The Proverbial Woman: Vs, 18 A Light Seen From Afar

Proverbs 31:18  She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.  Her lamp does not go out at night.
Tet ('tate' rhyming with mate) is the ninth letter of the alphabet.  Tet is first used in Genesis 1 where '...God saw the light that it was good '.  The pictorgraph of this letter is of a snake in a basket and is said to represent the choice between good and evil and a possible perversion of goodness. 

The Hebrew word which begins with tet  is  Ta'amah.   It means 'she perceives'.   She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.  In some translations she 'discerns'... Either word here truly works well. Perceive means to 'become aware or conscious of, to understand'.  Discern means 'to recognize; to distinquish between'.  The word used here for merchandise is 'chacar'  the same as the word used in verse 14.  It means to 'go about, to travel'.  I believe that in this instance she is continually examining her motives and actions, distinguishing between them what is all too human and what is spiritually right.

Her merchandise in this instance is truly the value of her character and her actions. 

Isaiah 23:18  For her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness...

This woman knows her personal value is truly based upon her character, who she is in private as well as in public.   I think we as women struggle with this.  I know I did.  I had no clue what my value was as a person, as a woman, a wife, a mother.  I had to learn these things and if I could change much about my past, I'd choose to change those choices I made that failed to recognize my worth and the 'profit' of my example to others.  I would not have allowed certain behaviors, on my part or others', that discounted my worth.

Her lamp does not go out at night.  Immediately, this passage reminds me of the passage of the bridesmaids in Matthew 25:1-13 where five of the ten bridesmaids showed up without oil for their lamps.  They were unprepared and missed the coming of the bridegroom.  This Proverbial woman is prepared spiritually.  She is, I think, also secure in any battles she might face.  Dark times come to us all.  We struggle with big issues at times.  This woman is aware that even in the darkest hours,  her spiritual lamp does not go out. She is safe in her God.

Matthew 5:14You are the light of the world...

This verse too speaks of this woman, of any of us, who  have sought after that personal relationship with God (and for Christians the relationship with Christ). We take on the light of his presence, and  shine out into the dark world about us. 

2 comments:

Debby in KS said...

I just thought I'd say that I'm enjoying these.

Lana said...

I think that women in America need to realize that their worth has nothing to do with their looks before they can know that they are truly worthy in God's eyes.

The passage about the lamp never going out at night has always makes me think of my grandparent's house. There was a lamp on a dresser in the hall that had a bare tiny bulb with aluminum foil over most of the bulb that was always on at night. My Dad always grumbled that the house was going to burn down.

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