Help Meet Defined

I love history. Learning all the how's and whys and meanings of things is exciting for me!

So, today I will take you on a wild ride into the history of a few words. The reason being, sometimes in translations the real meaning and beauty of what God meant gets lost, veiled or mistaken.

Here they are, the words most women begrudge:

"HELP  MEET" or "HELPER SUITABLE"

I wonder if you cringed at that, like I once did? Maybe just a bit of an irritation deep down in your soul. If so, you've got to stick around! Put on your hip-waders, cuz it's about to get deep in here!

The Lord God said,

"It is not good that the man should be alone.

I will make him an help meet for him."

~Genesis 2:18~

The common way "help meet" or "helper suitable" are understood is that God gave the man a helper who was worthy of him, or appropriate for him. While this is not at all incorrect, there is a much more to be understood about this term. With that let's dive into the original Hebrew.

"help meet" is translated from "ezer kenegdo"

The words "help" or "helper" are translated from the Hebrew words "ezer" or "azar".

• EZER means "help". It is derived from words meaning "power" and "strength".
• AZAR means to surround, protect, aid, help, succor, defend

"Ezer" is most commonly used in the Old Testament as God being an "ezer" (help, helper, protector, defender, power, strength) to humans. The Bible consistently explains itself, so grab your Bible and consider these examples:

1 Samuel 7:12 "Samuel named [the rock] Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the Lord has helped us". 'Eben' means rock, 'ezer' means help: Rock of Help.

Exodus 18:4 Moses had named his son "Eliezer, for he said, "My father's God was my helper". Eliezer is defined as "my God is helper".

In the next few verses, God is again defined as our helper:

Deuteronomy 33:29 "He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword."

Psalm 115:11 "trust in the Lord- He is their help and shield."

Psalm  121:1-2 "where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord..."

In each of the above examples the helper, the ezer, has a strength and power the helped does not have and cannot function properly without. 

PLEASE NOTE, I am not suggesting a wife ranks as God to her husband. EVER.

Only that God created her to help her husband in ways he can't help himself. You can see in day to day life, that the one doing the blessing is admired and honored above the one being blessed. Again, not suggesting a wife is above the husband. He is her head, leader in his appointed place by God. (Eph. 5:23)

But, in God's eyes, he needs help. The man's wife is custom made to be his help.

The word "meet" is translated "kenegdo".

• "KENEGDO" means corresponding to, counterpart to, equal to, matching

God did not create the woman of lesser value, but rather values her equal to the man. He created the woman as a counterpart to the man, not a doormat, slave or possession.

A wife is created special for her husband. A gift unmatchable, yet matching to. A gift of protection and strength (ezer) that he himself does not possess, yet equal to (kenegdo).

Look at your hands. They look the same, yet there are noticeable differences. One hand cannot accomplish much without the other. One hand does not work as efficiently as two. Consider tying your shoe with one hand...opening a letter...changing a diaper...just not happening!

In the same way, a wife is a counterpart to her husband. Similar in appearance, equal in ability, corresponding in tasks.

Let's put these words together using their synonyms and definitions from above.

Did you know, Genesis 2:18 is the only time the word "kenegdo" appears in all scripture? I don't know about you, but that fact thrills me just a bit! God found the woman to be so special, He even described her with a word all her own.

Let me ask you the questions I had to stare directly in the face.

Are you the protective counterpart to your husband? Ok, so maybe not in all the big muscle stuff. But, what about his heart? Proverbs 31:11-12 in KJV, describes a wife as this kind of protector:

"The heart of her husband doth 

safely trust in her...

She will do him good and not evil

all the days of her life."

 The heart of your man.....are you protecting it?
>>tweet this<<

Dear friend, I hope you could say YES! I couldn't at one time. I'm still working on it. I'm going to be working on it for the rest of my life. So are you.

I hope this has been as beautiful to you as it was for me. Next time, I hope to touch just a bit on protecting a husbands heart.

I hope you stick around!

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Take a virtual coffee break for your homemaker's heart! Go to top right side bar and join today!

You might also like....
Protecting Your Husbands Heart: Part 1
Protecting Your Husbands Heart: Part 2
Protecting Your Husbands Heart: Part 3
Protecting Your Husbands Heart: Part 4

Protecting Your Husbands Heart: Part 5

The Best Homemade Bread Recipe and Tutorial

Many friends have asked for this recipe, so I thought I'd try my hand at a recipe tutorial. What lacks in photo quality and know-how, I hope is made up by humor and the finished product! ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

The Best Homemade Bread  (Print Recipe Here)

1 cup lard or vegetable oil (I prefer lard)*

2/3 cup sugar

2 TBSP salt

2 cups applesauce (opt)**

5 cups whole wheat flour or oatmeal (today I chose wheat)

6 cups very hot water

2 TBSP dry active yeast

1 5lb bag white flour (may need a bit more)

Place lard/oil, sugar, salt, applesauce and wheat flour into a very large bowl.

