Proverbs - Chapter 1

My dear friend, Lora, sends out a daily bible verse via text  message.   When I read the verse she sent from Proverbs 31 - The Ideal Wife, I had to comment, which is when she assigned the book of Proverbs as my July homework.  One chapter a day.  Two of my friends, Shelley and Liz, were invited to participate as they are good Christian women who can provide valuable insight.

I wanted to document the study, and provide a place to share our thoughts.  Interestingly enough, the book of Proverbs is referred to as a "Book of Wisdom."  So, my blog name, Wisdom in small bits, seemed a good place to document and share.

There are a lot of words in the readings that are not frequently used in day to day 2014 language, so I decided to enlarge my vocabulary by including interesting words and their meanings, copied from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary.  My hope is that the definitions will bring additional clarity to the reading.

My disclaimer to this blog post series is that my thoughts are human, and perhaps even a bit snide, but once written provide evidence of completed homework assignments.

Thought #1
Proverbs 1:20-21...  "Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the open squares she raises her voice..."  Ah yes - Wisdom is a female.  Amen I say - AMEN.
Proverbs 1: 2-6...  "That men may appreciate wisdom and discipline, may understand words of intelligence..."  Dare I say it?  That men may learn from women.

I admit it.  I am a sexist person - favoring the female race as stronger, smarter, tougher, more loving, more generous and infinitely more caring.  The fact that this book starts out honoring women makes me want to cheer, and then to continue to read.

Of special note, the Bible I will be using for this study is The New American Bible, the Bible that was given to me when I went through RCIA (Rite of Catholic Initiation), with my dear friend Lora.  It is a book approved by and distributed by the Catholic church, which I dearly love.  While I am not currently a practicing Catholic, the Word of grace is ours.

Today's study words are:

Proverbs 1:9:
1.       di·a·dem, noun, 1. a crown.  2.  a cloth headband, sometimes adorned with jewels, formerly worn by Oriental kings. 3.  royal dignity or authority.
2.       torque, noun, Also, torc. a collar, necklace, or similar ornament consisting of a twisted narrow band, usually of precious metal, worn especially by the ancient Gauls and Britons.

Proverbs 1:22
3.       in·an·i·ty, noun  1. lack of sense, significance, or ideas; silliness. 2.  something inane. 3. shallowness; superficiality.

Proverbs 1:23
4.       re·proof, noun  1.  the act of reproving, censuring, or rebuking. 2. an expression of censure or rebuke.   Synonyms   1. rebuke, reproach, remonstrance, chiding.