“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17
“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” Colossians 4:2
{Part 12} FINAL Proverbs 31:10-31 God’s Woman Study
[scroll down for earlier installments]
A Waiting Time –
Time. Clocks tick, we check out wristwatches, look at our planners, make sure we fetch the children from school or Granny from the airport on time, rush to the shops before that vital doctor’s appointment, and then fly home to make a meal before the church meeting! The days are so busy. Or, sometimes not. Clocks tick, we check our wristwatches, look at our planners… then what?! Not much planned for the day, so what can we find to fill up the time? Read that book; watch that re-run on TV, phone a friend, while waiting for that special “something” to arrive that will turn on the sunshine again?!
Our God is in every hour, the Lord of Time if we can recognize that, whether we are rushing around or trying to fill up the hours. Being ultra-busy we sometimes run the risk of keeping God waiting for our special times with Him… those “Quiet Times” which can be far from Quiet, but nevertheless we feel the benefit of Time with Him, before we head out into Busy-Ness. And not having enough to do in a day can lead us into dryness, waiting for Life to Happen… when it already is!
A Waiting Time for those things we dearly desire - the special family time, the need for good health, the longing for enough funds to follow through with a dream, the hope for a Soul Mate…the list goes on, depending on what we feel is lacking in our lives. We may dream of serving the Lord as we see others do…we long to make a difference somehow, somewhere. And our dreams are not forbidden! We only need to be sure they flow with the plans of God for our lives and as Ps.37 says, we first “trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture…” It’s good to take stock and see if we can count blessings (trite but true!) instead of making lists of what we don’t have. “Trust… Dwell… Enjoy…” and then it’s the best bit, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart…” (3-4) all those things He knows we need.
Like He knows we need His Son, the Lord Jesus. “In the fullness of time” or “when the time had fully come, God sent His Son…” (Gal.4:4) It may be difficult… putting a life walking with Jesus as a priority ahead of paying the bills, but having Him as Lord of our lives, means all of life then flows in the stream of God’s will and purposes for us. We truly need Him.
Many Scriptures tell us to “wait for Him” for example Ps.27:14…”wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” And back in Ps.37:7, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him…” What does this waiting imply? It’s not the kind that checks the wristwatch every 3 minutes! Or the kind that taps the steering wheel when caught in the traffic! But it’s the kind learned over years of finding that God knows best, that He has all circumstances in His hands, that He knows the best time to answer our prayers, that He alone knows the beginning from the end. We learn that He is God. And so we “are still” (Ps.46:10a) before the One who knows us so well. And we find that Waiting is an active thing. The hours fill up as we soak up His word, what it says to us each day, what He asks us to do any given day. Promptings come to do this or that, to help that friend, phone that person, write that note, pray that prayer… all of which fulfils the “delight yourself in the Lord” advice we read earlier! (Ps.37:4) And into this time, God often speaks a word of direction which can lead us into a new season and we find ourselves back into busy days and fulfillment of another kind. But either in a busy time or a waiting time, let us be found at the feet of Jesus. (Lk.10:39-42)
We have seen many women through Scripture in their Waiting Times… there was Miriam, sister of Moses, who had to wait seven days outside of the camp for her healing. There was Deborah who waited on the Lord for wisdom every day. There was Ruth who went to a foreign land and waited on the God of Israel for provision. There was Hannah who waited for a big prayer to be answered. There was Esther who waited for the right time to approach a king. Maybe this scripture from Isaiah applies to them, maybe it applies to us!
May it be so for each one of us – whatever season we find ourselves in!
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| quiet ~ rest ~ waiting |
A Waiting Time –
Time. Clocks tick, we check out wristwatches, look at our planners, make sure we fetch the children from school or Granny from the airport on time, rush to the shops before that vital doctor’s appointment, and then fly home to make a meal before the church meeting! The days are so busy. Or, sometimes not. Clocks tick, we check our wristwatches, look at our planners… then what?! Not much planned for the day, so what can we find to fill up the time? Read that book; watch that re-run on TV, phone a friend, while waiting for that special “something” to arrive that will turn on the sunshine again?!
Our God is in every hour, the Lord of Time if we can recognize that, whether we are rushing around or trying to fill up the hours. Being ultra-busy we sometimes run the risk of keeping God waiting for our special times with Him… those “Quiet Times” which can be far from Quiet, but nevertheless we feel the benefit of Time with Him, before we head out into Busy-Ness. And not having enough to do in a day can lead us into dryness, waiting for Life to Happen… when it already is!