Heat 6 cups water until very hot, but not boiling.

Pour all the water to the bowl.

Stir until sugar is dissolved and lard is melted.

 Let rest for 5-10 min. This is very important. Reason #1: wheat flour and oatmeal absorbs liquid. If you hurry on with the recipe your bread will very likely turn out dry and crumbly. LET IT REST. 

Reason #2: depending on the temperature of your mixture, it could ruin the yeast. Rule of thumb: If you can tolerate your finger in it for a good 5 seconds, your good to go!

Add 2 TBSP dry active yeast. Found in the Walmart baking isle usually above the flour.

Stir.

Then dump about half the bag of white flour in the mixture. Yes, I DUMP. Partly because it's faster, mainly because it's more fun that way! So dump away!

Stir and keep dumping in flour until the mixture is too stiff to stir effectively.

Now on to more dumping! Pour out all remaining flour onto a clean surface.

Play in it. You know you want to! Take as long as you'd like. I'll still be here, playing in mine! 

When you're done, roll the dough onto the floured surface. Scrape out the bowl. Doesn't have to be spotless because you're going to need it again in about 10 minutes.

Start playing!....err....kneading!

Halfway there...

Done! When the dough is elastic and smooth, you're finished. Or, when your hands are basically clean and the flour is mostly incorporated, you can stop kneading. You should reach this consistency after about 8-10 minutes of kneading. Nice little workout!

Now, back to your bowl. You can either splash some oil (2-3tbps) into it, or you can spread lard in it. I use lard.

 Place your dough into the greased bowl. Flip to coat.

Let it rise in a warm place for 1hr or until doubled. I turn on the oven light & let it rise in there. 

NOTE: DO  NOT  FORGET  YOU  PUT  IT  IN  THERE. I did and 1 1/2 hrs later.... well, have a look!

No worries though! It lifted right off and I proceeded like normal.

Now get out 6 loaf pans. I use large 9x5 pans. You'll need 7 or 8 if your pans are smaller.

Grease the pans. Again, I use lard. Non-stick spray works, too.

You know I'm going to play in it!

You'll also need to grease your counter top to avoid sticking.

Now tear off a large handful of dough and spread into a rectangular shape. Eyeball the width according to your pan size.

Start rolling it up!

 

Plop it into the loaf pan. Repeat until your dough is used up.

Now get a fork and jab it all the way into the loaves. This removes any air pockets and prevents any from forming while baking. I give each loaf a good 30 jabs.

Let them rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes or until almost doubled.

SET TIMER!!! This is more for me than you! Just saying!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place loaves into oven. They will rise a bit more during baking.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Ding!! They are done!!

Remove from oven.

Butter the top of your loaves while they are hot. This will help keep the crust soft.

Let cool 10-15 minutes then flip them out onto the counter to finish cooling. Do not let them cool in pans. They tend to get soggy and stick to the pans.

ADMIRE! I wish I could insert a scratch and sniff sticker for you here.

If you were thinking about sinking your teeth into that yummy goodness, now would be the time!!! I had a little one who wanted some, too! 

After they have cooled, I store a few loaves in containers to use right away. What we won't use in 4-5 days, I wrap in saran wrap or leftover bread bags and freeze until we need them.

"Taste and see that the Lord is good"

Psalm 34:8

*Why I use lard: I can't explain in great detail because I'm not a health food guru, but it's healthier than your standard canola/vegetable oils. Something about hydrogenated oil...you might want to do some research. I have found lard at Dollar General and Fareway. If you're opposed to lard or can't find it, opt for coconut oil or a high quality grape seed oil. Lard keeps the bread moist. It also adds a fabulous flavor. "Just like grandmas!" people have said. Probably because that's what she used!

**Why I use applesauce: Applesauce allows me to cut down on the amount of sugar used. Original recipe called for 1 cup sugar. Applesauce also helps keep the bread moist. You don't have to add it, but try it once and you'll never bake bread again without it!

~Good Luck! Let me know how it turns out!

SHARED  WITH.....

Jam Hands
Table For Seven
Creative Geekery
Sweet Bella Roos
Hopkins Homeschool
Jenni Mullinix
Serving Joyfully
Frugal Family Favorites
Pursuit of Functional Home
Mommy on Demand

Introducing S.W.A.G

I love words. I love searching out their definitions, uses and origins.

Do I sound like a nerd, yet? That's OK, because here is more.

I love all of them. From verbs to nouns to adjectives and adverbs, to synonyms, antonyms and acronyms.

