THE EXCELLENT WIFE - PART ONE

"An excellent wife, who can find?  For her worth is far above jewels ."

Proverbs 31:10

All men and women in our times are influenced by the false doctrines of  "feminism."  Bible-believing Christians know that we must change our culture back to the pattern that God gave us in the beginning.  How shall we make that change?  We have no hope of changing if both our men and our women don't accept the Bible pattern.  Please, give careful consideration to the following study of the excellent wife of Proverbs 31 as well as a fresh look at the Titus 2:5 woman.

In the description of the worthy woman in Proverbs 31, the word “excellent” is the same word that is translated “worthy.”  This proverb reveals what most women forget or ignore: a woman makes or breaks a man. We have the saying that behind every good man is a good woman. This is precisely the idea that the writer of this proverb is teaching.  The excellent worthy wife is the crown of her husband. By contrast, the foolish woman causes shame and destruction to the man. The excellent woman takes joy in seeing her husband succeed.  She wants her husband to do well, and she strives to help him succeed.  She does not sabotage her husband.  She is a helper suitable for him (Genesis 2:18).  Her moral excellence and virtue honor the lives of her husband, children, and those around her.

“The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands” (Proverbs 14:1).

Proverbs 14:1 describes how a wise woman can impact her household rather than the woman's effect on her husband.  The house here is not the physical bricks and wood, rather it is the tone and atmosphere of the home. She is the cog in the wheel that brings happiness and joy to her household, but she can also cause a sullen and sorrowful atmosphere in her home. Her own actions will determine whether the house is built up or torn down. The household does not only include the husband but also the children. The woman sets the tone of what that house will be like. The woman is also part of that household. Her decisions will either build herself up or tear herself down. Why?  Because the woman is the one that controls the atmosphere of the home. She determines the degree of hospitality in the home.  Hence, the woman must think seriously about her role in the home.  So, what are you doing to build your house up? Are you taking an active role in making things better or worse for the inhabitants of your house?

I.   GOD'S PERFECT PLAN FOR EVERY WIFE:  

In the Garden of Eden, God created man and woman in His image, Genesis 1:27.  God also gave them tasks to follow as His "image-bearer."  Each man and woman, were to be in charge of His creation (to rule over) so that they might glorify Him.

"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'"  Genesis 1:26, emphasis added.

"Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."   I Corinthians 10:31, emphasis added.

Since He created us in His image, we are accountable to Him.  We have the task and obligation to make wise and righteous choices for us to accomplish and fulfill our God-given duties. 

“… choose for yourselves today whom you will serve…”
Joshua 24:15, emphasis added.  

"… that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God."  Romans 3:19, emphasis added.

In the Word of God, we are instructed concerning the essential nature of both men and women as being equal.  Why?  Though men and women are made in His image, they are different in their physical bodies. 

"Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being… Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”  … So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that lace. The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man'"  Genesis 2:7, 18, 21-22.

"For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve"  I Timothy 2:13.

We must understand the order of creation. God commanded specific roles for the husband and the wife.  God made the man rule over the earth and later over his wife.  God created the woman to be man's "help meet" or helper.  God intended the woman to be suitable for him; to complete him and to provide all that he was lacking.  Again, though they were created in God's image, God's plan or intention for each was that they assume different roles.  The woman was created for man, not man for woman. 

"For a man ought not to have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.  For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man;  for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake"  I Corinthians 11:7-9, emphasis added.  

Later in the New Testament, the apostle Paul makes mention of God's original plan for both.  The man is to glorify God, and the woman is to glorify man.

In the beginning, back in the Garden of Eden, God's primary intent was for man to rule, that is, to take dominion over the earth.  Therefore, God created the woman Eve to be man's (Adam's)  "suitable helper."  As a result of their disobedience to God, God pronounced judgment on both and cursed the Serpent (Satan) and the ground.  Man would have to work the soil intensely, and the woman would have to suffer pain in childbirth.  Moreover, there was going to be a power struggle between the man and his wife.  

"Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy pain and thy conception; in pain thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire (to control or overtake) shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule (to have power) over thee."  Genesis 3:16 

It is evident that before they sinned against God, there was harmony between Adam and Eve, harmony in fulfilling their God-given roles.  Beginning with their disobedience to God's command, men and women have been caught up in a power play over who should be dominant. Without a doubt, this brought grief, confusion, conflict, bitterness, and misery for both.  By the Grace of God, Jesus came down from heaven to redeem us and to reconcile us to each other as well to God.  He restored us to Himself and thereby restored the ideal relationship between husband and wife.  The good news is that we can set things right through His plan of redemption in Christ.

Since the beginning, God's intent for man was for him to be the head of his wife.  

"For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body."  Ephesians 5:23 

He is to be the one in charge.  He must govern his home.  The wife is to model ("act out") submission as unto the Lord and glorify Christ. 

"Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord…  But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything…  This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church."  Ephesians 5:22, 24, 32 

On the other hand, the husband is to model ("act out") Christ's response to the church, Ephesians 5:32.  The husband is to offer himself as a sacrifice for his wife and family as Jesus did when He died for His church. 

 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her."  Ephesians 5:25

The husband is commanded to love, nourish, and to cherish his wife as Christ loves His church. 

"So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church…  Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband."  Ephesians 5:28-29, 33

We must study and understand the will of God for both husband and wife and their given roles.  When we obey God's divine pattern for the home and family, we learn how perfectly the relationship of the husband and wife fit according to His laws.  Husbands and wives must understand God's divine plan for them to have direct and close unity and harmony in their marriages.  This leads me to this question:  As a wife, how can you best carry out your God-given role?

Consider the many ways a wife can carry out God's divine plan for her, being her husband's glory:

1. She can help him by devoting herself to the management of their home and children.
2. She can help him to accomplish his goals.
3. She can bring peace and make things easier for him.
4. She can put him first over the children, parents, friends, job, ladies, etc.
5. Talk highly of him with honor and respect to others.
6. She will not slander, demean, under-appreciate him at all, even if you think it is true.
7. She will consider his work, goals, interests, as well as his work for the Lord as more important than her own.
8. She will examine all of her actions as to whether they glorify her husband or not.
9. She will be affectionate and gracious to his family and friends.
10. She will build him up with her words rather than tearing him down.
11. She will be chaste and pure in the way she dresses, speaks, and wears her makeup.  She will be careful not to call another man's attention.
12. She will carry herself in a manner that is pleasing to both God and her husband.
13. She will be patient, meek, and quiet in spirit, always pointing him to the Lord.
14. She will encourage him to use all of his spiritual gifts for the glory of God's work.
15. She acknowledges that man's obedience glorifies God, even as she glorifies her husband by submitting to his headship.  

Often sisters in Christ ask me, "What if my husband is not a Christian?  What if he is not glorifying God?  My answer is that a Christian wife still has to abide by God’s laws and that she is commanded to fulfill her God-given role; she must live out the role that God intended for her regardless of whether her husband is doing his part or not.  We are to do God's will and nothing else.  Let us not sin against our God by disobeying His laws.

Let us meditate on God's will for us as Christian wives that we may be godly women, excellent wives whether our husbands are faithful Christians or unbelievers.  Let us not ignore that this is what He has revealed in His Word, His Law, the Bible.  He has provided us with abundant wisdom through His inspired Word so that we may live a godly Christian life.   


II.   A WIFE'S UNDERSTANDING OF HER ROLE - PART ONE:

• The Excellent Wife:  Proverbs 31

One of the foremost texts in the Bible concerning God's will for us, wives, is found in Proverbs 31.  Notice that in Proverbs 31, we find the words of King Lemuel, "which his mother taught him."  Notice that in Proverbs 31:1, he starts out by asking:

"An excellent wife, who can find?  For her worth is far above jewels."

So, who can find an excellent wife?  What is an excellent wife?  How can one recognize her?  What is she like?  What does she do?  Proverbs 31:10-31 provides us all the answers to these questions.  Throughout Proverbs 31 verses 10-31, God describes for us twenty traits of what an excellent wife is.  As Christian women who profess godliness, we must strive to develop these qualities or excellencies to glorify God and reflect His glory.  

