The first home was called the Garden of Eden and was the prototype of all homes to come. In the Hebrew Eden means “delight” and this is God’s intention for our homes. We mothers set the tone for our homes and it is our mandate to make them a delight--a delight for our husbands, all our children, and all who come into our homes.
We see a continuation of this thought in Micah 2:9 (ESV) where the word “delightful” is used again to describe homes. It is used in a context of judgment, but we see the truth: “The women of my people you drive out from their delightful houses; from their young children you take away my splendor forever.” God is angry when women are taken out of their homes, which is their rightful place.
Different translations use different words to describe their homes. The CEB calls them “cherished homes,” the MLB and Moffat call them “happy homes,” and the Knox and CJB call them the “homes they love.” I love that, don’t you? We are meant to love our homes. More than that, we are to love being at home and love making our home a delightful place.
Not only is God angry when women are taken out of their homes, but He is even more concerned when children are taken out of the home. God’s plan and intention is for children to be nurtured and nourished in the home, not outside institutions. A number of translations state: “You have robbed their children of my blessings forever.” The TLB says: “stripped their children of every God-given right.” Wow, that’s powerful. It is a God-given right for children to be cherished and nurtured by their mother in the home.
Isn’t it wonderful how God reveals His heart in so many surprising places in the Bible?
Have a wonderful day making your home a delightful place,
Nancy Campbell