My research on scarlet says it is a red dye made from shells in Egypt or insects in Israel. It was an expensive dye that did not fade easily, and was used only by the rich.
Scarlet is a blood-red shade of red.
Some versions of the Bible translate this verse as, "her household is clothed in well-mended warm clothing."
Either way, Sarah's family was well cared for. In those days before central heating, Sarah’s family did not have to worry about freezing to death. They were warm.
Today's "Sarah" can take this scripture in two ways: We should make sure our family is physically, and sufficiently clothed, and we should make sure our family is clothed in the scarlet Blood of Christ.
You see, just as it is our responsibility to make sure our children have a warm coat, hat and shoes as winter approaches, it is also our responsibility to make sure they are prepared for the "winters" of life ahead of them.
We cannot, of course, choose Christ for them. Everyone must make their own choices. But we can "hedge the bets" so to speak, by making sure our children are filled with the knowledge of the Bible, experience His presence in our home, and are covered by prayer when they go out.
When my oldest child was still a baby I began the habit of reading a Bible story from a Bible storybook every night before bed. I wanted the last thing on her mind before sleep to be the reassuring Word of God. Over the last twenty-five years I have literally worn out half a dozen storybook Bibles.
I also determined that I would teach the Bible as a subject in my homeschool (that was actually a big reason homeschooling first appealed to me) as well as incorporate It into our History and Science. We don't get to it every school day, but two to four times per week we study a Bible trivia book, write a verse from Proverbs, and read a story straight out of the Bible. I have had the delight of having Sunday School teachers complain to me about my children already knowing all of the common Bible stories. They didn't know what to teach them.
I am confident that when my children are grown and face life's common problems God will be able to bring answers to their mind. His "Answer Book" will be firmly engraved in their hearts.
Our children watch us. We are a "Sermon in shoes" as a song I heard many years ago says. How we handle life in front of them says a lot about what we really think about God.
Do we expect them to "Do as I say, not as I do?" It won't happen. They will do as they see us do.
We can't expect them to be honest when they hear us lie to our boss over the phone.
We can't expect them to not steal if they see us bring home company supplies without permission.
We can't expect them to control themselves when they see us loose our cool frequently.
We can't expect them to put God first when they see us putting our hobbies before church attendance and TV before Bible study.
Now, of course, none of us is perfect. We will all make mistakes. How we handle our own failures teaches them a lot, too.
When we blow up at them, do we go ask forgiveness? If we don't, then how can we expect them to ask their Siblings for forgiveness when they hurt them?
You see, God doesn't expect us to be perfect people (thankfully!).
He expects us to do the best we can to love each other and care for each other.
He expects us to ask for His help.
He expects us to pray for, in front of and with our children, for them and for us.
As they see us grow in Him they learn how to grow and depend on Him also.
In Deuteronomy God commanded Israel to write scriptures on their walls as a constant reminder of His Word; an encouragement to ask His presence to be there daily. I think this is a good idea. I think I will set myself the goal of picking one scripture to hang somewhere in my house this month. If I get ambitious I will pick one for each room. Care to join me?
The purple mentioned in verse 24 was made by the Phoenicians who lived just north of Israel at this time. It was a dye made from snail shells. I understand it was a very unpleasant process (the stuff stinks badly) and thus very expensive. Typically only royalty used it.
When Jesus was on trial before being crucified, the soldiers put a purple robe and a crown of thorns on Him to mock Him. They did not realize they were "crowning" the King of the Universe, the very One who had created them.
Jesus could have called an army of angels to save Himself, or just strike them dead, but He didn't. He exchanged that robe of royal purple for one of scarlet; the Blood He shed for us. He offers us this same "Robe" to protect us from life's winters.
I am not afraid of the snow either. I am covered by that Robe.
A tapestry is an elaborate weaving, often containing many colors. We think of them mostly as wall hangings in castles (Middle Age form of insulation). They usually tell a story.
Our lives are a tapestry. The decisions we make determine what is woven into the fabric.
I heard the story of a dream once, where everyone was given a tapestry when they arrived in Heaven. Each one depicted the life of the recipient.
The dreamer saw that everyone else's tapestry was filled with beautiful threads while her own was full of holes. The others told how their jobs and hobbies, charitable giving and such had created each thread.
An angel told the dreamer it was her turn to stand up and show her tapestry to everyone. She cried and said she couldn't. It was full of holes because she never had the time to do the great things the others had done. She had been too busy caring for her family, friends and neighbors. The angel smiled and told her how wrong she was. Her tapestry was the most beautiful.
Confused and embarrassed, she stood and held hers up. When it was unfolded, the light showing through the holes formed the face of Jesus.
When held up to the light what does your tapestry show?
Silk is a material woven from the threads of the silkworm cocoon. The silkworm caterpillar spins the cocoon to change into a moth just as other caterpillars do. But the threads the silk worm creates when doing this spinning can be unwound into long, strong, soft threads.
Silk is at the same time one of the softest and one of the strongest materials on earth. A silk handkerchief is so tough you can shoot it with a gun and the bullet will pass underneath the material. A bullet will go through a cotton hanky, making a hole. I understand that pound for pound, silk is even stronger than steel.
But at the same time it is so soft that it can catch and snag on the rough places of even the softest hands.
I would like to think of myself as being like silk, tougher then steel but softer and gentler then warm butter. Maybe that is my definition of feminine. One word, "Silk."
The most expensive silk is made from cocoons that have not "hatched" yet. The cocoon, caterpillar and all, is dropped into boiling water. The water causes the glue holding the threads to dissolve, making the thread available for use and killing the caterpillar. If you wait for the moth to emerge, the threads are coarser and darker. They don't take dye very well.
If we "die out" to God's will for our life, we will be a much better silk. We will be tougher in life's hard places and yet softer. We can become the "Color" He wants us to be.
Yes, that's what I want to be when I grow up, Quality Silk.
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