Assignment 9: Wisdom Literature

It is human nature to try to make things seem a little better. His optimism is a mechanism for him and his people to cope with the harsh reality of being prisoners. Elie sees his fellow Jews being killed and beaten for no other reason than their religion. He feels like his God has died. He loses his touch on reality due to the trauma of his situation. He does well while his father is around. He uses his father for strength to get through this. He also listens to him as a voice of reassurance. Once his father dies, things get harder for Elie to cope.
Personally, I think I would completely lose the will to live. I would try to keep my strength in God. I think even the best Christians would have a hard time trying to keep their faith with God when all of this awful stuff is going on around them. I can not even imagine what Elie must have seen and experienced. There is no way a person can return to a normal state of mind after going through the holocaust.
The different perspectives of the wisdom literature, such as the focus of practical wisdom and speculative wisdom, help people cope with suffering in different ways. Practical wisdom is teaching someone how to live their daily life. Speculative wisdom is when questions are asked about life. For example, the book of Job shows a man that had it all and watched it all get taken away. He never questions God’s authority; he knows that God has some reason behind his actions. Job continues to endure, he never curses God and he never gives up on him. This story should help people realize that things will get bad, but they can always get worse.
My father has been a renal failure patient for about four years now. I have watched one of the strongest men I know turn into someone who needs to be taken care of pretty much all the time. After my father’s car accident, which sped up the onset of the renal failure, I feel like things have changed. My father sometimes must use oxygen and a walker. This breaks my heart. Fathers are supposed to be a source of strength. Now I feel I must be my father’s strength as he battles this illness. As I watch my father suffer I have been reading my Bible, hoping for a word of comfort and understanding. The last time he was in the hospital and I was having an especially hard time, I read some of the wisdom proverbs. I don’t remember what exact one it was now, but I remember reading it and thinking “My father is alive, things could be worse. I should praise God for the little blessings that he bestowed upon me. Things could only get worse if I didn’t give God the credit he was due.” This Proverbs helped me get through a time of suffering. Surprisingly, this whole experience has brought me closer to my family and God, which is evidence that God does work in mysterious ways.

Assignment 6: Prophets and Social Justice

8th century prophets taught many great lessons from God. One of the most important ones that the prophets put a large amount of emphasis on was the concept of social justice. They criticized the wealthy and powerful, pointing out their bad treatment of the poor and needy. This is evidence that God wants us to live in a just and pure society. We are all equals in God’s sight; we were all made in his image. We should reach out to the needy, not use them for our own selfish advantage. Jesus even said “blessed are the poor”. This also has implications for the “proper” worship of God. We must act a certain way to be acceptable in God’s sight to have a proper relationship with the Lord. If a prophet appeared in today’s American society, they would probably find a problem in the application of social justice in our daily lives. As a country we have no concern for social justice. Of course there are good people that have a heart for the needy, but the hopelessness of the poor in our society is still a huge problem. For example, driving down Ambler Street, right by campus, one can see many homeless people standing on the street corners panhandling for money. The fact that these people must resort to that as a means of living is very sad. Although, there are many charities and resources that have been created for the needy, there is still an unspoken social system that puts these people at the bottom of the social chain. I believe that God is unhappy with our society right now, because we have become very individualistic and materialistic. Our society teaches us that we should strive to be on top, and that the ultimate goal in life is having the most money and popularity. The saying that most people live by in our modern society is “it’s a dog eat dog world”. This is untrue in God’s sight; he wants us to help others before ourselves and to store our treasures in heaven, not in this world. The powerful and wealthy are held in a higher respect. Everyone strives to be wealthy and successful in life. We should remember the emphasis that Jesus placed on loving others: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35) "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward in heaven will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men." (Luke 6:35)
It is important to note that the Israelites rejected the teachings of 8th century prophets, and in return God let the Israelites get defeated and put into exile. This shows the importance of listening to God’s words, especially regarding social justice and the treatment of others.

Assignment 3: God's Faithfulness

God is always faithful, even when we think he is not. God answers our prayers in ways that we don’t think we want or expect, but we must remember that God knows what is best for us. We must have faith and know that God is always with us, and will take care of us no matter what the situation may be.
I have always trusted in the Lord, but recently I have had to learn this lesson. It was finals week. The night before my first test, I remember praying for the Lord to give me the strength through the next day. It sounds selfish now, but I prayed for a good day. The next morning I woke up to my phone ringing. It was my mother; my father was in a head-on collision. He broke four parts in his back, all of his right ribs, his collar bone, and breastbone. The paramedics were amazed he had lived. When I got the frantic phone call from my mom, I grabbed my stuff and started the drive to Dallas. I had been driving for quite some time when I realized that it was finals. That’s when I realized how trivial my prayers were. I started to pray, “Lord, please let your will be done.” I continued to Dallas, when I got to the hospital, I realized I was still praying. “Please Lord, keep your hands of protection around my father, and please let everything be ok.” That night while in the hospital, my father was given too much morphine and overdosed. His heart stopped. Fortunately, they were able to bring him back. I remember when the doctor told us, I remember thinking, “Lord, why did you not answer?” I had not yet realized that God was working through his divine plan; he knew what he was doing. Throughout the long stay in the hospital and painful months of rehabilitation, I was confused with God. But now I look back and realize that God did bring my father through the whole ordeal. My father is healed completely, and can walk on his own. I also realize now that through the whole process I became closer to my dad, and God. My family has a greater appreciation for life. God did answer all my prayers, just not the way I thought. He did something even better.
Scriptures has always been important to me in times of distress, such as this. The story of Abraham is a perfect example of God’s plan not working out the way humans believe it should. First, Abraham and Sarah wanted a child so bad, they decided for Abraham to have a child with the servant. Abraham thinks that Ishmael will be his heir; he gives up on the fact that God will ever give him a son with his wife. But at the age of 99 God reveals that Sarah will have a son, Isaac. God promised Abraham he would be the “father of nations”. This helps me realize that God’s plan was for the best. Yes, he tested Abraham’s faith, like telling him to sacrifice Isaac. To Abraham’s surprise, God stopped Abraham from going through with the sacrifice. God answered Abraham’s prayers, but through ways he did not realize. This story helps me to remember that God is always faithful and will never give me more than I can bear.