• October 11 (10 a.m. to Noon)
  Unit 1: Hear, My Child (Proverbs 1-8) We will review:
    What’s a proverb?
    Wisdom literature in the Bible
    When/How Proverbs was written, and King Solomon’s connection to Proverbs
    The literary structure of Proverbs

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” is Proverbs’ central theme. We’ll dig in to some individual proverbs and investigate “wisdom/knowledge” elsewhere in the Bible: Kings 10-12 (King Solomon), Luke 2: 39-52 (Jesus as a child), and I Corinthians 1:17-2:13 (Paul on worldly vs. Godly wisdom).

• November 8 (10 a.m. to Noon)
  Unit 2: Temptations: Lady Wisdom versus Madame Folly. We’ll compare Proverbs 9 to other references to temptation in the Bible:
    The Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:13)
    Genesis Chapter 39 (Joseph and the Master’s Wife)
    II Samuel 11-12:15 (David and Bathsheba)
    Luke 4:1-13 (Jesus tempted in the wilderness)
    I John 4:21
• December 6 (10 a.m. to Noon)
  Unit 3: Timeless Ethical and Moral Teachings.
  We will explore the relationship between “wisdom” in Proverbs and “Christ.” A recommended homework assignment is to read Proverbs 10, 11, 16, 22, and 26 and mentally substitute the word “Christ” for “wisdom.” We’ll consider Jesus’ ethical teachings in the context of the intent of wisdom teachings. We might discover why some scholars place Jesus’ Beatitudes in the category of “proverbs.”
  NOTE ON STUDY GUIDE: We will use the Foundation Stones Bible Study series as an outline and guide. The workbook, “Proverbs: The Book of Wisdom and the Art of Successful Living,” is organized into an introduction and three study units, and will be available for purchase. We’ll tackle one unit per session. It’s recommended but not required to read the relevant unit and introductory material prior to coming to the Bible study session. To order an individual copy, call and leave a message at the Reading Room, or email csjax4thchurch@gmail.com.