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Proverbs 31:10 “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.”
Though Proverbs 31 does have literal meaning as it pertains to the character of a Godly woman, it has even greater meaning regarding the church of God. As we know, the word “woman” refers to a church in Bible prophecy.
Jeremiah 6:2 “I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.”
2 Corinthians 11:2 “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”
Revelation 21:9 “And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”
This is true in a literal sense too. In these end times, finding a virtuous woman is terribly difficult. Godly women (and men for that matter) are few and far between. In fact, our Lord says as much when He spoke about His second coming.
Luke 18:8 “I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”
I am talking about a VIRTUOUS woman though. If someone wanted to find a spouse, it’s incredibly easy. The compromise is that you would need to take your standards from the world, not the Bible. There are billions of women on this planet, but extremely few can be described as virtuous. But what does this even mean. Virtuous means: strength, might, efficiency, ability, and force. Here is another verse where we see the word virtue, but as it applies to Jesus Christ.
Mark 5:30 “And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?”
“Virtue” – inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or things exerts and puts forth; power for performing miracles; moral power and excellence of soul; the power and influence which belong to riches and wealth; moral goodness.
And here is another verse.
Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Manliness (valor), excellence, moral excellence such as with modesty and purity, a virtuous course of thought, feeling, and action.
In short, virtue is an attribute of Jesus Christ and speaks to His goodness, His glory, His excellence, His majesty, His manliness (as He is the epitome of what a man is supposed to be), His morality, His purity, His thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and His power. How does this apply to the woman of Proverbs 31? Let’s look at a few more places to have even more clarity on the purity of Jesus Christ’s virtue and what it means for us.
Isaiah 48:10 “Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.”
Proverbs 17:3 “The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts.”
Zechariah 13:9 “And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.”
As Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God, was tested and came out of the trials with all His purity intact, so too has His Bible been tested and come out the other end retaining the utter purity with which it first entered those trials.
Psalm 12:6 “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”
The virtuous woman, the virtuous church of Jesus Christ has been in (and continues to go through) the fires of affliction which the Lord uses to purify His children. She has learned to trust in every utterance from the lips of God. She has been tested, she has been through the hardships, tribulations, trials, heartaches, heartbreaks, pains, and sufferings which have been designed to melt her so that the dross of her sins and iniquities can be scraped off.
Psalm 119:67, 71, 75 “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word. It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.”
Understand first that the Lord will never cause us to go through any affliction unless is was for a greater purpose, to bring us closer to Him.
Lamentations 3:31-33 “For the Lord will not cast off for ever: But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.”
The virtuous woman has been tried and has passed the test. Because she has been refined in the fires of affliction, she is now a vessel fit for the master’s use. Her good works, which are the works of Jesus Christ since she walks even as He walked, are now an integral part of her daily life. Every moment of her day is spent in humble reverence of her spiritual spouse, the one who saved her in the first place, her Lord and Saviour.
2 Timothy 2:20-21 “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”
Also, keep in mind that the good works of this virtuous woman are all encompassing and are seen even in how she speaks.
Proverbs 10:20 “The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.”
So, is it true that a virtuous woman is more valuable than rubies? Yes, and so much more. She is so valuable that our Father sent His Son, the Saviour and Redeemer God, to pay the price of His own life so that His bride could be saved. What is a ruby but an utterly worthless thing in the perspective of the value of the life of Jesus Christ? How valuable must we be to Him that He would willingly suffer as we do and die the death we deserve?
Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
But how disgusting our sin must be. How worthless our efforts. How deranged our perspective on life. How insane our choices. That the King of all would choose to pay a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay. How gracious, how merciful, how loving … how virtuous is our Saviour!
Does the woman of Proverbs 31 have virtue? Yes, but not because she herself is virtuous. But because she has given her knee to the Lord above, He has given her of His own virtue … she is a partaker of His nature. When she willingly and reverently chose to submit to Him and have her old self die on His cross, her human nature died, and the divine nature of Jesus Christ now rests in her.
So yes, she is more valuable than rubies, but only because the incalculable worth of Jesus Christ is in her.
Proverbs 31:11 “The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.”
In a more literal sense, the husband who has a righteous wife has all of his needs met. He has no need of anything because she meets his needs on a daily basis. And no, not just when it comes to things like food and water. A righteous wife will also be her husbands mental, emotional, and spiritual support. She fulfills her role as a help meet for her husband. Being a help meet means being a help in all facets of life. Not just one thing here and another thing there that she feels like being helpful with, but in all things and in all areas, she will be his help.
Proverbs 14:1 “Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.”
Proverbs 21:19 “It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.”
Contentious = brawling, argumentative. She builds up her house and does not pluck it down with argumentativeness or fighting.
Ephesians 5:22-24 “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.”
Colossians 3:18 “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.”
This one is controversial in these modern times. The Godly woman submits to her husband. She will display a submissive attitude toward God and her husband. And by the way, this submissive personality manifests itself in every area of life. Here is an example: she will seek to follow her husband rather than lead him. Whether it pertains to walks, hikes, shopping, or anything else, she will be by his side … not trying to lead him. She will give her input in situations but will not be demanding and he is the decision maker, and she knows it because God has told her as much in His perfect Word.
By the same token, the church of God will always be seeking His will, His leadership, His guidance, His instruction, His correction, and His desires. We will always seek to be that submissive Bride of Christ who only wants His will to rule our lives. No, an earthly wife isn’t looking to be ruled by her husband, so please don’t get me wrong. But she will be willing to follow his leadership. And through her following of him, he learns to trust in her, just as the Proverb said.
“The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.”
Ephesians 5:33 “Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.”
Reverence = to show deep respect, adoration, honor, love, obedience. Listens to and respects her husband.
In like fashion, we, the Lord’s bride, will meet the requirements of our spiritual spouse. It’s not as if our Creator God has need of anything, but in the same way that a human wife will fulfill all the desires of her husband to the extent that he can trust her in all things, we too will fulfill the desires of our Lord. When He brings a test or a command, we lovingly and faithfully obey His command. He can trust in us because we show a true willingness and desire to obey His will. And though we fail daily, He knows that we have hearts of sincerity which ache and bleed for Him. He can trust that when we mess up and sin, we will repent out of a heart that wants to be shaped after His own. Just like David was lifted up for his sincere love toward God, our Father lifts up all who desire to live a life of Godliness.
Acts 13:22 “And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.”
And just like David, the Lord can openly state that we will fulfill all His will because we are men and women after the heart of God.
Consider the following. You are the supervisor at a grocery store. You have an employee who is faster than everyone else and knows where each and every item is in the store. He is able to do all the work of the store without hesitation or failure. He is a model employee when it comes to hard work and dedication. However, this same employee has a bad attitude toward you and the customers. He insults and berates them; he does not make them feel like they are welcome in the store. As a result of his attitude, no one wants to work with him, and customers do not wish to shop at your store. All of his hard work and dedication is meaningless because his attitude has made everyone around him unable and unwilling to be around him. All of them are so uncomfortable in his presence that there is no profit (monetary or otherwise) in being around him.
So, here is the question: do you keep him around because he is a hard worker? Or do you fire him because, despite his hard work, he is a detriment to the company? Here is another question: can you even trust this man? I mean, he is a hard worker, but his attitude turns away coworkers and customers. You cannot even have a moments peace doing your own work because you are constantly having to worry about who is being hurt by him.
In like manner, we can perform good works with a wrong heart. There are many Atheists and unbelievers who do good things for their fellow man but have not the faith. They cannot be trusted by the Lord to do the right things for the right reasons. The Bride of Christ is trustworthy because we first have placed every ounce of our trust in Him.
2 Samuel 22:3 “The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.”
2 Samuel 22:31 “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.”
Job 13:15 “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.”
Psalm 9:10 “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.”
Romans 15:12 “And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.”
When a woman has chosen to get married, she is making an open declaration that her soon-to-be husband is the man to whom her devotion belongs. She is saying that she will do all those things which the Lord has said a Godly woman will do. (The husband has made the same declaration, by the way. But we are discussing virtuous women and wives, not husbands). In a spiritual sense …
When our hearts are truly converted and our old selves have died on the cross of Christ, His divine nature within us will always have us desiring to please our God in Heaven. Every facet of life, every circumstance, every situation is an opportunity to know Him and make Him known. When our lives have been given over fully to the Lord, we see every part of life as an opportunity to serve Him. When our Father drew us nearer to Himself, He moved us to make the choice that Jesus Christ is now the one to whom our devotion belongs. All His will is all our joy. All that He is, is all that we want.
These, and so much more, are the parallels between an earthly wife, and the Bride of Christ.
Women of God can never be like women of the world
The world has enough women who are tough,
We need more women who are tender.
There are enough women who are coarse,
We need women who are kind.
There are enough women who are rude,
We need women who are refined.
There are enough women of fame and fortune,
We need women of faith.
We have enough greed,
We need more goodness.
We have enough vanity,
We need more virtue.
We have enough popularity,
We need more purity.
Proverbs 31:12 “She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.”
The Bride of Christ is always thinking about Him. Our deep and passionate love for Him always has us seeking how we may please Him. Afterall, it is written that our love for the Lord will lead us to obedience to His commands.
John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
1 John 5:2-3 “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”
Revelation 12:17 “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
It is also written that none of us can do good.
Psalm 14:3 “They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
Romans 3:12 “They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
But we are still commanded to do good.
Psalm 37:27 “Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.”
