Daniel J. Estes

Summary: A study of the theme of wisdom, primarily in the Wisdom literature of the Old Testament but also incorporating other passages in scripture including those in the New Testament focusing on the culmination of wisdom in Christ.

I’m not sure there has ever been an age when wisdom has been in abundant supply. In this work, Daniel J. Estes, an Old Testament professor at Cedarville University surveys the biblical material focusing around the Wisdom books of scripture: Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes. His method is to present and elucidate the key passages in scripture on wisdom and to allow these texts to speak for themselves. Very simply, he believes the intent of wisdom in the Proverbs and throughout scripture is to “guide human beings, and especially the young, in the direction of the good life, not as contemporary culture measures it, but as the Lord defines it.”

He organizes his study of the biblical material into five sections:

1. The Concept of Wisdom. Through expositions of Proverbs 1, 2, 8, and 9, centering around the idea of the fear of the Lord as the beginning or source of wisdom, reflected in a life centered around obeying God and trusting his teaching.
2. The Context of Wisdom. Here, Estes widens his focus to the rest of the Old Testament considering history in the law, history, prophecy, and in Psalm 112. Throughout the choice between wisdom and folly is clearly evident.
3. The Conduct of Wisdom. Estes examines the teaching of Proverbs in four aspects that pervade daily life: work, speech, decisions and righteousness.
4. The Complexity of Wisdom. What happens when the law of retribution does not work–when the righteous suffer and the wicked seem to thrive? Job and Ecclesiastes address life when this principle doesn’t work and how to live wisely, by trusting in the all-knowing God, and enjoying as it is given, God’s good gifts in life.
5. The Culmination of Wisdom. Here as in other things, wisdom finds its fulfillment in Christ, who teaches wisdom and is the wisdom of God. To know him is to know wisdom’s source and to walk in wisdom.

While Estes provides lexical and contextual help, the focus is clearly expository and applicative. One hears in Estes writing a teacher who cares that his students walk in wisdom, and who understands how they can be drawn away from it into folly. In his chapter on wisdom in speech, he offers these insights in his concluding section of the chapter:

“Why is it so hard for us to be truthful? Truthfulness can fail for many reasons, but oftentimes it surrenders to fear. We fail to be truthful because we fear criticism, but then we end up looking like cowards when the truth eventually comes out. We fail to be truthful because we fear responsibility, but we end up trapped in a web of our deceptions. We fail to be truthful because we fear the personal cost of getting hurt, but we end up enslaved to the guilty conscience pricked by our dishonesty. We fail to be truthful because we fear upsetting others, but we end up missing the chance to provide constructive reproof that would actually help them” (pp. 121-122).

The book from beginning to end reflects a kind of exegetical and moral clarity much needed in our day, beginning within the Christian community. Engaging this work is aided by a study guide written by Ian Macnair that follows the passages treated in the text, aiding in personal study and group discussion. This book is a gem for those who want to learn to live well and wisely with God and others.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.… (meer)

Daniel Estes currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Bible at Cedarville University where he has been a faculty member since 1984. He received his PhD in Biblical Exegesis from the University of Cambridge in England and a Th.M. in Old Testament Exegesis from Dallas Theological Seminary. Estes has published Handbook on the Wisdom Books and Psalms, Life and Love: Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon and Learning and Living God’s Word: How to Study the Bible.

The purpose of the books is “to synthesize the unorganized data from a portion of the book of Proverbs into a more systematic statement of the pedagogical theory that underlies its teachings.” Estes arranges the material in a way familiar to other pedagogical writings by discussing worldview, values, goals, curriculum, instruction, teacher, and learner.

