The Virtuous Woman – Part 3
Sunday, October 27th, 2024
Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA
Proverbs 31:10-31
10Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.
11The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, So that he shall have no need of spoil.
12She will do him good and not evil All the days of her life.
13She seeketh wool, and flax, And worketh willingly with her hands.
14She is like the merchants’ ships; She bringeth her food from afar.
15She riseth also while it is yet night, And giveth meat to her household, And a portion to her maidens.
16She considereth a field, and buyeth it: With the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
17She girdeth her loins with strength, And strengtheneth her arms.
18She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: Her candle goeth not out by night.
19She layeth her hands to the spindle, And her hands hold the distaff.
20She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
21She is not afraid of the snow for her household: For all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; Her clothing is silk and purple.
23Her husband is known in the gates, When he sitteth among the elders of the land.
24She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; And delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
25Strength and honour are her clothing; And she shall rejoice in time to come.
26She openeth her mouth with wisdom; And in her tongue is the law of kindness.
27She looketh well to the ways of her household, And eateth not the bread of idleness.
28Her children arise up, and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praiseth her.
29Many daughters have done virtuously, But thou excellest them all.
30Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: But a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
31Give her of the fruit of her hands; And let her own works praise her in the gates.
Prayer
Father, we thank you for this divinely inspired portrait of feminine strength. As we seek to imitate these virtues and apply them to our own lives and households, we ask for grace to work out what You work in, grant us Your Holy Spirit in abundance, for we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Introduction
This morning, we are in Part 3 of a four-part series on the Proverbs 31 Woman. Last week we concluded at verse 23, and so this morning our plan is to pick up in verse 24 and complete our exposition of this poem. Now some of you might be wondering, if we finish the passage today, what will the fourth sermon be on next week? And my answer to you is that it’s a secret. You’ll just have to wait and find out next Sunday. There’s your cliffhanger.
Before we pickup in verse 24, let’s just review the basic outline and contour of this passage.
Outline of the Text
We said there are three basic sections to this poem:
- 1. Verses 10-12 describe the woman’s value.
- 2. Verses 13-27 describe the woman’s actions.
- 3. Verses 28-31 describe the woman’s praiseworthiness.
- So picking up in verse 24 we are in the tail end of that section on the woman’s actions.
Verse 24
24She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; And delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
Another translation has it, “Fine cloth she makes, and she sells it, a loincloth she gives to the trader.” *Btw, the Hebrew for trader/merchant here is “Canannite.”
- Recall, there are three dominant themes to this woman’s actions: 1) She makes garments and clothing, 2) She provides food for her household, 3) She does all of that with glad palms.
- Food, clothing, and joyful labor are essential qualities of the virtuous wife.
- We also noted that this woman likes to start with the raw materials, whether wool or flax, or an empty field, and then she turns those raw materials into something both beautiful and useful: clothing, garments, a vineyard, grapes, wine, etc.
- So this woman delights in taking hold of nature, in receiving God’s good creation with willing hands, and then transforming it by those same hands into something better.
- Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:7 that, “woman is the glory of the man.”And this glory is reflected in how the woman transforms and elevates creation. Woman was God’s final act of creation on Day 6, and she carries in her own nature this aspect of crowning and beautifying whatever God gives to her. Woman is the glory of man, she is the crown of God’s handiwork.
- So both men and woman are commanded to exercise dominion in the land, but they each have a unique role to play in how they extend the peace and prosperity of Eden out into the four corners of the earth.
- We see this uniquely feminine role illustrated in how the poem describes the woman’s priorities.
- For example, who is the first person this woman is said to be a blessing to? In verses 11-12 we see that it is her husband.
- “The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil All the days of her life.”
- The virtuous woman is a wife in the first instance, and that one-flesh union of marriage takes priority over and informs all other relationships, save her relationship with God.
- After her husband and marriage, we then see she provides food and clothing for her own household, her children and handmaidens (vs. 15).
- And then in verse 20 we see her opening and extending her productive hands to the poor and the needy outside her home.
- So the woman’s actions reflect her priorities. Marriage is her first priority (after God), 2nd are her children, 3rd her maidservants, and 4th the poor and needy.
