A Virtuous Wife Transcript
I talked to a friend yesterday about the idea of preaching on Mother's Day, and it's one of those difficult days for some of us because we've lost our mothers, they've gone before us, or we didn't have the opportunity to know a good mother when we were in our homes. I thankfully have never had that issue. My mother is watching online, so of course she is the best mother in the world.
I struggle, though, with Father's Day. As many of you know, I did not have an excellent Christian father growing up in my childhood. And so I can sympathize with that sentiment, though, if you struggle on Mother's Day.
And while it is difficult for me to sometimes preach about Father's Day, it's kind of changed my perspective, having two of my own little kids and being a father to them. And so what I want to do this morning is, while we're together, to worship God together, to talk about what God reveals to us in His Word about what a virtuous wife or virtuous mother looks like from Scripture. So we're going to the very famous passage in Proverbs 31, verses 10 through 31.
A small lesson about this text is supposedly written by King Solomon, which is interesting for a couple of different reasons. And also, we find that this was historically one of those documents that would have been held up as kind of a prime example of what all young Jewish women should have been shooting for in their lives. So if we look into Proverbs 31, verses 10 through 31, this likely does not describe a single individual mother that's related to Solomon, Bathsheba, for example, nor one of his wives.
But this is just kind of a template from God's Word as to what we find when you have a wife or a mother who is full of virtue, who is full of godliness, trying to be like God, her creator. So we begin famously here in verses 10 through 12. An excellent wife, who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not harm all the days of her life.
Now this passage here, of course, is well known to many of us. It's one of those moments in which we find an outline of what her worth is compared to precious jewels. If you look into the Book of Proverbs, it is full of all these examples of what wisdom looks like in that Book of Proverbs.
It is somewhat interesting of a conundrum that we have all of them described as being like female attributes. Isn't that so shocking? We look at the idea of wisdom and kindness and gentleness, and they're all females in the Book of Proverbs.
Is that shocking to any of us? Again, Proverbs 3, 13-15, Bless is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding for the gain from her is better than gain from silver, and her profit is better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can be compared with her.
I wonder why God thought it was important to use a female to describe the idea of wisdom in his Book of Proverbs. No one's laughing at that, and maybe you shouldn't, but I just think it's interesting how you never find a guy described as being wise in the Book of Proverbs. What an oversight!
It's not an oversight, guys, and we know it. In Job 28, verse 18, Job said this, No mention shall be made of coral or quartz, for the price of wisdom is above rubies. The idea of using the knowledge that we have in a wise and appropriate way is, of course, seen in Scripture as a paramount thing.
Proverbs 12 and verse 4, An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones. Well, that's a dichotomy for you. Wearing a crown or having her bones being rotten.
This kind of gives you the contrast there of the impact that a wife or a mother can make in one's life. I've had the benefit of doing two weddings in the last two months. I'd much rather do weddings than funerals.
I'll tell you that much. Now, the idea of wedding is a beautiful tradition that we have of a man and a wife being joined together to become one before God and the witnesses present. And the idea of thinking about a beautiful bride on her wedding day and the value that she has and the impact that she has in that marriage and that relationship is absolutely key.
Because guys left to our own devices were not really a good thing, are we? The only not good thing God made in Genesis chapter 1 is a bachelor.
Amen? He knew that Adam by himself was incomplete. There was a helper that he absolutely needed, and from his side he made Eve, the mother of all living, to be able to have those two become one in his sight and to work together to fulfill their purpose there in the garden, to be an image bearer of God their creator.
So we ask ourselves from Proverbs 31 verses 10 through 12, what is her worth? Her worth is indescribable. We then go on in our text verses 13 through 16 and talk about her work.
She seeks wool and flax and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant, she brings food from afar. She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.
She considers a field and buys it. With the fruit of her hands, she plants a vineyard. Now in my household, we don't really see the idea of her being like a ship of the merchant and going away and then providing food.
We hear the terrible news, I'm going to go to the grocery store. So I'm lost, the kids are distressed and distraught, and then she comes in the door, and mommy's back, and the world's better again. That's what our home life looks like.
So I can relate somewhat to verse 13 through 16. I come home from work, oh, dad's back. Mom comes home, mommy's home.
It's wonderful, right? Now, looking at the culture here in which this was written by King Solomon, it would not be inappropriate or unthought of that we have someone who has the rights to buy property, you see in verse 16. I think it's interesting that if you go over to the New Testament and contrast that to what we find in the book of Titus, chapter 2 and verse 5 and following, it's quite similar.
So Titus chapter 2, verse 5. The older women likewise, that they behave in reverent behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things, that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. The tradition of seeing a wife or a mother in this role in the Hebrew Bible is completed through the work also through the book of Titus in 1st and 2nd Timothy.
So the work of a virtuous woman or a mother is seen here in Scripture as being, of course, busy and providing for their own. We then move on to verses 17 through 25. And you're welcome for not shoving it all on one slide.
