Wise Woman - Mothers’ Day
Proverbs 31:10-31
Introduction:
The Lord is good and his love endures forever. Happy Mother’s Day. (All mothers could stand and others can appreciate with a round of applause for their role).
Joke: Two mothers were discussing:
The first mother asked: How do you get your sleepy son to wake up in the morning?
The second mother said: I just put the cat on the bed.
The first mother asked: How does that help?
The second mother said: of course, already my dog is there. (Adopted).
The powerful 22 verses of the Proverbs 31:10-31 was a poem, composed by an unnamed mother of the unknown King Lemuel, describing a desirable woman. It is in the form of an acrostic poem; it has 8 stanzas, and lines beginning with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet (Theology of work). It is all about a wife and a mother, the Jewish husbands and children used to recite at the Sabbath meal every week on Friday night (Life Bible Presbyterian Church & Constable).
According to Dr. Ilze Jansen (OT Theologian, South Africa), the woman in Proverbs 31:10-31 does not truly exist. She is a personification of the woman. She is a role model. Basically, a woman’s role was babysitting, childcare, and homebound. But she is a canon to judge women and their conduct, not only personally but also professionally. This woman portrays the way in which women should live while they are pursuing a relationship with God. Women should be inspired by these qualities and values, as well as be encouraged to emulate these desirable attributes. She is an inspiration for every woman to completely develop her individual and God-given potential. Many of its principles are actually universal and apply not to women alone but to men as well (Life Bible Presbyterian Church).
There are many dubious role models but she is a perfect role model. With little knowledge, the author of this sermon feels that Most women are abused, misused, and disused rarely used in many cultures and religions.
1. Her Personality (Proverbs 31:10-12, 30-31):
The Hebrew word “ishshah” was translated as woman or wife. The translators use various words to describe the character of this woman as virtuous (KJV), noble (NIV), capable (NRSV), good wife (RSV) Strong (Wycliffe), honest faithful (Geneva), valiant (Vulgate), courageous (Septuagint), manly (Greek), capable, intelligent (AMPB), worthy (ASV), competent wife (CEB), and perfect wife (ERV). She was a woman of purity and lovable, praiseworthy, woman trusted most. Her husband valued her and encouraged her, and praised her before all. She was beautiful not from her skin color but from her Purity and graceful acts (Proverbs 31:11-12, 28b-29). She was beautiful and wise. 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Proverbs 9:10).
Sometimes both qualities may not go together. On some occasions, beauty ends up in problems and mere wisdom leads to arrogance and unemployment. Attraction usually occurs for two wrong reasons namely, friendliness and beauty. Favor is deceitful; it is a lie. Before marriage, they are agreeable, cheerful, friendly, and even submissive. But after marriage turned into a querulous tormentor. A perfect body often houses a deformed soul. Beautiful women may be haughty, flirty, selfish, lazy, and shoppers. The advice here is of great value to Consider it, understand it, remember it, teach it, and require it.
Beauty has a timeframe, disfigured by sickness, and disappears with age, soon gone. A man who sets sail on the beauty ship soon sees the vessel taking on water. The flower garden he chose for his life’s enjoyment is nothing but weeds. A beautiful woman without character is like a gold jewel in a pig’s nose (Proverbs 11:22).
2. Her Prosperity (Proverbs 31:13-14):
Her entrepreneurship is recorded excellently. She was a multifaceted woman; she was not an idle woman but an ideal woman. She was fully industrious and earned a huge amount. She was a woman with enormous work experience. She loved to make a home and extend the property with her wisdom. Some women play the role of breadwinner in the realities of unemployment and economic challenges. They face the barriers from the patriarchal society, still, they win in the end because of their determination.
She was a successful businesswoman, bought a field (Proverbs 31: 16a), was an entrepreneur who works late into the evening (Proverbs 31: 18), planned ahead (Proverbs 31:21), and who is not idle (Proverbs 31: 27). Her many wonderful qualities are thrift, industry, kindness, compassion, efficiency, business sense, discretion, discernment, true love, faithfulness, and all the other graces and virtues of true womanhood (Coffman).
