Hallelujah! I am rejoicing….just figured out my old password and id for this blog.
Will use it for Bible study posts….maybe.
Cannot BELIEVE I saw my old username on someones blogroll….and then it hit me what the password was…..good grief.
Ain’t getting old the pits?
Denise aka The Domestic Angel
www.homesteadblogger.com/domesticangel
www.homesteadblogger.com/daughterofgrace
www.homeschoolblogger.com/domesticangel
Ladies,
I began yesterday by thinking it would be instructive to read Proverbs 7 in "The Message" to see how closely it aligns with my old notes…..and I was appalled.
I spoke to my husband about this version that our small son (age 12) has and we are praying this thru.
SO the post I had prepared regarding that is currently just a draft…..and may never be published, depending on what my husband decides about this …..book.
I will not comment further on it until my husband and I have made a decision about it.
With that being said, I decided to continue to post the notes from my old study that did not make it into the previous comments I posted, beginning last month.
Here are the first 3 verses, complete with word study definitions. This study is taken from the KJV.
We will start with verse 10.
10. Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.
Virtuous-host, valiant, strength, riches, wealth, power, substance, mighty, strong, excellent, to be exalted of God.
Price – value
Rubies – precious jewels
Our paraphrase: Who can find such a strong, excellent, efficient, exalted of God woman? Her value is more than precious jewels.
The word virtuous is usually referred to in the masculine, such as with an army, a man of valour or being valiant. I find it curious that the woman we admire most, and hold up as the example to follow in the Bible is known throughout the ages and in all the world with a masculine term, virtuous. Perhaps it is a cultural idiom, since men, especially valiant men of war, were considered superior and of great value to others at the time this was written.
11.The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
Heart – mind, understanding, inner man, seat of emotions
Trust – have confidence
Spoil – booty, that taken by war, plunder of war
Our paraphrase: The inner man, deep inside, the part of her husband that has the most feeling, has safe confidence in her so he won’t have to worry about having to bring home the booty taken by war, since she didn’t spend money foolishly or complain about what she doesn’t have, that he would have no way of getting for her, except to go to war for it.
Isn’t this what I want from my husband, his “most feeling part”, the “emotional” part of him? Maybe my husband can’t trust in me, so he won’t give me “all of him”? Many times, I have complained about my husband not understanding me, or sharing his “real” self with me. I have to think: do I do things that make him not trust in me? Why would he not want to share his innermost thoughts and self with me? It is simply stated here: He has to be able to trust me.
12. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
Let me say here that I have always been taught that the words “shall” and “will” denote a command in the Bible. This is the only verse in the description of the Proverbs 31 woman that is a command………we have no choice but to obey it’s command.
Good – this word used in this verse means the same as the goodness of God. This points to the fact that this is a saved woman, for an unsaved person would not have the Holy Spirit indwelling them, thus, they would not understand how to manifest the goodness of God. It is also noted that God’s goodness appears in 2 things: giving and forgiving.
Evil – wickedness, mischief, hurt, trouble, affliction, adversity, (some pastors have defined evil as premeditated hurt)
Our paraphrase: She will (this is a command, there is no choice in the matter) give to him and forgive him and not do him any premeditated hurt or give him trouble or be unpleasant or be unkind or vicious in disposition or cause misery, distress or injury ALL the days of her life.
Ladies, I read this as needing to give to and forgive my husband ALL the days of my life, not just when I want to, or when he’s been nice to me, or when I want to get my own way, or if it isn’t that certain time of month or……….well, you fill in the blank. Think: When do I keep back a certain part of myself or when do I purposely give him the cold shoulder if he has done something I don’t agree with?
I think I was working on brevity and being short and sweet during this phase of my life. I DO have a tendency to ‘go on’.
Much more could be commented on regarding these passages. However, I have WAY too much on my mind and I am NOT getting any clear leading from God…….too many jumbled thoughts today, and I have learned that when that spirit exists in me, to not make any judgements or decisions, especially about the Bible.
Sigh. This being a woman thing is sometimes difficult, no?
I do plan on writing a new overall synopsis of the Proverbs 31 woman soon. Hopefully, my head will clear and things will settle down somewhat to the extent that my thinking will be clear and God-ordered. Thanks for understanding in advance.
I am currently working on a project to present at a ladies conference, am trying to get small son back on track with school (along with reading many books on certain subjects) AND am trying to make arrangements to visit my older children in a few months……for the birth of our 6th grandchild AND to get to know the 5th one, whom I’ve never held in my arms yet.
So…..to say I am a little preoccupied is like saying the Grand Canyon is a hole in the ground.
Denise aka The Domestic Angel
THE PROVERBS 31 WOMAN
A study prepared by Denise Lower
The word “Proverb” means: a description by way of comparison.
