WISDOM IN THE (ANCIENT NEAR EAST)

 THE WRITER OF KINGS REPORTS THAT THE LORD APPEARED TO SOLOMON IN A DREAM AND SAID, "ASK WHAT I SHALL GIVE YOU." SOLOMON ASKED, "GIVE THY SERVANT THEREFORE AN UNDERSTANDING MIND TO GOVERN THY PEOPLE, THAT I MAY DISCERN BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL: FOR WHO IS ABLE TO GOVERN THIS THY GREAT PEOPLE.?"  (1 KINGS 3:5,9).  (1 KINGS 4:29-34) COMMENTS THAT THE LORD "GAVE" WISDOM TO SOLOMON. JUST AS HE GAVE TORAH TO THE PRIEST AND HIS WORD TO THE PROPHET, SO TOO, HE GAVE WISDOM TO THE WISE MAN THE PASSAGE INDICATES THAT AT THE TIME OF SOLOMON, WISDOM WAS AN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIR. SOLOMON'S WISDOM  SURPASSES THAT OF "ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE EAST." AND ALL THAT "OF EGYPT. THE NEXT VERSE INDICATES THAT AT THE TIME OF SOLOMON,  OTHER WISE MEN LIVED AT THE TIME OF SOLOMON, BUT THEY WERE LESS ENDOWED WITH WISDOM THAN WAS SOLOMON. SOLOMON GAVE CONCRETE
EXPRESSION TO HIS WISDOM IN THE WAY HE HANDLED DISPUTES AND RULED HIS REALM. HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FORMULATION OF PROVERBS AND THE WRITING OF SONGS, AND REFLECTED ON TREES, BEASTS, BIRDS, REPTILES, AND FISH.
SOLOMON'S INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION FOR WISDOM PERSUADED THE QUEEN OF SHEBA TO VISIT HIM TO HEAR AND SEE FOR HERSELF. SHE HEARD IT, FOR HE WAS ABLE TO ANSWER ALL OF HE QUESTIONS., 1 KINGS 10:3. SHE SAW ITS FRUITS DEMONSTRATED IN THE MAGNIFICENCE OF SOLOMONS COURT UNTIL "THERE WAS NO MORE SPIRIT IN HER " 1 KINGS 10:5. 1 KINGS 5. 1 KINGS 10 CONCENTRATES ON MATERIAL ASPECTS OF SOLOMON'S REIGN; CH.11 HINTS THAT SOLOMON WAS NOT AS WISE AS SOME THOUGHT HIM TO BE.
THE OLD TESTAMENT ASCRIBES PROVERBS AND ECCLESIASTES TO SOLOMON. THE OPENING VERSE OF SONG OF SOLOMON ASCRIBES THIS WORK ALSO TO SOLOMON,
POSSIBLY BECAUSE 1 KINGS 4:32 SAYS HE COMPOSED MANY PROVERBS AND SONGS.
HOWEVER, IT IS DOUBTFUL IF SOLOMON PRODUCED THIS COLLECTION OF LOVE SONGS, WHICH GOT INTO THE OLD TESTAMENT CANON ONLY BY MEANS OF A REINTERPRETATION. IT WAS UNDERSTOOD AS AN ALLEGORY DEPICTING  THE LOVE OF GOD FOR HIS PEOPLE.  NON-CANONICAL WRITINGS ARE ALSO ASCRIBED TO SOLOMON: THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON, THE PSALMS OF SOLOMON, AND THE ODES OF SOLOMON. ISRAEL ONCE LIVED IN EGYPT. SOLOMON WAS MARRIED TO AN EGYPTIAN PRINCESS, 1 KINGS 3:1. DEUTERONOMY 17: 4-17 HINTS AT A CONTINUING CONTACT BETWEEN THE TWO REALMS. EGYPT HAD WISDOM MATERIALS KNOWN AS SEBAYIT, OR "TEACHINGS" WHICH SET OUT TO TRAIN RULERS, AND EQUIP OFFICIALS TO SERVE AT COURT, OFTEN WRITTEN IN THE STYLE OF "FATHER TO SON." THE OLD TESTAMENT WISDOM LITERATURE RESEMBLES THESE.
