Proverbs 31:10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for
her price is far above rubies.
Virtuous = khah-yil (a force) strong, valiant, worthy. Quality
clear rubies are more rare and more valuable than diamonds though the word translated ruby
might refer to a pearl which is a remez to Matthew 13:46. Oysters are unclean to Jews and the pearl
which is in response to an irritation doubly so but Jesus considered God to be
a merchant who discovered one pearl of great price and sold all to possess it. God paid His only begotten Son to seal the
price. The church is that pearl of great price and should be filled with
virtue. We are often an irritation to
the Jews but of great value to God nonetheless.
A woman of virtue is also of great value to God and a husband who treats
her without honor or respect may well find himself ill treated by God in
response.
Proverbs 31:11 The heart of her husband doth safely
trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
A virtuous woman is not wasteful or foolish and demanding. In
the words of a silly parable, she is able to make a silk purse of a sow's ear;
in other words, a virtuous woman can take things of little value and find great
purpose in them. She is faithful and full of zeal toward her husband. A wise
man respects his wife; a foolish man treats her badly or without respect and
reaps the reward of fools. A wise man
knows she is his muse, his encouragement.
She can inspire him to accomplish great things.
Proverbs 31:12 She will do him good and not evil all
the days of her life.
A virtuous woman is not fickle, she is steady, trusting in
the Lord. Her desire is for the welfare of her husband. A wise husband acknowledges this and in
return complements her hard work and gives her honor.
Proverbs 31:13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and
worketh willingly with her hands.
With wool and flax she could keep her family warm in winter
and cool in summer. She keeps her eyes open for opportunities and seizes them
when they appear. She is diligent and has a positive outlook.
Proverbs 31:14 She is like the merchants' ships; she
bringeth her food from afar.
When one is focused upon their responsibilities they
recognize even distant opportunities to improve family life. The more
distracted you are, the narrower your vision. In our cell phone, computer,
internet and television society it is a wonder that we can focus on anything of
value at all. It limits your
effectiveness to give undue attention to unnecessary stimulus. Your eye is not
single, clear, and focused. How can you
even make time to hear God and give Him His due? How can you see God’s vision when you can’t
even see God for the noise in your life.
Proverbs 31:15 She riseth also while it is yet
night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
She is the first to awaken and makes sure her household has
sufficient food to begin their day energized. She cares for any servants as
well as family. In many ways a woman has
more endurance than a man. His strength
is greater but his use of a day’s energy is quicker. The virtuous woman is like a slow fire that
can burn longer and more evenly than his.
Proverbs 31:16 She considereth a field, and buyeth
it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
She is thoughtful and considerate. She takes the household
excess and uses it for the good of the family and tribe. God multiplies her
seed sown and produces an excess for trade.
Her focus on His will for her life lead to Proverbs 3:5-6 choices in
family and business. She is motivated and led to greatness due to her singular
devotion to this passionate desire to bless God and her family. God has made her to be a visionary in her own
way.
Proverbs 31:17 She girdeth her loins with strength,
and strengtheneth her arms.
A virtuous woman is not one to take the easy or simple
path. Through weariness or pain she
presses on to achieve greatness. She is motivated by faith in God and believes
she can do all things 'through' Christ.
We often complain that we are too tired or worn out, emotionally and
physically, to continue. Isaiah 40:28-31
argues,
“Hast thou not known?
hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the
ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his
understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he
increaseth strength. Even the youths
shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew
their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and
not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
Are we willing? Will
we WAIT upon the Lord? A virtuous woman
will.
Proverbs 31:18 She perceiveth that her merchandise
is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
In her wisdom she knows her worth, not in pride but because
of God's grace. She receives value for
value and prepares for God's prosperous seasons and also dark times by storing
much oil / spirit. Even those who appear
to lack the necessities are made fat by the grace of God (1 Kings 17:9-22, 2
Kings 4:1-7). Nights will always come
while we live in this fallen world. God
will see the faithful through the night into day.
Proverbs 31:19 She layeth her hands to the spindle,
and her hands hold the distaff.
