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Christ, the Consummation of Wisdom
Bryan D. Estelle, Ph.D.
First published in Evangelium, Vol.
4, Issue
3.
“My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and
united in love, so that they may have the full riches of
complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery
of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge.”
Colossians 2:2-3
The world is sin-cursed. Young men and women are diagnosed with
cancer; small children are sexually abused; politicians accept
bribes; married couples remain infertile; soldiers are killed by
“friendly” fire; people are killed in car accidents for which
they are not responsible; tyrants bring about pogroms and
massacre; hurricanes cause destruction to lives and property;
and reputations are destroyed when malevolent people falsely
accuse and lie. The list could go on.
Who has not been touched in some way by suffering and
injustice in this sin-cursed world? In the ancient world,
suffering may have been described in different ways because of
somewhat different circumstances, but the pain we feel as a
consequence of living in a sin-cursed world is still a common
human experience. The Wisdom literature in the Bible is
especially descriptive of the plight of human suffering.
Unfortunately, the Church has often neglected or sometimes even
abused the Wisdom literature found in the Bible. This careless
negligence of Lady Wisdom has deprived the Church of some of the
most exalted literature in the Bible, and perhaps in world
literature, and also some of the most consoling sections of
Scripture.
The books of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes are not meant to be
treated in isolation from one another; rather, they are to be
read in counterpoint. That is to say, these three books should
be read together, as interacting voices in a dialogue.(1) Reading
the Wisdom literature in this manner can exacerbate the tensions
and voices discovered among the books.(2) Yet, the residual tension
created by reading these books together, which reveals a severe
description of life in a sin-cursed world with brutally honest
questioning, finds its ultimate resolution and goal in Christ,
who by the Apostle Paul’s own description, is the fulfillment of
Wisdom.(3)
Retribution in Proverbs
First, in Proverbs, we have a very prominent theme that is known
as the idea of retribution. Simply defined, it goes like this:
God rewards men for doing good, but he punishes their evil
deeds. This is a traditional view of retribution. Consider, for
example, Proverbs 12:21 &
13:21:(4) “No harm befalls the righteous,
But the wicked have their fill of misfortune.”
“Misfortune pursues sinners,
But the righteous are well rewarded.”(5) Notice the contrast between the destinies of the righteous and
the wicked in these verses. When Proverbs does take note of
suffering on behalf of relatively good people, divine discipline
may be imputed to the experience, and thus it can be calculated
as a consequence of divine favor, i.e., God is construed as
testing them:“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his
reproof, for the Lord loves as a father the son in whom he
delights.” Prov. 3:11-12.
Retribution in Ecclesiastes
But note well, at this point another factor is introduced into
the traditional notions of retribution (so evident and frequent
in the book of Proverbs):(6) why do the innocent suffer? Life
doesn’t make sense in this sin-cursed world. Enter Job and
Ecclesiastes. Job is one of the most radical and profound books
in the Scriptures. We will, however, leave it aside for another
time. Ecclesiastes, nevertheless, will illustrate this factor
well. The writer to Ecclesiastes notes that there are all kinds
of inconsistencies in the world. There are “flagrant
contradictions that cannot be explained away.”(7)
Moreover, for
those that have ambitious plans, Ecclesiastes warns them that
they may be disappointed with the hand that life deals.(8)
Things don’t always work as our sense of justice indicates that
they should. There is a real sense in which life in this
sin-cursed world is “absurd” to our intuitive longing for
harmony.(9) This arises “from a contradiction between two
undeniable realities.”(10) The logic of the system of cause and
effect in the world is often seemingly skewed. Moreover, there
are forces beyond our control, indeed, beyond the horizon of
what we can see and understand that often has the most profound
effect upon the lives of human beings.
Ponder the following passage from Ecclesiastes, where the writer
observes that the same destiny falls both to the righteous and
the wicked: My thoughts also turned to appraising wisdom and madness and
folly. I found that
Wisdom is superior to folly
As light is superior to darkness;
A wise man has his eyes in his head,
Whereas a fool walks in darkness.
But I also realized that the same fate awaits them both. So I
reflected: “The fate of the fool is also destined for me; to
what advantage, then, have I been wise?” And I came to the
conclusion that that too was futile, because the wise man, just
like the fool, is not remembered forever; for, as the succeeding
days roll by, both are forgotten. Alas, the wise man dies, just
like the fool! And so I loathed life. For I was distressed by
all that goes on under the sun, because everything is futile and
pursuit of wind.(11) Death is the great leveler. I would suggest that the writer in
Ecclesiastes at this point is not merely describing his internal
conflicted thoughts but the absurdity of the external world of
which he is an observer. The world is absurd. Note the
insistence of Ecclesiastes at this point about the transience of
earthly glory. This shocking estimation can be noticed throughout Ecclesiastes.
