After a long break, we’re back with a new series of episodes on Divine Providence. In this episode, we introduce the topic by talking through our own journeys in thinking about it, listing some models that have been proposed, and discussing the method we’ll be taking in approaching this question in future episodes.

In our fifteenth and final episode on Wisdom in the Old Testament, we look at Qoheleth’s closing thoughts as well as the closing thoughts of the book of Ecclesiastes. In doing so, we come face-to-face with the fundamental unpredictability of reality, and consider Qoheleth’s advice for how to live in the presence of this. We close by thinking about the relationship between the author of Ecclesiastes and Qoheleth: Do they agree with one another? Are they the same person?

In our fourteenth episode on Wisdom in the Old Testament, we look at Qoheleth’s extended discussion of wisdom in the context of death. He argues that while there is definitely value in wisdom it can nevertheless be over-estimated, and that doing so is bound to lead to disappointment. Wisdom can be corrupted or overpowered by those with power, and Qoheleth challenges us to reckon with the fact that things don’t always go the way they should. Rather than rely on wisdom to make us better off, he suggests we fear God, even when it’s not clear how he is working things out.

In our thirteenth episode on Wisdom in the Old Testament, we follow Qoheleth in the second stage of his investigation into happiness. This time he returns to the question of pursuing happiness by following our heart, ushering in more reasons why this fails, showing how his alternative account of happiness is better, and throwing in the occassional piece of advice that we can follow if we give up on the way of folly.

In our twelfth episode on Wisdom in the Old Testament, we continue our journey in Ecclesiastes and consider how Qoheleth begins the second stage of his investigation into happiness. After previously having argued that happiness cannot be found in being better off, he looks for a different principle to guide his investigation and finds the following: there is a season for everything.

In our eleventh episode on Wisdom in the Old Testament, we continue our journey in Ecclesiastes and take a look at Qoheleth’s argument against trying to gain happiness by our own power. The result, at least at the end of chapter 2, is a disappointed resignation to the fact that we need to somehow receive happiness from God rather than trying to grasp it for ourselves. This alternate approach will be explored in episodes to come.

In our tenth episode on Wisdom in the Old Testament, we turn our attention to the book of Ecclesiastes. We start our journey through this book by analyzing the concept that is expressed throughout, captured by the Hebrew word “hevel”. We discuss the best way to think about it, as well as what it seems to get in the way of.

In our ninth episode on Wisdom in the Old Testament, we close our time with Proverbs by looking at the later chapters in the book and thinking through the implications of their usage and similarities with non-Israelite sources of wisdom. This leads us into discussions about divine inspiration and the internal consistency of Proverbs.

In our eighth episode on Wisdom in the Old Testament, we continue our exploration of Proverbs and how Christians should read them. In particular, we discuss how individual proverbs can have a wide range of applications, and how the book of Proverbs leverages this property (called “polysemy”) in its organization and repetition of them.