Make Me a Servant

In my weekly bible study we are studying the tabernacle with Beth Moore in A Woman's Heart. We are looking at what led up to the reason for needing the tabernacle and of course sin in the Garden of Eden is where our break in communion with God began. As we studied the Garden of Eden this week, then there were things the Lord spoke to me.  I shared them with my sweet sisters and now I want to share them with you!

Genesis 2:15 says the Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work and take care of it. The word “take care” here in verse 15 also means to guard the garden.  However, Adam didn’t do that, did he? He allowed the serpent to come in. The serpent shouldn’t have even made it to his wife, Eve, but he did. Adam wasn’t doing what God had commissioned him to do.

courtesy of pearls of promise ministries

Genesis 3:24 says that God drove out man and stationed the cherubim and the flaming, whirling sword east of the garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life.  The word guard here is the same word used when Adam was instructed to take care of the garden. Now that Adam wasn’t there to guard it, then the Lord instructed the cherubim to do it.

Interestingly, the garden was Adam’s tabernacle. Adam was like the priest and the garden was the sanctuary. The garden was their place of worship. The place of worship for the Israelites was the Tent of Meeting. It was instructed to the Levites, the anointed priests, in Numbers 3:7-8 says “They are to perform duties for him (talking about Aaron here) and the entire community before the tent of meeting by attending to the service of the tabernacle. They are to take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting and perform duties for the Israelites by attending to the service of the tabernacle.” The commission given to priests regarding the tabernacle was the same commission given to Adam in the garden. Work it. Take care of it. Guard it.

So I share this with you.  The same way Adam was called to serve God by guarding & caring for the garden, the priests were called to guard & care for the tent of meeting because it was their sanctuary. We too are called to guard and take care of our sanctuary. Our church. We are called to serve our church. Adam didn’t guard his church nor did he guard his heart. Adam didn’t obey God’s commission and now that he wasn’t there to serve the Garden, then God had to use someone else. He used the cherubim.

God is going to do what God is going to do. We can do it with him or we can do it without him. Doing it with him, obeying him, and serving him allows us to receive His blessings. Or we can choose to ignore His commission & not guard against those who will seduce us into sin. Like Adam, we will miss blessings and all that the Lord has planned for us.

So we must guard our church and guard our hearts. Because of Jesus, our bodies are our temple now. The Holy Spirit no longer resides in the garden or a tabernacle. He resides in us! Let’s do as He has commissioned us. Like Adam and the Levites, we must work & take care of our church. We must care for & guard our souls. If we don’t allow the Lord to use us, then He will surely use someone else.

The Noble Woman

It's been a while since I've been able to write on my blog. We've been super busy and then I was having some problems with my computer, but I am finally back to finish sharing my Proverbs 31 study with you!

Proverbs 31:19-22

19 She extends her hands to the spinning staff,

and her hands hold the spindle. 

20 Her hands reach out to the poor,

and she extends her hands to the needy. 

21She is not afraid for her household when it snows,

for all in her household are doubly clothed. 

22 She makes her own bed coverings;

her clothing is fine linen and purple. 

A spinning staff and spindle are tools that are used to gather wool and flax and twist it into thread or make yarn. If you remember, back in verse 13 we are told she works with willing hands. I love that she is willing... she doesn't complain. She wants to bless her family! She is considered noble, because she is also generous. She loves to use her gifts and help those who are less fortunate. Over and over in God’s Word we can see that the righteous man will give to those in need. Proverbs 11:25 says, “A generous person will be enriched, and the one who gives a drink of water will receive water.” When we give to others then we also receive blessings!

Maybe you don’t have the resources to give monetarily.

Despite her wealth, I wonder if one way that this woman may have used her gifts was to give some of her woven cloths to the poor who were cold or maybe she gave cloths for those in need of material for clothing? Remember, she uses the skills that God gave her in order to bless others. Look back at verse 17 and we learn she draws on her own strengths. Her strength was sewing, but maybe your strength is cooking, organizing, or cleaning? Maybe you have a good listening ear or you’re good at giving advice? Maybe you are an encourager and prayer warrior or possibly you help others by doing for them? We *all* have gifts that the Lord has given us! 

So when we see those in need, then we can use our gifts and our skills to serve Him and extend our hands to those around us in need. It doesn’t always have to be giving money. In fact, sometimes it’s the giving of our time that is the most helpful in blessing others.

Some translations tell us that her household is clothed in scarlet. Some translations tell us her family is doubly clothed. The Hebrew word is scarlet which from what I have found could once again goes either way.  From what I gather... it could mean both. Scarlet is a color of royalty & nobility (like purple is) & is also a color choice worn during the winter. Kind of like we wear darker colors in the Fall/Winter or corduroy clothing, etc. Since they’re a royal household, then it may mean they’re clothed in fine clothing like royalty as well as doubly clothed in order to maintain warmth during the winter. She spares no cost in providing them with warmth and dignified clothing for their royal standing. She doesn’t panic that winter has arrived. She doesn't have to worry that they have nothing to wear. Remember, she is a planner and has planned for what they will need in order to stay warm.

She is noble because of her generosity and in her social standing.  We can gather that she is a fine woman who uses the gifts God has given her to help others and be a blessing. Are you using the gifts God has given you to bless others?

In what ways do you like to give to those in need? One of my favorite things to do is help others by cooking for them. It's something that our children can help with and it's a blessing to us as well as the family receiving the food we've made. How do you use the gifts God has given you?