A Waiting Time for those things we dearly desire - the special family time, the need for good health, the longing for enough funds to follow through with a dream, the hope for a Soul Mate…the list goes on, depending on what we feel is lacking in our lives. We may dream of serving the Lord as we see others do…we long to make a difference somehow, somewhere. And our dreams are not forbidden! We only need to be sure they flow with the plans of God for our lives and as Ps.37 says, we first “trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture…” It’s good to take stock and see if we can count blessings (trite but true!) instead of making lists of what we don’t have. “Trust… Dwell… Enjoy…” and then it’s the best bit, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart…” (3-4) all those things He knows we need.
Like He knows we need His Son, the Lord Jesus. “In the fullness of time” or “when the time had fully come, God sent His Son…” (Gal.4:4) It may be difficult… putting a life walking with Jesus as a priority ahead of paying the bills, but having Him as Lord of our lives, means all of life then flows in the stream of God’s will and purposes for us. We truly need Him.
Many Scriptures tell us to “wait for Him” for example Ps.27:14…”wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” And back in Ps.37:7, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him…” What does this waiting imply? It’s not the kind that checks the wristwatch every 3 minutes! Or the kind that taps the steering wheel when caught in the traffic! But it’s the kind learned over years of finding that God knows best, that He has all circumstances in His hands, that He knows the best time to answer our prayers, that He alone knows the beginning from the end. We learn that He is God. And so we “are still” (Ps.46:10a) before the One who knows us so well. And we find that Waiting is an active thing. The hours fill up as we soak up His word, what it says to us each day, what He asks us to do any given day. Promptings come to do this or that, to help that friend, phone that person, write that note, pray that prayer… all of which fulfils the “delight yourself in the Lord” advice we read earlier! (Ps.37:4) And into this time, God often speaks a word of direction which can lead us into a new season and we find ourselves back into busy days and fulfillment of another kind. But either in a busy time or a waiting time, let us be found at the feet of Jesus. (Lk.10:39-42)
We have seen many women through Scripture in their Waiting Times… there was Miriam, sister of Moses, who had to wait seven days outside of the camp for her healing. There was Deborah who waited on the Lord for wisdom every day. There was Ruth who went to a foreign land and waited on the God of Israel for provision. There was Hannah who waited for a big prayer to be answered. There was Esther who waited for the right time to approach a king. Maybe this scripture from Isaiah applies to them, maybe it applies to us!
“This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel says:
In repentance and rest is your salvation,
In quietness and trust is your strength.” (Is.30:15)
In repentance and rest is your salvation,
In quietness and trust is your strength.” (Is.30:15)
May it be so for each one of us – whatever season we find ourselves in!
{Part 11} Proverbs 31:10-31 God’s Woman
The Woman of God – Either working, or being a wife, or doing both as some do (!) there’s an extra dimension to this woman we’ve been looking at in Proverbs 31… she is definitely a woman whom God has equipped and gifted and now uses in her circumstances, to her best potential.
Some things show this clearly:
“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.” (31:25-27) One has the impression of someone who is sure of herself, but not overbearing with it! Strength and Dignity, Laughter (not fear) in hard times. Wisdom and Instruction, Watchful and Hard-working. What a great combination of qualities to have. How does she keep herself going, we may ask?! Her dignity and strength must come from some deep inner core in her personality. Wisdom and Instruction in her life, as in ours, must come from some source that she has taken from for her own good, then is able to pass on to others. Being watchful for others and a hard-worker takes determination. So, how does she do it and how… can we?!
“Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.” (31:30-31) A definite distinction is being made between personality and prettiness! God may bless women with beauty, with lovely smiles that light up a room, with a figure that makes heads swing round as she walks by! But think about this word written by the Apostle Peter… 1 Peter 3 has some great advice on relationships, and a special word is given to wives (and husbands), but let us extend this to all women for a moment, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelery and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful.”
I believe we can pick up from this that inner beauty, the kind that lasts beyond old age and the advent of wrinkles is of great value to the Lord. What is inner beauty, exactly? I would think it is the finding of “the peace that passes all understanding” (Phil.4:7) found by a relationship with Jesus. It can be the knowledge that “Even to your old age and grey hairs, I am He; I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you, I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” (Is.46:4) This knowing that God is there for us has to be what equips us to get through the days, the commitments, the real and often heavy responsibilities we carry, the ministry He has called us to, the family or household He has given us to care for, those people who need us to “speak a word in season” into their lives! (2 Tim.4:2) If God is for us, all things are possible!!