She knows how to produce the needs of her family. From start
to finish she produces and is useful. Her gift to the family is
incalculable. She is a powerful provider.
God never intended that a family should
only have one provider. This is
unscriptural. Both husband and wife are
needed for the financial, spiritual and emotional health of the family. Her primary burden may be the immediate needs
of family members but it leads her to exercise the wisdom God offers to meet
those varied and important needs. Titus 2:5 says she is to be a keeper of the
home. In all history there have been
many varied opportunities for a woman to produce extra income through
wisdom. I believe this is the first and
best choice for a family and one in which she is always there to speak into the
lives of the next generation. Even after
the loss of her husband and sons, Naomi was a fount of wisdom and support for
her daughters-in-law. She became nurse
and supporter of the family after Ruth and Boaz had a son. According to the Midrash Boaz died the day
after his wedding but left Ruth pregnant.
Boaz was a wealthy prince of the land of Israel and under Ruth's
management that wealth increased.
Their son Obed "serving"
produced a son named Jesse "I
possess" who produced a son David "beloved" whose throne would last forever and be ruled
by another who would never die. This
Living Word (John 1:14) who SERVING all mankind would POSSESS ALL and having
been acknowledged by God as HIS BELOVED SON would become the KING OF KINGS and
LORD OF LORDS. In the background of
these three men were mothers who consistently did what was needed to make sure
their sons would fully arise to accomplish God's will for their lives.
The Midrash reports that Jesse after producing six sons of
good character with his wife Nitzevet began to doubt his own purity and value
(shoresh). His grandmother and great
grandmother were a Moabitess and Prostitute respectively. He was a prince in Bethlehem, respected by
all, and yet he felt he did not warrant this honor. He was like those who say an illegitimate
child should have no place in any family history except that Jesse began to
hate himself. Jesus made sure that His
lineage included prostitutes, the illegitimate and murderers. God absolutely wanted mankind to know they
have no standing with Him by virtue of their own goodness or strength. Jesus said, "Why do you call me
good? There is no one good but God
(Matthew 19:17). He said this because
while He was God He did not come as God but as a suffering servant.
Jesse misunderstood this concept and refused any further
contact with his noble and upright wife Nitzevet. He felt SHE was of too noble a family for
such as he and after six sons were born he refused to touch her. According to the Midrash he married a servant
of Nitzevet who loved this virtuous woman and on her wedding night while her
new husband was drunk allowed Nitzevet to take her place. That night produced David. During the entire period of more than 25
years of David’s early life, Nitzevet's other sons believed she had cheated on
their father and that David was illegitimate.
They treated both he and she with contempt and only his mother and the
servant who would not speak knew the truth and accepted him. Psalm 69 tells of this period of his
life. When Samuel came to anoint him as
king and had examined 7 brothers he asked Jesse if this was all his sons (1
Samuel 16:11) he said, “There is only the ketan left.” I use the Hebrew term because it can mean
youngest or despised one. 1 Chronicles
2:15 says that David was the seventh son.
That means he was not the youngest out of eight sons. He was despised. All he had in the family was his mother’s
love. She carried the burden of that
pain alone for almost 30 years before David became king and redeemed her. Women have the strength to endure the long
difficult years.
Proverbs 31:20 She stretcheth out her hand to the
poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
She is not guilty of greed or filthy lucre. Her hand gives
to the poor. Both hands help the
needy. She is love in action and not
mere words. Faith, which is powered by
love, does not function without works (James 2:20, 26). Giving money is not always the best way to
help the poor. Quite often they are far
more in need of training or opportunities than mere money which lasts but a
short time. The virtuous woman displays
God’s wisdom in this thing. She might
give a little money but will often provide more useful opportunities. God rarely allows his children large sums of
cash or lottery winnings because it often causes more problems in their faith
than it solves; in fact it can damage their faith to see Him as a large vault
dispensing money. God expects us to work
by faith with our hands, heads and most especially our redeemed spirits.