Since the woman in Proverbs 31 is one who will do good to her husband, then this will be the character of the Bride of Christ. She will walk away from evil in order to do good. But how can we do good when we are unable to? The answer is quite simple. When describing a Godly woman, Paul was moved by the Holy Spirit to say the following …
Titus 2:5 “To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.”
Just as a married woman is commanded to be obedient to her husband on earth, we, as the Bride of Christ, are commanded to be obedient to our spiritual spouse. The commitment we have toward doing good has us pursuing the goodness of God. Our love for Him has us constantly seeking how to do good toward Him in every area of life.
Ephesians 5:22-24 “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.”
Colossians 3:18 “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.”
The church body is subject unto Christ. And as faithful wives are obedient to their husbands, we will also be faithful, submissive, and obedient to Jesus. Since we are subject unto Christ, that means doing what He says, when He says to do it. Anything to the contrary is us being unfaithful to our spouse.
And faithfulness is the number one way we “do Him good and not evil” as the verse says. Being faithful to Him will ensure that everything else falls into place. An unfaithful spouse is described as an adulterer or an adulteress.
Hebrews 13:4 “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”
James 4:4 “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”
To remain faithful to our spiritual spouse, we cannot be friends with the world. But what does it mean to be friends with the world? Basically, to be friends with the world means believing what the world believes, preferring what the world prefers, loving the things of the world, desiring the things of the world above the things of God, and pursuing worldly things above pursuing God. In short, to be friends with the world means to love anything of the world above loving God. Notice what Jesus said to Satan when He rebuked him …
Matthew 16:23 “But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.”
“Savourest” – G5426
φρονέω
phroneō
fron-eh’-o
From G5424; to exercise the mind, that is, entertain or have a sentiment or opinion; by implication to be (mentally) disposed (more or less earnestly in a certain direction); intensively to interest oneself in (with concern or obedience): – set the affection on, (be) care (-ful), (be like-, + be of one, + be of the same, + let this) mind (-ed, regard, savour, think.
Satan has his affections, interests, and desires set in the things of man … which is another way of saying that he loves the world. Obviously, he will move people to love the world more than God since he himself hates God. So, the outcome of listening to him is that we become friends with the world, little realizing that we have chosen suffering, misery, and destruction because of this choice. This is how we become enemies of God … by choosing the same desires of Satan. Of course, this means we have committed adultery against our spiritual spouse. This adultery, or lack of faithfulness, is especially evident when it comes to believing things outside of the Bible.
Revelation 17:2 “With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”
Without getting too far into it, we already understand that wine means doctrine in Bible prophecy. It can refer to good or bad doctrine, but it does refer to doctrine, nonetheless. The doctrines that have been spewed from the first beast of Revelation, the Vatican, have taken over the world. Everything from Sunday keeping, to celebrating man’s traditions like xmas and Easter, to eating whatever you want, to wearing whatever you want, have overtaken the worlds religions and the secular world. In believing and following after the false doctrines of Rome, adultery has been committed.
The virtuous woman of Proverbs 31 is declared to be one who does good and not evil to her husband. In this we find that faithfulness is the key to doing good. But just as the virtuous woman has no righteousness of her own, she neither has the ability to good outside of Jesus Christ doing good through her. Her faithfulness to her husband is what allows her to do good in the first place.
Proverbs 31:13 “She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.”
Both wool and flax are used for making garments. And garment = righteousness of the saints
Garments:
Revelation 19:8 “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”
Going further, we see that the Lord covered Adam and Eve with the skin of a lamb to cover their sin.
Genesis 3:21 “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”
Does the Word of God say that Adam and Eve were covered with the skins of lambs? No, but upon concluding a study on this subject, you will come to the understanding that those skins could be nothing else BUT the skins of lamb because Jesus is the Lamb of God who covers our sins … just like the sins of Adam and Eve were covered by the skins of lambs.
John 1:29 “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
Did you also notice that, in order to cover Adam and Eve for their sins, the lambs had to die first?
Hebrews 2:9 “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”
But we are not here to do a “line upon line” study about the lamb skins used to cover Adam and Eve. The point of bringing all this up is to show the prophetic meaning of wool. Because, as it is said about the virtuous woman, “She seeketh wool …” Did you notice that the proverb says she “seeketh” wool?
“Seeketh” – H1875
דָּרַשׁ
dârash
daw-rash’
A primitive root; properly to tread or frequent; usually to follow (for pursuit or search); by implication to seek or ask; specifically to worship: – ask, X at all, care for, X diligently, inquire, make inquisition, [necro-] mancer, question, require, search, seek [for, out], X surely.
The virtuous woman, the real church of God, will constantly be seeking how she may know the Lord and make Him known. The righteousness of Jesus Christ is upon her, and her sins have been covered by His sacrifice on His cross. Now, she seeks Him further, day-by-day. She desires that the covering of sins may be given to all who are sent down her path in life. She works willingly in this endeavour, and it is her joy to speak of salvation through Jesus Christ.
As we know, wool comes from sheep. So, now that we understand that wool and flax (mentioned in the proverb) are used for making clothes, let’s move on to see more about these two things.
Wool:
Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
Our sins and iniquities are represented with the color red because the color red is symbolic for sacrifice. In other words, the red represents the blood which is required for sin. As we saw in Genesis, blood is always required as a payment for sin. In the case of Adam and Eve, that payment was through the first death recorded in the Bible … the lamb.
The Lord Jesus Christ shed His blood so that we don’t have to shed our own. He paid the price we owe so we do not have pay for it ourselves. It is by His sacrifice that we are saved from the death we deserve. As the prophet says, “though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” This is speaking directly of the covering of our sins by Jesus Christ.
Daniel 7:9 “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.”
And yet there are those who would misinterpret this verse to mean that the texture of our Lord’s hair is course and wooly. You will see this argument for the Black Hebrew Israelite movement. They insist this verse proves that Jesus was Black.
With all bias and preference removed, we can see that the prophet Isaiah is speaking about the color of our Lord’s hair, not its texture.
Both the prophet Isaiah and the prophet John were given the same prophetic vision of our dear Saviour.
Revelation 1:14 “His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;”
Read in perfect context, it is extremely clear that the wool is mentioned to represent the covering of our sins … not the texture of hair.
The following verse will make it perfectly clear that wool and flax are used to symbolically represent the covering of sins since both these items are used for clothing.
Hosea 2:9 “Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness.”
Now, what about flax?
(See if this part is even necessary [it’s not … just keep it in the notes for the sake of notes]) In Matthew 11:7 Jesus says something curious.
Matthew 11:7 “
Jesus is asking if they expected to see a man easily shaken by the false doctrines so many leaders are “shaken” by. In today’s language it would be like saying “what kind of man did you expect to see in the wilderness? A weak man moved by every false doctrine preaches by man?
Keep in mind, “wind” in prophecy = true AND false doctrine.
To say a man is easily shaken in the wind means whatever the leaders preach moves him to embrace it without studying it up like the Bereans did.
Isaiah 42:3 “A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.”
Matthew 12:18-21 “Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.”
As for Matthew 12:18-21, Isaiah is describing how gentle Jesus will be when He preaches to the people that have the slightest bit of faith. He won’t brow beat them as the Pharisees were known to do. Like so many “pastors” do today, the leaders back then that would crush the hopes of those babes in Christ (bruised reed) that have but a little truth (smoking flax) deep within. The false teachers would force some people into submitting to their will which in turn crushes them spiritually into joining their apostasy. Jesus on the other hand would see that small bit of faith and build on it using love and tenderness.
As for striving, crying or any man that would “hear His voice in the streets” as verse 19 says. Jesus didn’t preach to gain fame. He pointed to the Father at all times. He preferred to glorify Him before the people and not self in the way the Pharisees with their pomp and circumstance did daily. He taught the people in a way that they came to see the Character of God in Him.
In other words, Jesus wasn’t about making a spectacle of Himself in the city so as to gain applause of man. This is why He withdrew from the hustle and bustle of the city to share truth outside the city in the beauty of nature. Hence the reason for His sermon on the mount.
Notice this:
“The voice of Christ was not heard in the street, in noisy contention with those who were opposed to his doctrine. Neither was his voice heard in the street in prayer to his Father, to be heard of men. His voice was not heard in joyful mirth. His voice was not raised to exalt himself, and to gain the applause and flattery of men. When engaged in teaching, he withdrew his disciples away from the noise and confusion of the busy city to some retired place more in harmony with the lessons of humility, piety, and virtue, which he would impress upon their minds. He shunned human praise, and preferred solitude and peaceful retirement to the noise and confusion of mortal life. His voice was often heard in earnest, prevailing intercessions to his Father; yet for these exercises he chose the lonely mountain, and frequently spent whole nights in prayer for strength to sustain him under the temptations he should meet, and to accomplish the important work he came to do for the salvation of man. His petitions were earnest and mingled with strong cries and tears. And notwithstanding the labor of soul during the night, he ceased not his labor through the day. In the morning he would quietly resume his work of mercy and disinterested benevolence. The life of Christ was in marked contrast to that of the Jews, and for this very reason they wished to destroy him. {2SP 30.3}
The chief priests, and scribes, and elders, loved to pray in the most public places; not only in the crowded synagogues, but in the corners of the streets, that they might be seen of men, and praised for their devotion and piety. Their acts of charity were done in the most public manner, and for the purpose of calling the attention of the people to themselves. Their voices were indeed heard in the streets, not only in exalting themselves, but in contention with those who differed with them in doctrine. They were resentful and unforgiving, proud, haughty, and bigoted. The Lord, through his faithful prophet, shows the life of Christ in marked contrast to the hypocritical chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees. {2SP 31.1}
The virtuous woman, the church of God, is declared to seek wool and flax … she works willingly with her hands. The true children of God, those who have received the free gift of salvation and have been changed from the inside out, desire only to bring people to Christ. Our heartfelt desire in life is simply to bring people the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. We do this work willingly, laboring with our hands to write sermons, write studies, feed the hungry, cook food, hand out money to the poor, wash the filthy, flip the pages of our Bibles, hand out tracts, and so many other things which make our Lord known to others. Is it not written that it is the Lord who teaches us to fight?