I really like acronyms. So I was ecstatic when God brought this one to me:

S.W.A.G

Submissive Wife Adorned with Grace

SWAG:

the manner in which one presents his/herself

GRACE:

kind, thoughtful, generous,

respectful and respectable, 

decent, well-mannered,

compassionate,

gracious,

radiating inner beauty,

poised, intelligent, attentive,

 self-controlled

A submissive wife's SWAG,

 the way in which she presents her self, 

the very person she is, 

should contain all the attributes of GRACE.

A S.W.A.G, a gracious and grace filled woman, is one who is this:

She is love. The greatest way to love is putting anothers needs before our own, even when it hurts. A gracious wife does this consistently for her husband.

She exudes joy. She finds strength in the Lord. She radiates inner beauty because she has learned to put God first in all circumstances. Her strength in Him cannot be dulled or hidden. Her husband finds her inner beauty more attractive than her outer. He, too, is strengthened in her joy.

She brings peace to her home. Her spirit is at ease. She is not hurried, stressed, harsh or ungrateful. Her presence calms those around her, especially her husband. He feels safe with her, knowing she will bring him no harm.

She is patient. She understands the needs of her husband. She accommodates those needs before he asks them of her. A patient wife endures without complaining. She stands poised, willing to help, assist and nurture his needs.

She is kind. She is well-mannered in the way she speaks and behaves toward her husband. Neither does she harbor secret bitterness toward him. If she does, eventually it will overflow from her heart and out her mouth or through her actions. Her heart is adorned with kindness.

She is good. She is first of all respectful, then respectable. She is attentive to her husbands needs. She is dutiful in her tasks, not making herself a liability to her marriage. She is driven to achieve, capable, intelligent and seeks to do her best in all things.

She is faithful. She is wholeheartedly dedicated to her husband in mind, body and spirit. She is dependable, reliable, realistic and always present....always present. She is not easily swayed by her fleshly desires. She stays on track, focused on the task at hand, having an eternal perspective in all things.

She is gentle. She is sweet-tempered; soft, not harsh. She is understanding, serene, and compassionate toward her husband. Her gentle swag will soothe him after a hard day. Her gentle answer will calm any quarrel.

She is self-controlled. She thinks before she acts, thinks before she speaks, thinks to a greater end than what her 'self' is capable of. She is self-disciplined and does not waste her time, money or resources. She is composed and acts with wisdom.

She is gracious.

"A gracious woman retaineth honour" Pr. 11:16

She is grace-filled.

She has the "unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,

which is of great worth in God's sight."

1 Peter 3:4

She graces.

"A wife of noble character is her husbands crown."

Pr. 12:4

A submissive wife adorned with grace, is as rare as she is precious. 

She will remain rare if we, as wives, continue focusing on our 'self'. A woman with Godly swag cannot be found when we gauge our words and actions solely on how a situation makes us feel. Feelings are not dependable and should never be served without first viewing them in the light of truth.

A  S.W.A.G. will stay rare, indeed, if we do not consult the inspired word of God as our life manual, earnestly seeking to cultivate the qualities of an honorable woman.

Over the next few weeks....or however long God decides to inspire me to share, we will be exploring the attributes and attitudes of a S.W.A.G. I believe beyond a doubt, that God will use this acronym to encourage, enlighten and liberate wives.

I'm excited! I hope you stick around! 

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Go to the top right side bar and join today!

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Updated: click through the links in pink to read S.W.A.G characteristics!

5 Minute Friday: I Can't Write

Over at lisajobaker.com, the fabulous Lisa hosts a weekly blog party called Five Minute Friday.

The rules are simple:

1. She decides on a one-word writing prompt. This week it is "WRITER".
2. Bloggers everywhere set their timers for five minutes.
3. Our pens fly....can you hear the frantic scritchety-scratch? 
4. We publish our five-minute masterpiece & share with the world.

Here's mine. You know me... It turned out a poem!

I CAN'T WRITE

Feeling called by the Lord, I listened to His words,

Disbelieving, this is what I heard,

He said, "Write. Go get a pen."

What?!! Why? More importantly, when?

I have no time! I can't do that.

Writer's are nerds, and that's a fact.

They wear big glasses and smell of books,

They are pale and peaked in their looks.

Now, I can write poems! Those are fun!

But, once a year, and then I'm done.

No, thank you, Lord, I can't sit still, You know.

He smiled and said, "Go get a pen. I'll make it flow."

So, now I write words that aren't my own,

All glory to Him -Oh!-It's time to go.

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To Love the Loveless

LOVE

synonyms:

devoted, tender concern,

kindness, care for, respectful

thoughtful, loyal, earnest

generous

We are called to LOVE the LOVELESS.

Be KIND to the UNKIND,

TENDER to the HARSH,

SELFLESS to the SELFISH,

CARE for the UNCARING,

LOYAL when BETRAYED,

DEVOTED in ADVERSITY,

LIGHT to the DARK,

SALT of the EARTH.

