PROVERBS ECCLESIASTES SONG OF SONGS

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PROVERBSECCLESIASTESSONG OF SONGS
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Biblical Poetic Books

• 5 poetic books
• Job,
• Psalms,
• Proverbs,
• Ecclesiastes,
• Song of Solomon
• King Solomon wrote 3 (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and
  Song of Solomon)
• King David wrote approximately 70 of the 151
  Psalms

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Biblical Poetic Books

• Hebrew is a Semitic language
• it doesn't rhyme
• poetry uses parallelism
• 3 forms
• Synonymous parallelism
• An idea is repeated (or paralleled)
• Psalm 119105
• "Your word is a lamp to my feet, And a light to
  my path."
• lamp and light both refer to the same entity, the
  figurative illumination of the word of God

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Biblical Poetic Books

• Antithetical parallelism
• An idea is contrasted
• Proverbs 125
• The thoughts of the righteous are right,But the
  counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
• "thoughts" and "counsels" are synonymously
  parallel, but "righteous" and "wicked" are
  contrasted

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Biblical Poetic Books

• Synthetic parallelism
• An idea is developed in several lines
• Psalm 104
•  5 You who laid the foundations of the
  earth,   So that it should not be moved
  forever, 6 You covered it with the deep as with
  a garment   The waters stood above the
  mountains.
• The idea of Gods laying of the foundation of the
  earth is developed over several verses that
  follow.

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Biblical Poetic Books

• Job - Why do the righteous suffer?
• Psalms - Even a man after the Lord's own heart
  can sin
• Proverbs Attain wisdom to live
• Ecclesiastes All is vanity!
• Song of Solomon - a love story
• And now abide faith, hope, love, these three
  but the greatest of these is love. (1
  Corinthians 1313)

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Book of Proverbs
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Psalms vs. Proverbs
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Theme

• The fear of the LORD is the beginning of
  knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and
  instruction. (17)
• Knowledge of God
• Instructions for everyday wisdom leads to
  uprightness before God
• Willingness to learn
• Gods law is part of life, is a duty, and
  requires obedience.
• This kind of obedience is the fear of the Lord.

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Christ in Proverbs

• Christ is Wisdom Wisdom has built her house
• Wisdom (Christ) has built her house (Church) and
  hewn out her seven pillars (Sacraments) (91)
• She has killed her beasts she has mingled her
  wine (92) What Christ did on Holy Thursday
• She has sent forth her maidens (Priests and
  Ministers) she cries upon the highest places of
  the city Come, eat of my bread, and drink of
  the wine which I have mingled. (93-5)
• Christ did not wait for the people to seek Him
  instead, He is the One who prepared the feast and
  called them to come

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Christ in Proverbs

• Christ (Wisdom) exists since the beginning
• 12 I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, And find
  out knowledge and discretion. 22 The LORD
  possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before
  His works of old. 23 I have been established
  from everlasting, From the beginning, before
  there was ever an earth.
• "He is the image of the invisible God, the
  firstborn over all creation. For by Him all
  things were created that are in heaven and that
  are on earth... All things were created through
  Him and for Him. (Colossians 115-16)

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Outline

•  I The Purpose of Proverbs 117 
•  II Proverbs to the Youth 18918 
•  Obey Parents 189   Avoid Bad Company 11019 
   Seek Wisdom 120222   Benefits of Wisdom
  3126   Be Kind to Others 32735   Father
  Says Get Wisdom 4113   Avoid the Wicked
  41422   Keep Your Heart 42327   Do Not
  Commit Adultery 5114   Be Faithful to Your
  Spouse 51523   

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Outline

• Avoid Surety 615  Do Not Be Lazy 6619  Do
  Not Commit Adultery 620727  Praise of Wisdom
  81912  The Foolish Woman 91318
• III Proverbs of Solomon 1012434   
• Contrasting the Godly and the Wicked 1011533 
  Encouraging Godly Lives 1612216  Concerning
  Various Situations 22172434

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Outline

• IV Proverbs of Solomon Copied by Hezekiahs Men
  2512927 
• Relationships with Kings 2517  Relationships
  with Neighbors 25820  Relationships with
  Enemies 252124  Relationships with Yourself
  252528  Relationships with Fools 26112 
  Relationships with Sluggards 261316 
  Relationships with Gossips 261728  Proverbs
  Regulating Various Activities 2712927

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Famous Proverbs

• The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
  knowledge. Prov. 17
• Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean
  not on your own understanding in all your ways
  acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
  Prov. 356
• Where there is no counsel, the people fall but
  in the multitude of counselors there is safety.
  Prov. 1114
• Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty
  spirit before a fall. Prov. 1618

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Famous Proverbs

• There is a friend who sticks closer than a
  brother. Prov. 1824
• Train up a child in the way he should go, and
  when he is old he will not depart from it. Prov.
  226
• Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is
  far above rubies. Prov. 3110

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Book of Ecclesiastes
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Title

• In the Hebrew Bible, the book is called
  "Qoheleth" (Koheleth) which means "preacher" .
• The term suggests one who speaks to an assembly.
• The translators of the Septuagint called it
  "Ekklesiastes", which also means "preacher".
• The word is derived from "ekklesia", meaning
  "assembly".

