This morning I watched a series of videos (5 minutes each) concerning the wisdom books of the bible. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Job. Honestly, this is one of the best summaries I have seen on the three books; and the video illustrations are incredible.
Let me give you a gist: Links to the videos are also in here so you can check them out yourself.
PROVERBS
So bible first presents wisdom as a woman who roams the world trying to communicate her ways to all men. Proverbs presents wisdom as God's invisible moral law (just like gravity). Teaching that people who stick to God's prescribed way will experience the goodness of this world and the people who defy God and His ways usually wreck havoc on their own lives. The teachings of Proverbs span from life, to business, to marriage, to attitude even to poilitics; guiding the outlook of men. This cause and effect perspective is projected by Proverbs.
See Proverbs video from bible.com here
ECCLESIASTES
Wisdom is portrayed as a middle aged man with a more skeptical look at the world. In Ecclesiastes the world and how is runs it seen as a random and not necessarily meritorious system: Not always do good people succeed or bad people get punished. Ecclesiates outlines that life is essentially 'hevel' (meaningless; which in this case means vague, unclear and like smoke). The conclusion of Ecclesiastes encourages man to enjoy the simple things of life, not be so fixated on merit and calculations but to look at things with a humble mindset and an awareness that we will all eventually die. This will make us wiser in our dealings and honour God more by doing the right thing; not just because it will result in good rewards but because it is good to do them.
See Ecclesiastes video from bible.com here
JOB
Job presents wisdom in the story of a young godly man who suffered out of no fault of his. People assumed he was being punished by God and engaged him with so many hypothesis of why he might be suffering. The man Job was just and gave a defense of himself and his God. However he was very expressive and emotional; real about his confusions and misunderstandings of what was happening. But in all he did He acknowledged God as God and chose to see all his experiences with God as a reference point. This reveals one fundamental wisdom, to see things with God as a reference point. Eventually everything was restored to him, perhaps not as a rewards, but as an expression of how the humble man with an appreciation of God as a person.
See Job video from bible.com here
I will just conclude by saying that, any man who learns the wisdom of God has found a priceless outlook on life, and has set himself on a path that will eventually lead to honour, glory and true impact; if not on this earth, surely in the life after here. Wisdom calls out to us all.