Psalm 144:1 “Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:”
Are we not smack dab in the middle of a spiritual war?
Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Is it not also written that our war is not a carnal one?
2 Corinthians 10:3-4 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)”
We don’t fight with guns, knives, fists, feet, or clubs … the only weapon we bring into this fight is the Sword of the Spirt, the Word of God. Our concern is the salvation of others. Therefore, the virtuous woman seeks only that the sins of the world would be covered by the Lord. And we do this work willingly because we love our Lord so, so very much. This truly is a labor of love.
Proverbs 31:14 “She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar.”
The virtuous woman, the church of Christ, will bring her food from afar. She will search the Scriptures diligently so that she may feed her family, friends, and strangers with food fit for the human heart.
Just like when we eat food and are nourished from the inside out, when we eat of the Word of God we are nourished from the inside out. And the Lord speaks as much in regard to consuming the Word.
Ezekiel 3:1-3 “Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.”
“Roll” = Scroll
Revelation 10:8-10 “And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.”
In prophecy, to eat the Word of God means to take it deep within us, becoming transformed by the truth contained within.
Hebrews 6:4-5 “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,”
It isn’t just eating the Word; the Lord also tells us that the taste is good! In the Word you begin to understand how much better it is to have your affections changed. Living a more pure life based on what the Lord teaches ends up with us becoming healthier, happier, and more fruitful. All-in-all, life has a sweeter taste.
1 Peter 2:1-3 “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”
The reason milk is being used here is to signify the ease of understanding when it comes to the Bible. Yes, there are more meaty truths in the Word which we can only understand when we become more mature in our faith. Babies drink their mother’s milk because it is easy to digest. Only later do they become capable of digesting more solid food. In like manner, we must begin as babes in Christ and grow in our faith before we can ever understand the meatier things in the Word. And the Lord says as much when it comes to understanding doctrine.
Isaiah 28:9-10 “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:”
In consuming the Word, we also taste the goodness of God.
John 4:10-11 “Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?”
The food we receive and give to others includes the good water that goes along with it. The Living Water is a deep study since water has so powerful of a symbolic meaning. Not only does it quench our thirst, but it also washes us clean. The craving for righteousness and the craving for God Himself is likened to thirst.
Psalm 42:2 “My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?”
Psalm 63:1 “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;”
Psalm 143:6 “I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.”
Isaiah 55:1 “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”
Isaiah is speaking of the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ … that is why he mentions these things being without price for all, even those that have no money.
As a side note, this is why studying in the manner which the Lord commands can be so incredibly deep. You go into it thinking that you will just be studying water … then you get into thirst, then quenching that thirst, then the dry and parched land, then the literal and spiritual satisfaction of drinking clean, cold water when thirsty, and so on and so forth. But this is also why studying as the Lord commands is so satisfying! You begin to see how God connects one thing to another all throughout Scriptures and you develop a true sense of awe at His magnificence!
John 6:33-35 “For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me SHALL NEVER HUNGER; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
John 6:47-48, 51 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
As we already know, the bread is symbolic for the body of Christ which was broken for us so that we may have life everlasting. The bread is not the literal body of Jesus Christ like the Catholic church teaches through the blasphemy of transubstantiation.
But when we eat of the Word of God and believe, when we take into ourselves the Living Bread, which is Christ … when we spiritually ingest the Living Water, which is Christ … we are given a new nature which craves Christ only … and in the end, we will see eternal life with Him!
Revelation 7:17 “For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”
It can go even further than this, however. There is a clear link between eating the shewbread in the Sanctuary and eating the Word of God. And just like the shewbread had frankincense sprinkled on it, we must always remember to go into prayer before consuming the Bible. There are many connections throughout Scripture to help us understand how to eat the Word as well as how to eat real food. Our loving father is very concerned with our health, both physically and spiritually … that is why He has instructed us on how and what to eat.
Proverbs 31:15 “She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.”
“Riseth while night” – candle on hill, not under bushel.
In the past two verses, the virtuous woman is described as one who is like a merchant ship that will bring her food from afar, and also as one who will rise early to give food to her household. Clearly, one of the character traits of the virtuous woman is that she will provide to the health of home and family by going out of her way to feed them. Rising early is a trait of God’s people that is written throughout Scripture.
Luke 21:38 “And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him.”
John 8:2 “And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.”
God’s own testimony about Himself is that He rises early to meet the needs of people.
Jeremiah 26:5 “To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened;”
Jeremiah 32:33 “And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction.”
But the rising early must be done in pursuit of God. There are a number of places in the Bible where He tells us that rising early in pursuit of self is sinful.
Isaiah 5:11 “Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!”
It is even written that the Lord our Saviour resurrected early in the morning.
Mark 16:9 “Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.”
Rising early in the morning has a twofold meaning, however. It means both early in the day and early in life. The sooner we can get into the Word in life, the better off we will be … that’s why it is important to bring faith to the younger people. Getting a head start in faith is the best thing for them.
Please don’t get things twisted, however. Though God’s people, being represented by the virtuous woman, make sure to wake up early, we are not foolish. Part of being virtuous is having a keen awareness for what is healthy. The virtuous woman will make certain she receives plenty of sleep because she knows that her work will be hindered if she doesn’t. She has enough self-awareness to understand that if she operates on little sleep, not only will she suffer through brain fog which keep her unable to properly think things through, she knows she will be more emotionally unstable and may compromise the work God sets her out to do by showing an evil attitude toward those around her. So yes, we rise up early in the morning, but we also make sure to keep these bodies and brains, which belong to the Lord, in as healthy a state as possible … and one of the best ways of accomplishing this is to get plenty of sleep.
As we already discussed in the previous Proverb, the virtuous woman is concerned with feeding her house. This, of course, has both a literal as well as a spiritual meaning. She will do all she can to feed her house with that Living Bread and give them that Living Water. We wake up thinking about God, praying to Him, and reading His Word. We then do all that we can to discuss His greatness with those around us so that they may receive the spiritual nourishment they so desperately need. We travel long distances throughout the Bible, here a little and there a little, like the merchant’s ships … and we awake early in the morning to perform these travels … so that others may benefit from the blessings of the Lord.
Psalm 35:28 “And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.”
Proverbs 31:16 “She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.”
“The ideal woman, as portrayed here, is a wife. She is the stay and confidence of her husband. Not only when she comes as a young bride into his home, in the glory and beauty of her youth, nor only when her womanly beauty holds his admiration, but long after and to the end of life she does him good. She is always busy. She is thrifty in administering his earnings. If he brings the money to her, she expends it economically for their common weal.
It is in the home-place that the man’s strength is gathered for public life. The woman in the home communicates the inspiration and strength which make him “known in the gates.” Her secret, unobtrusive loyalty, counsel, and thrift inspire a growing depth of appreciation; so that the man who chose her in the spring will say of her amid the snows of age, “Other women may be good and true, but ‘thou excellest them all.’”
All that the Lord gives will be used by His people in a way which glorifies Him. Just as the virtuous wife will use her husbands’ earnings in a way which brings honor and dignity to her husband and their entire house, the church of God will use what He has given to bring honor and glory to our spiritual husband. What He blesses us with, we use for Him, not self. What He gives, we strive to bring more in return.
Matthew 25:14-17 “For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.”
The virtuous woman, the children of God, most certainly will NOT use the Lord’s resources in pursuit of self-gratification. She is not wasteful, she is not self-seeking, she is not self-serving. Like a wise child knows and appreciates their parents for providing all they have, the virtuous woman fully comprehends that all she has is only because of the grace and mercy of Almighty God.
Matthew 25:18 “But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.”
We will not make excuses for wasting what the Lord has given.
Matthew 25:24-25 “Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.”
Humility overtakes her, shame overwhelms her. For betraying her Master, she will seek repentance and reconciliation for all acts and words of reproach against her spiritual Husband. She most certainly will not use her own thoughts and feelings to make excuses for her ill behavior. Fear will not motivate her to commit wrongs.
She will not attempt to do things behind her husbands back, and she will teach her children to act in like manner.
The virtuous woman is constantly seeking how she may do more to push the work forward, how she may use the Lord’s resources to bring more people to His side. She diligently seeks for more opportunities to grow the faith and bring the goodness of God to the minds and hearts of those around her. Through he persistent and patient work in the Lord, others come to know of His kindness, mercy, patience, and love toward them.
In a more literal sense, determining if a field is worth buying takes skill and knowledge; things which can only be gained through submission to God. The virtuous woman is buying this field so that she can plant those things that are beneficial for her family, friends, neighbors, strangers, and herself. Did you notice what she is planting in this verse? She is planting a vineyard.