This tells me that the Proverbs 31 woman is a metaphor, actually, the embodiment of certain “descriptions” in one woman to which we are to compare ourselves. Plainly speaking, this woman has all the attributes which we should strive to have, but to have them all at the same time, would be nearly impossible. I believe we should constantly be working on all of these traits found in Proverbs 31, however, we should not berate ourselves if we fall short of any goal on any given day. We are “works in progress” ,Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
***Author’s note: After my closer look at this passage with "The Message" version of the Bible, I can almost see where many of these ‘job descriptions’ could BE accomplished at the same time in life…..still ‘out to lunch’ on that one!!!!****
The words in Proverbs 31 were most likely written to Solomon. These words are addressed to Lemuel, an unknown king, however most Bible scholars believe this to be Solomon. I find it fascinating that these words were written to Solomon by his mother, Bathsheba.
Perhaps reflecting on all she had seen over her lifetime, including the death of her first child with David, she instructs her son, the wealthiest man in the world, on the attributes of a “good woman”, one you cannot put a price on. In essence what Solomon’s mother was saying, was that even if you had all the money in the world, and it appears he did, you could not buy this type of woman.
In my study, I found there were various verses dealing with several different areas of life. I have listed these by area, and recorded the scriptures I think deal with that area, however, I’m sure if you thought about it, you could come up with more.
Verses About:
Food: 14, 15, 16
Clothing or Dress: 13, 21,22,24,25
Character: 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
Homemaking: 13, 14, 15, 21, 22, 27, 29
Business or Commerce: 13, 14, 20, 24, 29, 31
Relationship with Husband: 10, 11, 12, 23, 28
It seems to me, that if you look at just the way these verses are recorded, that being a woman of character would be most important to God, then husband and family, not to mention the community. Next would be the homemaking skills, business, husband, clothing , and food preparation. This should not be taken as an order of how to have our priorities. The order of a Christian Woman’s priorities are as follows: ***(and I DO have scripture for these priorities)
1. God
2. Husband
3. Children
4. Family
5. Church
6. Others
WOW!!! Sort of a pre-cursor to the Titus 2 Woman. Maybe the Titus 2 Woman of the Old Testament??
In this next section, I’ve taken verses from Proverbs 7 and done a word study on them, as a contrast to the Proverbs 31 woman.
The Proverbs 7 Woman
What we do NOT want to act like
In sharp contrast to the paragon of virtue in Proverbs 31, we look quickly at the woman of Proverbs 7. Sometimes it is helpful, if not instructional, to examine how we should NOT be, in order to avoid doing just those things. I would like to take a brief moment to look at the characteristics that define the Proverbs 7 woman. These verses are found in Proverbs 7:5-21.
In verse 5, the strange woman is defined as a harlot or a prostitute. I do not want to have any of the qualities or attributes of a harlot. Let us look at what some of those qualities are.
In verse 9, we see that she is out in the twilight, in the evening and in the black night. These are defined as early morning, the period following sunset and the middle of the night, respectively. There is certainly a reason they call them “ladies of the evening”, although I think lady is a generous and inappropriate term. Sin and evil are constantly referred to as black and it is even stated in Pro. 2:13 and in Pro. 4:19, that the “way of wickedness is as darkness”. When we leave the paths of righteousness, we always follow the paths of darkness.
There is so much available to us in this day and age on a 24 hour basis. Grocery stores, ATM machines, theaters, drugstores, gas stations. It seems Satan has advanced this world to a point where you can do anything you want all night long. I do not like to drive at night, and I do everything possible to avoid being out after sunset……I know in the winter in this part of the country, it is nearly impossible to get things completed by nightfall. I know this sounds narrow-minded, but I try to be home at night, unless I am out with my husband or family.
We were in downtown Chicago one evening, on a “date” for my birthday, and I was literally appalled at what I saw on the streets late at night, and it wasn’t even really that late, around 9:00pm, I think. That experience certainly made it clear to me, that not much good happens in the darkness.
In verse 10, we see that there is definitely an “attire of an harlot”. There is much controversy over dress in the Christian world, but in Isaiah 47: 2b and 3, the Bible says: “…..uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers. 3. Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, thy shame shall be seen.” These verses are discussing the daughter of Babylon, and in Rev. 17:5, we see, “And upon her forehead was a name written, mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.” I, as a Christian lady, endeavoring to be a Proverbs 31 woman, do not want in ANY way to appear a daughter or mother of harlots, so I choose not to dress in the “attire of an harlot”.
The word “subtil” in this verse means keeper or watchman and the “heart” is the seat of the emotions…….this wicked woman watched over her own heart….probably had a hard heart, while destroying others hearts. I need to be so careful about guarding my own heart, yet being watchful over others hearts too.
Verse 11 states that she is loud – clamorous, boisterous, turbulent, raging, disquieted. I need to be discreet, calm and of a “meek and quiet” spirit (I Peter 3:4)….there are reasons the Bible gives us word pictures. I catch myself wanting to be like women of the world, with their loud and boisterous ways…many say they are just “spirited”. I need to conduct myself in the way the Bible says.
