In the third week of our sermon series on how we read our Bibles, we are taking a look at the prophets and Wisdom Literature in the Hebrew Bible (often called the Old Testament). In the past couple of weeks, we have dived into “Epiphany & Creation” and “History & Law,” and invited our community to try reading the Bible in intentional and perhaps new ways. You can find resources on reading and studying the Bible here.
The prophets, from Elijah, Elisha, and Nathan, through to Zechariah and Obadiah, are fascinating to read and study. The Wisdom books–Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and others, add a richness of poetry, instruction, and musings to our Scriptures. I find myself remembering studying these books as a child in school, marveling at the power some of the prophets wielded, both in word and action–I thought they were like Gandalf, the wizard from the Lord of the Rings books!
As I write today, that comparison strikes me as completely apt. Gandalf had lots of power, but his most important task was to be a truth teller, both for his fellows and to the world and world leaders. And like Gandalf, God’s prophets rarely backed down, or faltered in their task, even when it was unpleasant, and even when their lives were in danger.
2 Samuel 12:1-10
So the Lord sent Nathan to David. When Nathan arrived he said, “There were two men in the same city, one rich, one poor. 2 The rich man had a lot of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing—just one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised that lamb, and it grew up with him and his children. It would eat from his food and drink from his cup—even sleep in his arms! It was like a daughter to him.
4 “Now a traveler came to visit the rich man, but he wasn’t willing to take anything from his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had arrived. Instead, he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the visitor.”
5 David got very angry at the man, and he said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the one who did this is demonic! 6 He must restore the ewe lamb seven times over because he did this and because he had no compassion.”
7 “You are that man!” Nathan told David. “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: I anointed you king over Israel and delivered you from Saul’s power. 8 I gave your master’s house to you, and gave his wives into your embrace. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. If that was too little, I would have given even more. 9 Why have you despised the Lord’s word by doing what is evil in his eyes? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and taken his wife as your own. You used the Ammonites to kill him. 10 Because of that, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite as your own, the sword will never leave your own house.
Consider these questions:
- Have you read the Prophets and Wisdom Literature in the Hebrew Bible?
- Which books stand out to you? What do you see as the “task(s)” of the prophets and the authors of books like Ecclesiastes and Lamentations?
- Do you think the words of the prophets and wisdom books are relevant today, or more applicable in the past? If the present, what is most applicable today? If the past, what are your thoughts on their are inclusion in the Bible?
- What impact do these books have on you as you study? Do they give you courage, make you think, inform your choices in some way?