My wife showed this to me... not sure where it came from, but we both think this is right on the money!Consider some of the contrasts between the strange woman described in Proverbs and the modest woman:1. THEY ARE DIFFERENT IN WHERE THEY GO. The strange woman is not afraid of going out "in the black and dark night" (Prov. 7:9). Her "feet abide not in her house; now is she without, now in the streets" (Prov. 7:11-12). The modest woman, on the other hand, is cautious about where she goes and when she goes and with whom she goes; she avoids going to places where moral temptations lurk; she avoids being alone with men; she avoids situations that could place her in the way of moral harm.2. THEY ARE DIFFERENT IN THEIR ATTIRE (Prov. 7:10).The immoral woman has "the attire of an harlot"--skimpy, tight, suggestive--to draw attention to herself sexually and to lure men to her on that basis. The modest woman, on the other hand, is clothed in such a way so as NOT to draw men's attention to her in a sexual manner.3. THEY ARE DIFFERENT IN SPIRIT (Prov. 7:10-11). The immoral woman is "subtil of heart ... loud and stubborn." The modest woman has "a meek and quiet spirit" (1 Pet. 3:4).4. THEY ARE DIFFERENT IN COUNTENANCE (Prov. 7:13).The immoral woman has "an impudent face." The modest woman, on the other hand, is "shamefaced" (1 Tim. 2:9). This is the Greek word "aidos," which "has the idea of downcast eyes" and means "bashfulness, i.e. (towards men), modesty or (towards God) awe" (Strong).5. THEY ARE DIFFERENT IN THEIR RELIGION. The strange woman makes religious offerings and attends to religious duties (Prov. 7:14), but her heart is far from God; she goes to church but she is a hypocrite, because her secret life is wicked. The modest woman, on the other hand, serves God from the heart. She is the same person in the dark of night as she is in the light of day.6. THEY ARE DIFFERENT IN THEIR DEFINITION OF LOVE.The strange woman confuses love with lust, thinking that "love" is mere romance and the fulfillment of sexual desire regardless of one's marital status (Prov. 7:18). This is the Hollywood, the rock & roll definition of love. The modest woman, on the other hand, knows that genuine love is godly commitment in marriage. True love is keeping God's commandments (1 John 5:3).7. THEY ARE DIFFERENT IN THE WAY THEY LOOK AT LIFE.The strange woman lives only for the moment; she does not look at the end of things but only at the beginning. She does not think about God's judgment but only about the pleasure of sin (Prov. 7:22-23). The modest woman, on the other hand, knows that sin is pleasurable only for a short season and she focuses her attention rather on the eternal things than the mere temporal (Heb. 11:24-26).
Modest Woman vs. The Strange Woman
My favorite "ladies" are Elisabeth Elliot and Nancy De Moss .... but your title got me going now ... ha ... I said, just by looking at the title ... "Hey, but I'M STRANGE" ... Ha ... but I'm not immoral.I'm going to do one up tonite for you guys by the same title. O.K. ? Well, I may change the title just a hair.Since there is no longer male nor female in Christ, I think it only fair that the same rules apply to you guys. Hellooooooooo !!!
The "strange woman" is really just a personification of fleshly lusts and therefore the whole passage can equally be applied to men and women. Annie, perhaps you could take these same verses and make some specific application to men as seen from female eyes?In Christ,Ron
The "strange woman" is really just a personification of fleshly lusts and therefore the whole passage can equally be applied to men and women. In that much of Proverbs has to do with 'wisdom' I have often thought that the 'strange woman' might be the lady that Luther once called 'harlot reason'. What think ye?
