Joint Discussion Forum: Post due TUESDAY (4-28) 3 PM; reply to two posts by THURSDAY 3 PM

Price_Reflective #2

Price_Reflective #2

by Michelle Price -
Number of replies: 2

The prophetic books and the wisdom books are different in many ways. The prophetic books characterize the relationship with God as the need to do as God says and follow God’s will. The wisdom books on the other hand leave people to wrestle with who God is and how God’s will truly works. Both sets of literature can be used as people discover who God is and how God works in various times of life.

The book of Hosea opens with “The word of the Lord that came to Hosea…” (Hos 1:1, NRSV). It shows God talking through one person. There this conversation God shares with Hosea the terrible things that are happening and what Hosea needs to share with the community. God works through Hosea to try to bring the people back in line. God gives Hosea specific tasks that start in Hos 2:1 and Hos 3:1. Hosea is to share the words God shares with him to the people.

In the book of Job, there is a lot of wrestling with how God’s judgement actually works. There is wrestling between people’s theology of God, as seen through Job and his friends. The book doesn’t really answer many questions, but leaves the reader with various things to ponder about who God is and how God works. The readers don’t know what the end outcome is, but are encouraged to keep asking.

The wisdom books encourage people to grow their wisdom in Godly things and ways. They encourage people to ask questions. The prophetic books on the other hand just simply expect people to follow, without asking questions. They show God working through one, or few people, to bring the community in line with God, whereas the wisdom books show various people’s perspective on God for daily living.


In reply to Michelle Price

Re: Price_Reflective #2

by Maxwell Staley -

I appreciate that you hint at the "correctness" of both prophetic and wisdom literature. That is; God's will as concrete and God's will as abstract are not mutually exclusive. I would also like to highlight the need for sharing God's word with the community in order to bring the community as a whole back in line with God. One thing that was difficult for me to find in the wisdom literature was any mention of the community's role in fulfilling God's will/living life. The only thing we know from Job about community is that members generally care for the well being of others but in various, perhaps even superficial ways. There is mention of interpersonal relationships of course but nothing on a larger community level ie "solicit your government to make policies that stop oppression"

In reply to Michelle Price

Re: Price_Reflective #2

by Julia O'Brien -

Michelle, you've interestingly lifted up the impression that the prophetic books give that only certain people can speak for God while the wisdom books present God's wisdom as self-evident to everyone. Even if the *content* of both books address everyone (the prophets are claiming that it is the people's actions that have prompted God's response), the *style* differs.

Most of the posts I've read so far seem to prefer the wisdom literature, seeing it as somehow more universal, even democratic. That leads me to reflect on whether religious leaders actually believe that all people have equal access to the knowledge of God based on their own experience. If we really believed that, would we teach and preach from a religious canon? Would we preach at all? Even of we don't call ourselves prophets, might we also believe that God can speak through individual voices such as that of Amos and Isaiah and us?