A COMPETENT WIFE/WOMAN-part 3—Proverbs 31:10-31
Attention:
A guy walks into the human resources department of a large company & hands the interviewer his application. She scans the sheet, & notices that the applicant has been fired from every job he has ever held.
She says, “I must say, your work history is terrible. You've been fired from every job you have listed here.”
“Yes, Ma’am, that’s correct.” says the man.
“Well,” she continues, “I don’t see much benefit for our company in your work history. I don’t think we need or can use someone like yourself on our team.”
“Hold on now!” says the applicant as he points to his application. “I want to remind you that I got fired from every one of those jobs! I am NOT a quitter.”
He thought he was competent but was not!
So-called ‘Competence’ in anything can be ‘in the eye of the beholder’...Or it can be actual competence!
The writer of Proverbs detailed a successful marriage from the standpoint of a competent wife.
A wife’s competence completes a successful marriage.
Who is a competent wife?
What makes/characterizes a competent wife?
Competent—1)“Having the necessary ability, knowledge, or skill to do something successfully; 2)Efficient & capable.”
M-W—“having the necessary ability or skills : able to do something well or well enough to meet a standard”; “having requisite or adequate ability or qualities.”
*There is no higher calling for a wife/woman than to be ‘competent’ in Christ Jesus!
Last Sunday we found that A competent wife/woman is...
1. Competently RARE & PRECIOUS(:10)in a world given to self-service
2. Competently COMMITS(:11-12)to her husband & family
3—A competent wife/woman...
Competently PROVIDES(:13-15)
Explanation:(:13-15)
:13—“She seeks wool & flax, And willingly works with her hands.”
The virtuous woman/wife actively “seeks” out both “wool & flax” in order to employ them in the making of clothing(:19-22).
“Wool”(sheep fur) was employed for making warmer clothing. It was of “considerable commercial value.”—ISBE
Priests were forbidden to wear wool in performing their official duties within the inner court, in order to prevent perspiration(Ezek. 44:17-18).
“Flax”(from a plant) was used to make linen thread & fabric. Linen was a cooler fabric than wool. Priestly garments were to be of ‘fine-twined linen.’
From the plant, Linum usitatissimum. Its tough fibers are separated from the stalks by prolonged soaking in water. When dried, the fibers are then removed by combing.—ISBE
—Demonstration of Native-American ingenuity at the Riverfront Festival—Making thread & rope from plant fibers.
She is not content to buy pre-made fabric &/or clothing but cheerfully provides for her husband & family from the labor of “her” own “hands.” *Thus she is frugal & mindful but never cheap.inferior or miserly.
A virtuous wife delights in such provision. It is implied that her husband & family as well, praise her wise provision(:28).
**“Seeks/Looks for/Selects”—vrd daw-rash’—Qal Perfect—1) To resort to, seek, seek with care, enquire, require—1a1) To resort to, frequent(a place), (tread a place), 1a2) To consult, enquire of, seek, 1a3) To seek deity in prayer & worship, 1a4) To seek(with a demand), demand, require, 1a5) To investigate, enquire, 1a6) To ask for, require, demand, 1a7) To practice, study, follow, seek with application, 1a8) To seek with care, care for. Strong—a primitive root; properly--To tread or frequent; usually--To follow(for pursuit or search); by implication--To seek or ask; specifically--To worship.
“Wool”—rmu tseh'-mer—1) Wool. Strong—from an unused root probably meaning to be shaggy; Wool. Used 16X.
“Flax”—htvp pish-teh'—1) Flax, linen—1a) Fibre used as material for garments. Strong—from the same as vp as in the sense of comminuting[reduced to minute particles or fragments]; Linen(i.e. the thread, as carded). Used 16X.
**“Willingly/Delight/Eager/’Pleasureably’”—Upx khay'-fets—1) Delight, pleasure. Strong—Pleasure; hence abstractly--Desire; concretely--A valuable thing; hence by extension--A matter(as something in mind).