In that much of Proverbs has to do with 'wisdom' I have often thought that the 'strange woman' might be the lady that Luther once called 'harlot reason'. What think ye?Excellent! I'll have to re-read the passage with that in mind. If we spend a little time we could probably note many different angles from which to view the "strange woman". Having been a diaper changer of three little ones, I can appreciate this quote on "harlot reason" from Luther's book Concerning Married Life (1522)...Along comes that clever harlot, namely natural reason, looks at married life, turns up her nose, and says: Why, must I rock the baby, wash its diapers, change its bed, smell its odour, heal its rash, take care of this and take care of that, do this and do that?It is better to remain single and live a quiet and carefree life. I will become a priest or a nun and tell my children to do the same. But what does the Christian faith say? The father opens his eyes, looks at these lowly, distasteful, and despised things and knows that they are adorned with divine approval as with the most precious gold and silver. God, with his angels and creatures, will smile—not because diapers are washed, but because it is done in faith.In Christ,Ron
Phew, I looked up "strange woman" in the KJ and it's 8 times in Proverbs ... and the "wisdom" there is stay far far far clear of that kind.Guess I'll just switch to saying I may be "Peculiar".I don't about Luther getting 'that' title outta Proverbs, but I understand somewhat what 'that' would be. Isn't 'that' more of a 'man' thing ? :-P Krispy, next time let your wife post things to the ladies .... it'll keep you out of more unnecessary trouble. Ain't ya got enough ? :-? :-D
Sorry IntheLightRon,Your post wasn't there when I posted mine.No disrepect intended.Annie
I think this is an excellent post! I understand why Mrs. Krittr liked it! Now ladies, why do you get so bent out of shape the minute a male posts something about females??!!! :-? Maybe I should start a thread telling the entire male population how stupid females can be??!! Now would that not be fun??!!On the other hand I am certain I could tell them nothing new!! :-P ginnyrose
Good Post! Food for thought. Then when I was considering I read Ron's comment now I move to prayerfully considering the same allllllllll over again! :-(
'Ladies' is plural and unless I am mistaken, I 'think' I was the only female on this thread ginnyrose.But, I've been mistaken about posters before, so ....... :roll:
3 out of the 8 Proverbs I looked up earlier about the strange woman were regarding "flattery".The antiChrist uses flatteries also to deceive.Looking at John's Epistles "even now are there many antichrists"We were taught the definition of flattery, in contrast to slander is ...Slander is something you say behind someone's back, but don't say to their face.Flattery is something you say to someone's face, but don't say behind their back.Pro 2:16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words.Pro 6:24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. Pro 7:5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words. Meanings go deep. "Anti" also means "in place of". His Word "in place of" ours would be a better switch. He 'is' The Word. Makes us wonder if our word in place of His (or ours instead of His) isn't that way.InTheLight - in response to your earlier suggestion ... how about Proverbs Chapter 5 in contrast to 8 ?Edited
I mean no disrespect in this posting either to Jews or mothers-in-law but have you ever noticed that the extraordinary characteristics of 'the virtuous woman' in Proverbs 31 was written by a 'potential Jewish mother-in-law'. This is a fascinating passage of scripture. Apparently, if Lemuel was Solomon, this must have been written by Bathsheba. This is a woman with a burden (this is the word translated 'prophecy' in Prov 31:1) to her son about the kind of wife he ought to have in mind. If this Lemuel really was Solomon, his ignoring of this 'burden' was an act of spectacular folly and one which brought him to ruin.Lemuel's mother, with all of a mother's protective concern, and with a 'burden' describes her ideal 'daughter-in-law'. It is quite a list! :-D Many have seen its ultimate purpose as a description of the Church.On occasion I have met distraught Christian wives who have beaten themselves almost to death with this passage of scripture. It usually brings a little respite when they observe that these words were written by a 'mother-in-law'. :-D Just a thought... and before the rush starts... I am married to the most wonderful woman in the world... who is also a mother-in-law and who has two daughters-in-law in whom she delights! ;-)
ginnyrose...I didnt get the impression any women got their noses bent over me posting a thread about women... besides, it's just straight up scripture.Any by the way, the principles in my original post apply to men, women and kids.Krispy