- If you know Paul’s letters well, you know this is the same basic order and patten for how he instructs Christians in their domestic life: Husbands-Wives, Children-Parents, Servants-Masters.
- So the virtuous wife is practicing what Paul says in Galatians 6:10, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
- A well-ordered household has well-ordered loves. A disordered household on the other hand is one where people are overlooking their closest and most proximate neighbors. Christ commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves, and that means starting with those who share a roof with you.
- So here in verse 24 we see that while the woman is interested in turning a profit on her merchandise, she does not herself become a traveling merchant, or a door-to-door salesman. Instead “she gives her fine cloths to the trader,” “she delivereth girdles unto the merchant.” She remains focused on being present and overseeing her household, and she lets the men, the traders, the merchants, do what God created them to do.
- This is likely how she went about doing what it describes earlier in verse 14 when it says, “She is like the merchants’ ships; She bringeth her food from afar.” These merchants bring the spices, and she trades with them for her fine linen garments.
- To Summarize: The virtuous wife conducts even her external business transactions with the home as the center around which it revolves. And this is not because she is on house arrest, but rather, because her home is a productive paradise, like Eden, she actually enjoys working there.
- Feminism has tried to convince women that the home is a prison and marriage is a slavery from which they must be liberated. And what does female liberation look like? It looks like having a career instead of children, a fancy office instead of a messy kitchen, and a CEO to submit to, instead of a husband.
- This and many other lies have been sold to our generation, and we are now reaping the consequences of those decisions. One of which is sadly the rapid disappearance of single-income households because of the ever increasing costs of living.
- God is not mocked; a nation reaps what is sows.
- So recall the core curriculum that God commands older women to teach younger women.
- He says in Titus 2:4-5, “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.”
- Likewise in 1 Timothy 5:14, Paul says, “Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully.”
- So make your fine linen, sell it to the merchants, turn a profit on what you produce, but do it all as one whose vocation and calling is homemaker, as one guiding the house, so that God’s Word may not be blasphemed.
- Perhaps someone will then ask, “Is it sinful for a woman to work outside the home?” The answer is it depends. Are you married or unmarried? Do you have little children or grown children, or no children? What is the season of life you are in? What is your husband’s income? What are your expenses? Is working outside the home a temporary necessity to make ends meet, or is that the long-term plan?
- If you are unsure, you can give me all of those details and I’ll tell you. But what is the principle?
- The principle is that: if a wife and mother is neglecting her marriage, her children, her household so that she can “find fulfillment” in some other career, then yes, that is sinful.
- So the question to ask yourself is: Does my work and my actions reflect God’s priorities for me as revealed in His Word? Is Titus 2 and Proverbs 31 the goal you are aiming at, or are you aiming at something else?
- Intentions matter. Our actions reflect our intentions. And God’s Word is the judge of both.
- Continuing in verse 25 we see that being a homemaker is by no means a weak or shameful calling. Quite the contrary.
Verse 25
25Strength and honour are her clothing; And she shall rejoice in time to come.
Another translation has it this way, “Strength and grandeur are her garment, and she laughs at the day to come.”
- This is true womanhood, this is woman as the glory of man. Back in verse 22 we saw that her literal garments are linen and purple, and here we see that those garments reflect her own strength and majesty.
- We also saw earlier in verse 21, that she is not afraid of the snow in winter, because her household is clothed in scarlet, and here the text goes a step further and says she laughs/rejoices at the day to come.
- How do you become this kind of fearless rejoicing woman?
- You have to meditate upon the law of God day and night. You have to have Scripture as the soundtrack of your soul.
- Psalm 118:6 says, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
- Psalm 27:1 says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?
- When your soul overflows with the promises of God’s goodness towards you, then fear of the future is cast out. And so you must keep these promises as a seal upon your heart. Commit them to memory so that you can rejoice and laugh at the days to come.
- A woman who fears the Lord will not the fear the future. God keeps in perfect peace the woman whose mind is stayed upon Him.
- Now what results from having God’s Word hidden in your heart? Verse 26…
Verse 26
26She openeth her mouth with wisdom; And in her tongue is the law of kindness.