3. Her Punctuality (Proverbs 31:15):
She was concerned about her family’s needs. She was punctual in feeding them and leading them to bed. She made sure of these important lifestyles. She was watchful over the household matters and persons. She clearly took care of her husband (Proverbs 31:11-12) and household (Proverbs 31: 15, 21, 27) and excelled at domestic activities (Proverbs 31:13, 15, 19, 22).
She was diligent, focused, energetic, and persistent effort to complete worthwhile family goals. She also does an allotment of work to her maidens (Proverbs 31:27). She inspects the manners of all her servants, so that she may check what is amiss among them, and oblige them all to behave properly and do their duty to God and one another. She did not give her up on Internet surfing, social media, Instagram texting, and merged phone calls. She is an economist of time. She puts the needs of others in her household ahead of her own comfort and convenience. She is self-sacrificing.
4. Her Property (Proverbs 31:16-18):
It is amazing to know her reality knowledge and estate purchase procedures. Some women are not equipped in many areas of life or family properties and have never shown any interest to acquire. Completely depended upon husbands. She invested her earnings in the land properties. She had an eye for the appreciation of the land values. The woman does physical labour, which involves the different household tasks, specifically that of textile production.
She is responsible for the household's purchase of property and takes part in the market economy of the day. Through all these duties, she provides moral governance to the members of her realm. She was well versed in how to sell goods for a profit (Proverbs 31: 24). Her work compares favorably to merchant marines (Proverbs 31:14).
The one drawback to the working people is you’re going to spend less time with your husband and children. Your absence leads to the presence of somebody finally you will become nobody. You may end up having an affluent life but an alienated husband and children. So, nothing at the cost of your love, life, and eternal joy.
5. Her Proximity (Proverbs 31:19-20):
Her charity is wonderful to note. She was concerned about the poor, needy, neglected, and downtrodden. Her heart went about seeking them and helping them to enjoy life. She was not a luxurious woman and was unapproachable. She had invested her money and time with such people of the society. There were women of wisdom, courage, bravery, concern, and love. She was caring, considerate, and attentive to the needs of others. Above all, she was a God-fearer. She was industrious and generous. Best examples are Mother Teresa and Corrie Ten Boom.
Mother Teresa (1910-1997), founder of the Missionaries of Charity, aimed 'to quench the infinite thirst of Jesus on the cross for love and souls' by 'laboring at the salvation and sanctification of the poorest of the poor.’
Corrie Ten Boom (1892-1983) and her family protected hundreds of Jews during World War II from arrest by Nazi authorities. Ten Boom and her family were imprisoned by the Nazis, but she survived and started a worldwide ministry as a rehabilitation center for concentration camp survivors.
6. Her Priority (Proverbs 31:21-24):
She never neglected her home affairs. She played the vital role of a mother. She took care of her children, household, servants, and everyone whom she met in her life. Her husband loved her; her children cherished her loving care. “She is discreet and obliging; every word she says shows she governs herself by the rules of wisdom. She not only takes prudent measures herself but gives prudent advice to others. The law of love and kindness is written in the heart and shows itself in the tongue. Her heart is full of another world, even when her hands are most busy with this world.” (Mathew Henry)
7. Her Popularity (Proverbs 31:25-29):
She had a status in society and at the city gate. She was known for her quality of life. She was a woman of praiseworthy. She became a woman to be followed. People looked at her and they learned her qualities. She never gave herself to the things of the uncertainties. Indian cosmetics market is about 1000c. She knew how to dress for success (Proverbs 31: 22) The wife in Proverbs 31 is not in the kitchen scrubbing dishes and biting her tongue! While she is quite active outside the home as well. that the reason her husband is well known (verse 23) is because of her, not vice versa! (Brent A. Strawn, working preacher.com).
The virtuous woman welcomes tomorrow with a smile. She looks forward to the days ahead, the future. She will laugh at the future. In reliance on her ample stores, and still more her inward strength and skill, she laughs at the future and respects the evil that it may perchance bring. This "laughing at the future" is not of a presumptuous self-confidence (Proverbs 27:1), but only of consciousness of having all appropriate and possible preparation and competence for the future (Lange's Commentary). Having been so wisely provident for the morrow, she is not overburdened with its cares (Charles Bridges).
