Next Stay-at-home Daughterhood Article Coming Tomorrow!

This week's article is currently being rewritten and expanded and will therefore be posted tomorrow! :)

Please check back then. Thank you for your patience!

Praise the Lord! :)

I was conducting some research on my blog just now, trying to come up with a way to fix my picture problems. Well, as I was doing so, I came across a new and improved way of editing posts. While reading about it, I discovered that it also pertained to adding images to posts. Thinking that if I  "installed" this new editing feature that my problems would be solved, I did so and, by God's glorious grace, can now post pictures again! Yay! :)

Now scroll down to see a darling picture of Andrew and Winston that I've been wanting to post so badly, but couldn't due to my picture issues! :)

Too Cute for Words! :)

Yes, they really were both asleep! :)

The Biblical Case for Stay-at-home Daughterhood Part 5

Before we go on to learn from the life of Rebekah in Genesis 24, there is one last passage I want us to quickly study.

Leviticus 22:13

This passage proclaims the following: "But if the priest's daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and is returned unto her father's house, as in her youth, she shall eat of her father's meat: but there shall no stranger eat thereof." I find this passage to be important, for at least two reasons, when it comes to defending the Biblical doctrine of stay-at-home daughterhood.

First, notice the phrase as in her youth. As we discovered in part 2 of this article, the phrase "in her youth" refers to the average marital age, a time, in this case in a woman's life, when she is likely to get married. This phrase does not refer to a little girl; it clearly pertains solely to adult women. In this verse from Leviticus, we see that up until the time of this woman's marriage, she was in her father's home. She was not, as I have reiterated numerous times in previous articles, out on her own providing for and protecting herself and serving as her own independent authority. She was clearly, according to this verse, living in her father's home under his care until her marriage. Being widowed or divorced, she does not return to a life of independence (for she had had no such life to return to!), but rather to her former life under her father's roof.

Second, notice where the widowed or divorced woman resides. This grown woman lives in her father's house! Today, many would see this as weird and needless. However, this practice of a woman who no longer had a husband returning to her father's home as in her youth was common for centuries in our own country! If a woman who was left alone without a husband no longer had a father who was living, she would go to live with an aunt and uncle, brother, or some other relative. The principle was that she was not to be left alone to care for herself. She was to be protected and provided for, so that she would not be under the Double Curse! This is precisely what we see in Leviticus 22:13. Genesis 38:11 reveals that this was a common occurrence in the lives of abandoned women. They went to live with their fathers, just as they had before their wedding day. This is illustrative of the fact that God, in His perfect wisdom and loving design, has so ordained matters as to keep women, whatever their age, under protection, provision, and care. What a loving God we serve!

Lest we think that this was solely an Old Testament practice, let us turn to John 19:26-27 and see how Jesus felt about this issue. This passage proclaims, "When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved [meaning John], he saith unto his mother, 'Woman, behold thy son!' Then saith He to the disciple, 'Behold thy mother!' And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home." When He made this proclamation, Jesus was hanging on the cross, knowing that His death was imminent and He would no longer be there to provide for and protect his mother (for, even after He arose from the dead, He would soon be ascending back into Heaven, thus leaving her alone). Understanding this and desiring to keep Mary provided for and protected, he ordered John to take care of her. From then on, not only did he provide for her needs, but she lived in his home. Again, the principle of women not being off on their own, but rather being provided for and protected is seen, this time through the example of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Evidently, this practice is by no means one that was abolished with the coming of the New Testament, nor is it to be done away with or disregarded today. The protection of women is still high on God Almighty's list of important doctrines, and the practice of women being protected and never being out on their own is one which He desires for us to continue today.

For the last few weeks, we have had the privilege of studying quite a few wonderful verses pertaining to the glories of stay-at-home daughterhood. Now it is time to see stay-at-home daughterhood in action!

The Life of Rebekah, Stay-at-home Daughter

Not only are the Scriptures replete with passages proclaiming and commanding stay-at-home daughterhood, God has also graciously given us examples of stay-at-home daughters in His Holy Word. Through studying these women of God, we are able to acquire a glimpse into the dynamics of stay-at-home daughterhood and are provided with valuable lessons as to how a daughter at home is to conduct herself and spend her time.

