Wisdom of Solomon

Solution Preview

QUOTATION FROM THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON 6:12-18

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wisdom shines brightly and never fades; she is readily discerned by those who love her, and by those who seek her she is found. She is quick to make herself known to all who desire knowledge of her; he who rises early in search of her will not grow weary in the quest, for he will find her seated at his door. To meditate on her prudence in its perfect shape, and to be vigilant in her cause is the short way to freedom from care: she herself searches far and wide for those who are worthy of her, and on their daily path she appears to them with kindly intent, meeting them half-way in all their purposes."

Response: In order to understand what Solomon means by these words, we must know what the Bible means when it speaks of "wisdom" in general. Essentially, wisdom is defined as being the Torah. What is the Torah? The Torah is the instruction for living that G-d gave to Israel through Moses at Mt. Sinai. (In its simplest form, it is recorded in the first five books of the Bible, often called the Pentateuch in the Christian tradition.) Most Bibles translate "Torah" (which is a Hebrew word) as "law." However, the word does not mean "law" in its modern day sense at all. Rather, "Torah" refers to instruction or direction for a way of life. When we understand "Torah" like this, we approach G-d's instructions in a completely different way than if we just thought of them as a set of random or arbitrary laws to be obeyed.

Why did I write the first paragraph? Because Solomon was an Israelite king, and as such was reared in and lived within a culture which taught and practiced Torah. Therefore, when he speaks of wisdom, he means the Torah. This is common ...