The concept of tidiness, while not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, can be inferred from various scriptural principles that emphasize order, cleanliness, and stewardship. Tidiness, in a biblical sense, can be understood as the practice of maintaining order and cleanliness in one's environment, reflecting God's nature of order and beauty.

Biblical Principles of Order and Cleanliness

1. Creation and Order: The Bible begins with the account of creation, where God brings order out of chaos. Genesis 1:1-2 states, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep." God's creative work involved organizing the universe, setting a precedent for orderliness.

2. Stewardship: Humanity's role as stewards of God's creation implies a responsibility to maintain and care for the world. Genesis 2:15 says, "Then the LORD God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it." This stewardship extends to personal spaces, encouraging tidiness as a reflection of care and respect for God's provision.

3. Cleanliness in the Law: The Mosaic Law contains numerous regulations concerning cleanliness, particularly in Leviticus. While these laws primarily address ritual purity, they underscore the importance of cleanliness in daily life. Leviticus 11:44 states, "For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, because I am holy." This call to holiness includes maintaining purity and cleanliness.

4. Order in Worship: The construction of the Tabernacle and later the Temple was marked by meticulous attention to detail and order, as seen in Exodus 25-31. This reflects the importance of orderliness in worship and by extension, in all areas of life. 1 Corinthians 14:40 reinforces this principle: "But everything must be done in a proper and orderly manner."

5. Personal Conduct: The New Testament encourages believers to live lives that reflect God's order and peace. In 1 Thessalonians 4:11 , Paul advises, "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to attend to your own business, and to work with your own hands, just as we instructed you." This instruction implies a disciplined and orderly lifestyle.

Spiritual Implications of Tidiness

Tidiness can be seen as an outward expression of an inward spiritual discipline. A tidy environment may reflect a heart that seeks to honor God through order and stewardship. Proverbs 24:30-34 provides a cautionary tale about neglect: "I went past the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment. Thorns had grown up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was broken down." This passage highlights the consequences of disorder and neglect.

Practical Application

Believers are encouraged to apply the principles of tidiness in their homes, workplaces, and communities. This can involve regular cleaning, organizing, and maintaining spaces in a way that reflects God's order and beauty. By doing so, Christians can bear witness to their faith through their stewardship and care for the environment around them.

In summary, while the Bible does not explicitly mention tidiness, the principles of order, cleanliness, and stewardship are woven throughout Scripture, encouraging believers to reflect God's nature in their daily lives.1. (n.) The wren; -- called also tiddy.

2. (superl.) Being in proper time; timely; seasonable; favorable; as, tidy weather.

3. (superl.) Arranged in good order; orderly; appropriate; neat; kept in proper and becoming neatness, or habitually keeping things so; as, a tidy lass; their dress is tidy; the apartments are well furnished and tidy.

4. (n.) A cover, often of tatting, drawn work, or other ornamental work, for the back of a chair, the arms of a sofa, or the like.

5. (n.) A child's pinafore.

6. (v. t.) To put in proper order; to make neat; as, to tidy a room; to tidy one's dress.

7. (v. i.) To make things tidy.

Fragment viii. Those, Moreover, who have the Care of the Emperor's ...
... You should also all be elegant and tidy in person and attire, yet, at the same time,
not in such wise as to attract notice by extravagance or affectation, lest ...
/.../theonas/epistle of phileas/fragment viii those moreover who.htm

We Hear Much of the Human Error which Accepts what is Sham and ...
... his wig. Just because the woolly savage is remote and barbaric he
seems to be unnaturally neat and tidy. Everyone must have ...
/.../chesterton/whats wrong with the world/chapter 20 we hear much.htm

The Fellowship of Scars.
... rest. And Mary kept her promise As faithfully as she might. She cooked, and
washed, and mended, And kept things tidy and bright. And ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks with world winners/the fellowship of scars.htm

What Lasts, and what Passes Away.
... the active housewife, whose hand was always busily employed sewing, darning, scouring,
never idle for one minute, keeping her house clean, and her children tidy ...
/.../the village pulpit volume ii trinity to advent/lxii what lasts and what.htm

Native Christians (Continued).
... See them at their homes; you will be gladly welcomed, and you will generally find
them striving to have everything clean and tidy, and as comfortable as their ...
/.../chapter xxvii native christians continued.htm

1869-1870. Emigration of Families --A visitor's Impressions --The ...
... hundred and fifty destitute widows. The testimony of one of these, a clean,
tidy old woman, was very precious. She had once been ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/lowe/gods answers/chapter ii 1869-1870 emigration of.htm

Off Duty
... children make a fuss if only their lips are washed after a meal; they do not seem
to care how sticky they are; but my mice do, they like to be clean and tidy. ...
/.../carpenter/the angel adjutant of twice born men/xiv off duty.htm

No House of any Pretension to be Called a Palace is in the Least ...
... walking through the palace-wood, and had had next to nothing to eat, when he came
upon the strangest little house, inhabited by a very nice, tidy, motherly old ...
/.../macdonald/at the back of the north wind/chapter 28 no house of.htm

To the Rev. Andrew Brandram
... were built of slate-stones, of which the neighbouring hills seemed to be principally
composed, and roofed with the same, but not in the neat tidy manner of ...
/.../borrow/letters of george borrow/to the rev andrew brandram 2.htm

Thou Shalt Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother.
... If this truth, then, could be impressed upon the poor people, a servant-girl would
leap and praise and thank God; and with her tidy work for which she receives ...
/.../luther/the large catechism/thou shalt honor thy father.htm

Tidy (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) The wren; -- called also tiddy. 2. (superl.) Being
in proper time; timely; seasonable; favorable; as, tidy weather. ...
/t/tidy.htm - 7k

Tie (18 Occurrences)

/t/tie.htm - 13k

Finished (157 Occurrences)
... Luke 17:8 and will not rather say to him, 'Get my dinner ready, make yourself tidy,
and wait upon me till I have finished my dinner, and then you shall have ...
/f/finished.htm - 36k

Tight (9 Occurrences)
... 5. (superl.) Fitting close, or too close, to the body; as, a tight coat or
other garment. 6. (superl.) Not ragged; whole; neat; tidy. ...
/t/tight.htm - 10k

Red (124 Occurrences)
... 2. (vt) To put on order; to make tidy; also, to free from entanglement or
embarrassment; -- generally with up; as, to red up a house. ...
/r/red.htm - 77k

Dinner (23 Occurrences)
... Luke 17:8 and will not rather say to him, 'Get my dinner ready, make yourself tidy,
and wait upon me till I have finished my dinner, and then you shall have ...
/d/dinner.htm - 15k

Wait (223 Occurrences)
... Luke 17:8 and will not rather say to him, 'Get my dinner ready, make yourself tidy,
and wait upon me till I have finished my dinner, and then you shall have ...
/w/wait.htm - 41k

Tidings (169 Occurrences)

/t/tidings.htm - 38k

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