Proverbs 31:21 She is not afraid of the snow for her
household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
Due to great faithfulness a virtuous woman grows beyond wool
and flax. Her family prospers and are
clothed like royalty. It becomes
apparent to all that this household is blessed by God. There is an old saying that it takes money to
make money. This is true to a
point. It takes a start to make an end. If you never begin because you can see no
sense in it then you will never arrive at success or ministry. A virtuous woman begins with the modest basics. She is diligent with the family and God will
bring opportunities past her to be noticed.
Scripture says we grow line upon line, precept upon precept (Isaiah
28:10-12). In spite of all these
opportunities to grow and flourish, God said, “…yet will they not hear.” We waste far more opportunities that God
gives than we seize. He is more patient
than we and often we begin to become angry and frustrated at the apparent lack
of opportunities. God continues in this
chapter in Isaiah and says we consider those moments to be temptations and not
true opportunities. This is a slur on
God’s character and it causes us to backslide (v13).
Proverbs 31:22 She maketh herself coverings of
tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
It is not enough that she produces her own basic materials,
she receives great prosperity through her wisdom. She is clothed as a queen with cloth obtained
from afar. This is the culmination of
all her focused godly labors. The Lord
says in Malachi 3:10-12:
“…and prove me now
herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of
heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to
receive it. And I will rebuke the
devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground;
neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the
Lord of hosts. And all nations shall
call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.”
Yes I know I left off the part about tithes. It is assumed that if you are a virtuous man
or woman you are paying tithes. My point
is that when you continue to press to hear God and obey His leadings, your
crops begin to flourish of their own accord; you are protected from plagues and
attacks that defeat those around you.
You will be blessed with more than you can really use and it is a small
thing to buy better clothing and nicer homes to live in. Consider that God is not blessing you to
build your pride. He wants to bless you
to increase HIS glory and honor. A
modest woman who dresses extremely well and is not arrogant about it may simply
be showing her love and adoration for God by doing so. God arrays the lilies of the field in beauty
because He loves beauty. He does not
withhold it from us unless it is a matter of pride in our own hearts.
Proverbs 31:23 Her husband is known in the gates,
when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
The gate of the city is the seat of power. King David used to sit in the gate. The virtuous woman is one who best displays
his ability as the head of a household.
In 1 Timothy 3:1-6 we read that a bishop is a husband who rules well his
own house and is not a novice. Husbands
and wives grow together in marriage.
Today's adversarial or self gratifying marriages are not discussed
here. Abigail was married to Nabal who
was a self-satisfied fool. When he heard
how his actions nearly killed him it broke his heart and he actually died (1
Samuel 25). Not all men with virtuous
wives are honored as leaders in the gates, but far fewer men married to foolish
women are. The higher you go in public
life the more your family is used as a measure of your worthiness. A virtuous woman is to be praised.
Proverbs 31:24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth
it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
Until now she has been working her own property and using
the proceeds to ensure the care of her family.
Now she is branching out and producing items for the market. Her actions are beginning to bring real
wealth into the family. She is a true
business woman (Acts 16:14). A virtuous
woman (or man for that matter), is always on the lookout for these
moments. They have long patience for
them and a focused laser sharp attentiveness.
I am persuaded that these opportunities are far more frequent than we
observe. My late Apostle, Joseph Sims
spent hours in prayer and days in fasting to make sure he would not miss these
fleeting moments of God’s extraordinary provision. These moments take us from being a mere saint
of God to being a visionary leader of men or women. These moments take a woman from raising a few
beans to sell for extra household needs to starting a business that may even
exceed her husband’s income. My point
here is that this goal can be reached through our Lord’s help without the
family suffering for a lack of maternal guidance and nurturing. As with all things it is a process. Satan would much rather cause us to miss this
pattern and chose one that endangers our future generations of children.
It may not be a sin to work in a business under someone
other than your husband’s leadership, but it is hardly ideal. I can hear the gnashing of teeth by some
women in this. Please understand that I
am not speaking about a family whose husband is not working or a family who
does not know or is incapable of tapping into the reservoirs of God. I am speaking of a family that know their
Lord from husband to smallest babe. This
can only work for… ‘they that wait upon the Lord.’