A Woman of God is made. Over the years, through times of struggle, learning to trust God, finding strength in hard times and learning to absorb the good times, realizing that both are what life is about… God molds this woman, breathes His Spirit into her being and makes her the vessel He then uses… so that she then “blooms where she is planted” and this woman who “fears the Lord” brings Him praise and glory and honour.
{Part 10} Proverbs 31:10-31 God’s Woman
To look at this amazing woman a bit deeper, we see that she works extremely hard all the hours that God sends! The verses run together of all she manages to accomplish in what seems to be one day, but possibly are just examples of what a godly woman is seen to be able to do, if God is her strength and provider.
Prov.31:16-22 tells us a bit about her business skills… “she considers a field and buys it, out of her earnings she plants a vineyard… she sets about her work… her arms are strong for her tasks… she sees that her trading is profitable… her lamp does not go out at night.” Oh my goodness. She also finds times to spin, reach out to the poor and needy and make sure her family all have warm clothes for winter! Not content with all this, she also “makes linen garments and sells them and supplies merchants....” Well I have one question here… you may be asking the same one! Where is her husband during all this excitement?! At the City Gate! He is doing what he feels is his work, responsible and answerable to God. Very valid then, but rather different to the 21st Century way of life, isn’t it?!
But even if this description of a woman working extremely hard, running not only a home but several businesses and caring for the people attached to those, I do wonder if God is telling us something of value and that we should not just shake our heads and ask if expectations on her were way too high! Perhaps God is showing through this description of all kinds of work, how we could find ways to serve not only those in our household, but others around us, with great energy and determination. Perhaps we find ourselves not only running a home but having to get out to a 9-5 job as well. How do we cope? The woman in Proverbs is our encouragement! She just keeps on going, doing what she knows to do to the best of her ability and it seems to me, that the Lord equips her to do all she does and her husband says she is worth more than rubies (I should say so!).
More importantly, “the Lord is to be praised” and she has a reward coming (30-31) and, listen to this, “her works bring her praise at the city gate”!! In the final analysis, she too finds her way to the city gates, this wonderful woman’s work is recognized where it needs to be… where decisions are made and authority sees what is happening. A city gate can also be, it seems to me, the throne room of God, or that secret place we have where we meet with our loving Heavenly Father. Here He sees all we try to accomplish each day, here He extends His love and further strengthens us for every day and here is where we can come to rest – after busy, busy days!
{Part 9} Proverbs 31:10-31 God’s Woman
Verse 10 begins by asking, “A wife of noble character who can find?” We wonder if the writer had met such a woman, or despaired of ever meeting such an ideal person! Finding a soul mate is not an easy thing and the best plan is to pray, wait on the Lord and let Him match-make! To be a godly wife (or husband!) requires great dependence upon the God who created both man and woman, because He said at the beginning of time, “it is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” 
In Biblical times arranging marriages was a really important issue and a betrothal was as binding as the actual marriage. Which is why we read that Joseph was so troubled by his fiancée Mary’s news of her pregnancy, in Matt.1:18-19. To be found pregnant at that stage meant the punishment of being stoned to death, so seriously was the contract taken. There are wonderful parallels to be found in the marriage preparations in Biblical times, with the Marriage of Jesus and His Body, the church, and all points to the importance that God puts on this special union, where He will build and strengthen a family unit. So we read in following verses of Prov.31:10-12, that “She is worth far more than rubies… her husband has full confidence in her… she brings him good, not harm…” And this is in contrast to the many references elsewhere in Proverbs of a wife who is so difficult to live with, that her husband (and family too?!) would rather live on the roof or in the desert! (Prov.21:9 and 19 for example) There is great respect given to the husband of a godly wife, verse 23 says that “her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.” Meaning by this that he keeps his place of honour among his peers, as the gates of a city was where business transactions were made (cf. Ruth 4:1-11for example) and men talked over many issues there, maybe like a City Hall of today.