• Trusted.
• Respectful to her husband.
• Of exceptional worth.
• Good to her husband.
• Generous.
• Wise.
• Diligent worker with her hands.
• Not afraid.
• Praised.
• Careful.
• Blessed by her children. 
• Fears the LORD.
• Kind.

What a glorious reflection of God's glory!  When a woman starts to develop these excellent traits in her life because she fears the LORD, she starts blooming into a godly, excellent wife.  Her life starts to glorify God through her attitudes and actions.  It is life as a beautiful flower which reflects the glory of God's creation in the light of the morning sun.

Proverbs 31 is the record of a king who is carefully contemplating or, to some extent, reflecting on many of the noteworthy teachings his mother had taught him.  He called this wisdom, "the prophecy (oracle) that his mother taught him."  His mother had urged him to refrain from certain women, the lewd women, because they destroy a king.  She had also warned him about other sinful things:

1. The use of alcohol, which perverts a  king's judgment.  
2. She encouraged him to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves: to plead the case of the poor and needy.  

After all this excellent counsel his mother had given him, she expressed to him her concerns that he find a suitable woman as a wife.  She started by speaking of the excellent, godly, virtuous woman, and how rare and precious she was.  She described this excellent woman at length.  She gave him a list of all her excellent attributes and how he might find her when he sees what she portrays as a godly woman.  Her life and her deeds would speak for her.  He would know her by what she does.

The key idea in Proverbs 31 is ACTION.

1. She works hard.  
2. She is a creative merchant.  
3. She is prudent.  
4. She is kind..... 
5. She is not lazy or slothful.
6.  She is diligent in her work, both when it is convenient and when it is not convenient.

As you read through this excellent Proverb, you will find that almost every verse describes the daily chores or tasks she is engaged in.  In the end, her ACTIONS speak of her worth.  A god-fearing woman is one that is busy doing constructive activities from day to day.  She is indeed a suitable active helper for her husband.  She is magnificent as a wife, a mother, a loving and caring neighbor.  She blesses everyone who would come in contact with her by her godly actions, her righteous deeds.

The "Proverbs 31 woman" shines like a beacon in this world of darkness.  It is the woman who embodies all these excellent qualities which each Christian woman should strive for in her daily life.  She models these excellent qualities in her home, in her family life, and in her daily walk.  This excellent wife has a heart that pleases God.  Do you find it difficult to follow this excellent woman's example?  Is it difficult to measure up to such a godly, excellent woman?  I know and am aware that when we all compare ourselves to this excellent wife by considering the way we have carried out our responsibilities as wives and mothers, we feel as if we had failed.  This excellent wife's example puts us to shame.  Let our hearts not be troubled but rather let us follow Christ's example and walk in His footsteps.  Let us follow after and press toward the mark, Philippians 3:12-14.  Let us repent and follow God's divine pattern.  Let us obey His standards and not fall short by lowering His standards. 

I will be considering the last part of Proverbs 31, verses 10-31 about this "excellent woman."  Each of these 22 verses begins with a different letter of the Hebrew Alphabet.  This same Alphabetical pattern is found in some of the Psalms.  This pattern may have been used as an aid in memorizing Scripture.  Psalm 119 is the most famous Alphabetical Psalm.  There are 22 Alphabetical sections of eight verses each.  In the Hebrew text of Proverbs 31, each verse is distinctly divided into two parts.  For example:

1. In verse 10 - Part 1:   An excellent wife (virtuous), who can find?   
2. Part 2:  For her worth is far above jewels (rubies).  

This two-part pattern is found throughout all these verses, except for verse 15, which seems to be divided into three parts.  Isn't that interesting!

• The Excellent Wife And Her Godly Traits:   (Proverbs 31:10-31)

An excellent woman builds up her home.  She does not tear it down. She controls the tone and atmosphere of the home. She makes everyone in her home flourish.  Her inner beauty is what matters the most.  Her outward beauty is wasted when she lacks discretion.  A quarrelsome woman drives everyone away, including her husband and children.  But a prudent woman does not cause strife but keeps herself from quarrels.  Now, let us consider those excellent traits that make an excellent, worthy wife:

• She is a Woman of Strength:

"An excellent (virtuous, worthy, far above) wife, who can find?  For her worth is far above jewels."  (Proverbs 31:10)

"An excellent (virtuous, worthy, far above) wife, who can find?"   

