Day 130: Proverbs 31:21

"When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet." ~Proverbs 31:21, NIV

The last 21 verses of Proverbs are dedicated to the description of a "Wife of Noble Character" as described by a certain King Lemuel. Most of the proverbs are attributed to Solomon, as most of the psalms are attributed to David, while significant portions of both texts were written by a myriad of other sources. This is one such example as translated - Jewish tradition upholds that Lemuel was a poetic name for Solomon, and some people think he was a king of non-Israelite origin entirely - we may never know, but it's a pretty veritable fact that he wasn't a king of Israel simply because he isn't mentioned again in the Bible. But enough history, let's move on to how I interpret this verse in terms of fear.

Israel was a desert country. People didn't worry that much about snows, because it was hot. But in an Israeli context, it was a possible and highly undesirable occurrence that happened often enough to make it a valid fear of snows. But the "diligent" and "responsible" wife described throughout the half of the chapter has nothing to fear. In fact, not only does she have nothing to fear, but her entire household (which included her family AND the servants and their families) are clothed not only warmly enough, but in scarlet - a dye that showed prestige.

The thing about my interpretation is that it doesn't show a reliance on God. Basically it adds up to "if we work hard enough, we'll be safe". However, if we keep reading, we find out in v30 that this wife "fears the Lord". Her trust is in Him. She is God's blessing to her husband, and God blesses her so she can bless him.

God never said we were to be a lazy generation, and I think this verse shows that. God honors hard work, He doesn't provide it as the solution to problems in life, but more as a responsibility every person has - to work diligently. If we work responsibly for Him, He'll turn around and provide for our needs. As always, it probably won't be the way we want or expect it, but it will be for the best.

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