Proverbs 31; The virtuous woman

Proverbs 31King James Version (KJV)

1. The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.

2 What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows?

3 Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.

4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:

5 Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.

6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.

7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.

8 Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.

9 Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.

10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.

14 She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.

15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.

18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.

19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.

20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.

23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.

24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.

25 Strength and honour 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.

27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.

30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.

31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

                                                       EXHORTATION

A strong believer in women I don't think any of us would be here without them there's been a competition in the genders of recent years male versus female and I heard somebody define it this way they said the weaker sex is really the stronger sex because of the

weakness of the stronger sex for the weaker sex did you get that I'll do it one more time weaker sex is the stronger sex because of the weakness of the stronger sex for the weaker sex

I believe in the strength of women and even within the world woman's world there is a competition there's a clamoring there is a striving to be the ideal woman and so industry has grown around clothing and jewelry and makeup

and hair and all kinds of thing trying to get the ideal woman image well what is an ideal woman and the Scriptures give us an answer to that the ideal woman is a virtuous woman in fact she is so valuable let's look at what the

scripture says about her who can find a virtuous woman for her price is far above rubies not so long ago somebody brought me a ruby ring and asked me what it was worth I didn't know I said I'd take it to a friend of mine who was a

jeweler gemologist and I did that and when he saw it at first glance it was about the size of my little five carat emerald here he said that's worth a whole bunch but let me look at it closer and it turned

out not to be a real ruby had it been the same size as my stone it would have been worth over a million dollars about six times the price of a comparable diamond in size and clarity look at this a woman her value is above not one ruby

but look at this rubies plural and she's not just equal to the price of rubies she is above the price of rubies she's not just above the price of rubies a virtuous woman is look at this far above the price of rubies for centuries

woman women have been on a pedestal she's been the subject of the post pen and the artist brush they have tried to mix paint and pigment and canvas and capture the character of her countenance for decades centuries woman has been

held high in esteem however in recent years women have been brought down off the pedestal into the gutters where men have been and should not be either one historian put it this way he said when the men of a society turn immoral that's

one thing but if the women turn immoral there is no return for that society the greatest need today is for virtuous women they are the ones who are valuable to husbands valuable to children valuable to society

in fact Napoleon Bonaparte penned it this way when he said the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world I am convinced that the future of America will be determined by the women of the future and it is the Bible the

scriptures that present women in the highest place and status that they can be found well what does it mean to be a virtuous woman let's look at the definition it means possessing qualities of character and goodness free from vice

immorality and wickedness let's repeat that one more time possessing qualities of character and goodness free from vice immorality and wickedness that's what's really valuable the ideal woman is a virtuous woman well

what's a picture what does it care what are the characteristics of a virtuous woman and so hopefully and hopefully and clearly proverbs tells us the answer to that question what the characteristics of a virtuous

woman are let's look at them number one she is trustworthy and here's the scripture the heart of her husband does safely look at trust in her it's not a misplaced trust he can trust her you know you know somebody from a distance

you may think they're really really wonderful you've never seen him up close but when a husband who knows his wife from such close in day after day year after year close encounters can still trust her then surely she must be

virtuous now look at this he can safely trust in her not just trust but trusted her but confidently so so that he doesn't need anything else he needs no spoil he can safely does he will have no need one verse of scripture says that a

virtuous woman is a crown to her husband another verse says whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord if a man has a virtuous woman he needs very little else he has got a treasure worth far more than many

rubies she's trustworthy then secondly we find that the Scripture teaches consistently good here's what the scripture says she will do him good will do him good and not evil and again I say consistently because it says all the

days of her life and then she does good to him all the days of her life but she is industrious the scripture says she seeks wool and flax she works willingly with her hands watch with me the scripture well once more she she is a

go-getter she seeks tool she goes looking for work she doesn't do work because she has to do she does it willingly she goes seeking for she is industrious and then the scripture tells us that she is nutritionally conscious

she's not satisfied with just any old food for her and her family look at the scripture she is like the merchant ships she brings her food from afar she's fussy about what she feeds herself her husband her children and all those

within her influence she is nutritionally conscious and then she is an early riser the scripture says that she rises also while it is yet night she's not slothful the Scriptures warn us about

too much sleep a little sleep a little folding of the hands the scripture says in social poverty come to your soul and but not her she's up before everybody else she's up while it's still dark out because she is a woman industrious she's

a woman with a task with a vision with a goal she's going somewhere and she gets right on it at the earliest part of the day and then the Scriptures teach that a virtuous woman cares about others she Rises while it is yet night Oh Isis now

and she gives meat to her household and a portion even to her maidens that is she's up earlier than everybody else to get the food ready for the household and for those who are in her employ interesting however another insight

about this is that the Bible seems to indicate that when the word meat is used in the Bible it's often referring to spiritual food not just literal and physical food for example in the New Testament says that strong meat

belongeth to them that are full maturity and so another verse says bring the tithes in the storehouse that might be meat in the house spiritual food for those who come there so the virtuous woman gets up early and she prepares

