart.
12   God is a just judge, powerful and patient, not exercising anger every day.
13   If one does not repent, God sharpens his sword, strings and readies the bow,
14   Prepares his deadly shafts, makes arrows blazing thunderbolts.
V
15   Consider how one conceives iniquity; is pregnant with mischief, and gives birth to deception.
16   He digs a hole and bores it deep, but he falls into the pit he has made.
17   His malice turns back upon his head; his violence falls on his own skull.
VI
18   I will thank the LORD in accordance with his justice; I will sing the name of the LORD Most High.


Psalm 8: Divine Majesty and Human Dignity
1   For the leader; “upon the gittith.” A psalm of David.
2   O LORD, our Lord, how awesome is your name through all the earth! I will sing of your majesty above the heavens
3   with the mouths of babes and infants. You have established a bulwark against your foes, to silence enemy and avenger.
4   When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars that you set in place--
5   What is man that you are mindful of him, and a son of man that you care for him?
6   Yet you have made him little less than a god, crowned him with glory and honor.
7   You have given him rule over the works of your hands, put all things at his feet:
8   All sheep and oxen, even the beasts of the field,
9   The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
10  O LORD, our Lord, how awesome is your name through all the earth!

Psalm 5: Prayer for Divine Help
1   For the leader; with wind instruments. A psalm of David.
I    
2   Give ear to my words, O LORD; understand my sighing.
3   Hear my cry for help, my king and my God! To you I pray, O LORD;
4   at dawn you will hear my voice; at dawn I will plead before you and wait.
II
5   You are not a god who delights in evil; no wicked person finds refuge with you;
6   the arrogant cannot stand before your eyes. You hate all who do evil;
7   you destroy those who speak falsely. A bloody and fraudulent man
the LORD abhors.
III
8   But I, through the abundance of your mercy, will enter into your house.
I will bow down toward your holy sanctuary out of fear of you.
9   LORD, guide me in your justice because of my foes;
make straight your way before me.
IV
10   For there is no sincerity in their mouth; their heart is corrupt. Their throat is an open grave; on their tongue are subtle lies.
11   Declare them guilty, God; make them fall by their own devices. Drive them out for their many sins; for they have rebelled against you.
V
12   Then all who trust in you will be glad and forever shout for joy. You will protect them and those will rejoice in you who love your name.
13   For you, LORD, bless the just one; you surround him with favor like a shield.


Psalm 6: Prayer in Distress
For the leader; with stringed instruments, “upon the eighth.” A psalm of David.
I
2   Do not reprove me in your anger, LORD, nor punish me in your wrath.
3   Have pity on me, LORD, for I am weak; heal me, LORD, for my bones are shuddering.
4   My soul too is shuddering greatly— and you, LORD, how long…?
5   Turn back, LORD, rescue my soul; save me because of your mercy.
6   For in death there is no remembrance of you. Who praises you in Sheol?
II
7   I am wearied with sighing; all night long I drench my bed with tears; I soak my couch with weeping.
8   My eyes are dimmed with sorrow, worn out because of all my foes.
III
9   Away from me, all who do evil! The LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.
10   The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD will receive my prayer.
11   My foes will all be disgraced and will shudder greatly; they will turn back in sudden disgrace.

As many of the wisdom books don't require extensive footnotes...and because a little wisdom and praise never go amiss all our other studying...the wisdom books will be gradually introduced throughout the rest of our study. We'll be starting with Psalms. 

Psalm 3: Threatened but Trusting

1   A psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom.
2   How many are my foes, LORD! How many rise against me!
3   How many say of me, “There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah
4   But you, LORD, are a shield around me; my glory, you keep my head high.
5   With my own voice I will call out to the LORD, and he will answer me from his holy mountain. Selah
6   I lie down and I fall asleep, [and] I will wake up, for the LORD sustains me.
7   I do not fear, then, thousands of people arrayed against me on every side.
8   Arise, LORD! Save me, my God! For you strike the cheekbone of all my foes; you break the teeth of the wicked.
9   Salvation is from the LORD! May your blessing be upon your people!

Psalm 4: Trust in God
1 For the leader; with stringed instruments. A psalm of David.
2   Answer me when I call, my saving God. When troubles hem me in, set me free; take pity on me, hear my prayer.
3   How long, O people, will you be hard of heart? Why do you love what is worthless, chase after lies? Selah
4   Know that the LORD works wonders for his faithful one; the LORD hears when I call out to him.
5   Tremble and sin no more; weep bitterly within your hearts, wail upon your beds,
6   Offer fitting sacrifices and trust in the LORD.
7   Many say, “May we see better times! LORD, show us the light of your face!” Selah
8   But you have given my heart more joy than they have when grain and wine abound.
9   In peace I will lie down and fall asleep, for you alone, LORD, make me secure.

As many of the wisdom books don't require extensive footnotes...and because a little wisdom and praise never go amiss all our other studying...the wisdom books will be gradually introduced throughout the rest of our study. We'll be starting with Psalms. 