WHY?

Because we too, were once a loveless people,

yet, perfectly loved.

Showering us with mercy, He stayed patiently devoted to the cross,

willing that no one should be lost.

So,

Because He is merciful, we show mercy.

Because He is gracious, we show grace.

Because He is love, we love.

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Essential Thing Devotions

3D Lessons For Life

Missional Women

Sandra Heska King

God Doesn't Need Me

"If you sin how 

does that affect Him?

If your sins are many,

what does that do to Him?

If you are righteous

what do you give Him, or

what does He receive from your hand?

Your wickedness

affects only a man like yourself,

and your righteousness

only the sons of men."

~Job 35:6-8

We were created by Yahweh, God. Our spirit needs Him like our flesh needs food, water and shelter. But, while we so desperately need Him, He does not need us.

He does not need us to obey Him to still be God.

He does not need us to disobey Him to still be God.

We can not increase His value by becoming saved.

We can not decrease His power by cursing His name.

HE IS GOD. All by Himself. That's just what He is. We affect Him not...

YET...He thinks about us.

"What is mankind that You are mindful of them;human beings that You care for them?" ~Ps. 8:4

Who are we, in our sin, in our corruptness, that the God who doesn't need us, WANTS  to know us? The God who doesn't need our words, WANTS to hear from us? The God who can't be improved upon still desires a relationship with us?

Why? Why does He care to know us? Much more the question, why did He create us in the first place?

"Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they were created." ~Rev. 4:11 KJV

...For His pleasure... He found joy in creating humankind. It was in His best interest to create each one of us.

Today He stands back, looks at you and me, these beings created in His image, which He made all for Himself, and the sight pleases Him. Our picture brings Him joy.

It delights my heart to know the God of all gods wants to spend time with me!

He wants to talk with each one of us. He wants to hear of our joys and our sorrows. He wants to love us when we are unlovable. He accepts us when no one else can.

He doesn't need to....HE WANTS TO.

Today accept it! Let Him lavish His great love on you. Not because you deserve it, but because He gives it.

Let Him perfect His great love in you. It pleases Him to do so.

Let Him heal what is wounded...

mend what is torn...

soothe the sorrow...

nurture what is weak...

fill what is empty...

lift what is heavy...

carry the burden...

LOVE YOU.

He is willing. He is able. It's what you need. Let Him do it.

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Celebrating Motherhood Monday: 10 Commandments of Motherhood

1. You shall spend time with the Lord everyday before your children wake up. Spend time with your Creator, seek His will and His ways, and He will grant you strength and wisdom for the days challenges.

2. You shall not esteem or accommodate your children over your husband. God. Husband. Children. In that order.

3. You shall not misuse your position as mother by making ridiculous demands of your children. Rules and  guidelines bring structure to every home. Your children may not like the rules. They will challenge your authority. Stick to your guns. You are not to appease their every whim, but neither are you to exasperate them by endless angry commands. Encourage them. Praise them for a job well done or an attitude improved. As much as possible keep a loving joyful atmosphere in your home, finding a balance between work and play.

4. Observe a time once a week for the whole family to engage in an activity. Let children take turns choosing and planning a weather appropriate engagement. This will help each child feel valuable to the family unit.

5. Honor your father, mother, and in-law's presences in rearing your children. Grandparents add a special family tie to your child's life. Grandparents are also willing to share advice on parenting do's and don'ts from their own parenting successes or regrets. Honor their advice. You didn't turn out so bad, did you? :) Thoughtfully and respectfully consider their advice, ultimately choosing what is best for your situation.

6. You shall not kill/crush your child's spirit by degrading them privately or publicly. Speak kind words. Sometimes its OK to let them wear a mismatched outfit or have that hairstyle. Does their choice really matter or is it more about you not wanting to be embarrassed? Is it really necessary to speak of your child's behavior or are you trying to shame them into obedience?

7. You shall not secretly or verbally wish your child was like so-and-so's child. Again, speak kind words. Never make them feel as though they don't measure up. They have enough of that from their own peers. Don't devastate them by stripping them of the security found in your unconditional love.

8. You shall steal a few moments for yourself. Reread that! :) Whether its sipping a quiet cup of coffee, indulging in a salon appointment, or hitting the gym, take some time to love yourself. You'll feel better equipped to tackle the next demands of your day.

9. You shall not speak a lie to your child nor live a lie in front of your child. Speak truthfully. Walk with integrity. Mess up? Admit it. Vow to do better. "What we are at home, that we are indeed." ~ Charles Spurgeon

10. You shall not love one child more than another child. Playing favorites causes lifetime pain for your child and generations of separation in the family.

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Shared at....Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, My Joy Filled Life,Golden Reflections Blog