“Works”(:22, 24—“Makes”)—hse aw-saw’—Qal Imperfect—1) To do, fashion, accomplish, make. Strong—a primitive root; To do or make, in the broadest sense & widest application.
“Hands”(:16—2nd entry, :19, 20; also :19—dy)—Pk kaf—1) Palm, hand, sole, palm of the hand, hollow or flat of the hand. Strong—The hollow hand or palm(so of the paw of an animal, of the sole, & even of the bowl of a dish or sling, the handle of a bolt, the leaves of a palm-tree); figuratively--Power.
:14—“She is like the merchant ships, She brings her food from afar.
A virtuous wife, due to her steady cheerful integrity, becomes for her household a conduit for trade rather than mere local subsistence. Thus she is the very means by which her husband & family may dine beyond what is their own ability to raise. She expands the boundaries of her family(1Chron. 4:10).
1Chron. 4:10—“And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, & enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, & that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.”
She has “an enterprising spirit.”—NAC
Thru her industrious nature she ‘exports & imports’ to her household’s benefit(:11).
“Like”—hyh haw-yaw—1) To be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out. Strong—To exist, i.e. Be or become, come to pass(always emphatic, & not a mere copula or auxiliary).
“Merchant/Merchant’s”(See :18—Noun)—rxo saw-khar’—Qal Participle Active—1) To go around, go about, travel about in, go about in trade—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To go about to & fro (in business), 1a2) Trader, trafficker(participle). Strong—a primitive root; To travel round(specifically as a pedlar); intensively(pilpel)--To palpitate. Used 20X.
“Ships”—hyna on-ee-yaw'—1) Ship—1a) Men of ships, seamen.
“Brings”—awb bow’—Hiphil(causative) Imperfect—1) To go in, enter, come, go, come in—1b) (Hiphil)—1b1) To lead in, 1b2) To carry in, 1b3) To bring in, cause to come in, gather, cause to come, bring near, bring against, bring upon, 1b4) To bring to pass. Strong—a primitive root; To go or come(in a wide variety of applications).
“Food”(See :15, :27—“Bread”)—Mxl lekh'-em—1) Bread, food, grain. Strong—Food(for man or beast), especially--Bread, or grain(for making it).
“From Afar”—qxrm mer-khawk'—1) Distant place, distance, far country. Strong—Remoteness, i.e. concretely--A distant place; often adverbially--From afar. Used 18X.
:15—“She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants.”
The virtuous wife is no slacker(:27). She does not lie in the bed till morning’s light wakes her. She is early about the varied tasks of her household’s needs. She adequately provides their necessary daily “food,” not only for her family but also for those who are in her employ(“maidservants”), as her helpers.
Having a “maidservant” implies that this woman’s household is rather large & is doing well financially.
Delighting & Tireless / Handy
She has a true concern for those associated with her household & does not treat them with disrespect or disdain. She provides what is needed.
Egyptians made the Hebrews fetch their own stubble for the bricks they made(Ex. 5:2-19).
“Rises”—Mwq koowm—Qal Imperfect—1) To rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up. Strong—a primitive root; To rise(in various applications, literal, figurative, intensive & causative).
“Yet”—dwe `owd—Substantive—1) A going round, continuance. Adverb—2) Still, yet, again, besides. Strong—properly--Iteration or continuance; used only adverbially(with or without preposition)--Again, repeatedly, still, more.
“Night”(See :18)—hlyl lay'-yel-aw—1) Night—1a) Night(as opposed to day), 1b) Of gloom, protective shadow(figuratively). Strong—properly--A twist(away of the light), i.e. Night; figuratively--Adversity.
“Provides/Gives”(See :31; :24—“Supplies”)—Ntn naw-than’—Qal Imperfect—1) To give, put, set. Strong—a primitive root; To give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.).
“Food”(See :14—Mxl)—Prj teh'-ref—1) Prey, food, leaf. Strong—Something torn, i.e. A fragment, e.g. A fresh leaf, prey, food.