This might literally read, "Who can find a woman of strength?"  The term "'excellent" ("virtuous" as in some Bible translations) is from a noun that means strength, efficiency, or ability.  In this text, it means the strength of character, that is, moral strength and firmness.  She is also rare, unique, precious, and matchless.

In Exodus 18:21, we find this same expression of men.  Moses was commanded to find "able men," literally meaning "men of strength," who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain.  Men like these were not easy to find.  This same expression is found in I Kings 1:42 ("valiant man" or "man of strength").  In verse 52, it is a "worthy man" or "man of strength."  In this verse, we learn that the opposite of a virtuous woman (an excellent wife) is a wicked man.  Thus, a virtuous (excellent) man is someone of high moral strength in whom there is no wickedness.  He is a godly, god-fearing man.  In turn, the virtuous(excellent) woman is god-fearing as in Proverbs 31:10 and 31:30.

In the Old Testament, we find two more examples of this virtuous woman.  One is Ruth in the book of Ruth 3:11.  Everyone knew her as a virtuous woman.  A woman with strength of character fears God, loves the Truth, and hates sin.  Today, we live in a culture where both men and women lack this strength of character.  The other example of an excellent, virtuous woman is found in Proverbs 12:4.  From this text, we learn that a woman of strength does not put her husband to shame.

"For her worth is far above jewels."  A woman who fears God is worth far more than jewels (rubies).  The Hebrew term for "rubies" refers to pink pearls or red coral.  To the Ancients, a pink pearl that was found in the Red Sea among mollusks was of great value.  It is difficult to be sure which stone or pearl this Hebrew word refers to, but its use in the Old Testament suggests two things:  

1. It was of great worth, very valuable (Proverbs 20:15; Job 28:18).  
2. It was somewhat red in color (Lamentations 4:7 --"ruddy").

Who can find a virtuous woman (a woman of strength)?  She is indeed a rare gem or jewel.  Jewels (precious stones) are precious and very expensive, as well as rare.  They are very beautiful, brilliant and lustrous compared to the other stones which are mostly plain.  The excellent woman is a beautiful woman inwardly rather than outwardly.  She is not only a rare jewel but a beautiful one!  A godly woman is rare and hard to find.  The same can be said about the godly man.

So the question is:  How is a godly young man to find a godly woman to marry?  First, he needs to acknowledge that a godly woman is not going to be attracted to just any kind of man.  She is going to be looking for a man of strength, a valiant man who would speak the Truth of God and, most importantly, a godly servant of Christ.  So, for the godly young men out there, you must be a gem yourself, exercising godliness.  Fearing the Lord with all of your heart.   Dare to be different and go against the flow of the world!   Be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).  Dare to be the kind of man that would draw, attract a godly woman's attention!  This godly, worthy, excellent, god-fearing woman is hard to find even among those who profess to be Christians.

• She is a Trusted Companion:

 "The heart of her husband trusts in her, And he will have no lack of gain.  She does him good and not evil all the days of her life."  (Proverbs 31:11-12)

"The heart of her husband trusts in her."   

This husband can surely trust his wife.  Why?  Because she does not do him harm but good throughout their relationship.  As we read through this beautiful poem, we come to appreciate why he trusts her.  By her righteous and good deeds, she has earned his trust.  She is honorable, faithful, and chaste.  She does not do or say anything behind her husband's back.  Isn't that remarkable and beautiful!

Sadly, many husbands today cannot trust their wives, and often, this can also be said of their wives.  They cannot trust each other.  One of the main foundations of a strong honoring marriage is to be able to trust your marriage companion.  This is one of God's greatest gifts.  So, what makes a husband trust his wife?  First, "he will have no lack of gain (spoil)."  Second, "She does him good and not evil."

"And he will have no lack of gain."  