For a husband to have full confidence in his wife there must be honesty and integrity as well as good housekeeping! For example the wife would be sure her household was well provided for in clothing and bed-clothes (22) and we must imagine too that her cooking and cleaning was of a very high standard as well! All in all she is a paragon of virtue and as we shall see a bit later, all possible just because she “fears the Lord.” (30)
Not all of us are wives, but all of us can find ways to serve the Lord, run a good household (even if it is only for one!), and in all our ways seek to be upright and honest. And all of us who love the Lord Jesus will, on one glorious day, recognize Him and be a part of that Marriage Supper of the Lamb! (Rev.19:7) Hallelujah!
{Part 8} Proverbs 31:10-31 God’s Woman
And so… back to the Godly Woman of Proverbs 31! If you remember 31:29 was a quote, “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” And in looking at just five Biblical women we have indeed seen “noble things” and personalities to admire.
For instance there was Miriam, sister of Moses, who learned humility while exercising her God-given gifts.
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Then there was Deborah the prophetess who used her gifts wisely and spoke great wisdom into situations in the nation at the time.
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And then Ruth, a “foreigner”, whose love and devotion made a big impression and who became part of the genealogy of Jesus.
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What about Hannah… the great intercessor, with a heart of gratitude to God when her prayers were answered?
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And courageous Esther who hid her faith, until the day came when she knew she was in the place God needed her to be to be used by Him… for the sake of many.
All women we would admire and love to get to know!!
Looking at the woman described in Proverbs 31, who “surpassed them all”, or as another version says “excelled them all”, one commentator has said that in every area of the life of this lady, “in spiritual and practical devotion to God her character is seen in every area of her life and in all her relationships.” And the comment goes further to say that all seven Christian values can be found in her, quoted in 2 Peter 1:5-7…
*“Add to faith - virtue (excellence, resolution, goodness)
*To virtue - knowledge (intelligence, discernment)
*To knowledge – self control (control, command)
*To self control – perseverance (steadfastness, endurance)
*To perseverance – godliness (piety)
*To godliness – brotherly kindness (affection)
*To brotherly kindness – love.”
Having said that, how can we apply these values to our own lives, I wonder? Perhaps as we consider ourselves in our various roles in life… a Wife, a Woman of God, Woman at Work, or in a Waiting season? Let us try at any rate to absorb some of these qualities, like garments we put on each day! Let us prepare our hearts between now and the next study time to take something extra special on board, because we are each of us… precious people in God’s sight!
“I’m special, because God has loved me
For He gave the best thing that He had to save me;
His own Son Jesus, crucified to take the blame,
For all the bad things I have done…
Thank You Jesus, thank You Lord,
For loving me so much,
I know I don’t deserve anything.
Help me feel Your love right now,
To know deep in my heart,
That I’m Your special friend.”
(Graham Kendrick. 1986)
Esther At the heart of this study… the words… “For such a time as this.” (Esther 4:14)
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| Esther the brave beauty |
Esther was an orphan in a foreign land, her only relative being Mordechai, “a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin…carried into exile from Jerusalem by the king of Babylon.”(Est. 2:5-7) Her Hebrew name was Haddassah, meaning “star” or “myrtle”. A concordance lists some of her qualities…Beauty (Est.2:7) Self-denial and Courage (Est.4:16) Tact (Est.5:8) Patriotism (Est.8:3-6) and her story goes down in Jewish history celebrated in the Festival of Purim. She came to be Queen in extraordinary circumstances – the story unfolds in Esther 2 of what amounts to a Miss World Pageant …and the winner was… Miss Jerusalem?! No, no-one knew that… her faith and heritage was kept a secret for fear of discrimination, a not un-familiar story even today. But she was definitely beautiful and “won the favor and approval” of the King and became his Queen. As her life moves on - her rise from being an orphan in a strange land to the Queen of that land - we see the enemy of the Jewish people (in this particular time in history, Haman) stirring up hatred to the point of an edict to annihilate them all. (Est.3:6-10) And throughout the land there hung the specter of death, as the edict was irreversible. What could be done?
We have to think now of our righteous God of justice - having set His laws in place He can not condone sin in the world… no matter how He may love His children. What is to be done? For such a time as Esther and her people, she rose to the challenge and interceded with the king for lives to be spared. (Est.5:1; 7:3-4) And for such a time as our lives, we have Jesus… interceding before the throne of God on our behalf, as our Great High Priest! (Heb.4:14-16; 7:25)
Esther must have been a most unusual woman and her prayers and bravery turned the tide for her people. We too can be used by God in circumstances we may consider beyond change, if we take hold of the hand of Jesus and believe His word…
“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Eph.3:20)
Next time… back for another look at God’s Woman pictured in Proverbs 31!