literal food for her family but she also knows that her husband that her children that those who work around or need more than just physical sustenance she wants to provide them with spiritual food she's going to plant thoughts in the

lives of her children in the minds of her husband and of her children she's going to have something encouraging to say she's preparing spiritual food to prepare for rather for those around her and then she

is entrepreneurial a virtuous woman is not one who sits around the home merely all the time she is entrepreneurial now this word in the dictionary means one who undertakes an enterprise that is one who owns and manages a business she

considers a field look at that she considers a field she looks at this piece of real estate and she goes out and she buys his piece of real estate and with her own hand she plants a vineyard in that piece of land and

increases its worth and turns it for a profit who who ever presented this idea that a virtuous woman is not entrepreneurial is not business oriented is mistaken the Scriptures present the fact that a

virtuous woman can buy and sell and turn a profit and and she's industrious and entrepreneurial then scripture seems to indicate that she's also physically fit here's what it says she Gerdes her loins with strength and she strengthens her

arms she takes time to keep herself in physical condition she has a task before her and to her her strength is just physical strength her physical well-being the nutrition she puts in her body are very important to her that's a

virtuous woman who cares about physical fitness and then she's a thrifty shopper now I know a lot of you would just like this idea of shopper hey I'm a virtuous omama shopper but she's not just a shopper she is a thrifty shopper that is

she is careful about the economics she's careful about expenditures see what the scripture says she looks at the merchandise to make sure that it's good before she purchases it she checks it out she's looking for the

most return on her spinach errs expenditures she is a thrifty shopper and so she goes looking for bargains and she in this way is demonstrating frugality and resourcefulness and makes what money she

has go a farther and longer distance and then the Scriptures teaches that the virtuous woman is protective the scripture puts it this way her candle does not go out during the night now back in the days when this was written

Edison had not invented the light bulb yet and there was no switches on the wall to have instant light so in case someone of her children would cry out in the middle of the night in case she needed to get up to help somebody she

would keep her candle on all night long so at the first cuff the first cry the first whimper that she might hear the sob reaching her ears she would quickly to the rescue the light already being provided because she is protective she

looks after her family and then the scripture teaches that the virtuous woman is not afraid to work with her hands not just with her mind not just entrepreneurial in the business sense but she is willing to work with her

hands in this case she says she lays her hands on the spindle and her hands hold that distaff which is another part of the spindle and the Lord's she's not afraid to roll up her sleeves and get her work done a guess she found a way

not to let her nails get chip I don't know but she's not afraid of work a virtuous woman works with her hands and then a virtuous woman is charitable and generous look at this scripture with me she stretches out her hand to the poor

and she reaches forth these two words are very important she reaches forth her hands to the needy the picture here is that she's not waiting for the poor to stretch out their hands to her she's not waiting for

the needy to reach out to her she is alert to the needs of those who need help and she is the initiator she stretches out her hand to the poor she reaches forth a virtuous woman is charitable and generous and by the way a

virtuous woman see there's a difference between giving to the poor and giving to the slothful and the implication of this verse is that she is checking them out she stretches out to them she reaches for that if she is looking for the

people who qualify for genuine charity and genuine help and financial or food or clothing or whatever it is they need there's a difference between giving to the poor and giving to the slothful and then a virtuous woman is prepared

she thinks ahead of time she's not afraid of the snow for her household the scripture says for all her household are clothed with scarlet remember the red flannels of the old days she has got the winter clothing all stored up she is

thinking ahead preparing for the cold preparing for the rain preparing for what might happen for the protection of her family she is prepared and then a virtuous woman is an elegant and modest dresser how a person dresses is very

important because you see we dress the way that we think then we feel the way we dress and then we act the way we feel think about that for a moment people dress the way they think then they feel the way they dress and then they act the

way they feel for example get out of bed in the morning and leave your pajamas on till noon hour you will feel the way you dress you will not likely do a lot of work and you will act the way you feel slouchy casual but if

you'll let your feet hit the floor and scrub and get cleaned up and dressed up suited up for the day because you think that way you'll dress that way and because the dress that way you will feel that way

clothing is very important and she is an elegant and modest dresser let's look at the scripture she makes herself coverings of tapestry and her clothing is silk and purple I mean she's elegant silk is pretty

elegant and purple but she's not only an elegant dresser this scripture presents the virtuous woman as a modest dresser now the Scriptures teach that there are four purposes for clothing and I hope you'll