- Wisdom and the law of kindness cannot come out of you, unless it first dwells richly within you.
- And the Word cannot take root in the soil of your heart, if it is choked with the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and desires for other things besides God (Mark 4:19).
- The more singular and one you are in your desire for God, the more you become like God who is One. You were created for God, and therefore the perfection of your nature consists in knowing and loving Him above all else. Jesus says, that is what eternal life is, to know the one true God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent (John 17:3).
- So only someone who knows and loves Jesus can be truly wise. Because the essence of wisdom to order all things according to their First Principle, and God is that First Principle. Jesus Christ is the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and the End of all creatures. So wisdom is the heavenly gift that comes from knowing God.
- In James 3:17-18, we have a description of what true wisdom looks like in comparison to earthly wisdom. He says, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
- The virtuous woman is a peacemaker. She knows when to overlook the faults of others and cover them in love, and she also knows when to speak up and confront those who are wandering from God’s law. The goal in all of this is to sow with her words the seeds of peace, peace with God first and foremost, and peace between others insofar as it depends on her (Rom. 12:18).
- “She opens her mouth in wisdom; teaching of kindness is on her tongue.”
- Verse 27 then sums up and concludes the virtuous woman’s actions.
Verse 27
27She looketh well to the ways of her household, And eateth not the bread of idleness.
- As if this was not obvious already, the virtuous woman’s work can be summarized as “looking after the ways of her house.” She has been attentive to her husband, her children, her servants, and the poor. She has made provision for the now, and has made plans for the future. She has a storehouse of wisdom, experience, and kindness to share. And the result of this virtuous life is the praise of verses 28-31.
Verse 28
28Her children arise up, and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praiseth her.
- For years she arose early to feed her household (vs. 15), and now her household arises and blesses her for it.
- All her days she did good for husband and no evil, and therefore she deserves the praise of verse 29, where he says…
Verse 29
29Many daughters have done virtuously, But thou excellest them all.
- Notice that the husband sees that his wife’s hayil, her virtue,surpasses all other women, and this is the basis for our regarding the Proverbs 31 Woman as the standard by which all others are judged.
- It is also possible the “daughters” he is referring to here, who have also “done virtuously,” who have a hayil of their own, are his own daughters.
- Recall that the poem began with the question, “Who can find a virtuous woman?” She is rare, she is precious, she is not easy to find. But now here at the end, there is this acknowledgement of other daughters of virtue. And from the mother’s perspective, what could be a greater reward than to have her own children, her own daughters grow up to imitate her virtues.
- And from the husband’s perspective, what could be a greater gift than to receive from his wife, daughters of hayil?
- Finally, the poem (and the book of Proverbs) concludes by extolling the fear of the Lord, and this is where we shall close.
Verses 30-31
30Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: But a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
31Give her of the fruit of her hands; And let her own works praise her in the gates.
- What gates does the virtuous woman care about? Whose opinion does the woman that fears the Lord concern herself with?
- It is not hard to find praise when you are charming and pretty. It is not hard to find praise when you are hardworking, smart, and successful. But the praise of human beings is as vain and fleeting as a woman’s outward beauty.
- And this is why the gates the virtuous wife cares about, and fixes before her mind’s eye, are the gates of heaven. For it is there at God’s judgment seat, that charm and good looks will be exposed for what they are, vain. And it is also there where the things that matter most, spiritual things, shall be rewarded and praised for what they are, precious, eternal, and everlasting.
- The Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:18, “we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
- No man can see the invisible virtue that is fearing God, or loving God, or faith in God. We can see the fruit of those virtues, but not the virtues themselves, they are invisible actions of the soul.
- But God is the one who does see. As it says in 1 Samuel 16:7, “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
- So the virtuous woman desires above all else, to please God and to receive His praise, because of the contents of her heart. For as it says in 1 Peter 3:3-4, “Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”
- This is the essence of faith, to seek first the gates of heaven, and to work unto the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, so that as death approaches, you can with the Apostle Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
- May God grant you His grace to run that race well, and to finish with a basket of fruit you can barely carry.
- In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