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Theme

• 2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher   
  Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. 3 What
  profit has a man from all his labor In which he
  toils under the sun?
• What value or purpose is there for living?
• What is the meaning of life?
• Having been blessed with great material resources
  and wisdom, the Preacher was able to explore all
  avenues in his search.
• He share with us the results of his own
  investigation.

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Outline

• Introduction And Prologue (11-3)
• I. The Preacher's Search For Meaning In Life
  (14-226)
• Ii. The Preacher's Observations From Life
  (31-612)
• Iii. The Preacher's Counsel For Life (71-127)
• Epilogue And Conclusion (128-14)

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"All is vanity"

• The vanity of pleasure - 21
• The vanity of industry (labor) - 211,22-23 44
• The vanity of human wisdom - 215
• The vanity of all life - 217
• The vanity of leaving an inheritance - 218-21
• The vanity of earthly existence - 319-21
• The vanity of acquiring riches over family -
  47-8
• The vanity of political popularity - 416
• The vanity of many dreams and many words - 57
• The vanity of loving abundance - 510
• The vanity of wealth without the gift of God to
  enjoy it - 62
• The vanity of wandering desire - 69
• The vanity of foolish laughter - 76
• The vanity of injustice in this life - 814
• The vanity of the days of darkness - 118
• The vanity of childhood and youth - 1110

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Vanity

• Laughter and Mirth
• "I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you
  with mirth therefore enjoy pleasure" but
  surely, this also was vanity. I said of
  laughter-"Madness!" and of mirth, "What does it
  accomplish?" " (Ecc 21-2)
• Drinking
• "I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh
  with wine." (Ecc 23)

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Vanity

• Ultimate pleasure
• 4 I made my works great, I built myself houses,
  and planted myself vineyards. 5 I made myself
  gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of
  fruit trees in them. 6 I made myself water pools
  from which to water the growing trees of the
  grove. 7 I acquired male and female servants, and
  had servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater
  possessions of herds and flocks than all who were
  in Jerusalem before me. 8 I also gathered for
  myself silver and gold and the special treasures
  of kings and of the provinces. I acquired male
  and female singers, the delights of the sons of
  men, and musical instrumentsa of all kinds.  9
  So I became great and excelled more than all who
  were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom
  remained with me. 10 Whatever my eyes desired I
  did not keep from them. I did not withhold my
  heart from any pleasure, For my heart rejoiced in
  all my labor  And this was my reward from all my
  labor.

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Vanity

• The result
• "Then I looked on all the works that my hands had
  done And on the labor in which I had toiled And
  indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind.
  There was no profit under the sun." (211)

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"under the sun"

• Vanity is true when one looks at life purely from
  an earthly perspective.
• Leave God and the afterlife out of the equation,
  and life is truly vanity!
• "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter
  Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is
  the whole duty of man." (1213)

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Song of Songsof Solomon
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Introduction

• The Writer King Solomon.
• He had written many songs He spoke three
  thousand proverbs, and his songs were one
  thousand and five. (1Kin 432)
• However, this book is the song of songs
• The entire book is one beautiful poem.
• The Song of Songs is a dialog between two main
  characters
• the Shulamite (A Palestinian young girl) and the
  Beloved.
• The Shulamite represents the human soul or the
  Church as a whole the Beloved represents Christ.

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Characteristics

• This book is very deep.
• It unveils for us the depth of the God's
  Philanthropy (love of mankind).
• It portrays how much God searches for man's soul
  to offer Himself to him.
• It is a commune between the Lord and His bride
  between the Beloved and His Church between
  Christ and the human soul.

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Characteristics

• It is a symbol of the true prayer
• no routine or customary words, but rather a deep
  communion between God and the soul, without
  veils or rituals.
• God revels Himself to her, and also revels her.
• He speaks openly to her, and she to Him.
• She converses her love to Him, communes His love
  and her longing for Him, informs Him about her
  "blackness" and her unworthiness for Him, and
  about her pains and sufferings.
• A private dialogue between two betrothed lovers
  speaking openly about all that is in their
  hearts.
• The true understanding of prayer and worship.

