There were no ice storms to disrupt church today, so consider me back on schedule!
Chapter 4 deals with the priest-natured man (Mr. Steady). What I find about this personality type is that they're very common--or at least, more common than one might think. They're not noticed much because they quietly go about doing their thing without a lot of fanfare or directing, but their absence is noticed when they leave because they DO do so much. As it's said in this book, he won't invent the lightbulb or lead a revolution, but he'll be on the light-bulb building assembly line or falling into the revolutionary ranks. His very stability and easy-going nature makes him probably the easiest type of guy out of the three for a woman to be married.
(This isn't to say that there wouldn't be problems--any relationship between two people is bound to have some at one time or another--but they're far different and fewer than what one would run into with the two other types.)
On a side note, I mentioned to a guy I know that I think he's a Prophet-type, and he brought something quite interesting to my attention. He agreed that he had certain Prophet-like tendencies, but his parents think that he's a Kingly type, and he said that he works like Steady. He also mentioned that while guys have certain stronger personality traits, it's well within their capabilities to work on those traits and whittle away the bad, retain the good, encourage this and squelch that, etc. In other words, they are fully capable of developing as a person just as women are expected to do so in this book.
Like I said a few weeks ago: I like this book, but I also disagree with parts of it. I'm sure it wasn't meant in this way, but a lot of times it comes across (when describing men) that men's personalities are set in stone and the women are the ones that need to change, not the men. I know it's not all that black and white, but that's just what it sounds like sometimes. */side note*
The role of the wife to the priestly type is to be modest or shamefaced (in words as well as outwardly), cultivate her own skills to the honor of her husband and family, show initiative in ventures, and be well-rounded, accomplished women. They won't expect miracles, but being lazy or immodest in speech and actions is very disheartening for a guy who is trying to make a go of it. He wants an equal partner, not a slug or an unwise floozy.
Anyway. Before I ramble on too much more, here are the actual notes.
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Chapter 4: The Priest
Focus: The priest-natured man
Shamefacedness: 1. indicative of shame; ashamed
2. extremely modest or shy; bashful
Idleness: 1. Inactive
2. Lazy, shiftless
3. Lacking foundation; useless and worthless
4. To pass time without working or in avoiding work
5. To move lazily and without purpose
Proverbs 19:15 -- "Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry."
Ecclesiastes 10:18 -- "If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks."
1 Timothy 5:13 -- "Besides, they get into
the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not
only do they become idlers, but also busybodies who talk nonsense, saying things they ought not to."
(The above concerns widows and younger widows, but I had an interesting thought about the above that I'll address at the end)
Proverbs 31:27 -- "She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness."
Ezekiel 16:49 -- "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy."
(In the King James translation, 'unconcerned' is 'idleness')
Romans 12:9-21 -- "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil or evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
Hebrews 6:9-12 -- "Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case -- things that accompany salvation. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised."
1 Timothy 2:9 (KJV) (concerning shamefacedness) -- "In like manner also, that
women should adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness
and sobermindedness, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly
array, but, as becometh women professing godliness, with good works."
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Okay! Time to tackle 1 Timothy 5:13 up there! *cracks knuckles*
Whenever I read the 'going from house to house saying what they ought not' bit in the past, I always thought of a person literally going from house to house and gossiping. But the longer I stay on Facebook and read blogs and associate with things online, the more I realize that those venues are being used much in the same fashion. I'm not about to call for a mass exodus from Facebook...but let's face it, there are a lot of people who use those venues for less than noble purposes.
(Is 'Facebook' and 'noble' in the same sentence an oxymoron?)
The people group I'm thinking of specifically are young ladies of a certain age that (a) don't have jobs, (b) don't go to school, and (c) are unmarried. I was in that place a couple of years ago, and I cringe at the amount of time I spent going on Facebook or chatting online with people and feeling sorry for myself because I wasn't having the grand time that everyone else seemed to be having. I'm not one for gossiping, either then nor now, but having a lot of free time to waste bred a great deal of discontent and might have turned to gossip and nitpicking at people if I hadn't gotten another job and started classes.
I have a friend who has been having a lot of trouble from girls (and their mothers) who are of this particular type of group. These girls and their mothers are the worst offenders! And to make matters worse, they say these things in the name of Christianity and to 'sanctify' others, when the end result is to tear down the very ones they profess to be building up.
I agree that going to college isn't for everybody, and some people are unable to work. But sitting around waiting to get married and doing nothing in the meantime is not only unproductive, it breeds malcontent and murmuring and gossip. That's why Paul says to encourage the young widows to remarry--these days, we're able to work and be productive when marriage isn't an option for the foreseeable future.
So my opinion? BE PRODUCTIVE. Ladies, we're not meant to sit around waiting for life to drop a husband or other opportunities in our laps. Go out and grab life by the throat while you still can! Get a job or get a degree or volunteer or do SOMETHING--anything to keep from being discontented or a busybody or a time-waster. It doesn't help you, and it doesn't help anyone around you to be a taker instead of a giver.
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