Virtuous Woman:
PROVERBS 31: 26 SHE SPEAKS WITH WISDOM, AND
FAITHFUL INSTRUCTION IS ON HER TONGUE. 27 SHE WATCHES OVER THE AFFAIRS OF HER
HOUSEHOLD AND DOES NOT EAT THE BREAD OF IDLENESS. 28 HER CHILDREN ARISE AND
CALL HER BLESSED; HER HUSBAND ALSO, AND HE PRAISES HER: 29 MANY WOMEN DO NOBLE
THINGS, BUT YOU SURPASS THEM ALL. 30 CHARM IS DECEPTIVE, AND BEAUTY IS
FLEETING; BUT A WOMAN WHO FEARS THE LORD IS TO BE PRAISED. 31 GIVE HER THE
REWARD SHE HAS EARNED, AND LET HER WORKS BRING HER PRAISE AT THE CITY GATE.
A WOMAN WHO FEARS THE LORD IS TO BE PRAISED:
1. The Hebrew word is "yir' a" and means an
"emotional reaction, terror, or to be afraid, and to have reverence for
God, a deep respect."
2. In many
places in the Old Testament the use of the term to fear God and proper living
are so closed related they are virtually synonymous ideas. If a person feared
God, it resulted in living a godly life. The fear is seen as the motivation
which produced righteous living.
3. Exodus
1:17, The midwives feared God and would not kill the new born baby boys. In
Exodus 1:21 God richly rewarded them.
4. Godly
fear is the result of believing in God! When one's sees who God really is it
will bring about a godly fear of God.
The Virtuous Woman is Trusted by Her Husband.
A. Trust is something that is earned. Trust does not come
automatically to anyone or to a person simply because the hold a position. Many
parents are not respected by their children because they have not earned their
respect. Many wives and husbands suffer greatly because their spouses do not
have confidence in them. I believe everyone initially wants to trust other
people. But trust will only come from the experience of observing the person
and how they live.
B. A godly
woman will earn the trust and respect of her husband as she lives a consistent
righteous life before him. She honors the Lord and that manifests itself
outwardly to others so that they trust her. One the of the great benefits in
living for the Lord is that you live a life of character and people learn you
can be trusted.
Verse 26 says the virtuous woman is wise and
kind.
Where do you think this woman will get her
wisdom? Psalms 111:10 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of
wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise
endureth for ever." Wisdom comes from a fear of the Lord and understanding
His commandments.
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 instructs the believer about the effects of
love and says, "Charity (love) suffereth long, and is kind; charity
envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. Doth not behave
itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no
evil."
III. FAVOR IS DECEITFUL, BEAUTY IS VAIN. Prov. 30:30
A. Favor is deceitful. It is referring to living one's live
seeking the favor or approval of others. Means living to impress others. Sure
it is all right to look nice to look one's best. But dressing to attract
attention is sinful because it is based in pride.
B. Beauty is
vain. The word "vain" means worthless or of no value. Over dressing
and making one's appearance the driving force in a person's life is worthless
says God.
1.
Anorexia and bulimia
1 Timothy 2:9 - 9 likewise
also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty
and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who
profess godliness—with good works.
Godly Mothers:
VALUABLE (Vs. 10)
"An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above
jewels." The expression is a
wish. It is an expression of desire that all men could find such a valuable
treasure as an excellent/virtuous woman. This is the idea of moral goodness and
propriety combined with the idea of fine manners and culture. This virtue is an
outgrowth of her godliness.
The writer expresses here that such a woman is hard to find for
there are few women that achieve the high qualifications needed to be
considered virtuous or excellent. This is one reason why this woman is so
valuable. She is of high quality. The other reason is that she is rare and
therefore precious just as are jewels. Jewels are not valuable just because of
their beauty, but because of their rarity. Quartz is a very pretty crystal, but
because it is so common it is not valuable. Diamonds on the other hand are very
rare and therefore very valuable. Marble is very pretty, but because it is
common it is not considered valuable. Other rocks and minerals which are not
any more lovely than marble are valuable because of their rarity. So it is with
the virtuous woman. She is marked by such beautiful character qualities that
she is rare and therefore extremely valuable.
