I sometimes hear women use Proverbs 31 as an excuse to be career women. They say that this woman was in real estate because verse 16 says: “She considers a field and buys it.” To purchase land to plant a vineyard is not the same thing as being in a full-time career. Vineyards were part of home life in Israel. They were part of their survival. As this family grew, they needed land to plant another vineyard and so she needed to check out the most suitable land. It is still the lifestyle in Israel and European countries today. When ministering in different countries in Europe Colin and I have stayed with many families who own their own vineyards nearby to their homes.It’s much the same as going out looking for land or a new house for your family. I am sure you have done this. This is part of caring for your family, not a career outside the home!
Once this virtuous woman found the land for another vineyard to help feed their family, she didn’t continue to go out each day and buy and sell land for other families. This was part of her watching over the affairs of her own family. This is the whole theme of Proverbs 31. It reveals an industrious woman in her home, watching over it from morning until night.
Verse 27 says: “She looks well to the ways of her household.” The words “looks well” is the Hebrew word “tsaphah” and is the same word that is used of “watchmen” in the Bible. It describes the Proverbs 31 woman as a watchwoman over her home--hardworking and productive, guarding her home and her children, keeping watch on everything that happens. Nothing is hidden from her eyes.
It is impossible to be a watchman (a watchwoman) if you are not in the home. A watchman or guard stood at his post. He could not vacate his post while he was on duty. He had to be faithful to guard the city and watch out for enemies lurking around.
God told Ezekiel in Ezekiel 3:17: “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman (“tsaphah” same as “looks well” to the ways of her household) unto the house of Israel.” In the same way, God makes each mother a watchwoman over her home and the children He gives to her. We cannot take our career of Watchmother lightly. We better not vacate our post.
Many blessings to you today from Nancy Campbell
363 Hits
Not easy to do, especially in our marriages, but it works miracles. Let’s keep soft and humble hearts. Matthew 19:8 tells us that a hard heart leads to divorce.
What a momentous job we have as mothers. It’s no ordinary job. It’s the most powerful in the nation. One of our many great tasks is to be the peacemakers and to keep unity in the home. Wow, that’s not easy, is it? Sometimes we ourselves can be the cause of disunity!
A dear friend shared with me today a beautiful understanding of God who is our El Shaddai which means "The Breasted One."
It is a very important aspect of parenting to build a hedge around our family and home. Truthfully, it is God who builds the hedge, but we have to do our part. God built a hedge around Job's home. Satan was not able to touch Job until God removed the protective hedge He put around him. Satan tells God in Job 1:10: "Hast not Thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side?"
I love the different words God uses to describe our children. God loves to reveal His plans to us by pictures. Psalm 128:3 tells us that our children are like "olive plants" sitting all around our table. The Hebrew word for "olive" is "zayith" and means "an olive (as yielding illuminating oil)." Among many other uses the olive was used as oil for the lamps to light up their homes. It was also used to light the golden candlestick in the holy place of the tabernacle.
Proverbs 26:8 tells us that to bind a stone in a sling is as bad as giving honor to a fool! A stone in a sling is not meant to be bound up but to go forth to hit the target. It goes forth to slay the enemy. In the same way, we are foolish to bind up God's truth and hide it. God intends His words to go out from our mouths to accomplish God's plans and purposes (Isaiah 55:11). The spoken word has great power. God created the world with His Word. Many times, we hold back divine miracles from happening in our lives because we are too shy, too afraid, or too lazy to speak out the word of the Lord.
A mother wrote me, saying, "I love all the positivity about motherhood I read here, but it seems to outweigh the blurbs about loving wifehood. As a young mama who tries to keep my priorities of God, hubby, and children in that order, do you have any thoughts?"
Worry? Why worry? What can worry do?
Are you bold to speak the truth when deception and lies are being proclaimed? Or do you find it easy to stay silent because you feel too timid or you are concerned what people think of you?
The trying days, the sighing days, the days when things go wrong,
Many years ago I remember seeing this cartoon. The mother was sitting at the table with the newspaper spread out before her. The home was in a mess, the toys were all over the floor, and the children were running wild! The husband came in the door and said, "What on earth are you doing?"
Dear mother, are you feeling overwhelmed today? You feel you have too much to do. How can you fit it all in? How can you keep up with the housework? How can you effectively homeschool all these children around you?
God’s word is true from the beginning and from the beginning God’s word is true!
Here's a lovely quote by Marianne Neifert, which an Above Rubies reader sent to me. I'm sure you will identify with these same feelings . . .
Yesterday we talked about women being saved through childbearing and motherhood. But why? We have to look at the preceding verse: “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman, because she was FULLY DECEIVED, fell into transgression (1 Timothy 2:14 (NET).” The NET commentary explains that because two compound verbs are used for “deceived” in this verse that there is a stronger meaning intended for the second verb.
This is what the Bible says: “Women, however, will be saved through CHILDBEARING, if they continue in faith, love, holiness, with self-control” (1 Timothy 2:15 BSB). Other translations say that “she will be saved through MOTHERHOOD.”
Each Friday evening at our shabbat meal my husband reads Provers 31. He usually reads in the King James Version but the other night he decided to read from a different translation for a change. We chose the Knox translation. We got to verse 29 and I weas arrested: “Her husband is loud in her praise.” He praises her with these words: “Unrivalled art thou among all the women that have enriched their homes.”