In a vineyard is where we get grapes, right? Grapes make grape juice which is the wine of the new covenant.
Matthew 26:28 “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
Whether in word or in deed, we do all that is possible to bring the message of Jesus Christ to everyone.
2 Corinthians 3:2-3 “Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.”
The church of God is always striving to bring the Gospel to everyone. We believe, and have faith in, all that Jesus Christ did for us … and we want nothing more than to make Him known to everyone else. We teach and preach Jesus Christ crucified and His resurrection which is the entire basis of our faith.
Proverbs 31:17 “She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.”
Job 38:3 “Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.”
Job 40:7 “Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.”
1 Samuel 4:9 “Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.”
1 Corinthians 16:13 “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.”
Life can be tiresome at times. There are days when it feels as if the world is crushing us; when it feels like nothing is going our way. In the times we become stumped on what to say in response to someone, we can feel like we have not served the Lord correctly. And in our sins, we can feel as if our faith is worthless. In the times we fail to obey, we can feel like we are failures.
The strength of the virtuous woman is strength of faith. Though she may fall, though she may fail, though she will sin, her faith in the mercy and grace of the Lord remains stedfast.
Proverbs 24:16 “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.”
The virtuous woman, the children of God, will always keep it well within the heart that falling is a part of life. But what is most important is to get back up and keep up the good fight of faith. The devil will knock us down, but the decision to stay down or get back up is totally and completely up to us.
And though we may be knocked down, the Lord has taught us to be content, no matter what state of life we are in.
Philippians 4:11-13 “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
By the strength of Jesus Christ within us, we continue to put one foot in front of the other and carry on with the work of the Lord. We understand that the Lord will not hold back any good thing from His children.
Psalm 34:10 “The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.”
The trials of the children of God are numerous. The enemy is unceasing, uncaring, and wants nothing more than our suffering and destruction. What angers him most is that no matter what he throws our way, no matter how much suffering he causes in our lives, we continue to lift up the name of Jesus Christ … especially through the multitude of sufferings we must endure.
1 Corinthians 4:11-13 “Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace; And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day.”
Though our feelings may be hurt, our bodies wrecked, and our minds afflicted, we understand that all these things are meant to bring us into a more perfect faith. With our hearts set upon the things above, we do not concern ourselves with the things of this earth. Just like the faithful brethren of old and present, we are willing to suffer shame for the name of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 11:36-40 “And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”
The virtuous woman receives her strength from the Lord. Her hope rests not in what she can do, but in what God has already done. His promises sustain her … His Word guides her … His love comforts her … His presence gives her peace … His mercy and His grace drive her to her knees … His light is all that she needs. She gains her strength from the Lord Himself and she remembers all that He has said and done for His saints throughout history. She recalls all that He has done for her. And upon this remembrance, she is blessed with the strength she needs to continue the fight.
Exodus 15:2 “The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.”
Psalm 18:1 “I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.”
Proverbs 31:18 “She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.”
The virtuous woman can tell that her work is good. The reason she knows this is because her hope and her stay is in the Lord Himself. As it is written …
Psalm 14:3 “They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
Romans 3:12 “They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
The virtuous woman understands that she cannot do good on her own. The only way she could possibly do any good at all is to submit to the One who is good. Her merchandise, the work she goes about doing, is good and profitable because she knows what is pleasing to the Lord.
Psalm 34:14 “Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.”
Psalm 37:27 “Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.”
God guides her in everything and teaches her the ways of righteousness. She has received the Holy Spirit and abides by His teaching’s night and day. Please understand that the candle in Proverbs 31:18 represents the spirit of man … which is simply talking about our conscience.
Proverbs 20:27 “The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.”
Just for the sake of clarity, in prophecy the word candle can also represent the life of man.
Job 18:5-6 “Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine. The light shall be dark in his tabernacle, and his candle shall be put out with him.”
Candle can also refer to God’s justice.
Zephaniah 1:12 “And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.”
Going back to the virtuous woman where Proverbs 31:18 says, “… her candle goeth not out by night.” Figuratively speaking, the word “night” is speaking of adversity and gloom. So, the virtuous woman has received the Holy Spirit who pricks her conscience and guides her in the path of Jesus Christ. Even when sadness, gloominess, despair, depression, anxiety, and confusion overtake her, she fully relies on God to guide her through her times of adversity.
The Holy Spirit works as our conscience, teaching us what is right and wrong, good and evil. He will always lead us in the paths of Jesus Christ and moves us to study the Word of God so that we can discern what is right in the eyes of God. The Holy Spirit would NEVER lead us into sin! Neither would He EVER tell us to remain in a state of sin!
There are many Christians who mistakenly believe that sin is acceptable in certain circumstances. Moreover, there are many Christians who believe that just because they have good intentions, then their sin will be overlooked by the Lord. But what you find in the Bible is a call to repentance … only Satan himself, with all his deceit and manipulation, is capable of convincing people that living in a state of sin okay with God because of good intention. Did we not just go over the fact that the ends do NOT justify the means last Sabbath!?
The virtuous woman does not go against her conscience, the Holy Spirit, just because she is going through times of adversity. Though she faces hardships which tempt her to submit to Satan, she will refuse such temptations because her heart belongs to God. And she certainly will not justify her sins.
Matthew 12:31 “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.”
The virtuous woman understands that she will sin. Because she is guided by the Holy Spirit, she will repent for her sins. She knows that if she makes excuses for her sins, if she attempts to justify her sins, if she decides that her sins are good or profitable, then she will be in a state of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit … and if she does not repent and walk away from her sins, she will never be forgiven and she will forfeit her place in Heaven.
The merchandise of the virtuous woman is profitable and good for all around her because her work guides others to the Lord. And even when adversity strikes, she is steadfast in the Lord, refusing to walk in the ways of wickedness because the Holy Spirit has taught her the difference between good and evil through the Word of God.
Proverbs 31:19 “She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.”
Do you remember when we went over verse 13 which says, “She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.”? Well, verse 19 goes along with verse 13. A spindle is also referred to as a spindle whorl.
“A spindle whorl is one of several tools used by textile producers, and it is an artifact that is just about as universal in form as we humans make. A spindle whorl is a disk-shaped object with a hole in the center, and it is used in the ancient art of making cloth. The presence of a spindle whorl on an archaeological site is an indication of the technological advance of textile production called spinning.
Spinning is the process of creating cords, yarn or thread from raw plant, animal, and even metal fibers. The resulting yarn can then be woven into cloth and other textiles, producing clothing, blankets, tents, shoes: an entire range of woven materials that make our human lives supportable.”
As for a distaff …
“A distaff is a tool used in spinning. It is designed to hold the unspun fibers, keeping them untangled and thus easing the spinning process. It is most commonly used to hold flax, and sometimes wool, but can be used for any type of fiber. Fiber is wrapped around the distaff and tied in place with a piece of ribbon or string.”
So, a spindle and a distaff are the two things that mankind has used for thousands of years in the making of cloth. And yes, people still use spindles and distaffs today.
The virtuous woman is constantly seeking how she may serve the Lord in covering others in His righteousness. But it isn’t just the work of clothing others. Notice that the virtuous woman has gathered the necessary materials she needs. She then works those materials into the base things she needs. In this case, she has gathered something like flax and worked it into a fibrous material. From there, she gets her spindle and distaff to make that material into thread. She then proceeds to use that thread to make all manner of garments. Only after all that is she in a position to cover other people.
What does all this look like for the people of God today? If we truly have a heart to serve the Lord and clothe others in His righteousness, then we are in a constant state of preparation. The necessary materials we gather are the words our dear Lord has spoken in His Word. We read, study, pray, seek counsel, and give up all that we are so that we may be able to perform the work of clothing others.
We put in the necessary work before the work! If we are desirous of being vessels meet for the Master’s use, then we will prepare before the work even begins.
Let’s go all the way back to verse 13 again …
Proverbs 31:13 “She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.”
The virtuous woman does the work WILLINGLY. When she was born again, her heart was changed. She is a new creature inside and out. It is not a burden for her to seek that others would be clothes in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
But have you noticed how there are many Christians who seek to bring the Gospel to others? What can be said of their work of preparation? What can be said of their study habits? Or of their prayer lives?
Luke 10:38-42 “Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Though there are many who go about doing necessary things, their lack of sitting at the feet of Christ has made it so that, though they perform necessary works, they are filled with misery while performing these things. Because of their distinct lack of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, they feel burdened by the works they perform. There is no gladness or happiness when they work … only misery and sadness. As they neglect their relationship with the Lord, all other relationships suffer because their hearts are hardened against God.
1 Thessalonians 1:3 “Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;”
Hebrews 6:10 “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”
The virtuous woman labours in love because her heart has been shaped in the love of Jesus Christ. Her necessary business is not burdensome to her. Rather, she enjoys doing those things which please the Lord.
She has learned the lesson that her former misery was due to not cultivating a relationship with her Saviour. She has learned the lesson well and now strives to sit at His feet more and more each day.
Moreover, all her labours are for the sake of bringing others to Jesus Christ. She not only gives the Gospel to others, but also labours to make sure she does not lead others into sin. Do you remember when we went over the following?
Proverbs 31:11 “The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.”
The virtuous woman is the Bride of Christ. She will behave herself in a way which conveys the message of obedience, loyalty, submission, and fidelity toward her spiritual spouse. Whether it be in a literal or spiritual sense, the virtuous woman will behave herself in those ways which bring honor to her house and her marriage. Her husband, whether it be her literal or spiritual husband, is able to have total trust in her because all her labours are toward the furtherance of the Kingdom of God.