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Books of Solomon

• The Holy of Hollies of the Holy Bible
• Difficult to be understood by the beginners.
• The books of Solomon gradually lifts the spirit
  from the earthly matters to the Heavenly
• The Book of Proverbs is presented to the
  toddlers in faith
• they may understand their need to attain Wisdom
  (The Lord Jesus Christ) in this life, lest they
  go astray To know wisdom and instruction, to
  perceive the words of understanding, to receive
  the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment,
  and equity. (Prov 12-3)

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Books of Solomon

• In The Book of Ecclesiastes, after the believer
  seeks wisdom, he discovers the one single truth
  about the pettiness of the world All is vanity
  and grasping for the wind. (Ecc 114)
• In the Song of Songs, the believer realizes that
  it is not sufficient to reject the world and rid
  the heart of its desires, but he must now fill it
  with Christ My beloved is mine, and I am His.
  (Song 216)

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• Set me as a seal upon your heart,
• As a seal upon your arm
• For love is as strong as death,
• Jealousy as cruel as the grave
• Its flames are flames of fire,
• A most vehement flame.
• Many waters cannot quench love,
• Nor can the floods drown it.
• If a man would give for love
• All the wealth of his house,
• It would be utterly despised.
• (Song of Solomon 8 6-7)

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Four Spiritual Stages
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Outline

• Power of Love (12-84)
• A. The quality and depth of love (12-4)B. The
  lovers talk (15-27)C. The expectant desire for
  the lovers (28-17)D. The lost and found lover
  (31-5)E. King Solomon's procession (36-11)F.
  The woman's beauty (41-8)G. The lovers talk
  (49-51)H. The woman describes her lover to
  other women (52-63)I. The woman's beauty
  (64-10)J. The desire for love (611-13)K. The
  woman's beauty (71-9)L. Lovers united
  (710-84)

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Outline

• Concluding Comments (85-13)
• A. The lovers approach from the desert (85)B.
  Inseparable, undying love (86-7)C. The brothers
  versus their sister (88-10)D. The man prizes
  his beloved (811-12)E. The lovers talk
  (813-14)

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Christ in Song of Songs

• 510 My beloved is white and ruddy, Chief among
  ten thousand. 11 His head is like the finest
  gold His locks are wavy,  And black as a raven.
  12 His eyes are like doves By the rivers of
  waters, Washed with milk, And fitly set. 13
  His cheeks are like a bed of spices, Banks of
  scented herbs. His lips are lilies, Dripping
  liquid myrrh. 14 His hands are rods of gold Set
  with beryl. His body is carved ivory Inlaid with
  sapphires. 15 His legs are pillars of marble
  Set on bases of fine gold. His countenance is
  like Lebanon, Excellent as the cedars. 16 His
  mouth is most sweet, Yes, he is altogether
  lovely. This is my beloved, And this is my
  friend

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Christs Call and Our Response

• 52 It is the voice of my beloved! He knocks,
  saying, Open for me, my sister, my love, My
  dove, my perfect one For my head is covered with
  dew, My locks with the drops of the night. 3
  I have taken off my robe How can I put it on
  again? I have washed my feet How can I defile
  them? 4 My beloved put his hand By the latch of
  the door,And my heart yearned for him 6 I
  opened for my beloved, But my beloved had turned
  away and was gone. My heart leaped up when he
  spoke. I sought him, but I could not find him
  I called him, but he gave me no answer.

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Christs Description of Us

• 41 Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you
  are fair! You have doves eyes behind your veil.
  Your hair is like a flock of goats, Going down
  from Mount Gilead. 7 You are all fair, my love,
  And there is no spot in you. 10 How fair is
  your love, My sister, my spouse! How much better
  than wine is your love, And the scent of your
  perfumes Than all spices! 11 Your lips, O my
  spouse, Drip as the honeycomb Honey and milk
  are under your tongue And the fragrance of your
  garments Is like the fragrance of Lebanon. 12
  A garden enclosed Is my sister, my spouse, A
  spring shut up, A fountain sealed.

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Our Desire for Christ

•     86 Set me as a seal upon your heart,
        As a seal upon your arm       For love
  is as strong as death,       Jealousy as cruel
  as the grave      Its flames are flames of
  fire,       A most vehement flame.       7 Many
  waters cannot quench love,       Nor can the
  floods drown it.       If a man would give for
  love       All the wealth of his house,
        It would be utterly despised.