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The genre of “wisdom” is broad; however, Birch (cf. 1999:373-377), argues for five factors that are re-occurring characteristics of wisdom writing. These, while being generalisations, are helpful in understanding the relation between God, humanity and creation. These will be briefly further explored.

As explained above, Wisdom literature operates quite differently from the typical law literature, or historical writings of the Old Testament. The first factor that is noticeable in Wisdom literature is that it is a reflection of lived experiences of a quite mundane kind, and thus the spirituality presented is very much about the everyday things of life rather than an external, overarching meta-narrative (cf. Birch 1999:373-377). “Wisdom Literature focuses on the daily routines of human interaction, and asks the meaning and social significance of matters such as speech, money, friendship, work, sexuality and land” (Birch 1999:373). It presents ethical guidelines for everyday activities, at times a theological ethic; at other times, a deontological, rule defining ethic.

Take the story Job as an illustration of this; Job is a righteous man who experiences great loss in regards to wealth, health, and eventually his family. In conversations with his friends, and with God, he questions God and His judgment. This is showing how, in the backdrop of the great meta-narrative of Israel, an individual is living in relationship with God. Job is a story of an individual’s life and experience. These themes are echoed in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NLT):

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest.

A time to kill and a time to heal.

A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh.

A time to grieve and a time to dance.

A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away.

A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.

Here, the mundane issues of life—which form the backbone of every society, are discussed and brought to the fore, to present a viable and understandable ethic.

The second general characteristic of Old Testament wisdom follows on from the first. This literature insists that these mundane matters of everyday interaction be injected with “significance and ethical outcomes”. This literature is concerned with the wellbeing of everyday people, not about theologising. “Through the observation of the natural and God-given order, sages (sic) established rules that enabled people to master various situations.” (Middlemas 2007:216).

Thus, even more than being concerned with the day to day happenings of life, wisdom literature is concerned about the ethics and consequences of how these play out (cf. Bandstra 2004:411). As Birch (1999:374) argues,

Wisdom teachers recognise that there is a balanced network of givens, choices and consequences and that one cannot out-flank or escape the requirements, disciplines, and demands of the dailiness (sic) of life.

The basic premise is expressed: ‘What is sown, will be reaped’. And nobody (even the powerful) is exempt from these categories. Thus, the wisdom teachers think hard about

what it means to be righteous or wicked, and the lived consequences of those choices that are made.

An example can be seen in Ecclesiastes 5:13 (NLT) “People who work hard, sleep well”. Here, the basic premise about everyday mundane life is that when one works hard, sleep will be come easily (and sleep is seen as a great blessing). Thus, those who are lazy, will not sleep, they will not be blessed by God. As Birch (1999:374) puts it “wise living consists in respecting the ‘givens’ of daily life in making responsible choices about daily existence and in anticipating the consequences of these choices”. It represents a choosing of a path for one’s life style: it is a great foundation of one’s relation between God, each other and the broader creation. In light of these consequences, one can label a person either wise or foolish (cf. Bandstra 2004:410). A wise person chooses the path and knows the content of the collective experience of their forefathers (they know the proverbs which have been passed down from generation to generation), and they apply their knowledge in the things they are expected to do, and they are always ready to learn (cf. Rogers 2006). In contrast a fool is one who has chosen not to follow the path of wisdom; rather, a fool is someone who is ignorant, lazy and unteachable (cf. Rogers 2006). As an ethical enterprise, one would want to ensure that they are constantly wise.

The third characteristic of wisdom literature is that the “reflections and interpretations of experience...are crafted in artistic speech that intends to be compelling and persuasive” (Birch 1999:375). Once more, take the proverb from Ecclesiastes as an example, “People who work hard, sleep well”. The advantage of using such a figure of speech is that it is easy to remember and to quote as it becomes part of the lived experience of daily routine. 114

It can also be used in a non judgemental way, and it speaks across generations—although it is compiled specifically for the young (cf. Bandstra 2004:410). This carefully crafted speech engages in many rhetorical strategies that negotiate what is hidden and what is engaged. As Birch (1999:375) states,

This artistic speech seeks to communicate about experience what is not flatly and obviously available but is given to the discerning who are patient enough to reflect, to notice recurring patterns, to pay attention to odd exceptions.

The fourth factor of wisdom literature is that it is an intellectual and ethical enterprise; it is not some passing fad. Rather, wisdom writing provided a forum of comfort for those who undertook the challenge of having a deep, trusting curiosity about the way things work, and patience to observe the world around them (cf. Bandstra 2004:411-412). Their methods of ‘knowing’ obviously do not correspond to the modern methods of science, nor do they comply with any modernistic mindset. However, Birch (1999:375) suggests that the wisdom teachers approximated a scientific understanding of reality. That is, “they observed the orderly patterns of reality on the assumption of constancy” (Birch 1999:375). Much of the wisdom needed for life to be happy and successful is gained and accumulated over previous centuries (cf. Bandstra 2004:400). Thus, those who act foolishly will lose money - a fact borne through a long period of time. And so this ethical wisdom teaching is more than common sense; it is a “studied reflective judgement about reality that provides reliable lore transmitted to the next generation about how to live well, safely, responsibly and happy” (Birch 1999:375-376, italics added). It is a reliable counsel of knowledge to guide one ethically, and assist in present decision making.

Finally, this Wisdom teaching is a theologically literate; it witnesses to Yahweh, His world, His people, and the other existing nations (cf. Birch 1999-376). More specifically it is recognised that wisdom theology is a theology of creation (cf. Bandstra 2004:411). That is, it is “a reflection of faith upon the world intended by the creator” (Birch 1999:375-376). The Creator God intends for the world to be safe, whole, prosperous, and peaceful— that the entire creation order be marked by Shalom. Wisdom literature rests on the belief in the goodness of God’s created order (cf. Bandstra 2004:412). For that end to be reached the Creator has given gifts of well-being, and He has also set limits and built into creation rewards and punishments. These are set into motion by either wise or foolish actions. “The creator God has willed that all parts of creation are delicately related to one another, and therefore every decision, every act matters to the shape and well-being of the whole” (Birch 1999:376).

An important point to highlight within this genre is that even though each of these wisdom sayings contains truth according to their own context, by no means are they commands, or even true in all situations. It is common that these wise sayings contradict each another. This is illustrated by the author of Ecclesiastes in the following verses: “Better to have one handful with quietness than two handfuls with hard work and chasing the wind” (Ecclesiastes. 4:6, NLT), and straight after this verse, “Fools fold their idle hands, leading them to ruin.” (Ecclesiastes. 4:5, NLT). This should not surprise one, as even today, it is characteristic of these sayings to at times contradict each other. For example, people say “too many cooks spoil the broth”, and also say “many hands make light work”. For these saying, it is all about context and the intended meaning for the

intended situation These sayings make sense and bring truth within a context, but should not be used as a command or as a rule for all life.