Hannah When you hear her name, I wonder what you think of first?! One of the wives of Elkanah? Mother of Samuel? A woman who struggled to conceive? Or do we remember her as a praying woman, who interceded so powerfully that she changed the history of a nation! It must have been very hard for Hannah, whose name means Grace in Hebrew, to find grace to accept that she was childless. It grieved her so much when she went up to “the house of the Lord and her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.” (1 Sam.1:7) Her husband was kind, gave her double portions to show his love, talked to her about having children and asked if he were not enough, did he not mean “more to her than ten sons”?! (v8) But unless one has experienced “barrenness” and unless we know that in that culture this was a stigma and a burden, then we might agree with kind Elkanah… surely being happily married was enough? Should she not be content with her circumstances, as hard as they may be for her to come to terms with?
But Hannah had a heart’s desire that would not leave her. Out of her “bitterness of soul” she found a depth of prayer that would move the heart of God and release into the nation of Israel her greatest prophet since Moses. One day while praying in the Temple, she actually made a vow before God, (1:11) and so intense were her prayers, Eli the priest thought she was drunk! Doesn’t this remind us of the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem?! (Acts 2) So powerfully did those disciples pray and so amazingly did God answer, that the people in the street said, “They have had too much wine”… the very words Eli used!
When the Spirit of God moved, Hannah was caught up in the prayer of her heart and if we believe Ps.37:4, then the “desires of her heart” flowed out of her prayers, as she delighted herself in her Lord… and He granted her heart’s cry for a son. I think she knew that God had heard her that day and as she returned home “her face was no longer downcast.” (v18) Much like Mary, mother of Jesus, her words are recorded in a Psalm of praise to God in 1 Sam.2:1-10 and her joy and faith sustained her when she gave her son in service to the Lord, at the temple where her prayers had been answered. Hannah went on to have other children. From her steadfastness in prayer we can find encouragement that if God gives a prayer burden and we intend to honour Him and delight ourselves in serving Him, we can confidently lay our prayers before Him…Ps.62:8 has these words, “Trust in Him at all times… pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.” And we go on with life, trusting, with our faces no longer downcast!
Hannah’s Prayer
1Then Hannah prayed and said:
“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
in the Lord my horna is lifted high.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
for I delight in your deliverance.
there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.
3“Do not keep talking so proudly
or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the Lord is a God who knows,
and by him deeds are weighed.
4“The bows of the warriors are broken,
but those who stumbled are armed with strength.
5Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
but those who were hungry hunger no more.
She who was barren has borne seven children,
but she who has had many sons pines away.
6“The Lord brings death and makes alive;
he brings down to the gravec and raises up.
7The Lord sends poverty and wealth;
he humbles and he exalts.
8He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
and has them inherit a throne of honor.
“For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s;
upon them he has set the world.
9He will guard the feet of his saints,
but the wicked will be silenced in darkness.
“It is not by strength that one prevails;
10those who oppose the Lord will be shattered.
He will thunder against them from heaven;
the Lord will judge the ends of the earth.
“He will give strength to his king
and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
{Part 5} Proverbs 31:10-31 God’s WomanRuth
A bit different to being a Prophetess! {see Deborah below} Moabitess is Ruth’s “label”, how we may think of her, this and her gleaning in a cornfield! Two pictures which give her a status and neither are too complimentary, given that Moab was an enemy of Israel and gleaning was left to the poor and the alien (Lev. 23:22). The descendants of Lot (Gen. 19:37) became Moabites and that was not a very godly beginning to that nation! Moabite gods and customs were always a thorn in the side of Israel and Israel was advised to have little interaction with them. But because geographically they were neighbours, in a time of extreme famine in Israel the family of Elimelech went there and their men folk died there. That left Naomi and her two daughters’ in law as widows, an even more precarious existence. We know the story of Ruth persuading Naomi to let her return to Israel with her, in wonderfully moving words…”Don’t urge me to leave you… where you go I will go… your God will be my God.” Here we catch a glimpse of the true person, past poverty and widowhood.
6But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.” 18When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.(Ruth 1:16-18)
And so this foreigner came to a strange country, strange customs, vulnerable and alone except for her mother in law. How wonderfully God went to work in her life from that point on!