Boy you guys sure do get up early. Ya got roosters up there in them there hills Krispy ?You must start your day with coffee ... no ?I sure have to. It takes two hours for me to wake up ... but don't let this hour fool you ... I haven't been to bed yet ... because I took Proverbs 31 too literally Pro 31:18 ... her candle goeth not out by night.Yeah, my old neighbor once said, "you keep 'strange' hours." There's that carnfangled word again ... ha.I liked what RonB said too. It is true, I do push myself, but I pray it's for the good in the Eternal scheme of things. I take that chpt. 31 very very seriously.My only complaint Ron, is that I have no "handmaidens" to help around here. Wish that part of the prophecy applied here. I sure could use a hand. Well, I appreciated Ron having mercy and actually Krispy ... maybe I don't even need to say this ... but I fully and whole-heartedly agreed and approved of your post. It's just being neighbors, and because you still have a sense of humor, which you know I believe we need ... I like to pull your leg, cuz I know you know me by now.You used to think I was toooooo hard and strict but I'm actually quite nuts, in a mentally healthy way. :-D :-? Isn't that what smilies are for ?And Ron, you did an excellent job on explaining Chpt. 31. thank you a lot.Have a blessed day you men. You guys have the weight of your families on your backs, big time as providers, priests, etc. etc. etc.... So you have my prayers, big time.Thanks and Lord Bless !Annie
Annie, I love reading your posts!!! You have such a delightful way of playing with words. You put a twinkle into the serious stuff. My only complaint Ron, is that I have no "handmaidens" to help around here. Wish that part of the prophecy applied here. I sure could use a hand.Look again, Annie, and you will see many "handmaidens" always at your service - dishwasher, washing machine,microwave, telephone, vaccuum cleaner, car, running water, electricity.... to name a few! Diane
Boy you guys sure do get up early. Ya got roosters up there in them there hills Krispy ?You must start your day with coffee ... no ?Usually by 5am I'm at my desk with the coffee going and studying God's Word until 6 or so. Right now I'm methodically working my way thru Matthew Henry's commentary. There is so much meat in it. I've spent two days just studying Jesus being tempted in the wilderness.Anyway... I was up a little sooner than normal this morning (4:30) cuz there were some raccoons getting into the garbage can on the back deck. I took some pics of them before I chased them off... they are friendly kritters. Our neighbors have had a bear in their garbage recently... which is why I got up.If y'all are real nice to me, I'll post the pics sometime.Krispy
Our neighbors have had a bear in their garbage recently... yes, we throw out some odd things too... :-D
Gotta love that dry British humor... lolKrispy
I read this somewhere a minister said....probably some big shot somewhere...."If a woman could get into a mind of a man for 10 minutes she would change the way she dressed" :-o
"If a woman could get into a mind of a man for 10 minutes she would change the way she dressed"My wife would probably tell you that 10 minutes in the mind of a man is all it would take to learn everything he knows!Bad wife... bad wife...Krispy
Ha Diane, I read your post earlier, when I wasn't fully awake.All I saw was "Look again Annie" and I thought you had prayed for me and that I should look out the window or something and you all were here or Handy Maids Service .... Then I thought, "Ah, no, that wouldn't be" ... so I wanted to go into the kitchen to see if I had a "Dishwasher" miraculously sitting in there. Another reality check "Ah, no."Oh well, you could pray though, not only do I not have a dishwasher, but now the stove blew out some weeks ago and the nuke-a-lizer (or 'radiate-er') otherwise known as a microwave, blew last year, so cooking has been a challenge for the cognitively impaired here. HO !All things in moderation I suppose.I wear baggy dresses and slacks and blouces, so I completely agree, that woman should dress so that only their husband knows if they're fat or not.God Bless SI posters !!!
Annie,Some have explained the handmaidens as being our modern conveniences: like washers, dryers, modern kitchen equipment, etc., etc. Only problem is they can't talk back at us! They work faithfully day in day out then bingo! they quit and we get all bent out of shape...Me thinks ALL of my appliances should last as long as I do! For some reason they do not know that and I don't know how to impress this fact on them!ginnyrose
"Some have explained the handmaidens as being our modern conveniences"ginnyrose, I think this is part the reason I have taken to Elisabeth Elliot.She would have never said this. She's never taken to "kitchen work". Ha.I believe she said that Lars does most of the cooking. Smart woman ~ GOOD man.My husband had poor judgment but 'once', to buy me a household appliance for a Holiday. I still have the picture of me "smiling", holding a coffee maker.I laugh, because when our company left who had shot that photo, my poor husband wished he had just gone to Dunkin Donuts for his evening coffee. Ha.This morning was funny though. I must wake up like an 90 year old with a 5 year old's faith. I really thought something had happened when I read Diane's first words.I better get out the "coffee maker" First, Before I come on line. I may give myself a heart attack one of these days.Thanks for the consolation.:-D
Hi, Meagain,I just wanted to say thanks for your response to my post that was pulled. I appreciate it.