The expression "no lack (no need)" is found in Psalm 23:1, "I shall not want."  It means to be in need.  It is used in both texts as a negative expression.  When the LORD is our Shepherd, then we shall not be in need of anything (no lack of gain).  Why?  Because He supplies all our needs, Philippians 4:19.  Thus, a godly wife will have no lack of gain (shall not be in need of spoil).  The word "spoil" means "plunder, booty."  It often refers to valuable stolen goods in war or battle ("booty").  The soldiers would take all these things from the defeated enemies gaining riches for themselves.  Here in verse 11, the word "gain" does not imply that the wife has to do this to have no lack of gain (need of gain).  It means that she is a wonderful, excellent blessing to her family, even financially.  How?  By managing her home well in a way that is productive and industrious.  As a great result of all her efforts, she is a significant gain and even profit for her family.

Sadly, we cannot say this of many wives today.  Why?  Because many of them are lazy, idle, and careless, causing their family to suffer significant financial losses.  How and Why?  By shopping compulsively and incurring credit card debts and by engaging in wasting countless hours of unproductive activities (television, the internet, social media, games, shopping, hobbies, reading, cell phones, etc.).  This leads me to the following question:  How is her husband to safely trust in her?  Perhaps, after destroying the family's budget, and all that she has lost, he is going to find himself in great need of gain.  Take note that the wife is not the only one with the problem of wasteful spending and unproductive activities.  Men are guilty of this, as well.  Both need to repent!  This is precisely why many women have to go to work, abandoning their homes and children.

"She does him good and not evil."  

Her husband can safely trust in her and not have to worry about her being a financial hindrance (verse 11).  Also, because he knows she will do him good and not evil.  "Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favor of Jehovah"  Proverbs 18:22.  In Job's case, his wife became a curse who only added to his trials and sufferings (Job 2:9-10).  Unfortunately, some men find "a crown to their head," while others find "rottenness to their bones."  (Proverbs 12:4)

Without a doubt, Proverbs 31:10-31 was written to help shepherd men in finding the right kind of wife.  The key to finding the right, excellent woman, is to bow before God in prayer, trusting in Him to help him find one.  The excellent wife desires only God's highest blessings.  She wants the best for her husband.  Her life is a constant blessing and a profit to her husband.

"All the days of her life."  

She is continually doing good to her husband.  She does him good no matter her circumstances.  Her husband can depend on her trustworthiness to do him good and not evil, for she is always a blessing.  He can count on her today and tomorrow, all the days of her life. She is not a roller coaster, up and down, hot or cold.  She is persistent in her godliness.  She is good to him every day.  She is constant in her love, unshaken faith, and endurance.  She is unchanging, loyal, and permanent.

• She is a Cheerful Worker.

"She looks for wool and flax and works with her hands in delight."
(Proverbs 31:13)

"She looks for wool and flax."  

This verse is one of many in Proverbs 31, that mentions the hands of the excellent wife.  Wool is the wavy and curly undercoat of sheep and can be woven to make warm garments or fabrics.  This excellent woman of God would gather the fleece and also flax to make clothing for her family.  This was back then, and of course, even today, it is a very complicated and time-consuming task.  To work wool or flax fibers, one would have to wash them, soak them (the flax or hemp) in water to soften and separate the strands.  Then the fibers had to be combed, carded, spun, and finally woven.  Notice that this was not a hobby for her.  It was part of her never-ending job to provide adequate clothing for her large family, her household.  On the other hand, flax was a fibrous plant used in spinning.  The fibers can be extended and twisted into yarn or thread to make linen.  This excellent, godly woman "looks" or "seeks" for wool and flax to make garments. She would select the best quality of both to make clothes not only for her household but also for others as well.

"And works with her hands in delight."   

This godly woman would work with delight or pleasure.  She would take great joy and pride in her profession as a homemaker and manager of her home.  She was an eager, hard-worker.  She would look for tasks that might be an asset to her family.

Take note that she did it with joy:  "with her hands in delight" (willing hands).  Needless to say, she did not consider it an unpleasant chore but rather enjoyable and satisfactory.  Although we don't have to weave cloth and make clothing like this, we still have plenty of work to do when it comes to our family's clothing, which we can do with diligent and willing hands.  One example would be the time we spend doing laundry.  It can be done with delight, a cheerful heart, and willing hands.