Proverbs 31:20 “She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.”
The virtuous woman understands that the poor are not just those who have little to no money, but rather, the poor are also those who do not know the Lord.
Matthew 11:5 “The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.”
Job 23:12 “Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.”
The virtuous woman holds the Word of God, in all its truth and righteousness, as more important that her daily food. Even the Lord Himself hold His Word above even His name.
Psalm 138:2 “I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.”
She also knows that the salvation of others is more important than their daily needs without neglecting those things which are needful, like food and water. Have you ever wondered about this passage?
Mark 2:2-5 “And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.”
This man was sick of the palsy, which means he was paralyzed to one degree or another. In his desperate and needful state of existence, why did Jesus say, “Son, they sins be forgiven thee.”? He said this because it was and is immeasurably more needful that the paralyzed man received salvation! Even if the man never received his ability to walk, he would receive a new and perfected body on the day of the first resurrection anyway.
Mark 2:6-12 “But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.”
Notice that the Lord did not neglect to heal the man’s body also. He blessed the man with salvation first as a demonstration of what is more needful.
Because the virtuous woman perfectly understands that salvation is much more important than everything else, she goes amongst those who are poor and starving and thirsty for the Word of God and feeds them with the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
The virtuous woman has pity upon the poor and will, with the resources which the Lord has provided, meet the needs of the less fortunate to the best of her ability. Whether she has much, or very little, she knows that things with which the Lord has blessed her must be used to bless others. So, she does what she can with what she has.
Neither is she envious at the prosperity of the wicked. Rather, she is content with what her God has given her. When she looks at what she has in life, she has great joy in her heart because she knows her Father has given her everything she needs … nothing more, nothing less.
Proverbs 22:9 “He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.”
Proverbs 19:17 “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.”
In truth, when we give to the poor, we are giving to the Lord. And He gives us this wonderful promise that He will repay all that we give in the course of helping the less fortunate.
Regardless of how much money we have or do not have, there is much that we may give to all people.
2 Corinthians 8:9 “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”
Do you recall when John and Peter had nothing to give the poor man, but gave him of what they did possess?
Acts 3:1-8 “Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.”
Yes, money would have helped the lame man for the moment … but the testimony of healing not only helped the man for his entire life, but also gave all the people surrounding him the confidence that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Much of the time we fall into the trap that we can only help others with money. But the Lord tells us time and time again that salvation through Him is the greater gift.
Matthew 25:34-40 “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
I praise the Lord above that He blesses people to have such a burden for the needy. There are men and women of God who make it their business to go to the poor, the homeless, the drug addicted, and the gang members. Of course, they do not neglect others, but their hearts have been set by the Lord to bring the Gospel to the destitute. Bear in mind that how we treat others is how we treat Jesus Christ.
Matthew 25:41-46 “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
Proverbs 31:21 “She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.”
Scarlet = blood of Jesus Christ.
Proverbs 20:4 “The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.”
As we discussed in one of the other verses during this series, the virtuous woman is not lazy in her faith. Neither is she in a place of grief or misery as she goes about doing those things which please the Lord. Beyond that, though, we are not stopped by things like the weather or other excuses.
Proverbs 22:13 “The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.”
No dangers can stop the furtherance of the Gospel. Nothing will stop us from proclaiming the Word of Truth to every precious soul the Lord sends our way because nothing can tear us away from His side.
Romans 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The virtuous woman is always striving to bring her family to Christ because she knows that salvation is only found in Him and His blood that was shed for all mankind. All of her confidence is in Him … her primary goal in life is to bring her family into a loving relationship with the One who saved her in the first place.
Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”
Revelation 5:9 “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;”
It is impossible to overstate how important the cross is to all people. Regardless of bloodline or nationality, we are all saved by what our Lord accomplished on His cross. The virtuous woman not only lives by this, but her entire life is lived according to that faith in His shed blood. Her family is clothed in scarlet because they are covered in the salvation of Jesus Christ.
Proverbs 31:22 “She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.”
It is written that the virtuous woman makes herself “coverings of tapestry”. This may seem like a simple thing, but there is more to it. You can find the Hebrew definition of “tapestry” in …
Proverbs 7:16 “I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.”
The main difference between 7:16 and 31:22 is that the woman in 7:16 is a harlot and the woman in 31:22 is virtuous, but that’s neither here nor there. The word “coverings” in 7:16 and the word “tapestry” are the same Hebrew word “marbad”. In English, this means coverlet. Coverlet is still used today when it comes to beddings. When I was doing a search on what a coverlet is, I had no idea that there is a difference between a coverlet and a bedspread. It is not important to know the various differences between them … what we need to know is that a coverlet is basically a sheet that goes over the bed and hangs down on all sides. Like a bedsheet.
But why is it said that the virtuous woman “maketh herself coverings of tapestry”? This shows just how skilled she is when it comes to her ability to make things. Not only is she fully capable of making clothing, but she can also make huge tapestries from beginning to end. She has been blessed enough to have all the base materials to make such things while also being blessed enough to have the very skills she uses to make these things.
She certainly has not allowed any of her talents to go to waste or bury them in the ground. Call to mind the unrighteous servant in the parable of the talents.
Matthew 25:25 “And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.”
Unlike modern people who waste their talents on unprofitable things, the virtuous woman uses every one of her talents to create things which benefit her family and show others the majesty of God. And since the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31 symbolizes the true church of God, we won’t waste our talents doing things which fail to serve the Lord.
Notice that in the parable of the talents, each of those servants were GIVEN the talents. In ourselves, we have nothing. Everything we have, including our skills and talents, are precious gifts from God. He gives them to us to see if we will use those gifts to glorify Him or glorify ourselves. For example: think of all those people who have such a blessed gift to sing. There are even a large number of Christians who have been given a blessed gift to sing! Yet, the music that accompanies the lyrics they sing does not match what the Lord describes in His Word. Quite often, the lyrics do not convey the true message of the Bible either! And for those singers who are on the secular side of things … their wasted talents are more obvious.
The point is this: the virtuous woman (us) will utilize every blessing and every skill to push forward the Gospel. There are those of us who are more active in pushing forward the present truth and there are those of us who support those who push the work forward … the blessings of Heaven are the same for both. This is because the work cannot go forward without the support of their dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Think of all those righteous men and women of God that did not go with Paul on his journeys, but provided the housing, food, water, and financial support that he needed to make those journeys in the first place. Those who are active in the faith by way of support are also symbolized by the virtuous woman.
Speaking personally, the various evangelistic trips and missions the Lord has sent me on would not have been possible had He not sent the blessings of tithes and love offerings. More than that, if it wasn’t for His grace in sending tithes and love offerings, the ministry could not function on a day-to-day basis. Praise His name!
Now, what of the silk and purple? Firstly, let’s look at silk. In the rebuke of the Lord’s faithless bride, Jerusalem, the prophet Ezekiel is commanded to tell Jerusalem of what the Lord did for them in rescuing them from their lost state of existence.
Ezekiel 16:10-13 “I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head. Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.”
Jerusalem was blessed beyond measure. The Lord gave those who were supposed to be His bride, everything they could have ever asked for. Everything from protection from their enemies to salvation itself, they received grace upon grace.
Silk was always used for royalty. Due to the extreme difficulty in harvesting the material and the length of time it took to make materials and the skill of craftsmanship, silk was always extremely expensive; that’s why royalty had always been dressed in silk. There is even more that can be said about royalty and what they wear. When it comes to the purple with which the virtuous woman is appareled, we first need to understand that purple is a combination of two colors. Those colors are blue and red. What do these colors symbolize in Bible prophecy? Let’s start with blue.
Exodus 24:10 “And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.”
Numbers 15:38-40 “Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.”
Blue represents obedience, most especially as it pertains to the Ten Commandments. It is still mostly unknown, but the tablets upon which the 10 Commandments were written were carved out of sapphire stone. The Lord even hints that the reason He created the sky above to be the color blue is directly connected to the tablets containing the eternal 10 Commandments when He said that they “were the body of heaven in his clearness.” This tells us that when we look up toward Heaven, we are also reminded of the obedience we need to have toward His Law.
For His people Israel, they were told to make “fringes in the borders of their garments”. The fringe of the borders of their garments had a ribband of blue. In Numbers 15:38-40, The Lord goes on to explicitly state that the purpose of these blue ribbons was to have His people look upon them and remember all the Commandments of the Lord … and to DO those Commandments.
Let’s move on to the color red, which is the second color needed to make purple.
Matthew 26:28 “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
Hebrews 9:12 “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”
Red represents the Lord’s sacrifice, His shed blood. Pay attention to the following passage as it helps in understanding why the virtuous woman is clothed in purple.
Mark 15:16-18 “And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band. And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews!”
Red and blue make purple, the color of royalty. We no longer need to have ribbons of blue on our clothing to remind us of obedience. Nor do we need red to remind us of our Saviour’s blood. All we need today is to remember His sacrifice upon His cross and we have all we need. To recall His loving accomplishment on that cross will call to remembrance all we need to live these lives as a living sacrifice unto Him. The giving of ourselves in totality shows Him that we are serious in our love toward Him. And with the giving of ourselves, as He gave Himself, He will also bless us with the Holy Spirit. From there the blessed Holy Spirit writes the 10 Commandments upon our hearts and minds … it is only by His grace that we can keep the Commandments at all.