According to the author, what is especially frustrating is not
only the external description of this contradictory world, but
the fact that one cannot understand how God is orchestrating it!
Consider another example from chapter 8: And here is another frustration: the fact that the sentence
imposed for evil deeds is not executed swiftly, which is why men
are emboldened to do evil – the fact that a sinner may do evil a
hundred times and his [punishment] still be delayed. For
although I am aware that “It will be well with those who revered
God since they revere Him, and it will not be well with the
scoundrel, and he will not live long, because he does not revere
God” – here is a frustration that occurs in the world: sometimes
an upright man is requited according to the conduct of the
scoundrel; and sometimes the scoundrel is requited according to
the conduct of the upright. I say all that is frustration . . .
For I have set my mind to learn wisdom and to observe the
business that goes on in the world – even to the extent of going
without sleep day and night – and I have observed all that God
brings to pass. Indeed, man cannot guess the events that occur
under the sun. For man tries strenuously, but fails to guess
them; and even if a sage should think to discover them he would
not be able to guess.(12) This passage is vintage Ecclesiastes with its key statement: you
cannot find out what God
is doing under the sun! This is, in a
word, the “shipwreck of the traditional view of
retribution.”(13)
Indeed, things are not always as they seem. There is here an
emphasis on “the inversion of principles espoused by traditional
wisdom.”(14)
Retribution Contradiction
At this point, regarding the notion of retribution, Proverbs and
Ecclesiastes seem to have some irresolvable differences. Does
this mean that we should extricate ourselves from this biblical
tension of ostensibly irreconcilable voices in order to bring
urgent scriptural (if only abstract) harmony between Proverbs
and Ecclesiastes? No. I think that the way forward is to
acknowledge a unity in diversity.(15) In short, we need all the
various and distinct voices and genres of Scripture to help us
understand God, ourselves, and the world in which we live.
There is an organic unity in the Scripture; however, there is
diversity within that unity.(16) God knows our needs. He
accommodates to our need to hear the truth from many angles. For
example, in the Scriptures, he gives us law, story, parables,
short and long epistles, and Psalms of praise and lament along
with many other types of literature. Each voice must be taken
for what it is, but each voice must be taken seriously. In our
attempts to search for unity in the Scriptures, we must be
careful not to run roughshod over the distinct voices with
respect to what both Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are telling us
with respect to retribution. Therefore, Ecclesiastes is a
companion to, and not the enemy of, Proverbs.
Conclusion
In summary, Proverbs generally sees suffering as a consequence
for sin; however, God may also send suffering as a test as well.(17)
This is the traditional view. Even so, Ecclesiastes demonstrates
that the even the virtuous in this earthly life may suffer in
inexplicable ways since they are participants in a world that is
cursed. Ecclesiastes especially describes a world in which the
disruption of sin has brought reality into opposition with
justice and truth. Both covenant breakers and covenant keepers
inhabit a sin-cursed world filled with “absurdities.”
Although this tension introduces a mystery that will remain
until the Second Coming of Christ, the way to hope and
consolation is by focusing on Christ—who is not only the
fulfillment of wisdom, he is superior to wisdom.(18) The advent of
Jesus Christ at His first coming inaugurated His kingdom, a
kingdom that will eventually right all wrongs. Focusing on
Christ and His work as the consummation of wisdom helps saints
find their bearings in the midst of this sin-cursed life, a life
filled with absurdities. Ultimately, as the Apostle Paul affirmed, “salvation found its
goal and fulfillment in Christ. So too does wisdom.”(19) A day is
coming when warm tears will no longer be shed, and when silent
screams of unspoken pain will be bathed in the melodious Song of
the Lamb as a vast, innumerable host sing: Great and amazing are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the nations!
Who will not fear, O Lord,
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship you,
for your righteous acts have
been revealed.
ESV, Rev. 15:3-4
Ó2007
Westminster Seminary California All rights reserved
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S. M. Baugh
R. Scott Clark
Iain M. Duguid
Bryan D. Estelle
W. Robert Godfrey
Michael S. Horton
Dennis E. Johnson
Hywel R. Jones
Peter R. Jones
Joel E. Kim
Julius J. Kim
George C. Scipione
Robert B. Strimple
David M. VanDrunen
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Pointing to Christ: Ezra 7:1-10