“She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.” Proverbs 31:15
This is the follow-up verse to the skill spoken of in verse 14, “bringing food from afar”. Taking the food that the Proverbs 31 wife has either grown, bartered for or purchased, she provides nourishment for her family and shares it with others as well. And she gets up early in the morning! Wow, do I need to work on that!
Some of you may have a husband who likes to cook and that’s great! My husband enjoys grilling, but doesn’t like to cook over the stove. The bad news is I don’t either. I don’t have the love for cooking that my mother and grandmothers had. I simply cook out of love for my family.
I imagine that the wife praised in the book of Proverbs probably had days of dissatisfaction as dinnertime was approaching. With everything else she was doing, who can blame her? This is what has come to my mind recently as I’ve been reflecting on these verses and other things.
What speaks to me about this particular example of a woman is that although she had many responsibilities, she recognized that she couldn’t do it alone. Verse 30 explains that she feared the Lord. This leads me to understand that she didn’t dread coming to Him in prayer, afraid that He would smite her. Instead she had reverence and honor for a holy, awesome and compassionate God who is able to give wisdom and strength for each day through His Word.
None of us can do it alone. We need something more than our own determination and ability to find fulfillment and joy in our situation. This chapter of Proverbs isn’t written to give us the burden of guilt about our own shortcomings. It gives us something to learn about, to aspire to, but mostly to bring us back to our loving Lord for His help and mercy.
“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Isaiah 40:28-31
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2 Comments on Monday’s Meditation – Proverbs 31:15 – The Strength of the Lord
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When I think of fear, I think of a person who runs screaming from God, anxiously loathing him and thinking he’s simply a finger-pointing old man in the sky. Or as Miriam-Webster defines it, “distressing emotions aroused by by impending danger or evil”. Unfortunately, this can be how some people see God.
I’m not about to debate the Hebrew language; there are others who have a greater understanding than I. This is the understanding I received from my Hebrew professor. The fear (from the root word Yirah) in some OT verses pertains to dread but in others it signifies awe, reverence and the feeling of trembling before God because of His holiness.
Is this a sense of fear? Yes. But not the common or modern definition of fear. This is what I was signifying within the context of this devotional.
Thanks for taking the time to read it and offer some clarification!
Why don’t you think she was afraid of the Lord? Fear is the condition of being afraid. I know I am certainly afraid of Him. He tells me to!
Erica