Hebrews 10:16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;”
The virtuous woman is clothed in silk and purple because those things represent the majesty, the lordship, the supremacy, and the kingship of Jesus Christ. The fact that Scripture declares that she is clothed in such things is a direct declaration that she is united in Christ; every moment of her life is dedicated to the Lord. Every road she takes is the narrow path that leads to Christ. Every resource, skill, and talent are utilized to know Him … and MAKE Him known. She is virtuous because He has given of His own virtue to her. She is clothed as royalty because the King Himself has clothed her.
United to our Lord in all things, we go forth into this war displaying the colors of our King, showing all people His greatness. His righteousness is known because we have born witness to it, and we openly speak of it to every soul He sends our way.
He crowns the virtuous woman, us, with His righteousness.
2 Timothy 4:6-8 “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”
Wearing silk and purple has historically been the clothing of royalty. That said, did not the Lord say that we are to be kings and queens in Heaven?
Revelation 1:6 “And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
Revelation 5:10 “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”
Proverbs 31:23 “Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.”
Jesus is most certainly known. But what is frequently missed is that He IS the gate through which we walk into the city of Heaven.
John 10:7-9 “Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
Afterall, He did say that He is the only way to the Father, did He not?
John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
It is an act of splitting hairs and being overly technical to say that a gate and a door are different things. Common sense tells us that they are the same.
But what does this have to do with the virtuous woman? When the other elders and righteous people witness her loving devotion to her husband, when they see how she meets all his needs, when she is respectful and loyal to him, the others are lifted up to know him more. She embodies what it is to be a help meet for her husband. But what does this mean for us, who are symbolized by the virtuous woman?
When the Lord gave His people the promised lands and cities, He set apart certain cities as sanctuaries for those who had accidentally killed someone. These cities were the equivalent of jails today. The one who killed the other person would flee to one of these cities until he could stand trial for his crime. More than that, however, these cities served to protect that man from the family or friends who sought to kill that man. The time that the slayer spent in that city would give time for cooler heads to prevail, time for emotions to soften.
Joshua 20:1-5 “The LORD also spake unto Joshua, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses: That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them. And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime.”
Notice what had to happen first. The slayer needed to go to the gate of city and plead his case to the elders … the place where the husband of the virtuous woman sat. The slayer would tell the elders of what had happened, and they would then decide if he may enter the city. If he was permitted to enter, then he would receive all the protection he needed until the time of his trial. In the same way that a criminal goes to jail until the time of his trial. But notice what happens if the slayer decides to leave that sanctuary city.
Numbers 35:26-28 “But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled; And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood: Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession.”
When we turn to the Lord for forgiveness and mercy, we are going to the gates of Heaven Itself, the gate which leads to the city of New Jerusalem. We confess and repent of our crimes, our sins, our iniquities, our transgressions at the Gate which is Jesus Christ because He is the door as He so beautifully said in John 10:7-9. When all our known sins are offered up in heartfelt repentance, He permits us entrance into His Kingdom. As we live in the promise of salvation and eternal life, we have protection from the enemy.
But if, for any reason, we leave that protection by taking our eyes off of the Lord, then we are choosing to leave through those gates where the enemy can come and kill us. As it is written, “if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled; And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood: BECAUSE HE SHOULD HAVE REMAINED IN THE CITY OF HIS REFUGE …”
This is yet another area in the Word of God where we can see that the OSAS theology is refuted. Did you notice in Joshua and Numbers that the slayer (or sinner) had ALREADY received salvation? Did you notice that AFTER he had received salvation, he willingly chose to abandon that salvation? We have the will to leave the safety, sanctuary, and salvation given to us by Jesus Christ. And the warning is here as well … that death awaits all who leave Him.
The virtuous woman makes known to all that it is only through the saving grace of Jesus Christ that any protection at all can be given. She directs all souls toward Him so they have the opportunity to confess and repent of all their known sins and may be granted permission to enter into His Kingdom. Her husband sits at the gates, waiting to receive all sinners who flee from their ways and turn to Him. In like manner, when Peter took his eyes off the Lord, all the rage of Satan was upon him until death was a certainty. But as we have seen, our Saviour is always there, always at the gates, ready and willing to save us and bring us back into His arms.
He is sitting at the gates which lead to the Father … and all He requires is that we plead our cause and give our lives to Him … as He gave His life for us.
Proverbs 31:24 “She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.”
We have discussed several times during this series that the “fine linen” is symbolic of a righteous walk in faith. Filthy garments represent an unrighteous walk while clean and white garments represent a righteous walk. When Angels showed themselves, notice what is said about their clothing.
Revelation 19:14 “And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.”
And when speaking of the saved who make it to the marriage supper of the Lamb, notice what is said.
Revelation 19:8 “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”
The righteousness of the virtuous woman is made known to all. When she sells the fine linen, there is profit. In a literal sense, since the virtuous woman is so very skilled, the things she sells go for top dollar. In a spiritual sense, the righteousness she displays and “sells” to others earns the profit of souls being gathered unto Christ. She herself is seen as a profitable servant which is in line with the parable of the talents where we find that the righteous servants of Christ bring their Master the money He already provided as well as the profits from it.
The virtuous woman not only receives the gladness which naturally comes when she spreads the truth of God’s Word, but she is also rewarded with the eternal life promised to all who submit their lives to the Lord above and live their lives seeking to spread the good news of the Gospel to all whom the Lord sends her way. Afterall, it is commanded by our Saviour to spread the Truth, is it not?
Matthew 28:19-20 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Take heart, brothers and sisters. Some of us will be used in more open ways while some of us will be used in more subtle ways. Remember when we talked about how, in the Bible, there were those who were like Paul and there were those who helped Paul? This is something that is, again, reflected in the parable of the talents.
Matthew 25:14-17 “For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.”
But pay attention here. Both the servant who received five talents and the one who received two talents still adhered to the commands of Christ to, “go ye therefore, and teach all nations”. No matter how the Lord uses us, whether it be in much or in little, the command remains the same. Some of us will be used to reach great numbers of people while some of us will be used spread the present truth on a more local level with friends, family, loved ones, colleagues, coworkers, and strangers nearby.
The virtuous woman spreads the truth to all who come her way. The righteousness of Christ is “sold” to all whom the Holy Spirit sends. She does not cower away from giving of what the Lord gave her. And her merchandise is easily seen to be of the highest quality … people actually WANT what she has to sell! That is an extremely key point here!
Yes, there will always be those who walk by and want nothing to do with what we have to give. Nonetheless, the garments of righteousness need to be displayed. Let THEM make the choice whether they want what you have to give … don’t make the choice for them. (*militant vegan encounter*)
The virtuous woman has her wares on full display. What that means is that the righteousness of Jesus Christ can be seen by all. Will we fall short? ABSOLUTELY! There are spots on our garments. But the faith which our Lord has blessed us to have will be the very thing which breaks our hearts and moves us to our knees in full, heartfelt repentance. Though the other person will walk away only thinking of the spots we have shown them, our Lord knows better. Perhaps He will send those people into our lives again and they will then be able to witness the change that God performed in us. And when that time comes, that will be a much more powerful testimony than we ever could have had during the first encounter we had with them.
Moving forward, it is also said that the virtuous woman “delivereth girdles unto the merchant.” Both the first part of this verse and the second have everything to do with one another. We realize this because of what a girdle symbolizes in Scripture.
Girdle = righteousness, faithfulness, truth
Isaiah 11:5 “And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.”
Ephesians 6:14 “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;”
Just as in the case with the fine linen, the virtuous woman “sells” the wares of righteousness, faithfulness, and truth. And if you remember our “Armor of God” series, we went over the Belt of Truth. That “belt” is a girdle. She is wrapped about her loins with the truth of God’s Word.
She absolutely abhors lies. She hates lies and all forms of wickedness because the Lord, who changed her heart when she was converted and gave her the same viewpoint He has, also hates lying and all forms of wickedness.
Psalm 45:7 “Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.”
All forms of lying are hated by God. This attitude toward lying is perfectly reflected in …
Proverbs 6:16-19 “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”
Of the seven things God finds disgusting, TWO of them are all about speaking lies. That should tell us everything we need to know about the subject of lying.
But there is an even more deceptive form of lying that we all have used. It is called “lying by omission”. Lying by omission means holding back pertinent information. Lying by omission is when a person leaves out important information or fails to correct a pre-existing misconception in order to hide the truth from others.
Lying by omission is not always intended to be harmful; it is often thought of as an action undertaken to spare the recipient pain or embarrassment. But it can still have a detrimental effect on a relationship.
Even if the damage isn‘t immediate, the information omitted will eventually surface. The fallout from this can cause more problems than it would have if the information had been shared immediately, and accountability had been taken by the person sharing it.
There are usually three reasons for people lying by omission:
Fear (being on the receiving end of anger, reprisal, or punishment)
Guilt (for the activity that caused them to lie in the first place)
Shame (for their reputation being damaged, and how they will be perceived if the entire truth was known)
For anyone that has children, or has worked with children, you know EXACTLY what lying by omission looks like.
There are certainly times when the full truth is not needed, however. Like in the times a child asks a highly personal question. Due to their developing nature, giving them the full truth can harm them. But that doesn’t mean we have license to lie though.
The virtuous woman has been blessed with the discernment to know what truths should be spoken at what time. In the case of evangelism, the conversations typically do not go in the direction we originally intended. So, we roll with it. Usually, the person has something within them that needs to be addressed and we give them those truths. No matter the circumstances, we will not lie. All pertinent information will be given.