We are first introduced to Rebekah in Genesis 24, where we read that Isaac is ready to be married and his father Abraham sends out a servant to find a godly woman for him to marry. The servant meets Rebekah at a well and is blessed by her servant's heart. Verses 23 and following make it clear that this young woman is still living in her father's house. For example, when asked by the servant about the home, she knows the condition thereof (she is not living off on her own and in need of asking her father about the current condition of the household before she can answer!). She speaks of them (including herself in the family residing in that home) being happy to lodge the servant there, and in verse 55 we see that her family wanted her to remain at home a couple more days before travelling to her future husband's home. It is made evident throughout the chapter of Genesis 24 that this unmarried woman was at home with her family, in her father's household. Again, she was not off on her own, independent, and doing her own thing, as so many unmarried daughters are today!

We will touch on this in a future article, but I want to quickly address Rebekah's daily life in her father's household. She clearly did not consider it a life of drudgery or slavery to be at home with her father, despite the fact that she was a grown woman. Rather, she was joyfully dedicated to serving her family and those around her and intent upon making her household a fruitful, productive place. I truly believe Rebekah could be referred to as a true polished cornerstone, don't you?

In Conclusion

Today we have been able to study both a wonderful verse making clear the Biblical practice of stay-at-home daughterhood, as well as an account of a Biblical stay-at-home daughter. I hope you have been blessed through today's studies and that the Lord continues to reveal to you the joys and blessings of the Scriptural doctrine known as stay-at-home daughterhood!

*Please return next Friday for the continuation of our study of stay-at-home daughters in the Bible!

　
　
　
　
　

Today is the 37th anniversary of the monstrosity known as Roe v. Wade

Today marks the 37th anniversary of the passage of one of the most vicious and despicable decisions ever made by the United States Supreme Court. Since this infamous date in history, 51 million innocent human lives have been murdered. So often, we fail to realize just what a vile statistic this is-we can't even fathom how many is the huge number of 51 million precious babies.

Not only this, but no less than 120,000 babies will be murdered today, and the lives of the mothers will be terribly changed forever. Some of these women may not even survive the procedure. Others will have to live with the guilt and pain that such an action brings.

For the next week or so, due to the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we'll be taking a look at this issue through various articles which will be posted on this blog.

Stay tuned!

Lots of Pictures Coming Soon......

.....hopefully! It all depends upon whether or not my picture pop-up window will fix itself! :/

The Biblical Case for Stay-at-home Daughterhood Part 4

Because this article series underwent a hiatus of a few weeks, I encourage you to click here to read the previous articles before continuing on with this one!

　
We have, in the most recent two parts of this particular article, studied three wonderful passages of Scripture which pertain to and proclaim stay-at-home daughterhood as God's design for unmarried women. We will now move on to study a few more passages today.

Genesis 34:9

Genesis 34:9 says, "And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you." Unfortunately, many today view this verse and others like it with great disdain, for they feel that it makes daughters out to be nothing more than things or possessions to be given and taken. However, I think this is the wrong way to view these passages; such a view fails to truly discover what these verses are teaching. It becomes clear through this verse and others (such as Gen. 34:16, 21; 36:2; Ex. 34:16; Jdg. 3:6; Jdg. 21:7; Exra 2:61; 9:2,12; Neh. 10:30; Neh. 13:25; and Jer. 29:6) that daughters were at home until marriage-their fathers gave them in marriage and they were taken from their father's house by the man who would be their husband (or, in some cases, by someone representing the future husband, as in Genesis 24). The daughters in the above mentioned verses were not out on their own, having been "given" to the world. Rather, they were right at home until the time when they were given in marriage.

Sons Leave, Daughters are Given

Throughout the Scriptures, we see examples of sons leaving their childhood homes in order to go out and find a wife. Time and time again, however, we do not see daughters leaving, but rather being given in marriage. While sons leave, daughters remain in their father's household until the time of their wedding. Passages such as Matthew 22:30 and Mark 12:25 illustrate this difference, as well, and reveal that the Old Testament principle of sons leaving and daughters being given has in no way been abolished. I encourage you to dedicate some time this weekend to studying the Scriptures (such as Genesis 24, Genesis 29, and others) and to read the accounts they provide us with of sons leaving to acquire a wife versus daughters remaining at home until marriage. For more on this topic, please refer to part 3 of this article, where Psalm 144:12 was covered and this very issue was addressed.