Here is slide one. She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night. So she doesn't go to sleep when the sun goes down, and she's up way before the sun rises. When does this woman sleep is my question.
There's no answer in Scripture. Verse 19. She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.
She opens her hand to the poor. She reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, especially middle Georgia, right?
For all her household are clothed in scarlet. Verse 22. She makes bed coverings for herself.
Her clothing is fine, linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them.
She delivers sashes to the merchants. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. I love two lines in here in particular.
Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. Now, that causes me to chuckle inwardly just a little bit, because every preaching job I have ever had in West Virginia when I was 20 years old, in Charleston when I was 26 years old, and then here when I was 30, whatever I was when I was hired. Let's see, 33.
33, Jesus' age, right? That's when I got here. Every time I've gotten the hiring contract and the handshake from the eldership, every single time.
And Charleston, it was the funniest one I've ever had. We had a tryout when we were there, and I interviewed and I preached and I taught a Bible class, and I said, well, we like you. We have another guy we're considering.
I go, okay, so we'll bring you back for a second tryout and bring the whole family with them to see how well y'all get on. And so we had our second tryout. This guy from Texas showed up.
He tried out, and then we showed up the week after him. And it was just me and Melissa, no babies yet. And so they said late into the night, we're in this meeting with the elders, and they said, well, if we offer you the job now, will you take it?
I go, yes, sir, I would. And they go, okay, let's talk about it some more, and we'll think about it. And I go, okay, okay, all right.
So I go out into the fellowship hall, and I sit down with Melissa, and one of these guys gave me a cup of water. I'm drinking my water. I'm just sitting there on pins and needles.
And one of the elders, who was not afraid to let you know what he was thinking all the time, just came out, took my hand and said, I wanted you to know something. I go, what is it? And he goes, well, you were about as good as the other guy, but your wife got you this job.
We love her. It's like, I'll take it. Getting here, the same thing.
Well, you're okay, but Melissa, hey, we'd love to have her be a member here. You got the job. So her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.
Amen. That's exactly how I end up where I am. Melissa comes along with me, and she outshines me every step of the way.
That is her gift. And finally, verse 25. Strength and dignity are her clothing.
She laughs at the time to come. She knows this woman of faith, this great virtuous woman, knows that God is ultimately in control. And as long as she follows him, he will take care of her every step of the way.
Amen. Finally, we have verses 26 through 31. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
She looks well to the way of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed, her husband also, and he praises her. Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is emptiness, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates. I love the fact that in verse 26, she opens her mouth with wisdom.
This entire book of Proverbs is full of nothing but wisdom. When wisdom is personified, she is female in this text. As long as these virtuous women keep opening up their mouths and speaking the true words of God, they are speaking in wisdom.
I have said before and will say again, nothing I have to say out of my own brain is worth anything. The only value I can impart to you is by opening up the very Word of God, allowing His Word through the Holy Spirit to act on your heart and change your life the way it's changed mine. Our value of wisdom is not because of our own personal experience, per se.
It's based on the truth from God's inspired Holy Word. To summarize, nothing compares to the worth of a virtuous woman. Her work reveals her character, her grace, and her love.
Her tender, caring heart lifts up all those that are around her, especially her own family. And her wise counsel is a blessing to her friends and to her family. If you fit into this category this morning, thank you for all that you are, and thank you for all that you do.
Your impact cannot be measured in the success of your own family and your community and in this church family this morning. There is a reason, folks, why preachers know about the Big Three. Do you know about the Big Three?
Not the Father, Son, Holy Spirit. They are also Big Three, but the Big Three for preachers are Christmas, Easter, and what's the third? Mother's Day.
Why? Because we make our moms happy by coming to church with them where they want us to be all the time anyway. We know as preachers, we have the most impact to reach people that may not be coming as often if we utilize the leverage of the Big Three.
If you show up for Christmas, we can encourage you to come back the next week. If you come for Easter to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, He's resurrected every Sunday morning. If you come on Mother's Day because your mom knows that you should be here and you want to make her happy, folks, we need to make our Father in Heaven happy by prioritizing where her priorities are.
I love you. I'm grateful for you being here today. But folks, God deserves to be worshiped every first day of the week.
Again, I love you, and I say that in truth. I say it with all the grace that I possibly can, and I say it in love. If you have a virtuous mother in your life, God be praised for her.
If anyone has a need to respond this morning, to obey the gospel of Jesus Christ, to put him on in baptism, or if you are a faithful Christian, but you've been backsliding a little bit, now is the perfect opportunity to come before God and your loving family in Christ here in Thomaston Road to allow us to support you, to uplift you, to encourage you, and walk alongside you as we make our way towards those heavenly gates. If you have a need, you can respond by coming forward or seeing one of our shepherds at the doors. If you have a need, respond now as we stand and we sing.
Thank you.