Think of the martyrs. They spoke the truth even while knowing it would cost them their lives. This, in and of itself, served as a powerful testimony to all, that standing for Jesus Christ in the face of a towering enemy will rend the hearts of many. If it takes losing all that we have so that even one person is blessed to wear the girdle of truth and stand firm in the Armor of God, then the sacrifice was well worth it.
The girdles which the virtuous woman “sells” fully display the righteousness, faithfulness, and truth of Jesus Christ. She offers them to all who comes her way. On our end, our girdles must be on full display when we speak, and live, according to the truth of God’s Word.
Proverbs 31:25 “Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.”
The virtuous woman is strong and honourable. She is clothed in this honour and strength. But what does it mean when the Scripture says that she is clothed with honour?
Honour – dignity, glory, praise, worship, magnificence, that is, ornament or splendor: – beauty, comeliness, excellency, glorious, glory, goodly, honour, majesty.
Here is a way of understanding this. Just as one of the first things someone notices about you is what you are wearing, when in the presence of the virtuous woman, others can see/feel the Holy Spirit is with her. Think of those times when you have come across a woman who is very modestly dressed. Your eye is immediately drawn to her, and virtue is automatically assigned to her in your mind. Why? Because she is so different, but in the best of ways. With the virtuous woman, there is a radiance to her which is undeniable. The presence of the Holy Spirit within her, draws others closer to her. The brilliance and beauty of God is noticed not just the way she carries herself, but also in her words and works.
Luke 24:19 “And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:”
1 John 3:18 “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”
As her Saviour was mighty in word and in deed, so she is also mighty in the same ways. The things Jesus spoke are the things the virtuous woman speaks. The deeds He performed are the same deeds she performs. As those with a heart to receive were drawn to Jesus, those with a heart to receive are drawn to the children of God as well.
Please take note that the opposite of all this is true as well. Those who do not have a heart to receive will be repelled by the presence of the virtuous woman, who is symbolic of the children of God, of course.
Proverbs 29:27 “An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.”
She is ridiculed and mocked, her name is cast out as evil, her walk with the Lord is maligned, and her uprightness in God is declared to be unChristlike. Jesus Himself spoke of this.
Luke 6:22 “Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.”
And just as the words, doctrines, actions, and decision making of Jesus were misunderstood by those with hardened hearts, so too will our words and decision making be misunderstood by the same groups of people. What’s important is to stand firm in the Truth. It is of utmost importance to stand strong as Jesus did.
But how is it that the virtuous woman is clothed with strength and honour when the fact of the matter is that we have no honour or strength of our own? Where does this strength and honour come from and how is it that we can be clothed with such things?
Psalm 96:5-6 “For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.”
Revelation 5:12 “Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.”
The virtuous woman has no strength, honour, integrity, or righteousness of her own. It is only because of her walk of faith, trust, and obedience to the Lord that He imparts to her of His own virtue. She is clothed in honour and strength because the Lord has blessed her with His own strength and honour plus so much more.
Psalm 18:32 “It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.”
2 Samuel 22:33 “God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.”
Most importantly, however, is the fact that God Himself is the strength of the virtuous woman. He is her strength, her high tower, her refuge in time of trouble. She totally and completely trusts in Him, and no circumstance of life can completely take her eyes off of Him. When in times of peril and persecution, her primary thought is to turn to her Father in Heaven. She seeks His counsel, relies on Him, and is obedient to His every word. She utterly refuses to be separated from His love and will stand with Him until He either allows her to go to sleep, or she is lifted into the clouds to meet her Saviour and King along with the resurrected righteous and the rest of the 144,000.
Romans 8:35-38 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Though we all battle with temptation on a daily basis, as those who are represented by the virtuous woman, we will always turn straight to our Lord for all the strength we require. He will not only fight our battles for us to make us overcomers, but He will also bless us with the honour reserved for kings and queens.
2 Corinthians 12:9 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
Let the weakness come. Let the trials be fierce and unyielding, let the Devil and his agents on earth strip us of all that we have. So long as we are the virtuous woman, He will always give us the strength required to meet our every need.
1 Chronicles 29:12 “Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.”
Proverbs 31:26 “She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.”
The virtuous woman is one who fears the Lord. Of course, as we already know, the fear of the Lord is not the same thing as a cowering sort of fear. It is reverential, acknowledging the majesty, power, and sovereignty of God. It is a fear which wholeheartedly recognizes that He is in control and there is nothing that anyone can do to impede or halter His will. With this worshipful fear, knees hit the ground and full submission is given to Him.
With this reverential submission, our righteous Father blesses the virtuous woman with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.
Psalm 111:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.”
Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
Notice that in Psalm 111:10 that good understanding is given to whom? “All they that DO His Commandments:”. There is no such thing as someone who has the Holy Spirit but refuses to obey the Lord because He has already said that with the receiving of the Holy Spirit comes the Law of God into our minds and our hearts.
Hebrews 8:10 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:”
Hebrews 10:16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;”
Every last person who is blessed to have the Holy Spirit is naturally inclined to understand and obey the Commandments of God. We will make neither excuse nor justification for breaking any of His Laws. We will not keep the Roman false sabbath for any reason, we will not steal for any reason, lie for any reason, or violate any other Commandment for any reason.
The virtuous woman searches all throughout Scripture for the understanding her Lord wants her to have. The Moral Law (the 10 Commandments) are a guiding light which illuminates the path of her life and shows her the ways which please the Lord.
Proverbs 6:23 “For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:”
Regardless of what modern apostate churches teach, or what corrupt philosophies the world spews out, with the Holy Spirit guiding her in the ways of Jesus Christ, the virtuous woman will not allow herself to succumb to the whims of a lost world.
Though the world says it’s okay to set apart the false sabbath of Sunday for worship, the virtuous woman has studied the Bible and the Law. The Lord has given her His divine understanding and keeps His real 7th day Sabbath holy. Moreover, she recognizes that the first day of the week, Sunday, is regarded as nothing more than the first of six working days in the Bible. Nothing more, nothing less.
The virtuous woman has also been given the understanding that the traditions of man are not to be followed. The celebration of xmas, Easter, birthdays, and so many other manmade traditions is counted as worship in God’s eyes and is counted as a violation of the 1st Commandment.
Exodus 20:3 “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”
It is impossible to separate worship from holiday celebration. These traditions have always been connected with the worship of false gods and any attempt to minimize or trivialize that fact is a direct contradiction of Scripture. The most common argument is something like the following: “Yes, these traditions used to be pagan celebrations, but now they are okay to celebrate because they now are all about Jesus.” But what does Scripture say about the things that are blessed and holy?
1 Chronicles 17:27 “Now therefore let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may be before thee for ever: for thou blessest, O LORD, and it shall be blessed for ever.”
Numbers 23:20 “Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.”
Just like how our King blessed and sanctified the 7th day Sabbath in the Garden of Eden. That means it is blessed forever. The virtuous woman understands that those things which are holy are forever holy, and those things which are unholy, are forever unholy. Since He declared in the both the OT and NT to refrain from partaking in those things which the heathen does, so that we do not become unequally yoked with them, then that is a command which will remain throughout all time.
It is written that the virtuous woman openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She will speak the truth to all and help to guide them in the righteousness of God since He has blessed her with His wisdom and understanding.
And despite what so many dear souls may think, the truths she speaks are kind. Just because those truths may hurt people’s feeling doesn’t mean those truths are false or lies. In fact, truths typically have nothing to do with how we feel about them.
The virtuous woman will use her blessings of understanding, knowledge, wisdom, and discernment to bring as many people as possible to the Lord. Whether they accept or reject is not of her concern since she also understands that what is heard cannot be unheard. The seeds have been planted and she prays that they will spring up in every heart. She prays that every soul she speaks to will be brought to the Lord and receive the salvation He desires to give them.
The kindness of the truth she speaks is the kindness of God. And when that truth is fully realized in the heart of the hearer, they will finally be blessed to know their Father. From there, they will be led by the Holy Spirit into a life of submission and obedience.
Romans 2:13 “(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.”
James 1:22 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
And from there, they will be counted amongst all those who are symbolized by the virtuous woman.
Proverbs 31:27 “She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.”
The virtuous woman understands how the Lord has structured the home. She perfectly well knows that it is her responsibility to take care of the household and the family. She is neither grudging nor lazy to perform her tasks. She is no sluggard but goes about her days using the energy the Lord has blessed her to have in all the ways He tells her to.
Proverbs 20:4 “The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.”
When looking well to the ways of her household, she provides the best food she possibly can so that her family may be healthy. The resources God has given her will drive her to make the best decisions possible when it comes to diet. Her consciousness toward health is what drives her choices in food. This is because she knows that her Lord would have His people to be in health.
3 John 1:2 “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”
Moreover, she knows that neither she nor anyone else actually owns their own bodies; they belong to the Lord and as such, only He can dictate what we ought to eat and drink.
1 Corinthians 3:17 “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”
1 Corinthians 6:19 “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”
Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
Yes, it is a sacrifice to abstain from the tastier foods, but it is a worthy sacrifice. Jesus told us that to follow in His steps requires a life of denying self, which is no different than how He denied Himself for the sake of giving us a chance at salvation.
