Chores
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Definition and Context:
Chores refer to routine tasks or duties, often domestic in nature, that are necessary for the maintenance and functioning of a household or community. In biblical times, chores encompassed a wide range of activities, including agricultural work, animal husbandry, food preparation, and household management. These tasks were integral to daily life and were often shared among family members and servants.

Biblical References and Principles:
The Bible, while not explicitly using the term "chores," provides numerous examples and teachings related to work and daily responsibilities. The Scriptures emphasize diligence, stewardship, and the value of labor.

1. Diligence and Hard Work:
Proverbs 31:27 highlights the industrious nature of the virtuous woman: "She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." This verse underscores the importance of being diligent and attentive to one's responsibilities.

2. Stewardship:
In Genesis 2:15, God places Adam in the Garden of Eden "to work it and take care of it." This early example of stewardship reflects the divine mandate to manage and care for the resources entrusted to humanity.

3. Community and Family Responsibilities:
In the agrarian society of ancient Israel, chores were often communal activities. For instance, Ruth gleaned in the fields to provide for herself and Naomi (Ruth 2:2-3). This account illustrates the role of work in supporting family and community.

4. Teaching and Training:
The Bible encourages the training of children in the ways of diligence and responsibility. Proverbs 22:6 advises, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." Involving children in chores can be a practical application of this principle, teaching them the value of work and responsibility.

5. Rest and Balance:
While the Bible advocates for hard work, it also emphasizes the importance of rest. The Sabbath commandment in Exodus 20:9-10 instructs, "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God." This balance between work and rest is crucial for physical and spiritual well-being.

Cultural and Historical Insights:
In biblical times, chores were often divided along gender and age lines. Women typically managed domestic tasks such as cooking, weaving, and child-rearing, while men engaged in agricultural and trade activities. Children were expected to assist with age-appropriate tasks, learning skills necessary for adulthood.

The communal nature of chores in ancient Israel fostered a sense of community and mutual dependence. Tasks such as harvesting, threshing, and sheep shearing were often communal events, bringing families and neighbors together.

Spiritual Implications:
Chores, though mundane, can be seen as acts of service and worship. Colossians 3:23-24 encourages believers, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward." This perspective elevates daily tasks to acts of devotion, performed for the glory of God.

In summary, chores in the biblical context are more than mere tasks; they are opportunities for stewardship, community building, and spiritual growth. The Bible provides a framework for understanding the value and purpose of work, encouraging believers to approach their daily responsibilities with diligence and a heart of service.
Topical Bible Verses
Luke 10:38-42
Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
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Ephesians 6:1-3
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
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Titus 2:5
To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
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Ephesians 6:4
And, you fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
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Ephesians 5:22-25
Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
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Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.
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Library

There's More of God Since Jesus Went Back.
... He is twenty now, with a daily round something like this: up at dawn likely"He was
ever an early riser"chores about the place, the cow, maybe, and the ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks about jesus/theres more of god since.htm

The Broad Inner Horizon.
... feeding the swift machinery, endless stitching, gripping a locomotive lever, pushing
the plow, tending the stock, doing the chores, tiresome examination papers ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on prayer/the broad inner horizon.htm

The History of Solomon
... Solomon had daily for the meat of his household thirty measures, named chores, of
corn, and sixty of meal, ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen of pasture and an ...
/.../wells/bible stories and religious classics/the history of solomon.htm

Through-The-Week Activities for Boys' Organized Classes
... Visit teen age Shut-ins. Visit prisoners in jails. Do chores for sick folks. Help
the aged to and from church services. Support a bed in a hospital. ...
/.../the boy and the sunday school/x through-the-week activities for boys.htm

The Right to what I Consider a Normal Standard of Living
... If he himself does all the household chores in a land in which there are no modern
conveniences, he may find that he has very little time left in which to ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/williamson/have we no rights/chapter 2 the right to.htm

The Faith of Little Children.
... At one time, when I was attending school about a mile from home, my time out of
school was taken up by my walk to and from it and the chores which necessarily ...
/.../various/the wonders of prayer/the faith of little children.htm

Infant Salvation
... received at heaven's gates by those very little ones who have gone before, that
they may come to welcome thee when thou shouldest land upon the eternal chores. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 7 1861/infant salvation.htm

Paragraphs from Notable Speeches
... lustrum. Let us live in corners and do chores, and suffer, and weep, and
drudge, with eyes and hearts that love the Lord. Silence ...
/.../paragraphs from notable speeches.htm

Resources
What does the Bible say about work? | GotQuestions.org

What does the Bible say about work ethic? What is a Christian work ethic? | GotQuestions.org

What is a biblical theology of work? | GotQuestions.org

Work: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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