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[This is Week 3 of a 4-week preaching series on O.T. Wisdom and Poetry] Week 3 (July 26, 2015) Preaching text: Ecclesiastes 1:1-11; 3:1-17 The book of Ecclesiastes is usually called “skeptical” Wisdom or “dissenting” Wisdom. The author of Ecclesiastes, the Teacher, is a sage who has lived long and has grown weary of life’s … Continue reading “Ecclesiastes 1:1-11, 3:1-17 Commentary by Kathryn M. Schifferdecker”

Proverbs 31:10-31 is the famous poem celebrating the “capable wife.” It is often cited in praise of wives and mothers, and is among the most popular and familiar texts from Proverbs. Of course, “popular” and “familiar” does not necessarily mean “clear” and “without interpretive difficulties”” One of these difficulties, to be sure, is that Proverbs … Continue reading “Proverbs 31:10-31 Commentary by Brent A. Strawn”

This familiar passage tends to draw a strong response, either positively or negatively, but rarely neutral. Read the WorkingPreacher.org commentary by Brent Strawn in 2009 for a solid treatment of the patriarchal layers in this passage that would have women “working everywhere…on everything…for everyone.” We recognize in ancient texts the power dynamics that allow men … Continue reading “Proverbs 31:10-31 Commentary by Amy Oden”

The Lectionary parsing of Proverbs 31 is unfortunate; without the opening verses the context is lost. The book is a collection of proverbial sayings; those in chapters 30 and 31 are from apparently non-Israelite sources. According to the text itself, a woman, the unnamed mother of the unknown King Lemuel, composed the familiar poem describing … Continue reading “Proverbs 31:10-31 Commentary by Wil Gafney”

Imagine yourself on vacation. I am assuming you are not on vacation this August Sunday since you are preparing a sermon). It is Sunday morning. You decide to find a place to worship. Upon entering the unfamiliar sanctuary, you stand at the back and peruse the seating options. What goes through your mind? If you … Continue reading “Proverbs 25:6-7 Commentary by Shauna Hannan”

This brief reading appears in a collection of instructions that seems in large part directed to courtiers. Here we find instructions about decorum of speech, handling conflict, and maintaining one’s honor and reputation. The collection bears the superscription, “These are other proverbs of Solomon that the officials of King Hezekiah of Judah copied” (25:1–29:27). The … Continue reading “Proverbs 25:6-7 Commentary by Brian C. Jones”

The lectionary-driven preacher is rarely invited to deliver a sermon based on a text from Proverbs. Only a half dozen texts from that book appear in the Revised Common Lectionary. The Lutheran lectionary has even fewer, listing just three texts from Proverbs, including the one for today. It’s clear that this Proverbs 25 text has … Continue reading “Proverbs 25:6-7 Commentary by James Limburg”

Tradition assigns authorship of three biblical books to Solomon. The rabbis said that he wrote the Song of Solomon as an amorous youth, Proverbs as a middle-aged man, and Ecclesiastes as a (disillusioned) old man. While the superscription to the book of Proverbs (1:1) reflects that tradition, the book contains several collections of sayings (see … Continue reading “Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 Commentary by Kathryn M. Schifferdecker”

The book of Proverbs includes a collection of folk wisdom sayings of various lengths so that in some chapters the individual verses are not actually related to each other. Therefore Proverbs is the one biblical book where the lectionary practice of skipping verses is easily justified. Today’s lesson is a collection of verses that speak … Continue reading “Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 Commentary by Wil Gafney”

The selection from Proverbs 22 bridges two major sections of the book as a whole. Verses 1-16 conclude the “Proverbs of Solomon” begun at 10:1. Verse 17, on the other hand, commences a discrete portion of the book that continues to 24:34. These “words of the wise” (22:17) are generally acknowledged to be literarily dependent … Continue reading “Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 Commentary by Walter C. Bouzard”