“Household”(See :21, 27)—tyb bah’-yith—Noun Masc.—1) House—1a) House, dwelling habitation, 1b) Shelter or abode of animals, 1c) hHuman bodies (figuratively), 1d) Of Sheol, 1e) Of abode of light & darkness, 1f) Of land of Ephraim; 2) Place; 3) Receptacle; 4) Home, house as containing a family; 5) Household, family; 6) Household affairs; 7) Inwards (metaph.); 8) (TWOT)--Temple. Adverb—9) On the inside. Preposition—10) Within. Strong—A house(in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.).
“Portion”—qx khok—1) Statute, ordinance, limit, something prescribed, due. Strong—An enactment; hence, an appointment(of time, space, quantity, labor or usage).
“Maidservants”—hren nah-ar-aw'—1) Girl, damsel, female servant—1a) Girl, damsel, little girl—1a1) Of young woman, marriageable young woman, concubine, prostitute, 1b) Maid, female attendant, female servant. Strong—A girl(from infancy to adolescence).
Argumentation:
Job 12:6-10—[Job said,]“The tents of robbers prosper, And those who provoke God are secure-- In what God provides by His hand. But now ask the beasts, & they will teach you; And the birds of the air, & they will tell you; Or speak to the earth, & it will teach you; And the fish of the sea will explain to you. Who among all these does not know That the hand of the LORD has done this, In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?”
**Gen. 22:7-14—“But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father & said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire & the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide[har] for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together. Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there & placed the wood in order; & he bound Isaac his son & laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand & took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven & said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Then Abraham lifted his eyes & looked, & there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went & took the ram, & offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide[hary hwhy]; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of The LORD it shall be provided[har].”
1Pet. 5:5-7—“Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, & be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
**Php. 4:18-20—“Indeed I have all & abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now to our God & Father be glory forever & ever. Amen.”
**1Tim. 5:3-8—“Honor widows who are really widows. But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home & to repay their parents; for this is good & acceptable before God. Now she who is really a widow, & left alone, trusts in God & continues in supplications & prayers night & day. But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives. And these things command, that they may be blameless. But if anyone does not provide for his own, & especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith & is worse than an unbeliever.”
Illustration:
My calling Mrs. Darlene/Jim(her husband) answers/I’ll inevitably say, “Jim is your wife handy?”(wanting to speak to Darlene) & He always responds “Oh, she’s very handy!”/Competently PROVIDES
Mediacom Cable company/Trouble with the Mediacom-owned modem/Call for an appointment/Cable guy(Jeremy) shows up/Makes a few calls, fixes the problem/Competently PROVIDES
Memorial Day/Those soldiers who were drafted or voluntarily gave their very lives for & in service to their country/Their families received medals, flags, recognitions for the soldier’s bravery &/or accomplishment in the cause of justice/The soldier Competently PROVIDED
Application:
?You a Competent PROVIDER?
?You a Competent Wife/Woman?
4—A competent wife/woman is...
Competently PREMEDITATES(:16)
Explanation:(:16)Deliberates/Calculates/Considers/Plans
:16—“She considers a field & buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard.”
She is a planner & a frugal one.
The virtuous wife takes her family’s future to heart as she “considers/evaluates” a property’s manifold usefulness & profitability(beyond mere financial considerations).
She then “buys” said “field” for an obvious profit. This possibly hints at her haggling a workable price. She neither hoards or fritters away the profit made but rather puts it back into the newly acquired “field” by planting “a vineyard”(for her household & possibly others(:20)).
She is NOT an ‘impulse buyer’!
“Considers/Evaluates”—Mmz zaw-mam'—1) To have a thought, devise, plan, consider, purpose. Strong—a primitive root; To plan, usually in a bad sense. Used 13X.
“Buys”—xql law-kakh’—1) To take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away. Strong—a primitive root; To take(in the widest variety of applications).
“Field”—hds saw-deh'—1) Field, land—1a) Cultivated field, 1b) Of home of wild beasts, 1c) Plain(opposed to mountain), 1d) Land(opposed to sea). Strong—from an unused root meaning to spread out; A field(as flat).
