 |  | | | |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
Contents of the KetuvimThe Ketuvim contains 11 books divided into 3 sections: the Po etic books, the Five Scrolls, and the History books. Sifrei Emet (The 3 Poetic Books)The first section contains three books of poetry. The longest of these is the book of Praises (or Psalms). Psalms is the longest book in the bible, consisting of 150 separate hymns or songs collected from throughout the history of Israel . The Proverbs are a collection of wis dom sayings, written primarily by King Solomon. Finally the book of Job is a poetic book which addresses the age-old question of why bad things happen to good people. Job is considered one of the greatest and most important literary books of all time. Hamesh Megillot (The Five Scrolls)The Hamesh Megillot, which means the five scrolls in Hebrew, has traditionally been read during the major feasts of the Jewish calendar. The scrolls begin with Ruth, which tells the uplifting story of how a young Moabite woman becomes the great grandmother of King David. Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon) is an erotic love poem which speaks of the purity of marital sexual relations. From there, the scrolls descend into the cynicism of Ecclesiastes and the sorrow of Lamentations. The scrolls end with Esther, a book in which God is not even mentioned. Esther stands as a marked contrast to Ruth. In Ruth we find a beautiful foreign woman adopting the worship of Yahweh as her own and become part of the Messianic promise. In Esther we find a beautiful Jewish woman who purposely hides her heritage and her religion, voluntarily entering the harem of a foreign king and marrying a non-Jew. Other Historical BooksThe Ketuvim concludes with three historical books. Daniel tells of God's sovereignty over the nations of the world through narratives and prophecy. Ezra-Nehemiah tells of the return of the Jews to their homeland and the subsequent rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple. Chronicles tells the history of Israel from the time of King David to the end of the exile to show an example to post-exilic Israel of the kind of nation they are aspiring to become. Literary Styles of the KetuvimHebrew PoetryPoetry is used to impact the reader not just in the head, but in the heart. Poetry is used because it is more readily memorized than prose. Poetry has a way of making profound statements in such simple and emotive language that it can penetrate through our cynical rationalism and hit us right in our soul. If we read poetry as a doctrinal treatise or a theological lesson, we might come to some incorrect conclusions. Instead poetry honestly and truthfully describes the author's experience and deep feelings. So we must be careful when reading the Psalm to understand that these poems are truthful to the author's feelings, and only when read in their full argument can we draw accurate principles of who God is and how he relates to us. Poetry in scripture is a model of a God-centered world view, through expressions of worship, prayer, and the way a saint is to express their deepest emotions and concerns to God. Therefore, when approaching a psalm, ask, what does this psalm tell me about God and his relationship with the author in the midst of difficult or joyous circumstances? Secondly the poetry in scripture gives us a model for worshipping God. Therefore, ask, what does this psalm tell me about how we are to pray, praise and express ourselves in worship to God, both individually and corporately; The Structure of PoetryPoetry is required to follow certain ground rules. For example, in English, we expect poetry to follow a certain rhyme and meter. For example, every other line might end in a rhyme. It is the very nature of poetry that makes it memorable and penetrating. Hebrew poetry uses rhyming and meter as well. However rhyme in Hebrew poetry tends to be not at the end of the line but in successive words. Hebrew poetry might also use alliteration in the successive words in a line. Hebrew poetry often also uses alphabetical acronyms, where each line starts with a different letter of the alphabet (e.g. Psalm 119). However, the most distinguishing characteristic of Hebrew poetry is parallelism . A Hebrew poem is divided into lines which repeat the point of the author in different words. This repetitive style is the most distinguishing mark of Hebrew poetry because, unlike rhyme and meter, it transcends translation. For example, in Psalm 19:7-9, each line in these 3 verses say the same thing:
The psalmist is trying to penetrate our heart and get us to feel his point rather than making a rationalistic argument to make his point. Therefore, when studying Hebrew poetry, we don't dissect each line and try to determine the subtle differences in each word. Rather we let the overall sense of each parallel section give us an overall sense of what the author intends for us to feel about the passage. Wisdom LiteratureWisdom literature is a unique form of literature within the bible. Proverbs are- well, they are proverbial. That is to say, the Proverbs are generalized statements about common-sense issues in life. The Proverbs are not promises, per se, but observations about what is true in life. For example, we have the modern English proverb, “an apple a day will keep the doctor away.” Now this is not a promise that by eating apples everyday you will never get sick, but a general observation that eating healthy foods will improve your health. Job, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon are poetic books which present one single