Annie, I'm sorry to have given you a "false" hope, and placed undue stress on you so early in the morning. I'm also sorry about your dishwasher, stove and microwave failing you. That sounds like a nightmare! Thankfully you can "hire" some maidservants who work in the food companies and buy something ready made - oh what a grand choice you have..... (all you need is $$$) And, you don't even have to go out and pull a carrot from the garden or pick dandilion greens. Dear Lord, please provide for Annie's needs - just like you so graciously provided the spring of water for Hagar in the desert. Send Annie your ministering "angels"! And open her eyes so that she can see your miracles.Ginnyrose said:Me thinks ALL of my appliances should last as long as I do! For some reason they do not know that and I don't know how to impress this fact on them!Makes me wonder who are really the "maidservants". Maybe we women are serving the big manufacturing industries - and making rich people richer. I've been told that there is a reason they make these appliances to wear out so fast. So you will keep buying more! Diane
Thanks Diane.Ya see, that is 'why' I thought I should look out when I woke up ... because I 'knew' you've been praying for my health to be healed for so long and I wouldn't have doubted if there were a dishwasher sitting in the middle of the kitchen ... ha ... you can laugh, but I really did think this 'because' of your prayers.Just pray over my 'puter. May be moderating on a forum for the chronically ill on their 'anxiety' board. It's split up there for many several diseases, but I want the anxiety board. They let me have my scripture sig there and am reasonably free to slip in Jesus :-D .Appliances don't matter to me HA ... I trained to live in a tent and loved cooking out on the fire to be a missionary and actually enjoyed that type life a lot. Less IS better ... truthfully.Love you and thank you for the encouragement.God Bless you !
Diane,I think you got that right! We are serving the manufacturing companies...and they do have built in obsolescence! The old people used to say that with all of our modern conveniences we have less time then we ever did. Seems to me what has happened is we get more accomplished in a day and we push for more and more...There are still SOME appliances I would not want to do with out, like an automatic clothes washer. Mom talks of the time how her mother used to wash once a week and clothes were worn more then one day! (Dad used to fuss when I was a child and thought it was not necessary for me to change into a clean dress every day!!) By the end of the week, her dads socks were so stiff he had to 'rub' them before he could put them on! In the summer my farmer grandfather would go barefoot, although I never saw him do that...by that time there were less people in the house and the laundry was considerably less. Appreciate your appliances now?!! lolginnyrose
but I want the anxiety board. This is the place for you Annie - the place for you to use your giftedness with words. You have a way of dissolving anxiety - just by the warm funny thoughts that spontaneously burst out of you. That can be the best medicine. God bless your ministry!!! Diane
By the end of the week, her dads socks were so stiff he had to 'rub' them before he could put them on! In the summer my farmer grandfather would go barefootGinnyrose, I have to laugh when I read this. Whether it's true or not, it's a great mind adjuster. .. and some good words for Annie, who is appliance-deprived right now. I think a lot of our busy-ness is because so many of us want as much of this life that we can get. And there is so much to offer. .. Oh, but I hate to pass by an opportunity, an item on sale, another convenience..... a show.... Diane
Hey, Diane, if you just stay home you can do all this shopping via the computer! Saves on gas, too! lolNow I must get to working my maidens..I have guests coming for dinner tomorrow!ginnyrose
I have a lady friend up north who's going to be 103 this month. She's told me so many stories that you can't believe you're looking right at someone who's "been there - done that".I could sit and listen to her all day. We lived in the same town where she was born and raised, so to hear about that town back 100 years prior and how they got around and survived, was beyond interesting.They didn't get electricity into that town until the 1940's because it was rural. She had already been married since the early 20's I believe.My grandmother came from persecution in Russia, being part Jew, back before the turn of the century, and she raised me for some years. Now that was a trip.Then I worked for an elderly lady in Home Health, who was from the Mountains of Tennessee.That equally was a trip.Lotsa trips, without having had to do most of those things, it was nice to imagine having done them.