sir-kennywayne

Men read the Book of Sirach and think they have found the ultimate instruction manual for a good and respectable life. They see its practical advice on friendship, money, family, and speech, and they embrace

Men get into useless debates about whether the Book of Wisdom is "scripture" or not because some groups of men put it in their Bibles and others didn't. This is the ego arguing over the brand

Men read the Song of Songs and they get uncomfortable. The carnal man sees a love poem and gets flustered. The religious man, terrified of its raw, erotic power, invents a safe, sanitary allegory about

Men read the Book of Ecclesiastes and think it's the Bible's token depressing book. They see it as a rambling, cynical philosophical tract that concludes, "Life's a drag, then you die." The religious

Men read the Book of Proverbs and think they have found the Bible's self-help section. They see it as a collection of divine life-hacks, a moralistic instruction manual for how to be a successful, respectable,

Men read the Book of Psalms and think they have found God's permission slip to be emotional. They see the anger, the despair, the cries for vengeance, and they feel validated in their own emotional turmoil.

Men read the Book of Job and think they are watching a courtroom drama. They see it as the ultimate debate on why good people suffer. They analyze the arguments of Job's friends, trying to figure out which

Men read the Book of 2 Maccabees and think they have found the ultimate handbook on martyrdom. They get swept up in the religious fervor, the graphic tales of suffering, and the heroic defiance of Eleazar

Men read the Book of 1 Maccabees and see a story of heroes. They see a glorious, righteous rebellion against oppression, a blueprint for holy war. They get inspired by the zeal of Mattathias and the military

Men read the Book of Esther and see a fairy tale. They see a Jewish Disney princess who saves her people, a story of political intrigue, and a satisfying revenge plot. They marvel at its cleverness, especially

Men read the Book of Judith and see a pious action hero, a righteous assassin for God. They are thrilled by the story of a woman using her beauty and wits to save her people. They are celebrating a religious

Men get tied in knots debating whether this book is "inspired" or not because some Bibles include it and others don't. They are arguing about the menu while the food gets cold. They miss the

Men read the Book of Nehemiah and see the ultimate leadership manual. They see a story of vision, courage, and project management. Nehemiah is the archetypal "man of action," the cupbearer turned

Men read the Book of Ezra and see a triumphant story of restoration. They see a faithful remnant returning from exile to rebuild God's Temple and restore the Law. They get a warm feeling from this story

Men read the Book of 2 Chronicles and see a repetitive morality play. They see a long, sad cycle of good kings bringing "revival" and bad kings bringing ruin. They treat it as a history lesson

Men look at the age of NAFTA and they see a story of economics. They debate job losses and supply chains, winners and losers, the price of avocados and automobiles. They are arguing about the seating

Men read the Book of 1 Chronicles and their eyes glaze over. They see nine chapters of tedious genealogies and then a sanitized history of King David. The religious scholar sees it as a post-exilic attempt

Men read the Book of 2 Kings and they see a depressing historical record. They see it as a long, bloody, and ultimately futile chronicle of bad kings, political failure, and divine judgment. They are reading

Men read the Book of 1 Kings and think it's a political soap opera, a history of a golden age that crumbles into civil war. They get fascinated by the wisdom of Solomon, marvel at the Temple, and then

Men read the Book of 2 Samuel and they see a political thriller, the biography of a great king. They get fascinated by David's rise to power, then fixate on his great "sin" with Bathsheba. They