*“Profits/Fruit of her hands/Earnings”(See :31—“Fruit of her hands”)—h:ypk yrp:m—yrp per-eey’—1) Fruit—1a) Fruit, produce(of the ground), 1b) Fruit, offspring, children, progeny(of the womb), 1c) Fruit(of actions) (fig.). Strong—Fruit(literally or figuratively)—&—Pk kaf (See :13, 19, 20)—1) Palm, hand, sole, palm of the hand, hollow or flat of the hand. Strong—The hollow hand or palm(so of the paw of an animal, of the sole, & even of the bowl of a dish or sling, the handle of a bolt, the leaves of a palm-tree); figuratively--Power.
“Plants”—ejn naw-tah'—1) To plant, fasten, fix, establish. Strong—a primitive root; properly--To strike in, i.e. Fix; specifically--To plant (literally or figuratively).
“Vineyard”—Mrk keh'-rem—1) Vineyard. Strong—from an unused root of uncertain meaning; A garden or vineyard.
Argumentation:
**Josh. 15:16-19—“And Caleb said, “He who attacks Kirjath Sepher & takes it, to him I will give Achsah my daughter as wife.” So Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it; & he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife. Now it was so, when she came to him, that she persuaded him to ask her father for a field. So she dismounted from her donkey, & Caleb said to her, “What do you wish?” She answered, “Give me a blessing; since you have given me land in the South, give me also springs of water.” So he gave her the upper springs & the lower springs.”
Prov. 11:14—“Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.”
**Mat. 13:44-46—“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found & hid; & for joy over it he goes & sells all that he has & buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went & sold all that he had & bought it.”
**Lk. 14:26-33—“If anyone comes to Me & does not hate his father & mother, wife & children, brothers & sisters, yes, & his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross & come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first & count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it--lest, after he has laid the foundation, & is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build & was not able to finish.’ “Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first & consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation & asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”
Lk. 12:22-32—“Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, & the body is more than clothing. “Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; & God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; & yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field & tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, & your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, & all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
Mat. 20:22-23—“But Jesus answered & said, “.....Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, & be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.” So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, & be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with.....”
**Ps. 77:11-13—“I will remember the works of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, And talk of Your deeds. Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; Who is so great a God as our God?”
**Ps. 119:15—“I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways.”
**Php. 4:8-9—“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue & if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things. The things which you learned & received & heard & saw in me, these do, & the God of peace will be with you.”
Illustration:
My wife has a ‘plant addiction’—She will buy a plant with no concern for the plant’s ability to thrive(water/light/temperature, etc.)/For her, its all about how ‘pretty’ the flower is/When I accompany her to the plant nursery, I am always ragging her about the type of environment we have & asking her if it would survive there—thus she doesn’t like me to go with her to the nursery because she hates my fussing—but Byron(me!) has to water all those plants unsuited to their hostile environment!/Competently PREMEDITATES
Checkout aisle in the grocery store/Loaded with things no one really needs/individual Candy bars-Gossip mags-Soft drinks, etc./They use sale signs & displays to call attention to the unneeded products/Competently PREMEDITATES
Our CWT class has learned to ask, “Does what you have heard/read make sense to you?” & “Is there any reason you would not be willing to receive God’s gift of eternal life?”/These questions give the person witnessed to room for not making a rash decision/Competently PREMEDITATES
Application:
?You a Competent PREMEDITATOR?
?You a Competent Wife/Woman?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
The frequently fired applicant—“I’ll have you know that I am not a quitter!”
Action:
A competent wife/woman...
3. Competently PROVIDES(:13-15)for her husband & family
4. Competently PREMEDITATES(:16)for her husband & family
1. Competently RARE & PRECIOUS(:10)in a world given to self-service
2. Competently COMMITS(:11-12)to her husband & family
Pts. 3-4 Presented 05/24/2015pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave(A Ave. SE)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
