Ep 388 | Proverbs; Ecclesiastes, Come Follow Me 2026 (Sept 7-13)

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(00:00) Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are sometimes referred to as “Wisdom Literature.” These texts may have developed during the period of the monarchy. Proverbs shows some Egyptian influence.

(07:44) The big picture of Proverbs: Do I seek wisdom? Wisdom is portrayed as feminine and is a Tree of Life to all who lay hold upon her.

(24:04) The Wisdom Tradition clarifies the difference between the wise person and the fool. Many parallels exist between Nephi and Proverbs, as Nephi was trained in the Wisdom Tradition.

(31:00) Truth and goodness are found in so many religions and cultures. We can cultivate holy envy and compare bests with bests when discussing other religious traditions.

(34:22) The “Strange Woman” described in Proverbs can be seen as a type of the evils mankind should avoid, as her paths lead to death.

(35:24) Whoever finds wisdom finds life unto their soul. Wisdom speaks of her companionship with God during the creation.

(44:44) Who can find a virtuous woman? This can be interpreted as finding wisdom or as being a woman of strength and power.

(48:57) The dominant theme in Ecclesiastes is that all is vanity or “hevel”, meaning that everything on this earth is temporary and fleeting. A valuable lesson we can take from this is to focus our time and energy on what matters most.

(54:03) The authorship of Ecclesiastes is traditionally attributed to Solomon, but can also be dated to a later time period.

(1:03:01) Ecclesiastes 12 contains evidence of a later editor reshaping the final message of the book, where it is concluded that the only activity of lasting and permanent value comes from obedience to God’s commandments.