The worldview context of Proverbs 1-9 is a biblical worldview in the midst of surrounding cultural influences. The biblical worldview consists of an understanding of God being sovereign over the universe He has created. This same God can be known but one must have a reverential fear of Him in order to attain the wisdom that Proverbs speaks about. The value of Proverbs 1-9 in education lies in its emphasis on the teachability of an individual and the pursuit of wisdom, life, and righteousness. The goal of education begins and ends with a fear of God ultimately resulting in a personal knowledge of Him. Other goals that lead to the formation of a mature godly person are commitment, character, competence, protection and prosperity. The curriculum for education “encompasses the whole range of knowledge that Yahweh has made known, whether immediately by his revelation, or mediately through teachers transmitting tradition, or through personal observation by the learner.” Estes defines instruction as “the ways in which a teacher used curriculum in the process of educating the learner.” The material of Proverbs 1-9 includes nine different approaches to facilitate the learner to make wise choices throughout life. These insights present some practical ideas on how Proverbs were used in the ancient setting as well as stimulating some thought about how one could use these approaches in a contemporary setting. The three different metaphors of expert authority, facilitator, and guide provide a picture of the role of the teacher in helping the learner grow in maturity. The learner also plays a role in growing wise by receiving wisdom, responding to it, valuing it, and assimilating wisdom “as the central principle that organizes a coherent philosophy of life around the fear of Yahweh.”

Daniel Estes opens up the windows of wisdom by shedding light on a portion of the wisdom literature in Proverbs 1-9. The book of Proverbs has long been know for its capsule statements of wisdom but many people struggle to connect the dots and see a coherent picture of how everything fits together. Estes provides a basic theological foundation for educational practice and a practical strategy with goals that leads learners to mature in wisdom and godly character. The plethora of ideas and approaches to education leave little doubt about the value of learning from these few chapters in the Bible.

This book will appeal to educators, parents, and ministers who are looking for biblical approaches to educate children. One will learn how ancient Hebrews sought to educate children and guide them to grow in godliness and wisdom. The book is well researched and searchable through an index of authors and Scripture. Parents, especially fathers, cannot ignore the emphasis one sees throughout Proverbs 1-9 regarding the role a father plays in educating his children. Parents appeared to be the primary educators of their children and that role cannot be abdicated especially in today’s society. Using the Bible, especially the wisdom of Proverbs would be an appropriate platform to educate children in learning how to fear God and embrace wisdom. A subject index would be a valuable addition to the book to enable parents to refer to certain sections of Proverbs 1-9 for specific instruction.

Although the author only examines Proverbs 1-9 as a unit, he proposes an entire study of the Proverbs 1-31 that would provide a larger overall picture of pedagogical theory. The process of education and the outcomes of education differed significantly during biblical times. Educators will benefit from some of the creative ideas and metaphors that can inform their teaching in a way that reflects biblical approaches and concepts that will instill wisdom in the hearts and minds of their pupils. Much education today even in Christian homes occurs from a postmodern worldview. Grasping the biblical worldview as espoused in Proverbs 1-9 would have the potential to revolutionize the process and goals of education in today’s modern world.

This book has practical values to learners as well as challenging every person to be a continual learner that grows in the fear of God and learns wisdom. Listening and learning are not just things pupils are responsible for. Teachers and parents alike must listen and learn from God’s Word continually in the hopes of coming to a better understanding of wisdom… (meer)

Here is a great new book published by Baker Academic and written by Cedarville University professor Daniel J. Estes.

It is an introduction to the wisdom literature of the Old Testament: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.

This is not a full verse-by-verse commentary. Instead, it covers the kind of material that is normally covered in the beginning of a full commentary. That is, Estes discusses the authorship, date, genre, structure, etc. of each book. Additionally, each section has a "History of Interpretation" for each book, which is especially helpful for Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs.

Traveling through Psalms in only 71 pages may seem to be a disservice to the text. However, the purpose is to give the "big picture" of the book in an exciting and fresh manner that invites the reader to go further in study.

In dicussion on Proverbs, Estes groups the verses under 12 themes. I took this same approach when preaching through Proverbs in the past, and definitely think this is the preferred approach for preaching through the book, at least chapters 10-31.

Regarding the Song of Songs, he rejects the allegorical interpretations in favor of: "...it extols the richness of human erotic love as a gift from God" (401)

If any of you have had the joy of sitting under the teaching of Old Testament professor Daniel Block, you know of his deep love for the Scriptures. Dr. Block gives the following recommendation for Estes' book:

"This introduction to the biblical books on godly piety and wisdom represents a model of balanced and judicious tudy. While taking advantage of the most recent scholarship on the Psalms and the wisdom writings, Estes is able to distill this information and present it in a form that is accessible to laypersons and helpful to any involved in the serious study of Scripture. He invites readers to an even greater delight in reading the Bible than they have had before."… (meer)