March 31^st

Proverbs 31

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.

Pastor’s Thought

    As we conclude our study in Proverbs, we end with the greatest chapter in my opinion in the Bible on the topic of womanhood. I preached a message titled “P.R.I.C.E.L.E.S.S.” Women truly are priceless. Below is the outline I preached at our first Mother’s Day at CBF. Enjoy!

Prudent vs. 14 – “careful and sensible; marked by sound judgment”
Vs. 14 “She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar.”

1. Prudent- “Marked by wisdom or judiciousness: shrewd in the management of practical affairs.”- Webster
2. Kyle and Deilitsch “she has the art of such ships as sail away and bring wares from a distance, are equipped, sent out, and managed by an enterprising spirit; so the prudent, calculating look of the brave wife, directed towards the care and the advancement of her house, goes out beyond the nearest circle; she descries also distant opportunities of advantageous purchase and profitable exchange, and brings in from a distance what is necessary for the supply of her house, or, mediately, what yields this supply.”

Right Relationships vs. 28-29
Vs. 28-29 “Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.”

1. Her children and husband honor her. They praise her. Why? She has the right relationships with them.
2. She teaches her children properly so they desire to show respect to their mother.
3. Clarke- “Her husband is so satisfied with her conduct towards himself, his household, his business, and their children, that he praiseth her.”

Industrious vs. 13 – “diligence: persevering determination to perform a task”
Vs. 13- “She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.”

1. This verse teaches that this woman was so industrious; she didn’t go to Wal-Mart and buy fabric to make clothes. She grew her own cotton, picked her own cotton, processed her own cotton, cleaned her own cotton, and did all of the necessary steps to prepare her own cotton; then made the clothes with her own hands. Now that is industrious!
2. Through out this whole process, this woman does this willingly!

Illustration- Talk show host and investment adviser Ric Edelman decided that because mothers are constantly on call and perform all these functions, the appropriate figure was one that reflected the hourly rate for each of 17 occupations, performed simultaneously, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That’s how he came up with an annual worth figure of more than $500,000.

Confident vs. 21
Vs. 21“She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.”

1. This woman is so confident in her preparation that she has made for her family, she knows that when the cold weather comes they will be warm.
2. She gives her family the finest clothes that she is able.
3. This mother is not anxious concerning the health and comfort of her family since she has confidently made all proper preparations.

Elegant vs. 22 – “refined and tasteful in appearance or behavior or style”
Vs. 22“She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.”

1. This woman is the perfect hostess. She is beautifully attired. She is modest in her decorating and dress.
2. She makes statements, simply. She has great taste and class. There is an air about this woman when she walks into a room.

Loving vs. 20
Vs. 20- “She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.”

1. This woman desires to help anyone in need. She diligently looks for them and finds ways to help them.
2. Not only does this woman give the needy money, she gives them her time, talents, and resources.

Entrepreneurial vs. 16 – “someone who organizes a business venture and assumes the risk for it”
“She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.”

1. This woman is willing to take risks. She sees the potential in a situation and does her best to not only see it through, but also watch it become extraordinarily successful.
2. She is always looking to expand her influence for the Lord.

Also notice that this woman was storing and spiritual:

Strong vs. 17
“She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.”

1. This woman takes care of her body. She eats right, exercises, and works hard.
2. It is a beautiful thing to see a woman who works hard, takes care of her body, and is diligent with her diet.

Spiritual vs. 30
“Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.”

1. Far more important than her physical appearance is her relationship with her God.
2. It is nice to see a physically attractive woman, but it is far better to see a godly woman.