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Others have noted elements of wisdom literature in the Story of Joseph (Genesis 37-50), the Succession Narrative (2 Samuel 9-20; 1 Kings 1-2), Daniel, and Esther. In the New Testament, the book of James is a good example of proverbial wisdom literature.
Wisdom's contributions are most readily discernible when its peculiar vocabulary, techniques, and didactic content are all present in the text. Such influences are apparent in the teachings methods of Jesus -- for instance his use of proverbs and parables.
Though wisdom literature was an international phenomenon, as the Old Testament freely recognizes (Edom in 1 Kings 4:31; Obadiah 8; Jeremiah 49:7; and Egypt in Genesis 41:8; 1 Kings 4:30; Isaiah 19:11-15), Israel's wisdom was different in its stress that true wisdom comes from God.
F. Interpretation
Wisdom literature has consistently been misinterpreted by evangelicals and non-evangelicals, taking a very consistent pattern, as expressed well and succinctly by J. Barton Payne in his book, The Theology of the Older Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1962), pp. 55-56:
The wisdom books are universalistic in outlook. They appeal to all (Prov. 1:20) and they cover a bewildering array of subjects. Their illustrations are frequently drawn from nature, which is the concern of men everywhere (1 Kings 4:33; Prov. 30:24-28); and their teachings are generally divorced from Hebrew national life and ceremony (with but few exceptions, as Prov. 3:9). The Proverbs are timeless, separated from the limitations of localization.
This just is not the case. The proverbs are not timeless, they are not separated from the limitations of localization, they are not universalistic in outlook and they CANNOT be divorced from Hebrew national life and ceremony. To do so, would be to wrest the proverbs out of context. The Proverbs, as with ALL Hebrew scriptures, are founded ultimately on the five books of Moses. This is made abundantly clear from the consistent use of covenant language in the book of Proverbs. The promises given in the book of Proverbs are derived from the promises made by God through Moses in the Pentateuch. The blessings pronounced upon the righteous and wise in Proverbs are the blessing promised to the obedient Israelites in the covenant God made with them. To make these promises universal is to do a terrible disservice to them, and is to terribly misunderstand them. To assure Christians today that the promises God made specifically to the Jews are attainable and guaranteed is to mislead and misinform people, creating false hope.
Even for the ancient Israelite, the promises in Proverbs did not necessarily have a quick, easy or immediate fulfillment. The delay in attaining the promises created a tension is Israelite theology, forming the basis for a book like Job or Ecclesiastes. The tension is alleviated by recognizing that God's wisdom and understanding are not always the same as our own. It is why, in the midst of Job, in the twenty-eighth chapter, a song to wisdom shows up; it expresses the fact, so necessary to understand, that wisdom and understanding come from God alone, and that however hard we search, unless God grants understanding to us, it remains unattainable. That too often we fail to understand or recognize the fulfillment of God's promises should not really surprise us.
The story of Joseph is similar to the story of Job. Again, the narrative describes a righteous individual, a person in God's favor, who nevertheless suffers terribly. Anytime he seems to be achieving some small measure of God's promised blessings, he is hit with a sudden reverse. But in the end, all his misery was fulfilling God's ultimate purpose.
Sometimes, as with Joseph, the righteous person sees the reason for the travail of his soul. But other times, his experience will more parallel the life of Job; the suffering soul will never comprehend why he received suffering instead of the anticipated blessing which should be his according to the divine covenant.
One other item to note about the prosperity and wealth promised in the proverbs is that such wealth might not refer to material accumulations, but rather to a wealth of wisdom and a close relationship with God.
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Taken from: http://www.theology.edu/biblesurvey/job.htm
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