She moved from being an outcast and a stranger to being listed in the line of King David and thereby the line of the Messiah. Because Naomi knew something of the law when Ruth met Boaz in the field she chose to glean in, (Ruth 2) she advised Ruth to follow through with that meeting… Naomi knew that Boaz was a kinsman-redeemer. (Ruth 3) Under Old Covenant law a widow could be provided for by marriage with a kinsman. And so it happened, Boaz did all the correct things and he made himself available to protect this young woman, even though she was a Moabitess, because he knew she was “a woman of noble character.” (Ruth 3:11)
I’ve heard those words before somewhere! Proverbs 31:10… “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth more than rubies.” And I believe we can be sure that Boaz and Ruth were blessed in their marriage and life together, because we have seen the hand of the Lord in their meeting. Ruth could have gone to any field to work that day, but God directed her feet. We see God’s hand in the wisdom of Naomi who knew the right thing to counsel. And in Ruth’s obedience that day on the road out of Moab, leaving her home and family behind, we see her rich reward. More than she could have dreamed, the God of Israel she chose that day to serve became her provider in every sense of the word. Boaz was obedient and together they joined the genealogy of Jesus. (Matt.1:5-6) Simple obedience, honest trusting in God for all needs to be met, walking in love… this too can be our portion and provision!
{Part 4} Proverbs 31:10-31 God’s Woman
And DeborahWhat exactly is a “prophetess”? A dictionary says of a prophet, “An inspired teacher, one who reveals Divine will, foretells future events.” Such a person used by God we would expect to be filled by His Holy Spirit and to use opportunities to encourage God’s people, as well as challenge them! Deborah is such a woman who stands out in history.
Her story in Judges 4 is alongside a military leader in Israel during a time of oppression. She is known as one of the Judges of Israel, used by God to bring … well, judgements!! Much like today she would hear cases brought to her by people and give decisions. She held court not in a big building, but under a palm tree, which came to be well known. She delivered “an oracle” to Barak saying how the Lord would deliver His people, if Barak would raise up an army. Interestingly, Barak agreed to this only on condition that Deborah went with him and the army. She did so and the outcome is recorded in the Song of Deborah, Judges 5. We can picture the kind of dynamic woman she must have been, sure of herself under God, with many people coming to have life-decisions made under her ministry. And in the background, there was a supportive husband! Praise the Lord for such men, who stand firmly beside women who are called to a special work for the Lord and let us pray for such marriages, that the couples would be protected by God.
Deborah is described in Judges 5:7 as “a mother in Israel” and her example was laid down in history, explaining something of her heart for her people. A modern day example of a Deborah may be Golda Meir, who wept for soldiers lost in wars during her premiership in Israel, but took great and courageous decisions for the sake of the nation. Courage is most often assumed in men! We have grown up on stories about knights in shining armour, going into battle to save maidens! Then along comes a woman of God who “sits under a palm tree” and leads her nation against cruel oppression. Courage is a gift of God for all His children, Jesus told His disciples often to “have courage”, in each day we need courage for all that’s required of us, in the big and the small things.
In 1 Cor.16:13-14 Paul ends that letter by saying, “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.” (NKJV) Words to live by!
{Part 3} Proverbs 31:10-31 God’s Woman
HISTORICAL HERO’S?!
We mentioned last time blessings over children and wife in a Jewish home… using names like Ephraim, Manasseh, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah… as well as the Woman in Proverbs 31. You’ll know that Ephraim and Manasseh were the sons of Joseph, one of the sons of Jacob… who became Israel and his sons became the twelve tribes of Israel. And Sarah was Abraham’s wife, the first Matriarch of Israel, then Rebekah who was married to Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau, and then Rachel and Leah, wives of Jacob!! Their stories are found in Genesis. To have the names and by association, the honoured memory, of these pillars of history prayed over you was an act of faith, desiring God’s blessings and guidance and honour on your loved ones.
There are always threads running through God’s word and it’s so good to tie them together! For instance, what does it mean when the man of the house says, (Prov.31:29)
“Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”? This Woman of God is seen as greater than the Heroines of History we’ve mentioned, perhaps greater than others in Biblical history, like Miriam, Deborah, Ruth, Hannah, Esther. So let's look at moments in the lives of these women, before finally looking in depth at the Proverbs passage...