The reference to her worth being more than jewels or
"rubies" may actually even be a reference to the type of dowry that
would have to be paid to acquire such a woman for a wife. In ancient
TRUSTWORTHY (Vs. 11)
"The heart of her husband trusts in her, And he will have no
lack of gain." The word
"gain" comes from a word which means, "spoil of war," and
signifies the profit which she brings in. He can trust her wholly for she is
seeking what is best for the family and not just herself. He has no fear of her
pilfering from the family or squandering finances on herself. Instead, she
actually brings profit into the family. To put it in modern terms, she can be
trusted with the credit cards. She will not bring the family into debt but will
instead increase its wealth. We will see how she does this in later verses.
Too many husbands fear that their wives will bring them down into
debt through careless and frivolous spending. (Although actual statistics show
that it is the husband that usually brings on family debt. He buys big items
and takes the family into debt in leaps, while she will buy little items and
take the family into debt slowly). Trust is important. It is an aspect of love
(1 Cor 13).
We may also surmise that her husband is in some important position
in the community since he "known in the gates, when he sits among the
elders of the land" (vs
23). It may well be that because he is able to trust in her that he is able to
pursue this calling to community leadership. He would not have time to be
involved in such a thing if he had to constantly be watching over what his wife
did. This is a woman who is trustworthy and so is a blessing and a profit to
the entire family.
CONTINUALLY GOOD (Vs. 12)
"She does him good and not evil All the days of her
life." Her love is not
dependent upon her feelings or the personal gains she may derive from her
husband. This is the kind of love described in 1 Corinthians 13that
is based on deep moral grounds of self-sacrifice for the good of the other
person. From this she obtains the ability to remain constant and pure. No
wonder the heart of this man can trust her for she is consistently good to him.
INDUSTRIOUS (Vs. 13)
"She looks for wool and flax, and works with her hands in
delight." Part of the gain that
she brings into the household is her industrious nature. We are not told
specifically why she looks for the wool and flax. Perhaps to make clothing for
her family? Perhaps to make something to sell? Perhaps both as indicated later
in this passage, but the emphasis here is on here industrious spirit. She does
not wait around until something has to be done or until someone tells her to do
it. She goes out looking for the materials that she will need for whatever
project she is working on. And please note her spirit while doing her work. She
does not have the complaining, grumpy attitude that seems to affect so much of
our society. Instead, she finds joy in doing work. It is "work
her hands delight in," and
she is "active with her hands' pleasure!"
Work is a good thing. The Old Testament story of Ruth is a good
example of such a woman. She is one that Ecclesiastes 5:18 would describe as enjoying herself in
all her labor in which she toils under the sun during the few years of life God
has granted to her. This is her reward.
PRUDENT (Vs. 14)
"She is like merchant ships; She brings her food from
afar." In the care and
advancement of her family this woman will go out beyond the nearest circle to
be more prudent in her business. In other words, she does not shop at stores
just because they are convenient, but she sacrifices her own comfort to get the
best value in both what she buys and what she might sell. Again, we find that
with qualities like this that it is no wonder that she is valued so highly. She
extends herself to find the better goods and the best value.
DILIGENT (Vs 15)
"She rises also while it is still night, And gives food to
her household, And portions to her maidens." The care of her family is more important to her than her
own comfort. It is easy to stay in bed and let those that have to be somewhere
else early get their own breakfast, but this woman desires to be part of
meeting the needs of her family. She is not lazy, for her life is caught up
with her concern for others instead of her own comforts and convenience. The
phrase "portions to her maidens" is thought by some to mean the daily
work to her servants in which case she is also a diligent household manager.
