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 againstprincipalities, 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.

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