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Good Morning,
Week 5 is about Proverbs 31:15 - "she gets up while it is still dark and provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls."
Ok...honestly, when the kids were very little of course we were up before dawn.
My son especially was an early riser so for years this was not been a big deal to me.
My son especially was an early riser so for years this was not been a big deal to me.
Even just a few years back I would get up before everyone, sit in the dark and pray, light some candles, put in some cinnamon rolls and wake the family with wonderful smells of home cooking.
However, since my accident I have let those moments go. I need more rest and I am not working so I don't have a set time to get up. My teens like to make their own breakfast and lunch. Typically they just want a quick bowl of cereal. So lately I feel I have been slacking in this area.
I make up for it by provided amazing dinners and lots of leftovers for last minute after school snacks or lunches on the weekend.
Also - I am more inclined to make a bigger breakfast on the weekend. So I guess I need to improve in this area. I know God is giving me grace because I am healing from a serious accident so I am not going to stress over it.
I believe the scripture implies that it is important for the woman of the house to prepare food for the family, get up early for solitary time with God, and to also show an example to her servants. She served them before they started working....pretty cool!
I refer again to this page about the proverbs 31 woman written by the MiddleTown Bible Church.org
She is up before the sun, showing that idleness and laziness have no place with her (compare verse 27). The sluggard (Prov. 6:6-11) should not only go to the ant, but should also go to the virtuous woman to learn a lesson on diligence. There are great benefits to rising up early. It is a quiet time free from the noise and distractions of the day. It is an ideal time to spend with the Lord in quiet meditation and prayer, starting the day with Him.
We also see this principle in the manna which God provided for the children of Israel in the wilderness. Manna had to be gathered anew every morning (Exodus 16:14-22), just as fresh food for our souls is needed each day.
We have the example of our blessed Lord: "And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed (Mark 1:35). The Psalmist was in the habit of morning prayer: "In the morning shall my prayer come before thee" (Psalm 88:13).
| Did you meet the Master, At the break of day, Before your mind was clouded With your work or play? | <><><><><><> Yes, I met the Master, In the secret place. Oh! the blessed comfort When He giveth Grace. |
Rising up early also allows us to get a good start on the day. If a person sleeps in late, by the time he really gets going it may seem that half the day is gone and he time to accomplished very little. Sprinters know that the most important part of the race is how they start the race (how they get off the starting blocks). The key is beginning well. May God help us to start our days well, beginning the day with God and getting a good early start on the tasks and duties that demand our attention and diligence. Needless to say, a mother may have to sleep in after being up during the night with a sick child. the virtuous woman is diligent, yet flexible and realistic.
She giveth meat (food) to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
One of the reasons she rises up so early is to provide food for her household. When the father and children get up they are greeted with a hearty, home-cooked breakfast! Nutritionists consider breakfast the most important meal of the day, nourishing the body that has not had any food for many hours (the "breaking of the fast," that is, "breakfast") and providing energy for the toil of the day. The virtuous woman makes sure that her family gets off to a good nutritional start. This term "food" (translated by some as "game") is also used in Psalm 111:5 of God's gracious provision of food for those who fear Him.
Young women today, in many cases, hardly know how to prepare meals. Many families eat out frequently or order food that can be brought into the home. How many families take time to sit down at a meal together around the table? Often families don't eat together, don't pray together, don't read together, and as a result don't stay together.
Her maidens are her female servants. This virtuous woman was blessed with a large household that included female maids or servants. She did not live in poverty. We are reminded that under the Old Testament economy, the Israelites who honored and feared the Lord were promised not only spiritual blessings but also material blessings, and certainly the woman described in Proverbs 31 had both.
passage found in Job 23:12--"Neither have I gone back from the commandment of His lips; I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my portion of food" (literal translation).
This says a lot! I am convicted more than ever that once I am physically able I should get into the routine of serving my family in this way so everyone day starts out good....not just mine.
Kisses,
Jenny
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