Today’s Passage: “She perceives that her merchandise is good, and her lamp does not go out by night. She stretches out her hands to the distaff, and her hand holds the spindle.” Proverbs 31:18-19
Today’s study of the virtuous woman focuses on Proverbs 31:18-19 and her devotion to God by being honest and committed. Again, this study is one that pertains to me as I write it because I can greatly improve on my commitment to God and make the work in his kingdom priority over everything else. I should always strive to place God first, my family second, others next and myself last. In order to properly do this, the tasks I should pour the most efforts into are the ones that will improve my own as well as my family’s relationships with our Savior and help grow the church by reaching out to others to take care of their needs and share the hope of the gospel with them.
“She perceives that her merchandise is good, and her lamp does not go out by night.” Proverbs 31:18
This verse further instills in us the idea that the virtuous woman is dedicated and works earnestly because she works all night if the need arises. An image comes to mind of a mother who stays up all night with a sick baby, caring for it until the morning light. A good mother does not have to be asked to care for her baby. It should be something she does naturally out of great love for her children. Wise King Solomon called on the great bond between mother and child when he tested two women who claimed to be the mother of a baby in I Kings 3:26.
Similarly, we should have the same love for others who are in need. Compassion should arise in us when we look around and see the needs of those who are sick, injured, lonely, poor or grieving. It is written of our Lord Jesus that “when he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” Matthew 9:36. What hope it should give us to know that Jesus, who is Deity, looks upon His people with compassion and love.
A virtuous woman in the Lord is honest at all times. In order to perceive "that her merchandise is good", she must examine it and determine its worth. If there is an imperfection, she will correct it instead of attempting to sell an inferior product as if it were flawless. This characteristic is taught in Leviticus 19:36: “Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt.” It is a very sad thing that such a person could not be found in Jerusalem. God spoke through Jeremiah to tell the people of Judah: "Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city.” I fear that the same could be said of our nation today.
Whether we tell “white lies” or exaggerate the details, are we seeking the truth and dealing honestly? If we are asked to do something on the job, are we honest to God and our principles? In the workforce, I have been instructed to tell callers that someone is “out of the office” or “in a meeting”. Even something as “simple” as this is a test of our honesty. A better answer would be that they are unable to take the call or, if they are dodging the caller, tell them that you can take a message or assist them with any problems, avoiding the mention of what your coworker is doing. I have known Christians whose consciences have been stricken by the things they are asked to do by management, and although they do not have another employer waiting in the wings, they have made the decision to trust God and do the right thing. In some cases, the employee has been terminated, in other cases the employee has chosen to willfully terminate. Such Christians show great faith in the Lord and are some of the greatest examples of using honest scales and seeking the truth.
This verse also teaches a great lesson in worthiness and is one that I must personally strive to learn. When a woman of God who has obeyed the gospel does her very best, examines her life against the Word, repents of all sin and strives to always live faithfully, she “perceives that her merchandise is good.” As humans, we will never live up to the perfect example of Christ and we will never attain salvation through our own works because no human is without sin. We must discipline our body daily (II Corinthians 9:27) to ensure that we are living for God and we must test ourselves by always comparing ourselves to the perfect model of Christ and the commandments of the Lord (II Corinthians 13:5, Galatians 6:4, I Thessalonians 5:21, James 1:3).
Having stated this, there is a sense in which we must know that mistakes will be made or else we would not need a Savior. It is a serious business to continually test our faith and actions to ensure they will stand but we must also feel the peace and comfort that we are saved through Christ. Paul had a healthy outlook in that he considered himself the “chief” of sinners (I Timothy 1:15) yet He boasted in the Lord (II Corinthians 10:17, Galatians 6:14). In other words, by himself, he was worthless but with Christ, he could “do all things” (Matthew 19:26, Philippians 4:13). That is a very uplifting example for us as women to have. We are of great worth when we are part of the body of Christ.
“She stretches out her hands to the distaff, and her hand holds the spindle” Proverbs 31:19. This passage further conveys the idea of diligence and dogged determination. It describes a woman completely committed to her task. True commitment and loyalty are values that are nearly nonexistent in today’s society. Gone are the days when everyone was committed to his job, such as the milkman and postman that delivered items to the front door and greeted each of their customers. The only way to understand such a notion today is to watch reruns of Andy Griffith or Leave it to Beaver. There are certainly kind and caring postal and delivery workers today, but more often than not, our mail marked “Do not bend” is shoved into the mailbox and folded in half to make it fit in order to save walking a few feet to our door or writing up a slip for us to pick up the package at the post office. A shipping employee leaves boxes at our door without knocking. (I think he’s afraid I’ll release the hounds at the front window!) Thankfully, no one has decided to steal the packages before we discover them later as we open the door and stumble over them.
