What does that phrase really imply?
This is something that I have been somewhat struggling with for the past few months. We have gone over it a little bit in our Sunday school class, but both of the teachers that spoke on it have wives that work, so of course they justified that with Proverbs 31 where is says 'she considereth a field and buyeth it'. 'Obviously she was in real estate', they say. Neither one of these guys had any trouble saying that they don't think "in this day and age" that it is wrong for a woman to have a job outside of the home. "It's so hard to make ends meet on one salary."
Well, I beg to differ. I am by no means trying to place myself on any kind of a pedestal, so please don't take it that way, but I do believe that the Bible says what it means and means what it says.
Titus 2:1-5
But speak thou the things which become sound
doctrine: That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women
likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine,
teachers of good things; That they may
teach the young women to be sober, to
love their husbands, to
love their children, To be discreet, chaste,
keepers at home, good,
obedient to their own husbands,
that the word of God be not blasphemed.Johnny and I have been married for 8 years now and aside from the few house cleaning jobs that I had for a month when we first got married, I have
never had to work outside of the home. We were on a very tight budget the first 4 years, but never once did I have to go out and find a job to make up for what my husband wasn't able to provide. We lived within our means and he made the necessary sacrifices to provide for us.
When the Bible says, "keepers at home", I don't believe that it means keepers OF the home, but exactly what it says, keepers AT home. How can you be a keeper at your home when you are not AT home?
I found this application in my quest to understand better:
Guiding The House
Many times when people find out that we have seven children they will say, "Oh, you poor woman," or to my husband, "Oh, your poor wife." And many times I find myself giving myself a pity party, "Oh, poor me! I never have time to do anything. I don't even have time to do anything for the Lord." But is this really true?
As I dwell upon this thought many times, the Holy Spirit deals with me severely. Many Scripture verses come to mind and I have to bow my head there and say, "Lord, forgive me. I'm so selfish. I'm so unworthy of the precious children You've entrusted me with. Help me to do Your will."
And what is the Lord's will for the Christian mother? ***1 Timothy 5:14 says, " I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house..." I believe that this not only applies to Christian mothers, but to Christian women in general. The Webster Dictionary has this to say about "guide:"
"Guide - implies the showing of the way by one who is thoroughly familiar with the course, and connotes his continuous presence or direction along the way."
Many Christian women will argue with the verse in Titus 2:5, using the same tactic of Eve, that of changing the Word, by saying, "I can keep my house as clean as anyone and work a job too." And maybe you can. But you can't be "...keepers at home.." and you sure can't "... guide the house..." and work a job, too.
Notice that definition of guide: First of all we have to be thoroughly familiar with the course ourselves before we can guide the house. Then our presence is needed continually along the way. This is the will of God. When we "guide the house" we are doing something for the Lord. We are obeying Him! Isn't that all He requires? Isn't that what pleases Him?
I believe, in guiding the house, this would include the regular duties of the housewife such as cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing, etc., as well as teaching these things to the children. But even more we should guide them (speaking mainly in regards to the children) in spiritual matters.
Proverbs 22:6 gives a promise that if we do - "Train up a child in the way he should go:" then "...when he is old, he will not depart from it." What a blessed promise!
But what does the word "train" imply? Is it to just take your children to Sunday School and church and see that they say their prayers, as many Christians seem to think? What does "train up a child" involve? Again we look a the Webster dictionary.
"Train - to guide or control the mental, moral, etc. development of."
According to this verse we are to guide (show the way) and control (exercise authority over; direct; command) the mental, moral, etc. development of our children and our continual presence is needed to do this, as the word "guide" implies.
What responsibility lies upon us as mothers. This involves much more than taking them to S.S. and church. It involves our lives, day in and day out, twenty-four hours of every day.
Sure, this calls for sacrifice on our part, but what greater reward could we want than to spend eternity in heaven with our children! Or what a greater sacrifice it would be to lose our children to the world and the devil and an eternity in hell!
Mothers, let's be as the wise virgins and wake up and trim our lamps in this area of "guiding the house" for "...Behold, the bridegroom cometh..." [Matthew 25:6] Let's go out to meet Him with our children!
- Written by Kathy R., now the mother of eight.
[Editor's Note- How can you guide your children in this Biblical manner if they are attending a public or even a Christian school? A "continuous presence" cannot be obtained if the children are spending the majority of the day away from their mother. And what is even worse, is when that time is spent with unsaved, ungodly worldlings and/or with carnal Christians that rejoice in destroying your children! Psalms 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. Are you being faithful with the hertitage God has given you? Romans 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.]***The next verse after I Tim. 5:14 says, "For some are already turned aside after Satan.
I'm not saying that there aren't temptations that come up when you are at home, but they are far fewer than the ones that you face (or cause) in the 'workforce'. If we are busy
teaching and
training our children and being examples to the younger women (our daughters), then the temptations are going to be even fewer, because we won't have the time to sit in front of the tv or surf the internet, which are the main sources of temptation for a stay-at-home-mom.
We as Christian women need to be above reproach and we need to raise the bar and continue to be an example of what the Lord would have us to do (as plainly stated in the Bible), for there are younger women looking up to us whether we realize it or not.
In my studies, I have not found anywhere that it says for a woman to 'go out and find work because times are tough and you will never make it otherwise'. What happened to faith?
Is it any wonder the divorce rate for Independent Baptists is 10% higher than the world average!?! TEN PERCENT HIGHER!!?
I'm not by any means saying that it is all the fault of the women in the work force, but if we would get back to the Bible and do what the Bible tells us, we, as women, can make a huge difference, just by simply obeying the commands of God.
Our Pastor's wife is going to be speaking on this tonight at our Ladies' Bible Study and I am anxious to hear what she has to say. I have been looking around to see if I could find SOMEONE, ANYONE to look up to in this area, and so far, in our church, there is one 'aged' lady that I know of that doesn't have a job. ONE. And it's not our Pastor's wife. She is a teacher at our Christian school, along with 6 or 7 other women. Go figure. How are those of us 'young women' supposed to
learn without a
teacher?
Teaching at the church school is all too often made to look spiritual and good because, after all, it is for the church! But, if the school cannot be run without taking the women out of their homes, then it is wrong. Remember, it is never right to do wrong to do right! It does not matter what some great Christians did or say. It is what the Bible says that counts! God says "keepers at home" which excludes the women teaching at the church school, being the full time church secretary, running a church daycare (which wouldn't be needed if the other women were not working).
When there is no other source to be taught from, we need to take it upon ourselves to 'search the scriptures' and get our teaching from there. That is the only place that we won't find disappointment or double standards.
I urge you all to study, and find the will of God.
Be the wife you want your daughter to emulate and your son to marry.