John in your notes the for purposes of clothing number one clothing is given to protect us from you know shoes protect your feet and protection from the elements the rain Sun the wind storm whatever clothing is for protection and

then secondly clothing is given to us as a symbol oh you can always identify a policeman usually because he's uniformed his clothes are a symbol of what he is you can go to the hospital and you'll find the nurses dressed a certain way

their clothing is a symbol of their status in fact the scriptures warms us about women who wear the attire of a harlot because clothing is a symbol of our status a third purpose of clothing is to differentiate gender

the scripture says abomination for a man to wear women's clothing and vice versa and you see the virtuous woman is very much a lady she's feminine and she dresses in a way that not only conveys her gender and her femininity but she

also dresses with clothing that symbolizes what she thinks of herself and then fourthly the fourth purpose of clothing according to scriptures is for the purpose of modesty that is look at the scripture now she makers she is

covering her body up because she's modest the virtuous woman you see is confident in what she is in and of herself she does not need to attract others by him modesty by flashing parts of her body exposing herself somebody

said it for sale you shouldn't advertise it the pressure that's being put upon women today to dress immodestly in order to be accepted by men in order to be accepted by the society is certainly an unrighteous thing we see the virtuous

woman she doesn't have to attract with some showing part of her body because a virtuous woman her intrinsic value is far above rubies why would she stoop to expose parts to provide to get some attention she doesn't need it

she is self-contained self-fulfilled self established because she's got virtue that's what makes her different she makes herself coverings for her clothing and covers up and her clothing is made of silk and purple then a

virtuous woman is a helper to her husband you know today there are several different models that are being followed for marriage in one model there he has his friends and she has her friends and then he has his interest and

she has her interests and he has his hobbies and she has her hobbies and she spends her - he spends his time and she spends her time and he does this and he does that and he goes places and she goes but vacations and she vacations and

we got these two separate lives hardly a marriage at all because there's no Union here marriage would simply become a bed and board I suppose but you see the virtuous woman is a helper to her husband look at the scripture her

husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders the leaders of the land because a man who's married to a virtuous woman has what the Bible calls designed by God a helper a helpmate and he will be a better man get more done

have more influence and go further because of a virtuous woman who's a team player she's a helpmate to her husband a president doesn't go far without counselors without advisors without a vice president and neither does a man he

will have influence he will sit among the leaders of the land making decisions because a virtuous woman helps put him there and then a virtuous woman is self-employed she's a businesswoman and here's a scripture she makes linen and

she sells it and she delivers delivers in this case she's making girdles to the merchants she sells her stuff she makes the stuff she delivers her stuff perhaps the reason a virtuous woman does this that is is self-employed is because her

employment is secondary to her agenda as a woman as a wife as a mother she makes the employment fit around her real agenda the job does not take over she doesn't go to work for somebody else and make the product and and/or sell the

product she sells them to the merchant she's self-employed because she wants the job not to take over from her real mission in life then a virtuous woman is an honorable woman the scripture says strengthen honor are

her clothing she shall rejoice in time to come she is honorable she is strong and then she is full of wisdom she opens her mouth with wisdom here's a scripture she when she talks smart stuff comes out of

her you see out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks so when she speaks she speaks wisdom because she's got wisdom on the inside wisdom is seeing and responding to life's situations from God's point of view so

when she speaks she gives not a prejudice point of view not a limited point of view but she understands the big picture as she can advise her children advise her husband advise her friends advise her employees with wisdom

from God's point of view and then a virtuous woman is a kind woman she opens her mouth with wisdom look at this 9 does wisdom come out of her but in her tongue is the law of kindness now the word law means a rule of action

there's a consistency here she speaks and when she does it's always kind because she is kind-hearted it's a rule of action consistently a virtuous woman is a kind woman and then she has a family focus she looks well to the ways

of her household she likes being a mother she likes being a wife she looks after that's her focus on the family and then a virtuous woman is diligent which is the opposite to being slothful look at this she doesn't eat

she eats not the bread of idleness she doesn't loaf sit around waste time she doesn't procrastinate she is a diligent person a virtuous woman and then she's respectable the scripture says her children shall rise up and call

her blessed her husband also and and he praises her let me tell you something that's more important than being respected it's being worthy of respect to be respectable and here's this woman who is so got it together virtue

she's got virtue her husband sees that her children see and they can't help but praising her because she is respectable and then a virtuous woman has the fear of the Lord here's what the scripture says the last

one favor is deceitful beauty is vain but the woman that feareth the Lord she shall be praised was it mean to have the fear of the Lord it means to hold yourself accountable to God she's aware that God is watching her actions

listening to her words checking out her motives and observing her thoughts she has the fear of the Lord and she is a virtuous woman well the important question you're probably asking right now is how can I become a virtuous woman

there are three steps get each of these down clearly number one get forgiveness for all your past you see we've all gone the wrong way we've all failed we've all lost virtue Jesus is called Savior he comes to give

it back to you and it starts by getting the past all cleansed Jesus is a best friend a woman ever had for when he comes into her life he will wash away all of the past secondly hold yourself accountable to God bring your life under

the management of God of Christ make him the Lord so you not only get forgiveness but you bring your life under new management someone who is able to wisely direct you in the right way and and thirdly begin to follow his ways

get forgiveness come under his management follow his directions how do you do that read your Bible pray everyday get in fellowship with women in a church that teaches the Bible and you will become virtuous woman Oh