Matthew 16:24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
The virtuous woman, the Remnant people of today, will not tolerate open destruction of the body. Nor will we condone behaviors which lead to the body’s destruction. You will not see ANY member of the Remnant using such things as tobacco, alcohol, drugs, unclean foods, etc. You won’t see them doing foolish things with their bodies either. Things such as sky diving, mountain climbing, building climbing, racing, etc. will never be things the Remnant condones. Not to mention immoral sexual activities that can kill the body.
Looking well to her household, the virtuous woman will also do all that is in her power to guide them in the right ways of God. Yes, there will be times of resistance toward the things she speaks. Nonetheless, she persists. She does not sit idle in this matter. With respect, courtesy, and honor, she will provide the truth to her household.
Nor is she idle in study. Of all her responsibilities, she knows that her top priority is growing closer to the Lord.
Proverbs 31:28 “Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.”
The word “children” here has a wider connotation than just referring to literal children. Which makes sense because there are many people out there who have no children but still have the character of the virtuous woman. The word “children” also speaks of relationships, as well as a member of a group or people of a nation. In essence, the word “children” is speaking about all those around her who are of like mind.
The people around the virtuous woman are able to discern that the Lord has blessed, or prospered, her. In so many ways she has been blessed and others can see it. Her resilience during times of adversity is one of the more obvious ways that it can be discerned that the Lord is with her. Her continuance in pursuing Him when all is falling apart around her is unmistakable. None other but the Lord above has the strength to carry her through, and His power is made manifest during the worst times in her life.
Psalm 55 “Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication. Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise; Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me. My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest. Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah. I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest. Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues: for I have seen violence and strife in the city. Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof: mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it. Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets. For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company. Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them. As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice. He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me. God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God. He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him: he hath broken his covenant. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords. Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.”
Proverbs 31:29 “Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.”
In every church you can find at least some good and noble actions being performed. Just like you can find at least some truth being spoken in these churches. But what differentiates the Remnant church from all the rest is that the right things are done for the right reasons. Moreover, there is consistency in those right things being done. Even when some wrong thing is spoken or done, the children of God recognize the error, repent, and change accordingly.
Many people do the right things in the wrong way. It is for this reason that the Lord gave us the sermon called, “Does The End Justify The Means?” Yes, many people and churches have good intentions, intentions to help others or bring relief to the suffering, but the means by which they achieve these goals is littered with sin and iniquity. To help someone through disobedience tarnishes the outcome. One of the more tragic consequences is that those on the outside looking in will believe that it is acceptable, even good, to do the wrong things in an effort to accomplish something good.
The virtuous woman’s good deeds stand out amongst all the deeds of others for several reasons. Take dress reform as an example. There seems to be a more conservative movement going on in the US today. There are many women who are boastful about their choice to wear long dresses and skirts. Not to mention that, typically, their clothing is flashier and more eye-catching than it ought to be. Combined with a boastful and vain attitude, their conservative way of dressing becomes moot. Because they still have a “look at me” attitude, those who praise them for not dressing as the world does are misled into believing that virtue is only in clothing choices.
Matthew 6:1-2 “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”
Matthew 6:5 “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”
But with the virtuous woman the story is very different. When asked about the way she dresses, she gives all credit to the Lord. She gives Him the glory and praise. She bears witness that it is His humble character that presses His children into all virtuous life choices. Though the worldly woman seeks the attention and praise of the world, the virtuous woman seeks only for the Lord to be praised.
Revelation 4:11 “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
Psalm 148:13 “Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.”
Or take this example of a literal, virtuous woman.
Mark 12:41-44 “And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.”
Though all the others did well in that they contributed money, the poor widow excelled them all in that, by her unyielding faith, love, and trust in God, gave all that she had. She had no concern about how she was going to survive because she perfectly well understood that her life was in the hands of God.
Job 23:12 “Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.”
Try to imagine one of the most prominent blessings here. Our Saviour immortalized this woman by including her testimony in His Word! For thousands of years, her faith and works have served to bring countless souls into an understanding of what it means to serve the Lord; what it means to sacrifice through complete trust in God.
This virtuous woman excelled the virtue of all the wealthy, powerful, and highly esteemed men. For that, our King lifted her up as an example of what it means to be a saint.
Matthew 5:20 “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
The religious leaders performed works to receive the glory of men. The virtuous woman performs works so that God receives the glory. The scribes and Pharisees were likened to whited sepulchres which have an outward appearance of holiness, but inside they were filled with dead men’s bones.
Matthew 23:27 “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.”
The people of God, the virtuous woman, are different from the rest of the world and churches … obviously. I believe the following passage sums this up perfectly.
Romans 2:28-29 “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”
Proverbs 31:30 “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.”
Proverbs 26:24-26 “He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him; When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart. Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation.”
It has long been a tactic in espionage (spy craft) to develop assets through kind words and gifts. What I mean is, when a spy wants to convert or convince someone to work for them, they will say all the loving and uplifting things the other person wants to hear in order to get something out of them. Feigning themselves to be friendly, the spy will put in the time, effort, and money to convince the other person to work for them. But the spy only has their own interests in mind. They do not have a genuine interest in helping the potential asset, but rather, is only concerned with saying and doing what it takes to get what they (the spy) want.
There is no love in the heart of the spy. In his hateful, self-centered interests, it is written that he “dissembleth with his lips”. The word “dissembleth” is defined in this way: to disguise, misconstrue, to act as alien, to disguise oneself. This is exactly what a spy does! They disguise themselves and act in very particular ways that are foreign to who they are. They do this in an effort to gain the confidence and trust of the person they are trying to bring to their side. Through deceitful words and gift giving, the vulnerable asset is swayed to the side of the spy.
Take note also, that conmen have the same patterns of behaviors as the spy. Last time I checked, over $15B are scammed out of the elderly in the US by people who act like they love them. Through emails, texts, and phone calls, the scammers pretend to care about their victims … but the hatred in their hearts has them pursuing one goal … money. False promises, sweet words, and lies are the Satanic tools used to scam their vulnerable victims.
It is written that “favour is deceitful”. But the virtuous woman fears the Lord and cannot be deceived. The Lord blesses her with discernment in every circumstance. When one comes to her with ill-intent, she can see right through them. She may not know what their plans are, but the Holy Spirit is compelling her to be careful and guiding her toward safety. The deceitful favour of the enemy is nothing she desires. The enemy’s agents on earth can offer her nothing she actually wants. Her reverential fear of the Lord guides her to her Father’s side wherein is safety and contentment, and this is where the Father meets all her needs.
An easy way to understand deceitful favour is like this: anyone who has children, or has worked with children, will know exactly what I’m talking about. Think of all the times when those children came to you acting in an overly sweet manner. Even their voices take on a different pitch, their intonation has a different character to it, and their words are carefully crafted. They will speak in respectful tones, saying all those things which are designed to pull at your heartstrings. They will ever so sweetly compliment you, trying to butter you up. But as anyone with any experience in life can tell, those children are just trying to get something out of you. It gets to a point where within 1-2 seconds of them walking up to you, you just want to say, “Okay, what do you want?” Their con is so transparent, but for some reason they still believe they’re slick.
Luke 11:11-13 “If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”
Even those who live their lives in separation from God, know how to do good things for the one’s they love. The virtuous woman cannot be swayed by gifts, favour, or even threats.
Now, as it concerns the part of the verse which says, “beauty is vain”, the virtuous woman is not overly concerned with her appearance. Yes, we ought to make sure we are put together, but that is VERY different from vanity. For more information on this aspect of the virtuous woman, please see my video on beauty when you have time.
Proverbs 31:31 “Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.”
1 Peter 1:17 “And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:”
1 Peter 2:12 “Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.”
The works of the virtuous woman precede her and stand on their own. Whether it be through praise or discipline, she understands that she will reap what she sows.
James 2:18 “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.”
James 2:24-26 “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
Ecclesiastes 12:14 “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”
The virtuous woman understands that she will be judged by her works. Nearing the end of Revelation, we see that this is precisely how the Lord will judge.
Revelation 20:12-13 “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.”
All this has to do with obedience.
James 2:12 “So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.”
The virtuous woman, along with all people, will receive the fruit of her hands, the fruit of her works. She works as much goodness and righteousness as she possibly can. The fruit of her hands will eventually have her at the gates, the door, which is Jesus Christ, where she will finally realize the faithful words which He spoke in the parable found in …
Matthew 25:21 “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”
The last line, of the last verse, of Proverbs 31 ends by saying, “let her own works praise her in the gates.” Our Lord ends the chapter in this way because it is meant to convey the reward given to all who live their lives in submission, obedience, and faithfulness to Him.
For all those who have gone to sleep in faithfulness, their full reward will be realized on that great day when they are resurrected to meet their Saviour in the air. And the part of the virtuous woman who never taste of death, the 144,000, their full reward will be had when they meet their Lord and their brethren in the air.
What a fitting conclusion to Proverbs 31. The reward of eternal life, given when the virtuous woman enters into eternity at the gate (or the door) which is Jesus Christ. He will uplift her in His love. He will remember her faith filled works done in His name. All her sacrifices, done in full submission and obedience to Him, will be those works which preceded her in life. And from this point forward, all the blessed gifts of Heaven will be hers for all of eternity. She will, at long last, have full realization of these Scriptural truths, so lovingly spoken by our dear Lord, King, and Saviour.
Isaiah 64:4 “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.”
1 Corinthians 2:9 “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”
I hope and pray that you were blessed by this sermon series. God bless!
4 and 7 Ministry 