At any rate, it seems that personal service is a thing of the past. Cashiers roll their eyes when there is a price check or completely fail to acknowledge their customers. Often, the only thing they say to us is the total price. It is interesting to note that at some businesses, the credit card swipe asks if the associate has been helpful that day. I wonder what the tally is for the average associate and whether most people who swipe their card are honest.
Commitment to marriage and family has decreased rapidly in our "me first" world. The idea of "falling out of love" is not a Biblical concept. In fact, the very word for the love we should have for God and fellow man is “agape”, an unconditional, sacrificial love. God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). “Eros”, or infatuation and sexual love, is not to be the driving force behind marriage. “Feeling love” or being “in love” is not the same as sacrificing for love and remaining committed, even in the dark times. God loved us (agape) when we were unlovable (I John 4:10, Romans 5:6-10). This is the same concept that we should have for our families, whether they act deservedly or not (Colossians 3:18, I Peter 3:1). It is extremely important for us to teach our children throughout their lives to choose wisely when they marry because marriage is for life. It is true when someone states that they just aren’t in love with their spouse anymore or don’t feel the same way about them. Because they have abandoned their duty to love sacrificially and thus have broken their commitment to spouse and God, they indeed do not love their spouse anymore. This attitude does not reflect Biblical teachings of what our love should be (agape) as marriage partners. Note that the only situation in which the marriage bond may be broken except by death is by the spouse who has been wronged by adultery, a sexual act outside of marriage (Matthew 5:32; 19:9, Mark 10:11, Luke 16:18, Romans 7:2-3). This does not change the fact that God hates divorce and we would do well to consider this very carefully before a decision is made in an adulterous relationship. Our spouse and children's souls may be at stake if the spouse later remarries or influences the children to make wrong decisions in their own marriages later. “Marriage should be honored by all” Hebrews 13:4.
The virtuous woman does not fail to give herself wholeheartedly to the task at hand. We need hard workers in the kingdom as well. Wherever God can use us, we should do our best to fulfill the task with cheerfulness. Imagine walking into a business where everyone is truly happy to see you and says “Hello”. Whenever you look for someone to help you locate an item, they do not avoid your eyes and scurry away but instead smile and walk over to you to assist. When you check out at the cash register, the cashier smiles and asks how you are doing with genuine concern and the person bagging your groceries takes great care to ensure that your bread and eggs are not smashed. He or she then carries out your groceries to your car and wishes you well. Hard to imagine in a store that does not pay commission to their employees who do these things? It shouldn’t be, if we who are Christians live according to our names’ sake. “Christian” means a follower of Christ and one who professes belief in His teachings. We should think twice before telling people we are Christians if we are not willing to do what Christ says and live according to His example and teachings.
Honesty is not limited to working outside of the home. Our family members need for us to be completely honest with them. This does not mean that we should go around telling everyone that we wouldn’t be caught dead in their outfit or that we find what they said to be hurtful when it is something that is of little consequence. We are not perfect ourselves. Honesty also does not mean sharing every minor detail about ourselves with others, preventing us from listening to what others have to say. In fact, James wrote, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” James 1:19. This means that we should keep our mouth shut if our comments are not constructive and be active listeners.
On the other hand, if we are asked to tell the truth about something, we should answer truthfully with carefulness, striving to speak in love. We can temper the things that we say by placing ourselves in the other person’s shoes and thinking of how we would like to be told something. For example, if my hair is a mess and I ask someone, “Do you like my hair?”, I would rather be told that she preferred my former style as opposed to hearing, “No, it’s just downright horrible”. If I am acting in a way that is inappropriate as a Christian or state something that is incorrect, I would like to be told in honesty and love. It might be hurtful to hear, “You are a hypocrite” rather than, “I’m concerned about something you did”. While I may be acting hypocritically, there are better ways to teach me than by a critical demeanor. Personally, I'd rather be told unlovingly than not at all so that I can correct my mistakes, but these words could be quite devastating to a new Christian who has just begun to learn what is required of him. Our attitude is very important when correcting someone and our intent must be to save both of us: the one committing the sin and the one teaching.
Honesty does not mean that we should be judgmental and harsh but that we seek to help others, all the while remembering that we too are imperfect and can lose the race if we are not careful. “Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” I Corinthians 9:26-27.
I hope that this study has been helpful to you as it has been to me. I plan to be out of town for several days so the next devotional may be delayed. Thank you for studying with me and God bless you and your family today.