We have lost the art of working with our hands in our culture today.  Why?  Because we are saturated with modern, computerized, and electronic entertainment.  Most women don't delight in or find it enjoyable to make clothes with their hands.  They instead delight in shopping uncontrollably for clothes at the malls, and many times this affects the family budget.  It is sad to say, but our women never learned these homemaking skills of sewing, mending, or knitting and crocheting from their mothers or grandmothers.  Most of our daughters are deficient when it comes to such things.  Even their mothers do not know how to do these things.  Thus they are not able to teach their daughters those homemaking skills, even if they want to.  Oh, how I miss seeing my mother spend hours sewing and doing things with her hands!  She was the best seamstress I ever knew!   The wise and godly woman would take great pleasure in working with her hands, providing clothing for her family.

• She is a Cautious Shopper: Frugal, Thrifty, and Wise.  

"She is like merchant ships; she brings her food from afar."
(Proverbs 31:14)

"She is like merchant ships; she brings her food from afar."   

In the previous verse, we noticed that she is looking (seeking) to provide clothing for her household.  Now, in verse 14, this godly woman is looking to provide her family with food.  The Word of God teaches us that we ought to be content with food and covering, I Timothy 6:8.  The excellent, godly, virtuous woman of God plays a crucial role in providing both food and clothing.  Notice that this virtuous, excellent wife is compared to the merchant's ships.  Merchants are traders who buy goods in one port, sailing to another port where such goods are needed.  They then sell them for a profit.  This takes time and effort.  So this godly, excellent woman would bring in food from afar, distant places.  In Hebrew, the word "bread" meant "food"  It was also used for food in general. 

My question is:  Does this verse mean she had to travel to far off countries to bring food for her family?  Very unlikely!  Ancient travel would have required absence from the children of months at a time. Most likely, what it means is that she brought in foods from distant lands by trading for them.  She might have taken some of the beautiful garments that she made with her hands (verse 31) and was able to sell them and trade them to some merchantmen in exchange for food which had come perhaps from far distant lands.  In today's 21st century terms, it means being a diligent and wise (prudent) shopper.  This, of course, takes time and effort, but it is worth the investment not only because it is our duty as Christian wives but also because it saves the family from financial catastrophe.  We must learn from this excellent woman who was frugal, not wasteful, using economy and good management.

• She is Disciplined (Self Controlled) and Organized (Efficient, Orderly).

"She rises also while it is still night and gives food to her household and portions to her maidens."  (Proverbs 31:15)

"She rises also while it is still night."  

This godly woman rose early and was up before the sun.  She was not idle and lazy.  In Proverbs 6:6-11, the sluggard should have learned from this godly woman to learn diligence.  There are so many extraordinary advantages in rising or getting up early.  It is a wonderful time to meditate on God's Word and prayer since there are no distractions.  This is a well-spent time with our LORD.  What a marvelous way to start the day!

We see this example in our Lord and Savior:  Mark 1:35 and in Psalm 88:13, where the Psalmist had the habit of morning prayer.

Rising up early allows us also to start the day on a good track.  When one sleeps in late, half the day is gone rendering us useless to accomplish our God-given duties.  We must make it a habit and ambition to begin well, to rise up early.  May our God help us to start our days well, according to His Word. Starting the day with Him giving diligence to all our tasks and duties.  Of course, there might be times when a mother would have to sleep in after being up taking care of a sick child.  This godly woman was diligent but also flexible and realistic.

"And gives food to her household and portions to her maidens."  

One of the reasons she would rise up early was to provide food for her household and serve others as well.  She would get up before her husband and children to provide a hearty meal for them.  She makes sure her family gets off to a good start.  

We live in a culture today where many of our younger women and older women hardly know how to cook and prepare meals.  It is sad to say, but many families eat out or order food to eat instead of making it.  Very few families sit down at the table together to pray and enjoy a home-cooked meal.  And we wonder why they don't stay together!

This godly woman was indeed well organized and self-disciplined.  She was blessed with a large household that included serving maidens.  She was not poor.  One might think that this godly woman would command her servants, female servants to rise up early and prepare breakfast for the entire family.  No, she did not.  She gives portions of food to her maidens.  This speaks of her kindness. 