"NOTE:" THE OLD TESTAMENT CONTAINS A NUMBER OF "WISDOM WRITINGS." THESE ADVISE A PERSON HOW TO LIVE IN ORDER TO EXPERIENCE THE GREATEST MEANING AND SATISFACTION IN LIFE.. THEY TEACH THAT EVERY PERSON  WALKS IN EITHER THE WAY OF RIGHTEOUS OR THE WAY OF THE WICKED. THE WRITER OF ECCLESIASTES  REJECTED THE IDEA THAT THE STUDY OF "WISDOM" COULD ENABLE ONE TO DISCOVER THE DIVINE PLAN BEHIND THE UNIVERSE. HE FELT THAT MUCH OF LIFE IS VANITY AND STRIVING AFTER THE WIND. ACCORDING TO HIM, THERE IS NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN. THE BOOK OF JOB PROBES QUESTIONS OF MOTIVES AND SUFFERING. DO THE RIGHTEOUS OBEY GOD JUST BECAUSE OF THE BLESSINGS THAT ACCRUE AS A RESULT?  HOW ARE THE RIGHTEOUS TO UNDERSTAND THEIR POSITION BEFORE GOD WHEN THE BURDEN IN LIFE BECOMES UNBEARABLE?  IN THE WISDOM LITERATURE OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST, THE "SAGE" SEEMS TO DETACH HIMSELF FROM THE LIMITS OF TIME AND CULTURE, HIS WRITINGS HAVE AN AGELESS QUALITY AS THEY ANALYZE HUMAN EXISTENCE. OLD TESTAMENT WISDOM LITERATURE MAKES LITTLE REFERENCE TO THE EXODUS, ELECTION, COVENANT, AND LAW, THE DAY OF THE LORD, THE TEMPLE, THE PRIESTHOOD, THE MESSIANIC HOPE, AND GREAT PERSONALITIES AND EVENTS. ITS CONCERN IS TO GIVE PRACTICAL ADVICE ABOUT HOW TO ATTAIN TO THE SUCCESSFUL AND GOOD LIFE, AND TO PROBE THE MEANING  OF LIFE.  THE APHORISMS IN PROVERBS SPEAK OF A PERSON'S RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.. " THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF KNOWLEDGE," A SUMMONS TO "TRUST GOD." THE DESIRED OUTCOME IS THE WISE MIGHT BE EQUIPPED TO UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF LIFE. THE FOOL, NO MATTER HOW CLEVER HE MAY APPEAR ON THE SURFACE, WILL ALWAYS GROPE IN CONFUSION. PROVERBS SPEAKS ABOUT TWO WAYS, THE WISE AND FOOLISH, THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED. BEHIND THE MAXIMS LIES  THE DEUTERONOMIC DOCTRINE OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS. PROVERBS IS A COLLECTION OF COLLECTIONS OF WISDOM STATEMENTS PRODUCED OVER A CONSIDERABLE SPAN OF YEARS. ECCLESIASTES ON THE OTHER HAND, IS THE WORK OF ONE MAN WHO WROTE APPROXIMATELY 250-2OO B.C. IT CONTAINS STATEMENTS THAT CONSTITUTED A THREAT TO ORTHODOX JUDAISM. ACCORDING TO EARLIER JEWISH SAGES, WISDOM COULD SHOW THE RIGHT COURSE OF ACTION, AND HELP A PERSON UNDERSTAND THE DIVINE PLAN UNDERLYING CREATION. ECCLESIASTES THREW OUT A BOLD CHALLENGE TO THAT POSITION. IT INSISTS THAT "ALL IS VANITY" THAT A PERSON'S EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE ANYTHING AMOUNTS TO NOTHING. FOR CHARACTER AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS MAKE NO DIFFERENCE TO A PERSON'S LOT IN LIFE OR FATE AFTER DEATH. ( WHICH IS THE SAME AS THAT OF THE BEASTS!).
HUMANITY CANNOT CHANGE THE SITUATION. GOD'S WISDOM IS INSCRUTABLE . FROM THE HUMAN PERSPECTIVE, THERE SEEMS TO BE NO REASON FOR LIFE. EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE A MATTER OF CHANCE. IF THERE IS A DIVINE PLAN HUMANITY IS LEFT IN THE DARK ABOUT IT. HISTORY IS A MATTER OF CAPRICE, WITHOUT MEANING OR PURPOSE, AND MOVES IN POINTLESS CIRCLES. THEREFORE, THE BEST THING TO DO IS TO ENJOY WHATEVER GOOD GIFTS AND OPPORTUNITIES GOD GRANTS BEFORE THE AGING PROCESS TAKES ITS TOLL AND DEATH PLUNGES ONE INTO OBLIVION 11:9-12:8. IT IS NOT KNOWN WHO WROTE ECCLESIASTES. THE SUGGESTION THAT SOLOMON WROTE IT  (1:12,13; 2-4-11). IS NOT CONVINCING. HOWEVER, THE REFERENCES TO SOLOMONIC AUTHORSHIP, PLUS THE ORTHODOX "IMPROVEMENTS"  MENTIONED ABOVE, GAINED IT A PLACE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT CANON.THE RABBIS SERIOUSLY QUESTIONED THE RIGHT OF ECCLESIASTES, ESTHER, AND SONG OF SOLOMON TO A PLACE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT FOR SEVERAL CENTURIES, EVEN AFTER THEY WERE OFFICIALLY ACCEPTED INTO IT. IN 1:1, THE WRITER REFERS TO HIMSELF AS "THE PREACHER;"  THE HEBREW TERM IS  QoHELETH, A WORD DESCRIBING A "FUNCTION-" NAMELY ONE WHO SPEAKS TO A CONGREGATION. THE THEME IS DECLARED IN 1:2, AND REPEATED IN 12:8, VANITY OF VANITIES, SAYS THE PREACHER;  "
 ALL IS VANITY AND STRIVING AFTER THE WIND," 2:17,26.
QoHELETH'S ADVICE IS TO ENJOY LIFE WHILE IT LASTS AND MAKE THE BEST OF IT,
BUT DO NOT PROBE OR PROVE THE FUTURE 2:24,25. THERE ARE MOMENTS OF OF OPPORTUNITY,3:2-9, A MAN SHOULD ENJOY LIFE WITH HIS WIFE AND FIND WHATEVER SATISFACTION HE CAN IN HIS DAILY WORK. FOR THERE IS NO WORK, OR THOUGHT OR KNOWLEDGE, OR WISDOM IN SHEOL TO WHICH YOU ARE GOING. LIFE IN SHEOL IS NOTHING BUT DUST AND SILENCE.