“Proverbs is easily one of the most widely quoted books of the Bible. Practical and poetic, it invites us to live God’s way in God’s world by pursuing the path of wisdom. But despite its popularity, Proverbs is also one of the most misunderstood and misapplied books.” - TGC
“Separating absolute truths from passages admitting to real-life exceptions is a challenge that has daunted even the most scholarly interpreters…..These principles yield five questions that can offer an aid to pastors and church leaders in helping their flocks observe Proverbs’ timeless truths.” - BJU Seminary
2 Timothy 3:16 reveals that all of Scripture is God-inspired and instructive. Taken with Romans 15:4, similar verses, and examples of NT use of OT passages, some have concluded that even incidental narrative details are potential sources of doctrine.
Since OT narrative details reference everything from clothing to cooking, tools, weapons, vehicles (carts, chariots), and so much more, there are, of course, references to music. There are even references to specific instruments, moods, and uses of music.
It may seem odd to suggest that the book entitled Apocalupsis does not belong to the genre of literature commonly referred to as apocalyptic. Nonetheless that is my suggestion here. The term employed in the title of the book denotes a revelation or disclosure.1 While this particular revealing or disclosing describes a broad swathe of eschatological events, it is not its own literary genre.
Apocalyptic as a genre is described as “characteristically pseudonymous; it takes narrative form, employs esoteric language, expresses a pessimistic view of the present, and treats the final events as imminent.”2 Henry Barclay Swete (Cambridge), even while arguing that Revelation is apocalyptic literature, admits that the book differs from that genre, in that the book of Revelation (1) is not pseudepigraphic, (2) engages a specific audience (seven churches), (3) has a significant church focus, rather than a purely Israel nation-centered focus, and (4) includes notes of insight and foresight that are more indicative of inspiration than is found in earlier extra-biblical apocalyptic literature.3
“My preference is to read the poem as a series of metaphors for death—together with its individual, communal, and cosmic implications—drawn from the created order, domestic life, commerce, and warfare.” - DBTS Blog
“Proverbs does not offer us formulas that always work in every situation, but rather wise principles that are worthy of our contemplation and discerning implementation.” - Ligonier
“Many studies focus on the identity and nature of wisdom psalms. This approach remains controversial in that few interpreters agree on which psalms constitute wisdom psalms.” - DBTS Blog
“The function of the literary imagination is to incarnate meaning in concrete images, characters, events, and settings rather than abstract or propositional arguments…. Literature and theology are complementary ways of putting us in possession of Christian doctrine. Neither is complete in itself.” - Ref21