Chapter 1: True Happiness in God's Law

1   Blessed is the man who does not walk, in the counsel of the wicked, 
     Nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in company with scoffers.
2   Rather, the law of the LORD is his joy; and on his law he meditates day and night.
3   He is like a tree planted near streams of water, that yields its fruit in season;
     Its leaves never wither; whatever he does prospers.
4   But not so are the wicked, not so! They are like chaff driven by the wind.
5   Therefore the wicked will not arise at the judgment, nor will sinners in the assembly of the just.
6   Because the LORD knows the way of the just, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.


Chapter 2: A Psalm for Royal Coronation

1    Why do the nations protest and the peoples conspire in vain?
2   Kings on earth rise up and princes plot together against the LORD and against his anointed one:
3   “Let us break their shackles and cast off their chains from us!”
4   The one enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord derides them,
5   Then he speaks to them in his anger, in his wrath he terrifies them:
6   “I myself have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”
7   I will proclaim the decree of the LORD, he said to me, “You are my son; today I have begotten you.
8   Ask it of me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, and, as your possession, the ends of the earth.
9   With an iron rod you will shepherd them, like a potter’s vessel you will shatter them.”
10   And now, kings, give heed; take warning, judges on earth.
11   Serve the LORD with fear; exult with trembling, Accept correction lest he become angry and you perish along the way
       when his anger suddenly blazes up. Blessed are all who take refuge in him!

The "Wisdom Books" of the Bible include: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom, and Sirach. (Note: some branches of Protestantism removed the latter two [among other books] during the Reformation; they were part of the Bible since before Christ and confirmed at Council of Hippo in 390 A.D.). 

Despite the occasional claim otherwise, Solomon was not the author of the Wisdom literature. While he no doubt has a great reputation for wisdom, the timing is completely impossible for him to be the author. In addition, much of the material- in theme if not exact words- is part of a larger tradition of wisdom literature. The Catholic Study Bible notes: "Israel's wisdom tradition did not develop in a vacuum. It was part of a much boarder movements within the ancient Near East world...There is a remarkable similarity between the biblical wisdom material and some Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Canaanite texts...Despite these similarities, Israel's wisdom tradition is clearly in accord with its Yahwistic faith" (RG 232). 

Now knowing what the Wisdom books are and the basics of the origins surrounding them, we come to the question of: Why read them? 

To gain an understanding of life. To learn what practices develop good character. To study instruction on the proper ways of living. And finally: to see what mistakes we humans tend to. 


"Although the wise women and men believed that there was a right way of behaving, they did not insist on a rigid standard that would fit every circumstance. Each case the different. The wise person was the one who had a store of wisdom gained from experience and who knew which way of the behaving was appropriate to each situation" (Catholic Study Bible, RG 232). 
"Experiential wisdom is human response to environment, an attempt to understand and cope with it. Successful insights are captured in pithy saying...Compared to the commandments of the Torah, their teaching deals with the grey area of life which has to do with formation of character" (The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, p.448)


Finally, one should consider the "how" of reading the Wisdom books. The how may seem obvious (open the book and read), but isn't. Many Christians are unfamiliar with the genre of wisdom literature and believe you can pick one verse out and that it will always stand alone and be correct. This method of reading the wisdom books has led to people not gaining wisdom, but rather confusion and/or negative ways of living. The various sections of Wisdom literature must be read in context of the verses around them. And with an understanding of various types of literature (parable, couplet designed to follow parallelism, etc.) Much of Job most definitely needs to be read in context; some of Job's "friends" various rebuttals along with Job's comments are outrageous if reading only a single verse and not understanding the larger story. 

Another example is Proverbs 31 (right/ideal conduct of women/wives), which is often taken out of context or without an understanding of the genre. While much of it is good advice or something to strive for, understanding what the examples are for is also important. An example of picking a single verse out of context? Not many of us still do the following: "She seeks out wool and flax and weaves with skillful hands." Is a women failing if she doesn't fulfill 31:13 then? No. 
Another author summed up the problem with Proverbs 31 perfectly: "Because trying to mold your personality and life by one proverb of the Bible causes you to miss the whole point of the rest of it – your value isn’t in your works, but in Christ." Please see Emily Timbol's article at: http://www.emilytimbol.com/2014/03/the-20-most-misunderstood-verses-in-the-bible/ for a further explanation. 

For a further, exhaustive study of Wisdom literature, it's extents, characteristics, origins, settings, forms, theological aspects, etc., I would suggest The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, p. 447-452. 

Psalm 3:
Threatened but Trusting

1 A psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom.
2 How many are my foes, Lord! How many rise against me!
3 How many say of me, "God will not save that one."
4 But you, Lord, are a shield around me; my glory, you keep my head high.
5 Whenever I cried out to the Lord, I was answered from the holy mountain.
6 Whenever I lay down and slept, the Lord preserved me to rise again.
7 I do not fear, then, thousands of people arrayed against me on every side.
8 Arise, Lord! Save me, my God! You will shatter the jaws of all my foes; you will break the teeth of the wicked.
9 Safety comes from the Lord! Your blessing for your people!