Verse 11 also states she is stubborn – rebellious, backslidden, away. When I am stubborn and wanting my own way, I am conducting myself in the ways of an harlot…..Strong words, but ladies, this is Bible.
Verse 11 states further, “her feet abide not in her house”. This woman was not content to stay home. Abide means – remain, inhabit, rest. She was a “gad-about”, as my mother used to say. This verse alone has convicted me to not do so much “running around”. There is so much to say here, but if I am concentrating on being a “keeper at home”, I guess I need to be there a majority of the time.
Verse 12 says..”now is she without – meaning outside, in the fields, highways, streets, the outside. My mother used to tell me I wasn’t going to “run the streets”. As a Godly woman, I see TWO verses here that tell me I need to stay at home. Taking care of a family is a gift from God. I will respect it as such, and stay off the roads all the time and stay home, where I belong, and where God wants me to be.
In verse 12, we see, “lieth in wait – ambush, in verse 13, that she has an impudent – strong or hard face and in verse 21, we see she uses “much fair speech”- persuasiveness. When I first read these verses, I thought, “I’m not like that”, but upon further examination, I see that sometimes I do wait to ambush my husband with a request when he is too tired to think, I make my face “hard” when I don’t get my own way, and I can be very persuasive when I want something. How is that any different than the harlot, portrayed in these verses?
One of the things my husband first notices about someone is their face. We had met with the realtor who had this house listed, a woman, and one of the first things he said about her was,”My, she has such a hard face.” I believe the sin we have done in our pasts can make our faces hard, and it does show on our faces. I will say it now, and I will say it again in reference to a passage in Proverbs 31, the best beauty treatment in the whole world is living right.
PHEW!!!! That was what I wrote as an introduction to the Proverbs 31 study over 6 years ago!! Comforting to me is the fact that I STILL think the same things about those verses.
So much more could be said and I could expand on every one of those verses, but I feel it best to leave that alone for now.
Depending on what you all think, I might take a few days and expand on those verses.
Let me know what you think.
Denise aka The Domestic Angel
Sigh.
Small son is sick. Have no idea what it is. HIGH temp. Pop over to my other blog to read about the award I gave myself – "BAD mommy of the YEAR".
Anyway, until we figure out what this is……I’ve delayed the posting of my old notes.
I might sneak in here later today and post a verse or two…..IF this child ever goes to sleep.
I thought when you ran a fever you slept more?
NOT so with this child.
He was still wandering around at 12:30 last night……and was up this morning a little while ago at 7:30.
Not good. Body needs sleep to heal.
Only symptom, runny nose and high fever.
Huh.
A stumper.
More later.
Denise aka the Domestic Angel (who needs to be the Domestic Nurse today!)
……….I have decided to post my old studies on the Proverbs 31 woman from 6 years ago here on this blog. After much prayer, the Holy Spirit convicted me yesterday the God gave me these thoughts, these talents and these words…..and I would be selfish not to share them.
BUT……..I will begin doing it in it’s entirity beginning next Tuesday. I mentioned our Mid Winter Break and it is AMAZING the things I do not have done yet.
Yesterday we DID manage to complete putting the bookshelves together, shuffle some things around from the laundry room/computer room/ sewing room/office back to the basement…..there just isn’t going to be room for all of my sewing in there!!!
AND I emptied out several (and I do mean SEVERAL) more cardboard boxes of books, books, BOOKS onto those shelves my hubby so kindly finished putting together for me!!!
It is nice to have the living room with a ‘completed look’ now. It occurred to me after observing others living rooms the past few weeks that mine had that "unfinished, looks like we’re just storing our furniture there but using it in the meantime" look. Just not used to that much space, I guess.
Plus, a few more miles on going around that afghan, dinner, a movie and then a game of Battleship with small son and I was EXHAUSTED!!!
Oh, did I mention laundry??
Anyway….on the slate for today is trying to straighten, consolidate and get into order the basement and then lay down the rugs and set up the family room…..THAT could take a while……sheesh.
I also need to make some homemade whole wheat crackers (sort of like wheat thins) for hubby and for snacking AND I need to finish that afghan. I got up right at 5:30 this morning even though we’re on school vacation, just to work on the computer for a while and then DIG IN!!!
I’m thinkin’ school would be alot less work right now!!!
Anyway…..I will begin posting my original Proverbs 31 woman study beginning next Tuesday.
And……due to some recent happenings here at the Lower ranch…..will be making some extremely pertinent comments regarding actions I was led by God to take this week that goes right along with being a Proverbs 31 woman!!! Probably do that tomorrow.
Busy weekend coming up. We have "Fun Friday", a homeschool activity tomorrow and then a Talent Show/Benefit presentation Sat. nite with the same home school group.
SOOOOO……even though I’m incredibly busy……I’ll try to keep up! You ladies are all such a blessing and an inspiration to me!
Denise aka The Domestic Angel
Denise