Daily Devotional Betty Miller shares her daily devotionals which are based on the book of Proverbs in
the Bible.
The Wisdom of God
Verses for the Day:
Proverbs
31:13-14 (KJV): 13 She seeketh wool, and
flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
14 She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
Proverbs
31:13-14 (AMP): 13 She seeks out wool and
flax and works with willing hands (to develop it).
14 She is like the merchant ships loaded with foodstuffs; she brings her
household's food from a far (country).
Thoughts for the Day:
These verses
from Proverbs begin
to list all the different duties and things that this virtuous woman in this
chapter is involved
in doing. Among them are her household duties of seeing that her family is
clothed and fed. We find she is a very industrious woman, as she shops for the
wool and flax she will need to create the necessary clothing for her family.
This was no easy task, as most everything was made from the raw materials in the
individual homes. "Ready-made" items were too costly for the common
man. Most families
bought the wool and flax at the market and brought it home to spin and weave it into
fabric.
Flax is the oldest textile fiber and one of the earliest plants cultivated in
Egypt and Palestine. Like wool, it was a chief textile material. Flax was
also made into girdles and garments. The fleece or soft fine hair of sheep was
also used in Bible times for coverings, clothing and coats. The "Proverbs 31" woman not only
went to the market and purchased her wool and flax, she also worked with it with
her own hands to develop it, and spin it, so that it could be woven into the
proper clothes and covers for the household.
Verse 14
also records another one of her domestic duties, and that was the daily duty of
preparing meals for her family. This took a great deal of time also, because in
those days there was no refrigeration, so this meant daily trips to the market
for fresh foods, such as meats, vegetables and fresh fruits. Bread was
baked almost every day from grain that was ground into flour. Other staple
foods were dried legumes, dried fruits and vegetables, eggs, milk, butter,
cheese, honey, salt, spices and olive oil. All meals were prepared from
"scratch" and the first step was to go to the market and find the different
ingredients needed to cook the meals. Many of her items would come from
afar, such as the dates, spices, salt and grain.
Looking at the verses, we can see one of the
attributes of a virtuous woman is that she is industrious and a hard worker. The
love she had for her family was expressed in the way she took care of them. In
the verses below, one of the admonitions given to women in the New Testament is
that they be "keepers at home."
Titus 2:3-5: 3 The aged women likewise, that
they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much
wine, teachers of good things;
4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to
love their children,
5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands,
that the word of God be not blasphemed.
Looking at these
scriptures, we see that the older Christian women were charged to be examples to
the younger ones in their behavior. They were to be holy, pure and not
false accusers. They were not to become drunk and they were to teach the
younger women how to love their husbands and their children. We should
take note that love is not a feeling here, but something that is to be taught
and learned. Our deeds are an expression of our love; therefore, if we are
to love our husbands and children, we must be discreet, chaste, good, submissive
to our husbands and we must keep our homes in order. That means one of the
main things we are to do is to keep a clean house, wash the clothes, and prepare
the meals for our families. The home is to be a refuge for the whole family, so
the wife is charged with the care of it, while the husband is to provide
the means to maintain it.
One thing we notice about these verses is that the
older women are instructed to teach the younger women how to love their
husbands. In our society, we have the idea that when we fall in love with
a man, this love (emotion) will keep the marriage together. This is far
from the truth. Of course, emotional love is part of marriage, but the
kind of love that the Scripture is referring to here in these verses has
to be taught and learned. It is God's love as spoken of in I
Corinthians 13. We might also call it character.
The first step in learning how to love a husband, or
anyone else for that matter, is to receive Christ into our hearts and
let Him become our teacher. As we love Him and He loves us, that love
spills over to those around us. We learn how to love others through
reading, studying and applying God's Word to our hearts and our lives.
Those who are older and more experienced can share with the younger
ladies, in order that they may be spared many heartaches by heeding their
godly advice. Let us not think that we have all the answers, but truly be
open to the advice of those who are older and wiser, whether they be in
the church, or part of our family. Remember, the first commandment with
a promise is the one that says, "Honour thy father and thy mother:
that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth
thee" (Exodus 20:12).
Prayer for the Day:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for instructing us, as women, in Your ways. Lord, I do ask that
You teach me to love my husband the way that I should. Lord, I am asking
You to give me your love and grace, not only to love my husband, but my children
as well. May I express Your love to them in the daily affairs of life.
Give me the strength to be a good house-keeper and cook, along with my other
duties as a wife and mother. Deliver me from selfishness and let me consider my
family before my own needs. Lord, I know when I do this, that You will
take care of my needs. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