First stop: Miriam
Miriam, sister of Moses, Exodus 15:20-21: She’s remembered as the one who led the nation of Israel in praise and song with tambourine, after the crossing of the sea and the escape of the children of Israel from Pharaoh’s armies. She is called “a prophetess”, was musical and she had leadership qualities as all the women followed her in dance and worship to God. A very gifted lady, we would say today. But there’s more to her than that, being the sister of Aaron and Moses…let’s remember her crucial role in the saving of her baby brother’s life. That took courage! (Ex.2:4-10) And then strangely and sadly there came a day when she doubted the great role God had placed on Moses’ shoulders, (Num.12:2) and as a result she was struck with leprosy, only redeemed by the prayers of Moses and a seven day time of being “shut out of the camp”. Perhaps we can relate to this dynamic woman, gifted and given leadership and special kills and yet… she questioned the work of God and as a result had to be disciplined. A spurt of pride was perhaps her undoing that one day… and “the Lord heard it.” Praise Him for His grace and mercy in restoring Miriam, as He does us… so graciously, when we ask Him.Because the book of Proverbs is thought of as a book of Wisdom in the Bible, could we think of the woman described at the end of chapter 31 as a part of God’s plan of explaining His thoughts about Wisdom? One commentator says that this woman is “an embodiment of wisdom”. With this view, if we see her attributes as something God wants to show us for encouragement, we do not have to be so intimidated by the list of things she does so well! Earlier in Proverbs we can actually read about Wisdom as “her”, for example in Prov.1:20 we read, “Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares.” Elsewhere in Proverbs we are lead into realizing that in fact Jesus is Wisdom. If we read through Proverbs 8, for example, with this in mind, we see how Jesus fits perfectly into such verses as “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence, I possess knowledge and discretion.” And “the Lord brought Me forth as the first of His works, before His deeds of old… from the beginning, before the world began, I was given birth.” It is helpful to put these thoughts alongside Colossians 1:15-17:
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together
How lovely it is then to put these two pictures with one another… the Lord Jesus as the ultimate Wisdom of God and then the Woman described in Proverbs as somehow a part of God’s picture of Wisdom. Let valuable jewels be the link! In Prov.8:11 we read, “For wisdom is more precious than rubies…” and this is picked up in Prov.31:10 which says, “She is worth far more than rubies.” There is value in wisdom, the Godly kind that comes from a close walk with Jesus that enables us to become precious women of God.
I wonder how well known it is, that on the eve of a Sabbath in a Jewish home, the father of the house returns from the evening service to his home to celebrate and pray with his family. (Anyone watched “Fiddler on the Roof”?!) By now the candles have been lit by the wife or by her daughter, with suitable prayers. Picture the family who now enter into a precious time set aside to be with the Lord. The father prays for his sons: “God make you as Ephraim and Manasseh” and for his daughters, “God make you as Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah” and for his wife - he then reads all of Proverbs 31:10-31. What a blessing! Imagine how it would feel to have these words read over you?
Because there may be single women reading this, let us realize that God’s blessings are for all of us in these words from Proverbs 31:10-31, whether we be married or single, with children to raise or homes without children. With God’s help and light on our paths, let’s press in to experience the blessings placed on us as women of the Lord !
{Part 1}
It is my hope to place this woman in her setting, as part of the book of Proverbs found in the Old Testament of the Bible. Proverbs was largely written by King Solomon, son of King David of Israel, around 970 BC, but the section which has this picture of a very virtuous, ideal and noble woman, was written Scripture tells us, by a King Lemuel - possibly from Arabia, whose mother gave him this wise teaching which is recorded for all of history. Now we can put this picture alongside others in the Bible and learn from it.
At first glance this woman seems to be too good to be true! So many fine qualities, if only we had that many hours in a day to accomplished half of what she does. Or if only we had better circumstances we could be this kind of woman who does all things so well. But probably, the picture given here is of many qualities put together as a composite to give a picture of a Godly Woman. And the key point is that all the amazing qualities and achievements are as a result of her spiritual life. This attribute is available to each and every one of us.
Let us together take Proverbs 31:30 as the foundational verse to which we can all aspire!
“A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” (NIV)
“A woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.” (Life Application)
“But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” (NKJV)
“But a woman who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord, she shall be praised!” (Amp.Bible)
Perhaps we could take a look at Biblical women through the centuries, alongside the picture of this rather amazing woman, and build up a picture of how God has used them, blessed them and leaves them as examples of encouragement to us today....