point per book. The development of the argument in Job and Ecclesiastes begins by presenting alternative viewpoints to the author's main point. Those alternate viewpoints, in both these books, take up the bulk of the book. Then finally, in the closing chapters, the author's real viewpoint is expressed. Great care must be taken in Job and Ecclesiastes to not pull things out of the context of the entire book, or the reader will be reading a false viewpoint, and not the intent of the book!! Wisdom literature directly (Proverbs) or indirectly (Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon) tell us how to make wise choices for living in real life situations. Therefore, ask, what does the proverb or book tell me about general patterns of living which will be beneficial to me? HistoryThe entire bible really is one large historical narrative; one grand story from creation to the cross to the coming kingdom. Therefore it should not surprise us that historical narrative makes up nearly half of the bible. The bible is the story of God's interaction with humanity in history. The narratives do not directly teach doctrine. They might illustrate doctrine which is taught propositionally elsewhere, but they should not be a primary source for determining theology. Narratives are selective and incomplete, only presenting the historical facts necessary to make the point of the author. When reading narrative, then, we begin by looking at each story and asking how this story fits within the full scope of the biblical narrative. How does each story fit within the eternal, universal plan of God and His salvation story? After this, then we look to see how a story fits in with the story of God's people. What impact does this story have on the nation of Israel or the church? What development or foundations are being laid in the story of Israel or the church? Finally, after looking at these broad strokes, we look at the story of each individual. What examples are being provided for us? But be careful! Sometimes the examples are negative ones (e.g. Esther). Remember that in each narrative the real hero of the story is not the individual, but God himself! Rather than looking a the human characters as heroes to emulate, take a larger view of God as hero, and that He is the one we should emulate. Themes of the KetuvimGod's Sovereignty over the NationsDuring the time the Ketuvim is compiled, the Jewish people had been under the control of foreign nations as a conquered people for over a century. If the Jews were God's chosen people, then why were they under foreign oppression? Why were they not free and powerful as in the days of Kings David and Solomon? This question is answered in a repeated theme throughout the Ketuvim. Repeatedly, Yahweh, the God of Israel , is shown to be more than just Israel 's God, but the God of the entire universe. The nations around Israel are all under his authority and they do His bidding. Daniel shows God humiliating the Babylon ia n kings and showing how God has already preordained the rise and fall of nations. Ezra shows Cyrus, the king of Persia , as one doing God's bidding when allowing the Jews to return. Nehemiah prays that God would turn the heart of Artaxerxes. The great empires have no control except that which Yahweh has given them. That is why the Psalmist is able to say:
God's Sovereignty in the Midst of StruggleWhen Judah was carried into exile, every person faced hardship, even those who still worshipped Yahweh. Now, even in the post-exilic period, the people had returned to God, but they were still struggling. There was opposition from those around them. The land was not prosperous. The city of Jerusalem and the temple were just a shadow of what it had been before. The people were doing what God wanted them to do, but they were still suffering. The Ketuvim addresses this situation with a repeated theme. Why is it that good people suffer and bad people prosper? It is an age old question that cuts to the very purpose of life. The entire book of Job asks and debates this question. Ecclesiastes ponders the question and determines that life must be meaningless. The Psalmist sees enemies on every side and it feels like God has abandoned him.
The conclusion from the Ketuvim is that even when surrounded by enemies and trials, God is still in control. Purity and WorshipThe temple had been destroyed and the sacrificial system of worship had gone ignored for over 70 years. There was no one left who knew the old temple ri t u a ls. The Ketuvim, then, emphasizes and explains the role of proper temple wo r s h i p. It does not reiterate the detailed instructions found in the Torah. Instead it emphasizes the need to have a proper heart when worshipping God. The Psalms are compiled to provide a song book for temple wo r s h i p. Chronicles outlines the golden days of Israel when the king promoted temple wo r s h i p. The people were called to worship God with the same enthusiasm as King David who danced like a fool at the coming of the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem . The Ketuvim calls on the exiles to worship God with a pure heart.
Messianic HopeFinally, like all scripture, the Ketuvim points to Christ. Throughout Chronicles, David is established as a type of Christ, a king who promotes the worship of the true God. The Psalms speak of a coming anointed one who will bring salvation to Israel . Daniel goes so far as to even predict the exact day of his arrival. True hope for the exile lies not in Persia , Babylon , Ezra or Nehemiah. Hope lies in the coming salvation through the Messiah.
Footnotes |
