A WOMAN WHO FEARS THE LORD IS TO BE PRIASED
Notes
Transcript
INTRODUCTION
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
In nineteen hundred sixty six
I happened on a girl,
And spent two years a-pondering
The value of that pearl.
She has a face and has a heart
All full of love and filling,
And so I sold my singleness
All fifty years, God willing.
And I have never once looked back
For fear of what I missed.
If ever God was good to me
It was the wedding kiss.
Four years and happy were the first
Without a child to bless,
And so we cultivated joy
And fields of faithfulness.
Then, like a mighty “Let there be!”
From Genesis page one,
Another soul was born on earth,
And we beheld a son.
But I had eyes for something more,
To watch God make another:
Out of a girl, my college pearl,
I watched him make a mother.
A kind of revelation this,
Just as the ancients say:
How much of Christ there is to see
In her maternal way!
Eight years and two more happy sons
All priceless to the minute,
Are like an unrolled, open scroll
With God’s own message in it:
“Charm is deceitful, beauty vain,
Though all the world has gazed,
But when a woman fears the Lord
She will be truly praised.”
This is an acrostic
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FEAR THE LORD?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FEAR THE LORD?
When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance
and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”
Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
You pass this test of fearing God only if we do not fear Him
Kids must fear their parents but if they are doing right, they have nothing to fear
The fear of the Lord is fear of fleeing out of his fellowship into the way of sin
Therefore the fear of the Lord is full of peace and security and hope. It keeps us near to the merciful heart of God, our fortress, our refuge, our sanctuary, our shield, our sun
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
WHY SHOULD WE PRAISE SUCH A WOMAN?
WHY SHOULD WE PRAISE SUCH A WOMAN?
Why is Praise so important
It feels good to do it
Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
“Praise is inner health made audible” - Lewis
The opposite of praise is the cranks, the misfits, the crooges of the world who seldom praise. They have an inner sickness of soul that yields criticism, complaining, murmuring, grumbling, sarcam, suspicion, and a general joylessness.
It honors God
Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”
When we praise a woman who fears the Lord, we praise God
It strengthens her and in the Lord
Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
Too many times, the only time we praise someone is when they die
WHAT DOES A WOMAN WHO FEARS THE LORD LOOK LIKE?
WHAT DOES A WOMAN WHO FEARS THE LORD LOOK LIKE?
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.
She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.
She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.
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.
Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
She is not anxious about the future
He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.
She has practical wisdom
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
The wisest people I know are the people who hope in the Lord and have quieted their soul like a child at its mother’s breast
. But the people who are most anxious, most tense and fretful about tomorrow, are those whose counsel I bank on the least
She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She is strong
She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
She does not live for herself but for others
A woman who fears the Lord will not squander the family’s livelihood on frivolous purchases, but will have the complete trust of her husband because she is for him and not against him.
. Wherever possible she supplements his earnings rather than wastes it.
Now one last mark of the woman who fears the Lord: whether married or not, she lives for the good of the needy