1 Corinthians 7:36-38

Lest we begin to think that the doctrine of stay-at-home daughterhood is taught solely in the Old Testament, let us now turn to 1 Corinthians 7. As you may know, the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 7 is dedicated to the subject of marriage. Verses 36-38 say, "But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry. Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well. So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better." A better translation of "his virgin" would be "his virgin daughter", but even without that precise wording in the passage, the wording of these verses and context of the phrase "his virgin" reveal to us that Paul is speaking here of a man and his virgin daughter. Clearly, in a situation such as this, a father had made a vow to the Lord to keep his daughter from getting married. If his grown daughter desires to marry and he permits this, he is not sinning, despite the fact that he kept not his vow (vs. 36). Having uncovered these facts, there are two lessons for us to learn from these verses.

First, notice that not only does the father have the authority to give his daughter in marriage, but he also has the authority to forbid her from marrying (the same is clear in Numbers 30, as well). This is a gracious safety net which the Lord has mercifully provided for the well-being of daughters. Women are by nature emotional creatures, and when a woman is interested in someone, it can be all too easy for her to overlook the flaws this person possesses. At times, there are dangerous and destructive flaws in young men which only a father who is emotionally detached from the young man can see. So, first we see that a father has the authority to determine whether or not his daughter will be allowed to marry.

Second, notice the words "keep" and "given". These signify the fact that a daughter is expected to be in her father's household if she is unmarried. She is not to be off gallivanting on her own, fending for herself and acting as her own authority and provider. God's design is that an unmarried woman live in her father's house until marriage. If she marries, she will then be given to her husband and will leave her father's household in order to make a new home with her husband. If she does not marry, however, then her father keeps her-she remains in his household. It is evident through these verses that the unmarried daughter has not been given away already by being surrendered to the world to live on her own, as so many of today's daughters are!

In Conclusion

For many years, the words "Who gives this daughter in marriage?" have been asked by the minister at the beginning of a wedding ceremony. While they once meant something and carried with them Biblical significance, today they are, for the most part, little more than empty words. While they still signify Scriptural teachings and the remnant of a Biblical worldview, they are empty because the vast majority of today's brides have already been given away, not to a husband, but to the world. Oh, that the church of Jesus Christ would have her eyes opened to the beauty of this question and once again hold fast to the wise and loving practice of stay-at-home daughterhood!

*Please return next Friday for our study of the stay-at-home daughters of the Bible and what we can learn from their lives!

Picture Problems.....

I've been having trouble lately trying to upload photos to my posts. When I go to click on the upload photo button, the window that usually pops up won't. Are any of you having this problem, as well? Do you know how to fix it? Thanks! :)

The End of a Trip......and the Beginning of a Giveaway!

I don't have a long time to be on here currently, but I did want to hop on over to say that, first of all, we're back safely from our trip to visit family in Texas and Arkansas. We had a wonderful time visiting with everyone, and the Lord greatly blessed us with safety throughout our journey.

Second, I have an exciting announcement to make. My friend Jasmine is hosting yet another wonderful giveaway on her blog. The prize this time is a copy of the new DVD project by the Botkin family entitled Homeschool Dropouts. I am so thankful to the Lord for this new endeavor, as it addresses an issue which has been on my heart for some time now, as well. When you study the homeschool movement of the 1980s, you discover just how much our parents fought for the liberty to homeschool their children. Now, the baton is being passed to us-the homeschooled children of these great men and women. Will we continue on with a vision of victory for homeschooling? Or will we, as so many have, drop the baton and refuse to go on? Through researching and writing for this blog and simply observing many of the homeschooled young women in my local homeschool group, one thing that keeps bombarding me is the fact that, sadly, the vast majority of female homeschooled seniors are not preparing for homemaking, motherhood, and homeschooling. Instead, they are planning to go off to college and prepare for careers-careers which, if not ended once their children are school-aged, will prevent them from homeschooling. It's a sad epidemic which is plagueing the homeschool movement, a movement begun, largely, for the express purpose of parents being able to spend more time with their children, build a stronger family unit, and instruct their children in the ways of the Lord, that they, too, might homeschool their own one day and continue the mission of high education and Biblical discipleship.

Clearly, if we-the second generation of homeschoolers-do not purposefully prepare now for the high and noble task of homeschooling our own children one day, the liberty our parents fought for will be lost.

For more information on Homeschool Dropouts, the newly-released DVD produced by the five Botkin children, please click here.

To enter the giveaway, journey on over here.

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Speaking of projects, be sure to check back, as I will be announcing my very own project soon! Hint: it has to do with the printed page. ;) Feel free to leave your guesses in the comment section!

Greetings from Arkansas! :)