Proverbs 31:15
She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household
and tasks for her maidens.
She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household
and tasks for her maidens.
When a goodwife concludes that she serves in her husband's fief, there are collateral tasks revealed. It is often the case that her work must precede his in time of day, that her service should be underway before those that she serves, and even those that serve her, can address their obligations. The attitudes surrounding the “inconvenience” is hopefully moderated by the willingness and trustworthiness already attained. One of the worms this early bird gets is that she gets to set the pace and the agenda for the day (spiritually and materially) by coming to thoughtful conclusions in early diligence. Remember that her "husband doth trust in her", and her efforts are for him and his. The day’s pace, attitude, and the tasks placed on the agenda by her effort will be natural to the ends that the ruler of the fief has desired for it.
And this women is not a shortsighted, bleary-eyed drudge, dragging her tired, fuzzy slippered resentments to the coffee maker so that the beached sea lion still sleeping above stairs can not face one tiny bit of inconvenience on his descent. Such a minimalist doesn't want to be a goodwife, she just wants a tiny bit of evidence to throw in the face of accusations that she isn't. The goodwife extends herself with profit for the fief in view. Her wisdom spends money and labor to purchase long term benefits. She can then invest what she built up to make even more. She does not look at the household budget as a zero sum game with only “x” dollars and “y” demands on them. A profitable viewpoint is not constrained to the money her lord allots her, but can take that money, that time, that food, and any material profit and apply it all to future gains. It is often that a kingdom's greatest imperial expansions are provided by the hard, constant efforts of the grand vizier.
Proverbs 31:16
She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
3 comments:
Why is it that the wife is up being responsible and the sea lion is beached? Why isnt he up visiting with and companioning her as she does the morning tasks? What if he is a morning person and she is not? Lots of biblical principles can applied several ways due to either unclearity or nonspecification of circumstances.
Oh, my mistake, Jason. I, in cahoots with the mother of Lemuel, King of Massa, neglected to include that whole "morning person" thing.
Do you suppose that the description there in Proverbs has any meaning whatsoever? If so, what is early rising supposed to suggest?
This whole string of posts neglects to mention one thing: the Proverbs 31 women had servants. Otherwise, she would not be able to do all this. Leslie, your Proverbs 31 woman, also has servants of her own sort. They clean the kitchen, the bathrooms, and their own areas, and they set and clear the table, although, in a clever turn of events, they pay her for the honor. Which means that, unlike most women, she has the benefit both of keeping her house full-time and making a living.
Don't get me wrong, Leslie's an amazing and gracious sergeant-at-arms and you know I think the whole arrangement is great for everybody. But Jason wasn't being pointed enough. Somebody's got to call your bluff.
Post a Comment