Today’s Passage: “She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies sashes for the merchants. Strength and honor are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to come.” Proverbs 31:24-25
More lessons we can learn from the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31 are courage, honor and joyfulness. There is seemingly no end to the life lessons of this godly woman! It is amazing how such a condensed passage as Proverbs 31 can contain so much sound advice for Christian women today.
Our beloved example begins by making garments and selling them. She certainly earns her keep! This is not a woman who is afraid to make a living for her family if the need arises or who has any doubt that her Lord will help her. I know women who lost their husbands while their children were still young. Never having worked outside of the home or farm before, they were forced to learn a new trade in order to feed their families. The courage shown by such godly women is incredible because they knew they must venture out to make a living doing something with which they had no experience; yet they overcame their fear for their family and through their faith in the Lord.
Similarly, after the death of Moses, God told Joshua that it was time for the children of Israel to enter the Promised Land; however, this would be no easy journey into the land they would inherit. They were going to have to fight the people in the land of Canaan in order to take it over. Surely some of the older people were still imagining the words of the ten spies who had said that the inhabitants of the land were giants and that it would be too difficult for them to conquer. Except for Joshua and Caleb and the priest, these people had grown up in the desert. This was a new generation of Israelites who would be led to fight the Canaanites.
God told them, “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:5-9.
Notice that in this short passage, “be strong and of good courage” was mentioned by God three times. Jehovah God knew that what the people were to accomplish was not something they were accustomed to doing, but He assured them that if they followed Him, He would make them successful and prosperous. Sometimes we must face trials in which we are afraid because we feel inadequate or inexperienced, but God has promised us that He will be with us always if we obey Him. As we just read in Joshua 1, “the Lord your God is with you wherever you go”. What a wonderful promise from our Lord! If we are Christian women who are strong and courageous, just as the virtuous woman was, we will be blessed and protected by our Father. Fear should no longer be a concern because God is with us. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” II Timothy 1:7.
In addition to being courageous when facing the unknown, we must be strong in the faith and courageous in spreading the gospel. The Corinthians were told, “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong” I Corinthians 16:13. It takes vigilance and faith in God in order to be ready to stand against the devil’s wiles and speak up for truth. It is no small battle that we fight, as Ephesians 6:12 indicates: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places”.
Yet regardless of how powerful the devil and his servants seem, we know that Christ has already overcome and has claimed victory over death. We are taught that, “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” I Corinthians 15:56-57. Jesus Christ has already overcome death by His resurrection. We also will overcome if we are faithful to the end. We are not left alone to fight against the forces of darkness; our God is with us. John assures us, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” I John 5:4-5. It should give us strength and increase our faith to know that Christ has overcome the world and that He is with us.
Yet with our courage must come honor. It must be our clothing, just as our Scripture for today describes of the virtuous woman. It is not enough to stand up against evil if we do not seek to live pure and holy lives. It is sometimes easier to say that we are Christ’s than to live as if we are. To be honorable is not merely to be given honor but to be worthy of honor and high respect. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Now I pray to God that you do no evil, not that we should appear approved, but that you should do what is honorable…” II Corinthians 13:7. The opposite of doing what is honorable is noted at the beginning of the verse: to do evil. Therefore, if we are to be honorable, we must do that which is good according to God’s Word.
Peter also wrote that Christians should “…abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation”: I Peter 2:11-12. How then can we show the love of Christ to others and thus glorify God? According to God’s Word, we do so by being honorable in conduct and by doing good works.
A beautiful passage in Proverbs 11:16 states that “A gracious woman retains honor, but ruthless men retain riches.” Riches are merely temporary things that in some cases cause distraction from the holy things of God. Our goal should not be to focus primarily on amassing riches but to bring honor to our husband and our children and assure that their needs are met. A poor family who has love is richer by far than a family who has all worldly wealth at their disposal but know not God. “Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich.” Proverbs 28:6. A woman’s integrity is akin to her honor. Integrity is adhering to a code of moral and ethical values; in a Christian’s case, our values should be determined by the Word of God. Being honorable cannot exist apart from walking in integrity.
A very wonderful promise is given to those who adhere to God’s principles. If we obey Him, are humble and honorable and stand up against evil, we can rejoice in days to come just as the virtuous woman did. Some Christians seem to think that being pious and being cheerful cannot go hand in hand. Our coworkers or old friends in the world believe that we are missing out on all of the fun. They can hardly be farther from the truth. Obeying God, while giving up worldly “happiness”, is better for us in the long run. It may seem a ridiculous comparison, but just as a child who wants candy all of the time is limited in his desires by his mother who wishes for him to have healthy teeth and a normal glucose level, so we are limited by a Father who wants only the best for us. Instantaneous pleasure is often just that – a quick satisfaction without permanency. If it is bad for us, consequences will result, ending our perceived happiness. The end result of sin is eternal death and that is not good for anyone (Romans 6:23). Because of this, God has set guidelines for us to follow in order to be truly happy and to be cleansed of our sin when we make mistakes.
Life as a Christian should be hopeful, joyous and peaceful. This does not mean that we will not have times of grief, whether in our lives or in the lives of those whom we comfort (Romans 12:15); yet we have a home in heaven with our Lord if we remain faithful to Him (James 1:12; Revelation 2:10). If we are women of God, we should rejoice just as the virtuous woman was able to rejoice because she was prepared for the days ahead. The Lord offers us hope and joyfulness if we endure suffering, such as in Mark 13:13, I Corinthians 4:12 and II Corinthians 1:5-7. Paul wrote, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” Romans 8:18. This verse is a great comfort to me.
May you be joyous this very day by resting in the comfort that God will always be with you. It is not God who leaves us but we who leave God. When we do, He is always waiting for us to return, just as the loving father of the prodigal son in Luke 15. Regardless of what we have done, God waits patiently for us to return so that He can forgive us. What hope that should give us and also the urgency to ensure that we return while we still have the opportunity.
I’d like to end this lesson with passages reflecting hope and joy in the Lord. As we attempt to live godly lives and lead others to Christ, it is helpful to pause and reflect on all of the blessings that we have. Even when we are suffering, we have hope in the Lord. Many a dear friend has helped me along my own journey of cancer, treatment and transplant and I am greatly blessed to be able to return just a portion of the love that they have shown to me through this lesson. Though I still do not know what lies around the corner, I know that my God will be there, too, and that gives me tremendous hope.
“Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!” I Chronicles 6:10.
“But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You” Psalm 5:11.
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him” Psalm 28:7.
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance” Romans 5:1-3.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” Philippians 4:4.
“Rejoice always” I Thessalonians 5:16.
“…Happy are the people whose God is the LORD!” Psalm 144:15.
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” James 1:2-3.
“Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation” James 1:9.
“Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted” Matthew 5:4.
God’s Word is completely different from what the world teaches. How could the world consider someone who is starving or is suffering happy? Yet Jesus gave hope to the suffering and lonely because He died for all of us and gave us the great gift of salvation. This is how Christians who are in pain or sick or dying or grieving can be happy and rejoice. If we die in the Lord, we will never suffer again. God will wipe away the tears from our eyes and comfort us (Isaiah 25:8, Revelation 7:17, Revelation 21:4). No heartache or pain is so great that our Father cannot wipe it away and make us forget when we reach heaven.
God bless you today and every day as you seek His Will. May you have hope and rejoice in God’s blessings of peace and comfort this very day.
