Imagine being a page (or runner) for your Senator. Would you wear rip jeans and a t-shirt that says "Vote for Me," or would you wear a classy business suit? Which one would he/she be more apt to trust with an important errand?
Clothing, though only 1/21st of the Proverbs 31 description, is nevertheless a vital part of our testimony as a virtuous woman. For myself, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels." ! (Isaiah 61:10) Because I am a born again, redeemed child of God, clothed with the righteousness of Jesus, I want my clothing to reflect my love and gratefulness to Him. I want my outer garments to accent my "inner garment" of righteousness.
What is your life message?
Do your clothes portray that message?
Think about these two questions as we delve further into Proverbs 31:22.
"She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple."
"Coverings of tapestry" refers to a bedspread, but also to the curtain surrounding her bed, as bedrooms were determined by material and not walls. She took time to make sure she made up her bed, keeping it a clean, relaxing, stress-free zone.
Is your bed made?
Is your room clean? relaxing? stress free?
Secondly, "her clothing is silk and purple." Purple was the name of an expensive material in a specific dye. Usually, this material was reserved for God's temple, royalty, or a very wealthy person. Now, we know that the Virtuous woman was thrifty and careful with her dollar from other verses. Why then, would she wear the most expensive garment?
In studying several different commentaries, I have found a few explanatory guesses; but the main idea being, that, it's okay to have nice things. In fact, people tend to respect a person who is well dressed better than one who is careless about their looks, especially if one who is well dressed will also get "down and dirty" when duty requires it. (Remember our hypothetical situation at the beginning of this post?) Also, the word purple could be referring to a position in Christ, claiming royalty through Him.
Are you able both to dress nicely whenever possible, and to get "down and dirty" when the situation requires it?
Do you know your identity in Christ?
Do you realize your identity in Christ is reflected in the clothes you wear?
Don't take a passive stance on clothing, thinking: "So long as I'm covered, who cares?". Quite the contrary. Understand, as the Virtuous woman so wisely did...
Your clothes say it for you.
Clothing, though only 1/21st of the Proverbs 31 description, is nevertheless a vital part of our testimony as a virtuous woman. For myself, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels." ! (Isaiah 61:10) Because I am a born again, redeemed child of God, clothed with the righteousness of Jesus, I want my clothing to reflect my love and gratefulness to Him. I want my outer garments to accent my "inner garment" of righteousness.
What is your life message?
Do your clothes portray that message?
Think about these two questions as we delve further into Proverbs 31:22.
"She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple."
"Coverings of tapestry" refers to a bedspread, but also to the curtain surrounding her bed, as bedrooms were determined by material and not walls. She took time to make sure she made up her bed, keeping it a clean, relaxing, stress-free zone.
Is your bed made?
Is your room clean? relaxing? stress free?
Secondly, "her clothing is silk and purple." Purple was the name of an expensive material in a specific dye. Usually, this material was reserved for God's temple, royalty, or a very wealthy person. Now, we know that the Virtuous woman was thrifty and careful with her dollar from other verses. Why then, would she wear the most expensive garment?
In studying several different commentaries, I have found a few explanatory guesses; but the main idea being, that, it's okay to have nice things. In fact, people tend to respect a person who is well dressed better than one who is careless about their looks, especially if one who is well dressed will also get "down and dirty" when duty requires it. (Remember our hypothetical situation at the beginning of this post?) Also, the word purple could be referring to a position in Christ, claiming royalty through Him.
Are you able both to dress nicely whenever possible, and to get "down and dirty" when the situation requires it?
Do you know your identity in Christ?
Do you realize your identity in Christ is reflected in the clothes you wear?
Don't take a passive stance on clothing, thinking: "So long as I'm covered, who cares?". Quite the contrary. Understand, as the Virtuous woman so wisely did...
Your clothes say it for you.
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