It is quite obvious from verse 30 of Proverbs 31 that the virtuous woman fears (that is, is constantly in an awareness of the presence of) the Lord. Therefore, He erases the fear of everything else. (1 John 4:18) With that knowledge, we can dive into the next verse of our study (Proverbs 31:21).
snow: Literally. Snow is mentioned a few times in Scripture, and apparently is not a rare occurrence in Palestine. This is literally referring to winter.
household: This word includes all who live in the house- family and servants.
clothed: It is the same meaning of the word today, to wrap around, put on, to clothe as with a garment.
scarlet: Now HERE is an interesting word. Some versions change the Hebrew word and therefore it's meaning to doubly-clothed, because it seems to make more sense. However, with careful study, there is validity to the word originally used. (Imagine that! God knew what He was saying!)
This word scarlet refers to a specific color made by crushing a bug to make dye. (The same word is used to describe Jesus. Psalm 22:6) Scarlet was a fast color- it didn't wash out or fade. Historically, scarlet referred to a specific material that was made out of wool, which included the scarlet color but also others as well. This is where the word came from. So, being "clothed in scarlet" was definitely a preparation for winter. Wool is very warm, and apparently, this material didn't fade or look worn either.
The next logical question is, "How does this apply to me, today?"
I think the key here is trust and preparedness. The virtuous woman trusts in the Lord. She is also prepared.
I don't believe that the Bible teaches trusting God by sitting back and doing nothing. Quite the contrary. Faith is active according to the book of James.
Trusting the Lord with your eternal soul is THE MOST IMPORTANT way that you could be prepared. Make sure that you know Jesus personally, and that you have asked Him personally to save you from your sin. Today is the day of salvation! Don't wait, for then you truly have something to fear.
With that step done, you can see how you need to help prepare your home for various tasks, trips, or tragedy.... or anything else.
When the weather begins to turn cold around the end of October, our family prepares for winter. (Yes, you read right, October. We have about six months of winter.) The winter boots, coats, hats, and gloves come out of hiding. We check the woodpile that has steadily grown over the year, to see if we have enough, and to make sure it is all chopped and ready for the wood stove. Then, we make sure there is a "winter survival kit" in every vehicle we own (which is about 6 currently, including us kids'). In the winter survival kit is extra clothing, a blanket, flashlight, granola bars, and shovel- those are the basics anyway. My mom is very vigilant to ensure that we are prepared in any situation, especially since we live so far away from town.
Are you prepared both spiritually and physically?
"She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet."not afraid: The Hebrew word for fear in this instance is closely related to the word used in verse 30, the difference being "to frighten." In other words, there are two kinds of fear: a good, moral fear; and a frightening, terrifying fear. Here we can see that the virtuous woman trusts the Lord, and therefore is not afraid of the snow. (Trusting God is truly the only way to eradicate all fear. Ps. 5:11, 9:10, 34:22, etc)
snow: Literally. Snow is mentioned a few times in Scripture, and apparently is not a rare occurrence in Palestine. This is literally referring to winter.
household: This word includes all who live in the house- family and servants.
clothed: It is the same meaning of the word today, to wrap around, put on, to clothe as with a garment.
scarlet: Now HERE is an interesting word. Some versions change the Hebrew word and therefore it's meaning to doubly-clothed, because it seems to make more sense. However, with careful study, there is validity to the word originally used. (Imagine that! God knew what He was saying!)
This word scarlet refers to a specific color made by crushing a bug to make dye. (The same word is used to describe Jesus. Psalm 22:6) Scarlet was a fast color- it didn't wash out or fade. Historically, scarlet referred to a specific material that was made out of wool, which included the scarlet color but also others as well. This is where the word came from. So, being "clothed in scarlet" was definitely a preparation for winter. Wool is very warm, and apparently, this material didn't fade or look worn either.
The next logical question is, "How does this apply to me, today?"
I think the key here is trust and preparedness. The virtuous woman trusts in the Lord. She is also prepared.
I don't believe that the Bible teaches trusting God by sitting back and doing nothing. Quite the contrary. Faith is active according to the book of James.
Trusting the Lord with your eternal soul is THE MOST IMPORTANT way that you could be prepared. Make sure that you know Jesus personally, and that you have asked Him personally to save you from your sin. Today is the day of salvation! Don't wait, for then you truly have something to fear.
With that step done, you can see how you need to help prepare your home for various tasks, trips, or tragedy.... or anything else.
When the weather begins to turn cold around the end of October, our family prepares for winter. (Yes, you read right, October. We have about six months of winter.) The winter boots, coats, hats, and gloves come out of hiding. We check the woodpile that has steadily grown over the year, to see if we have enough, and to make sure it is all chopped and ready for the wood stove. Then, we make sure there is a "winter survival kit" in every vehicle we own (which is about 6 currently, including us kids'). In the winter survival kit is extra clothing, a blanket, flashlight, granola bars, and shovel- those are the basics anyway. My mom is very vigilant to ensure that we are prepared in any situation, especially since we live so far away from town.
Are you prepared both spiritually and physically?
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