| THE DOE Acts 9:36 - 43 |
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| The doe is the female member of the deer family. The lady described in Acts 9 whose name is Dorcas is an excellent example of the feminine virtue of which the doe is typical. The name Dorcas means "a doe." I. A Creature of Endearment Repeatedly throughout the book, Song of Solomon, the deer is used as a description of the beloved - both of the groom and of the bride. See 2:9; 2:17; 8:14; 2:7; 3:5; 4:5; 7:3. This is important to comparison emphasizes why God commands the husband to love his wife. (Eph. 5:25) As with Christ, the husband is to be the initiator of love in the home. Through the wife is to reciprocate, the responsibilities for love in the home resides with the husband. As with Christ, the husband is to be the sacrificer of himself in his love for his wife. As with Christ, the husband is to be the perpetuator of the love in the marriage relationship. He is to cleave to the wife in a permanent relationship. See Gen 2:24 and Prov. 5:15-21. II. A Creature of Endowment PS. 42:1 portrays the deer as thirsty for the cool waters of the brook even as the child of God is to fervently desire the Lord. Such a holy desire will inevitably lead the lady to do right because she wants to do right. See Matt. 5:6. This in turn leads the ladies to be true to God's appointment for their gender. A. Humility Female deer do not make a show of themselves. They are not the vain, loud, boisterous show off you will find among the male deer. See 1 Tim. 2:9, 10 and 1 Peter 3:1-5. B. Modesty A female deer never displays herself in an attempt to attract the male. This is contrary to nature for nearly all the animal world. "....that women adorn themselves in modest apparrel..." (1 Tim. 2:9) Titus 2:5 uses the term "chaste." True chastity always issues in modesty. One who is immodest in appearance is unchaste in heart. C, Subjection The female deer is never dominant in the relationship. See Titus 2:5, 1 Tim. 2:11, 12 and Eph. 5:22. The woman who is not submitted to her husband is not submitted to God. III. A Creature of Involvement "....this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did." (Acts 9:36) You can have your head full and your heart full, but it will never amount to much until you get your hands full. This lady was not lazy: The widows who had been the recipients of her care were "showing the coats and garments which Dorcas had made, while she was with them." (Acts 9:39) The female deer particularly takes the care of rearing and training the young. Titus 2:5 speaks of "keepers at home." Titus 2:4 admonishes that that wife is to love both the husband and the children. Herein is much of the stability of the home of the children. See Ps. 18:32, 33 and Prov 31: 10-31. |
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