ENTREPRENEURIAL (Vs 16)
"She considers a field and buys it; From her earnings she
plants a vineyard." She is
entrepreneurial. She has a head for business and knows how to increase her
profits through diversification. We have already seen in verse 13 that she may
have some sort of business dealing with wool and flax, and in verse 24 we will
find that she is making things for sale. It is from the profits of these things
that she launches out into real estate and farming. She is very intelligent and
wise for she adds to the wealth of her household not only through her own
manual labor and manufacturing, but by wise investment in other interests.
Paul’s comment in Titus 2 that young women are to be
"workers at home" does not exclude this, it only sets the priority.
Home comes first and outside work and investment come later. The Proverbs 31 woman demonstrates those priorities.
It should also be noted that what any particular woman does will depend on her
particular abilities. The principle here is simply that she is entrepreneurial.
STRONG (Vs 17)
"She girds herself with strength, And make her arms
strong." She is not afraid of
physical labor. She is not lazy. You may be getting the idea that this lady
would have to be strong to carry out all she does anyway, but there is more.
ATTENTIVE (Vs 18)
"She senses that her gain is good; Her lamp does not go out
at night." She perceives, she
senses, literally, she "tastes" that her profit has been good from
her industry and enterprise. She is attentive to the outcome of her labor and
investments. "Her lamp does not go out at night," does not mean that she labors all
night too. If that were true she would not be human. But she is no couch
potato. She is busy during the evening and attentive to the needs of her family
to make sure the lamp does not go out at night. She anticipates what could
happen and plans accordingly. She has checked the oil to make sure there is
enough to last the night.
HARD WORKER (Vs 19)
"She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hands
grasp the spindle." This woman is a hard
worker and here we find her busy about the activity of spinning wool or flax.
This may be why verse 13 notes she was looking for those items. She is
preparing material for either sale or for making clothes for her family, or
both.
COMPASSIONATE (Vs 20)
Beyond being a hard worker, we also find she is compassionate. "She
extends her hand to the poor; and she stretches out her hands to the
needy." She
meets not only the needs of her family but in compassion she also reaches out to
the poor to assist them. The idea here of extending her hand and stretching her
hands goes beyond just the idea of providing them with some material thing. It
includes reaching out with a tender touch to comfort, counsel and encourage.
She may not need to be compassionate to the poor to please her husband, but she
does need to have this quality to please God. The desire to please God is the
foundation upon which all her other character traits are built.
CONFIDENT (Vs 21)
All her diligence in labor and watchfulness over her family gives
her confidence for what the future may bring. "She is not afraid of the snow for her
household, For all her household are clothed with scarlet." The has anticipated the future and
worked hard so that not only will her family have warm clothing for the cold
months, but they will be clothed well in scarlet. She has prepared clothes that
will both protect them and look nice.
ELEGANT (Vs 22)
She herself is also clothed well, in fact we could say she is
elegant. "She makes coverings for herself; her clothing
is fine linen and purple." She
used the colors available to her to make fine clothing of contrasting colors.
She uses white linen and a purple colored material. These would be materials
imported from
ADMIRABLE (Vs 23)
"Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the
elders of the land." As I mentioned
earlier, because of her excellence, her husband was freed up to be involved in
the public affairs of the land. While he may get much of the public attention,
the real honor goes to her because without her he could not do what he was
doing. A man can only accomplish the extraordinary if he is backed up by such
an excellent woman. I may be the one in the pulpit this morning, but anything I
do must also be attributed to Diane's excellence in her role as a wife and
mother. She is to be admired. Without her I could accomplish very little.
CAPITALIST (Vs 24)
Next we find the entrepreneurial theme repeated again. "She
makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies belts to the tradesmen." She is an entrepreneurial capitalist.