Today, many of us cannot afford serving maids but have our children as our helpers if we take the time and effort to teach them all these excellent homemaking skills.  Teaching them to do everyday work is an investment that will pay off bountifully for both parents and them. 

• She is Entrepreneurial and Competent (Capable).

"She considers a field and buys it; from her earnings she plants a vineyard."  
(Proverbs 31:16)

"She considers a field and buys it."  

This word "considers" is often used to describe the wicked who devise evil or are actively plotting evil as in Psalm 37:12; 31:13, 17:3.  In the case of this godly and excellent wife, she considers a field to increase the estate she shares with her husband.  She does not do it impulsively, carelessly.  She gives it careful thought.  She wants to further her husband's interests and has a plan for her family.  She knows that a profitable, prosperous vineyard would be of value to all.  Understand that this godly woman is not working independently of her husband.  They were working as a team.  She likely had his counsel and blessing on this operation because we know that the heart of her husband safely trusted in her (verse 11).   "She buys it."  It literally means, she takes it. 

When the godly wife is under the headship of her husband, she can play a significant role in managing her family finances.  Some wives are very good at managing the family budget and bookkeeping and are a great blessing to their family and husband when they do it properly according to God's will.

"From her earnings she plants a vineyard."   

The purpose of buying the field was to provide a place for a vineyard so that her family might enjoy the fruit of the vine, a field of grapes.  This was a result of her labor in cultivating and maintaining (from her earnings).  Her vineyard was the fruit of her loving toil.  When this godly woman planned to buy the field, she also calculated the amount of toil that was going to be needed to maintain the vineyard.  

In some translations, it says, "the fruit of her hands," which could mean "the fruit of her earning."  That is to say that with the fruit of her hands (verse 13), she was capable of earning enough money to buy and plant a field of grapes, a vineyard.  Perhaps she used her servants or maidens to help her work the field.  She was, indeed, an entrepreneurial and capable wife.  She was not afraid of getting her hands dirty doing hard work.

• She is Strong and Confident.

"She girdeth her loins with strength, and maketh strong her arms."   
(Proverbs 31:17)

"She girdeth her loins with strength, and maketh strong her arms."  

This verse refers to her inner strength, both emotional and spiritual.  Such language is also found in 2 Timothy 1:7. This inner strength and firm trust in God express outer strength, physical vitality(vigor).  The word "girdeth" means to encircle or bind with a flexible band or girdle (belt).  In Bible times, both men and women wore tunics.  When the tunic was ungirded, it would hinder their ability to walk freely.  The Bible also symbolically uses this term.  Jesus said, "Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit"  Luke 12:35.  That is to say, "Be as men who with a long race to run; gather up the folds of your loose robes, and fasten them with your girdle; that nothing may keep you back or impede your steps."  In Bible language, "to be girded" means "to be ready for action."  

"For You have girded me with strength for battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me."  Psalm 18:39

This godly, virtuous woman, has an abundance of inner strength which enables her to work hard to accomplish all her physical tasks.  She does physical labor and thus is strong.  Her responsibilities demanded a considerable amount of physical strength.  She does not retreat from performing her physical work.  She does it gladly and with a cheerful heart.  Why?  Because she is resolved to not be lazy or slothful.  This worthy and excellent woman is an excellent example of diligence and hard work.  Her labors give her good health, physical strength, and keenness, willingness, eagerness for new labors.  This attitude gives her ease and tranquility so that she may be able to perform all these tasks, which to some women, appear to be impossible.  In the Bible, we have Rebekah as an example.  Do you remember when she offered to draw water for all the camels of Abraham's servant?  In the Bible, we have many examples of women doing hard work:  gleaning, grinding grain, and drawing water.  Physical work is good for us, women!

• She is a Diligent and Competent Manager.

"She perceiveth that her merchandise is profitable: Her lamp goeth not out by night."  

(Proverbs 31:18)

"She perceiveth that her merchandise is profitable."  

The word "perceiveth" in the Hebrew language means "taste."  That is to say, literally, that she tastes that her gain is good.  This same word is found in Psalm 34:8. "O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!"  God's goodness must be tasted.  One must experience it.  Only those who obey God and His Word can genuinely trust in Him by tasting of His goodness and having a close relationship with Him.

