Day 5 She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar

Day 5 (14) She is like the merchants’ ships;

she bringeth her food from

afar

Definition:Merchant ship: pertaining to or used for trade or commerce: a merchant ship; Merchant ships as classified by operating method (the other is the ocean liner). The tramp steamer, in contrast to the liner, operates without a schedule, going wherever required to deliver its cargoes. The tramp is a descendant of the early merchant ships whose masters (who were also their owners) loaded them with cargo at home to sell abroad, and vice versa....

In spiritual symbolism how is the Proverbs woman like a Merchant Ship.....

A merchant ship must have a Captain...Her Captain is the Lord.Merchant Ships were guided by the a compass and the north star. She is guided by inspiration, revelation, and the Holy Ghost. As well as the scriptures and the living Prophets. Merchant ships bring precious cargo from distant lands. She brings precious blessings from Heaven to her family.Merchant ships endure storms at sea...Virtuous women have divine protection when spiritual and temporal storms threaten the welfare of their children.Merchant Ships are always active, and well stocked for long journeys.The proverbs woman is busy, and working hard ,stocking up and preparing for the future for her families needs. Merchant Ships unload in different harbors. These women of valor share their knowledge & talents in different areas of her life and with different people.Merchant Ships keep nothing for themselves. They carry cargo for others.True women of God are sacrificial and unselfish. Whose lives are spent in the service of others. Who never fail to deliver the best goods to the family. Home is a sweet place when the queen is a woman after God's own heart.

On a Temporal Note: She brings in provisions of all things necessary and convenient for her family, No merchants’ ships, no, not Solomon’s navy, ever made a more advantageous return than her efforts do.

1Ki 9:26 And king Solomon made a navy of ships..............

I Kings 9:28: And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon."

1Ki 9:27-28 And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon. And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought [it] to king Solomon.

Do they buy in foreign commodities with the goods they export? So does she with the fruit of her labours. What her own ground does not produce she can furnish herself with, if she have the chance to, by exchanging her own goods for it; and so she brings her food from afar. Not that she values things the more for their being exotic, but, if they be ever so far off, if she must have them she knows how to come by them.

she is willing to go the extra mile and she is competent in getting it.

What this means to me is she considers the best food for her household and picks it up from a distance considering the nutritional benefits as well as the associated price. Food. A basic need in life. The virtuous woman is making it her business to provide the best she can. Looking for the sources of good quality food to lay a foundation for good health and physical energy.

To meet this situation she always has available an adequate supply of whatever is needed for all those who are under her care, and with the work of her own hands she makes certain that they are fed properly and clothed appropriately.

This enterprising woman has a large pantry, well stocked of all the necessary ingredients to keep her family in health.

The virtuous woman is a good mother and does not consider these homely duties for the wife to be demeaning but rather rejoices in them as a fulfilment of her responsibilities to her family and to society in general. She knows how important her duties are for she is the bonding that glues the family together. Without her special presence the family is but a group of people lacking that warm affection theat only a faithful wife and devoted mother can provide.

Wow! A lot to live up to! The Proverbs 31 Woman is not only wise with what she chooses to work with, she is the one doing the work. She selects carefully the items she brings in to her home, and the foods she feeds her family and servants. Having eager hands indicates that she loves what she is doing and pours herself into what she is doing for household fully. That she can’t wait to get into what needs to be done each day.Bringing things from afar, being like a merchant ship, indicates that she not only made use of resources available close by, but if there was something not good enough (or not available) for her family, she sought further afield to find the right things to bring into her household.

Sometimes we just ‘make do’ with something we’ve found close to home, although it’s not quite what we were looking for, or not quite the right quality, or not quite the right… something, but because of lack of time, resources, or just plain impatience, we tend to ‘make do’. This verse shows that the Proverbs 31 Woman didn’t just ‘make do’, she brought things from afar into her household.The Proverbs 31 Woman was ultimately a wise shopper, careful with the household income, careful choosing the foods and items purchased for the household, careful with what she did with the hours she had, providing for her family in a loving and wise way.

Help me to be wise with what I choose for my family, with the hours I work in my home or out of home, and grant me the eagerness I need to carry out my duties as wife and mother in the way that the Lord would desire for me.