Contrary to media language and politically correct speech, a capitalist is a
good thing. Her industry and spirit lead her to have a business of making linen
garments. These were most likely the articles of clothing worn as an
undergarment or by itself in the summer as light clothing. She also had a belt
manufacturing business and she sold both of these items. The belts were specifically
sold to international traders, probably the Phonecians. They would also be the
ones from whom she got her own clothes and special things for the family
mentioned earlier.
DIGNIFIED (Vs 25)
All of these are wonderful characteristics, but the most important
ones are found in the next two verses and in verse 30. "Strength
and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future." She may wear elegant clothes, but her
real beauty is her personal dignity. If she did not have dignity, then she
would be as the woman in Proverbs 11:22 - a well adorned pig. "As
a ring of gold in a swine's snout, So is a beautiful woman who lacks
discretion." Based
on her strength and dignity she smiles at the future for she has nothing to
fear. Arnot said it well, "If honor be your clothing, your suit will
last a lifetime; but if clothing be your honor, it will soon be worn
threadbare."
WISE (Vs 26)
We also find that she is wise, "She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the
teaching of kindness is on her tongue." A fitting ornament is her wisdom and
especially in its expression of kindness in her teaching. And what is wisdom?
It is the practical application in life of the proper fear of God. Foolishness
is living as if there is no God. Wisdom lives life mindful of the Lord. This
woman is wise and a reflection of that wisdom is a kind and gracious tongue.
WATCHFUL (Vs 27)
Her wisdom is also seen in her watchfulness over her family. "She
looks well to the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of
idleness." She
keeps watch over the activities of the home and directs for the work to be
done. She is not someone who folds her hands and watches others work. She is
involved in what occurs. The household runs well because of her organization
and management. Her watchfulness also protects her from idleness which leads to
all sorts of evil. Paul pointed out to Timothy that the widows the church was
to help were those who needed the help and proved to be good workers throughout
life. The church is not to support those who would be idle gossips and
busybodies (1 Tim. 5:10-14).
Arnot put it this way, "Empty hours, empty hands, empty companions,
empty words, empty hearts, draw in evil spirits, as a vacuum draws in air. To
be occupied with good is the best defense against the inroads of evil."
HONORED (Vs 28)
The result of all this that "Her children rise up and bless her . . .
;" These
children are not forced into this. It is the natural reaction of children who
are well reared. They have been taught well so they know how to think wisely
and properly. They realize how good of a mother they have and so they bless
her. We increasingly see children in our society who curse their mothers
instead of blessing them. That is a revelation of the child’s character
and a reflection of the mothers’. Proverbs 15:20 says,"A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish man despises his
mother." Proverbs 10:1 adds, "but
a foolish son is a grief to his mother." 17:25 adds, "and
bitterness to her who bore him." Many are reaping the bitterness
and grief of their own failed character which is then reflected in the curses
of their children. The virtuous woman receives the blessing of her children's
praise.
RESPECTED (Vs 29)
She also receives her husband's respect. Her husband also, and he praises her, saying . . . "Many
daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all. What wonderful praise for a wife to
receive from her husband. He recognizes and tells her that she is a cut above,
more than just noble, but excellent, virtuous. Men, do not make the mistake of
taking your wife for granted. Encourage her by letting her know how God is
using her to bless your life and the good qualities you see in her.
GODLY (Vs 30)
Her excellence of character is not a fleeting thing, for it is
based in the inward quality of godliness that dominates her life. That is the
basis of the praise she receives. "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a
woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." Charm is deceitful because flattery is
used to manipulate people to doing what you want. Beauty is vain because it is
always fleeting. At best is only lasts the few years of your short life. The
characteristics that mark this excellent woman rise from within because she has
the proper fear of the Lord and seeks Him with all her heart.
ACCLAIMED (Vs 31)
Finally we find that she is acclaimed by the rest of society as
well because of what she produces. "Give her the product of her hands, and let
her works praise her in the gates." She has brought much blessing to
others by what she has done for them. They in turn give praise for it. Her
godly character shines in all that she does including the products of her
hands. Thus, she is acclaimed.