Proverbs 31:25 Strength and honor are her clothing;
and she shall rejoice in time to come. 26 She openeth her mouth with
wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
Her character has become much more than the wife of... She is clothed in the strength and honor of
her accomplishments. This woman has
diversified her businesses until she no longer fears what the future may
bring. Money now comes to her. She is sought after for advice from other
women and is an example to all. When
others ‘lamps’ go out, hers will burn brightly.
A woman like this is quite literally like a “tree planted by the river
of life.” She has roots that run much
deeper than mere life experiences. She
can endure because of faith’s deep roots.
Her kindness calms the concerns of those around her.
I read an article today about a powerful woman freed from
jail. She had been arrested for throwing
a dangerous tantrum and endangering others in a fight of wills. The Proverbs 31 woman is not so. When she speaks it is words of wisdom and
understanding. She has learned that only
through kindness and grace will you get the very best of others. When the law of your tongue is kindness you
make even your enemies be gracious.
Proverbs 31:27 She looketh well to the ways of her
household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
Can you picture the image of the English noble woman who
sits in the parlor doing needlepoint and learning to play the piano. Her servants bring her every delicacy while
she remains useless for any real task, in fact, many disdained to learn any
form of useful work as being beneath their status as if idleness is honorable.
This is not the image we have of a virtuous woman. The concept that a woman of virtue is idle
and lays about doing nothing is a farce.
God has always intended that we work with our hands and are
productive. A virtuous woman is a
business woman and her corporation is made up of her own household. Her employees are her own children who learn
early that idleness is not acceptable.
How different this is from the wealthy children of many of our current
rich.
Proverbs 31:28 Her children arise up, and call her
blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
When her husband comes home from his place of business he is
pleased to find all things in the household (it cannot be called a mere home)
are running smoothly and productively.
Her own children appreciate the sense of direction and purpose she has
taught them. Through her heart, hands
and mind run a myriad of ideas and she walks in the respect of those she
loves. A woman’s mind is much more adept
at multitasking than a man’s. We so
often forget that God made her this way for a reason and many men ignore this
obvious gift as if it is lessened because of her nurturing emotions. She is able to comfort and encourage all in
her household and help them attain the highest and closest walk with God
possible. As much as any man, a virtuous
woman is fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).
Proverbs 31:29 Many daughters have done virtuously,
but thou excellest them all.
There are those who are quite religious and spiritual. Many exude the love and grace of God in
abundance yet accomplish little. Some
are quite industrious but lack that deep love and grace that comes from a close
walk with God. The truly virtuous woman
is one who walks in the love and grace of God while working diligently and
productively and multiplying all the gifts given her by God. She receives inspiration directly from God
and acts upon that direction. Again, it
isn’t pride that motivates her, but a sincere desire to accomplish all that God
will reveal to her.
Proverbs 31:30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is
vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord,
she shall be praised.
Some obtain favor due to power or wealth. Many have great external beauty but none
within. A woman who fears God will be
praised because her value does not come through falsehood and lies. She is genuinely appreciated for her grace,
righteousness and the joy of the love of God shining through her.
Proverbs 31:31 Give her of the fruit of her hands;
and let her own works praise her in the gates.
Some husbands consider their wives to be property, little
more than farm animals to be fed and cared for due to their labor and sexual
value to the farm. Women are not
property. God has given virtue to women
and a husband would be well disposed to respect and allow her this freedom to
grow and prosper and should be pleased to see her praised by others. Scripture says, “Whoso findeth a wife findeth
a treasure, and obtains favour of the Lord (Proverbs 18:22).” What do you suppose God will do to the man
who fails to respect the great treasure that God has entrusted him with? I have seen Christian men who have married
and abandoned their wives. I have seen
God’s punishment land upon them. Treat
the treasure of God as a treasure and not like chattel. She will pour her love and faithfulness into
your life and make the path you walk that much easier. A virtuous woman is worth this grace.
Be virtuous beloved.
Bishop J
