She Shall Be Praised
Notes
Transcript
She Shall Be Praised
Proverbs 31
Avoiding Proverbs 31 Discouragement
1. Who – Mrs. Lemuel, who had a healthy fear of God and female
depravity (v. 3; 30), wrote this poem.
2. Why – She wants the best for her son (v. 10)
3. When – Servants were not an automatic sign of regality or
luxury, but a middle-class convenience.
4. How – Mrs. Lemuel wrote an acrostic poem that is confessedly
idealistic (10, 29).
5. What – Mrs. Lemuel identifies four character-qualities of
female excellence: (1) God-Fearing (2) Selfless (3) Faithful (4)
Gracious.
6. Other Scripture – God has other passages for varied seasons
of life; the New Testament to teaches us about grace and
virtue.
God-Fearing
1. “A woman who fears the LORD” – her chief virtue (30)
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•
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Charm – can refer to an attractive figure or to flattering
words
“Deceitful” and “Vain” lead their respective phrases
Vain means fleeting, temporary; here today, gone
tomorrow.
2. Her reverence is most evident in her speech
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She speaks with wisdom and loyal love (26)
She “deals him bountiful good” (12); contrast her good
with the “brawling woman” of Proverbs (21:9, 19; 25:24;
27:15-16) whose constant badgering makes life
miserable to all those around her.
Selfless
1. The excellent wife never promotes herself:
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Her husband and children do not inhibit her mission, they are her
mission (12; 27)
She’s no slave – She has free reign to exercise her gifts for the
benefit of others: she dresses her children in scarlet because it’s
stylish (21), she makes bedding only she will see (22a), she
dresses herself in linen and purple just because (22b).
She finds abundant praise from the mouths of others: her
husband (29), her children (28), her works (31), and the elders of
the city (23).
2. The excellent wife constantly looks to the needs of others:
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She isn’t petty – she feeds her servants well (14-15)
She supplies appropriate clothing for the seasons (21; 24)
Faithful
1. Diligent: willing hands (13), rises at night (15),
dresses with strength (17), her lamp does not go out
at night (18), she puts her hand to the distaff and
spindle (19).
2. Teacher: as she rises early with the servants, you get
the impression that she is a hands-on model; she’s
also a verbal teacher (26) much like Mrs. Lemuel (1)
3. Thinker: she seeks the best supplies (13), she
considers investments for their future good (16), she
has thought ahead about the winter (21), she has a
reservoir of wisdom to impart to others (26)
Gracious
1. Generous:
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She “spreads out” to the poor – the idea can mean either
to spread out goods on a blanket in a generous way or
to spread out her abundance like the wings of bird to
draw the vulnerable close
She “sends out” her hands – she personally oversees
care for needy people.
2. Loving Speech:
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Mrs. Lemuel models loving speech in her description of
the ideal wife by dealing only in positives.
Her speech is hesed: loving, loyal, edifying, and results in
children who call her a blessing.
Reflections
1. The major benefit that God brings from these four
character-qualities is security. The excellent wife is
unafraid of winter (21), is satisfied with her work (18,
has mutual trust with her husband (11-12), and has
happy thoughts about the future (25). Her security
frees her from the awful drain of anxiety to pursue
her family’s best interests.
2. A godly husband refuses to fixate on everything his
wife is not but offers frequent praise for her many
points of godly character.
