People depend on this Excellent Wife.... she is willing to serve her family! The Hebrew meaning of verse 17 here literally means that she girds her loins with strength and vigor.
Proverbs 31:17-18(HCSB)
17She draws on her strength[a]and reveals that her arms are strong.18She sees that her profits are good,and her lamp never goes out at night.
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| Photo credit: www.talkshoe.com |
A discussion of Jewish clothing is helpful to fully understand what this means. The essential garment for the Jew was the tunic. Because the
tunic was so basic, it was identical for men and women except that the man’s
tunic was often shorter (knee length) and more colorful whereas the women’s was
often longer (ankle length) and blue. The tunic was normally a long flowing and
full cut robe. The girdle was often made of leather or cloth and was used to
hold the tunic to the waist. When men needed freedom to work, run or fight,
they would tuck the hem of the tunic into the girdle to gain greater freedom
and movement. This action was called “girding up the loins” and the phrase
became a metaphor for preparedness. The women would often lift the hem of
their tunics to help carry heavier or numerous objects. A common expression
in America has been the need “to roll up your sleeves” when hard and unhindered
work is necessary to accomplish the task. This modern expression finds it
counterpart in the biblical expression of “girding up the loins.”[1]
She has a healthy attitude towards hard work. She doesn’t just sit & do idle work.
She isn’t afraid to work hard. In today’s time, how can we apply this? We aren’t just delegating
work out or sitting around lazily. We aren’t just playing through life. We work
hard for our families and our households. We work diligently in our work
places. We give of ourselves within the church.
Vigor means to work using our physical strength within the boundaries of
good health and with energy, effort, and enthusiasm.
This woman is truly intelligent, strong, loves her family, and is willing to
give of herself in every way possible in order to bring blessings to her home.
We see that not only does this woman do all
of these things for her family, but she does it willingly and with a good
heart.
We also know this
woman likes to look for good deals and is a bargain hunter. The fact that verse 18 tells us that her
lamp doesn’t go out may mean to say that she is a hard worker with eyes looking
towards her future. Proverbs 24:20 says, “for the evildoer has no future hope,
and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.” There are several locations in
the Bible that tell us that misfortune is near for those whose lamp goes out.
I suggest for you to read the
parable of the five virgins in Matthew 25:1-13.
I can’t read
these passages and not point out the parallels to the lampstand in Revelation1:12-13 and 2:5. The lampstand in these verses refers to the Holy Spirit. For us
personally, the lampstand symbolizes that we are the light within the darkness
of this world. We must be vigilant to let our lights shine. To keep oil in our
lamps. We need to be examples of holiness. Examples of showing others that the
Holy Spirit lives within us by loving others. That is our mission as believers!
We must be prepared… “Therefore,
be ready. Not only that, walk in the Spirit, be led by the Spirit, depend upon
the Spirit of God, be filled with the Spirit”
Please understand that losing the lampstand is not losing
salvation and the part of losing the Holy Spirit is only speaking of the church. However, we can learn from
that and note that by not metaphorically being prepared with oil for our own
lamps then we are squelching the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we squelch
the Holy Spirit then we can lose the light of our lamps and therefore we are no
longer walking in the light of Jesus. When we aren’t walking in the light of
Jesus then we are allowing the enemy to sneak in on us which guarantees
destruction will be before us. Misfortune will be near. Heartache will be
plenty. We should be prepared with oil for our lamps. As women after God’s
own heart, then we must be diligent to not let our lamp go out at night.
Likewise, allowing our lamp to stay lit symbolizes long
life and prosperity.
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| photo credit: www.ucg.org |
Likewise, Are you feeding your spirit? Are you keeping oil in your lamp? What are ways that you choose to keep your spirit fed?
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