In some translations, the word "gain" is used as "merchandise," which means profit, traffic, and gain received from both.  This word is found twice in Proverbs 3:13-14, "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.  For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold."

This excellent woman purchases a field which she manages well, yielding her excellent profit.  She experiences the reward, fruits of her labor. She is indeed reaping what she sows by laboring diligently.  She finds it to be a good harvest.  This is the labor of her hands.  She is aware that her success is due to the intense labor of her hands, reaping the fruits of her hard work.

Her lamp goeth not out by night."   

Olive lamps were used in Bible times to light up homes.   Notice that this excellent woman’s lamp does not go out at night.  That is to say, that it is not quenched or extinguished.  "And the lamp of God was not yet gone out, and Samuel was laid down to sleep, in the temple of Jehovah, where the ark of God was"  I Samuel 3:3.  What is this godly woman doing at night?  Most likely, she is hand spinning (verse 19).  This is an amazing woman who labors day and night intensely with diligence and courage (endurance).  At midnight her light would still be on.  I wonder if this amazing woman ever slept?  Why?  Because according to this verse, she works late at night, and in verse 15, she rises up early while it is still night.  It is like saying "late to bed and early to rise."  She is willing to work long hours.

Isn't it something that some women are up late at night preferring inferior lamplight, and then they sleep through half-day, missing out on superior sunlight?  But this excellent woman is an excellent example of being diligent both during the day and night.  Somehow, she can find the necessary sleep and rest without overindulging herself in sleep.  That is why she is not poor, Proverbs 6:9-11.

As Christians, we must examine our activities, especially those that we perform at night.  We must ask ourselves if they are profitable and pleasing to God.  May we be about our Father's business!

• She is a Hardworking and Kind (Generous, Benevolent) Woman.

"She layeth her hands to the distaff, And her hands hold the spindle.  She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy."  
(Proverbs 31:19-20).

"She layeth her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle."  

Once again, this remarkable woman is laboring hard with her hands.  She definitely uses her hands with skill to provide clothing for her family and very likely to others as well.  She is willing to do monotonous work.  This time she is spinning wool to weave it into clothing.  The "distaff" was a staff that was used in ancient times to hold the flax, tow, or wool, which would be spun into a thread with the help of a spindle.  The spindle would turn and twist the fibers into threads (verse 13).

We find an example of hand spinning in Exodus 35:25-26:

"And all the women that were wise-hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, the blue, and the purple, the scarlet, and the fine linen.  And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun the goats' hair."

Without a doubt, this excellent woman's hands are never idle but rather always busy.  She is not engaged in worthless pursuits but godly ones.

"She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy." 

Compare this verse to that of verse 9 of the same Proverb:

"Plead the cause of the poor and needy."

This verse 20 is an example of parallelism often found in Hebrew poetry.  In these two phrases, we clearly see a parallel of idea.  The second phrase is vocalizing basically the same idea as in the first phrase with just a few variations.  Both phrases underline the truth about this godly woman who is compassionate, doing substantial deeds of mercy.  She is easily moved by the distresses and suffering of others. She definitely loves the poor in both truth and Spirit.  

"We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.  But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth."  I John 3:16-18

The word "poor" here means "afflicted, humble."  Those who are materially and physically poor; the needy.  In Leviticus 19:10; 23:22, the Law of God commanded the Israelites that the gleanings from their vineyards and fields were to be left for the poor of the land.  This woman of God obeyed this law, Deut. 15:11.

The word "needy" used at the end of this verse means 'one who is in need, in want, or lacking.  It is also used many times to describe the spiritual condition of God's people.  Psalm 40:17; 70:5; 86:1; 109:22.  God is the only One Who can supply what we need.  That which we lack.  He makes us rich, indeed!

In the New Testament, we are given responsibilities toward the needy, I John 3:17; James 2:15-17.  May God give us the wisdom to meet the needs of those He puts in our way.

• She Clothes Herself and Her Household Properly.

"She is not afraid of the snow for her household; For all her household are clothed with scarlet.  She maketh for herself carpets of tapestry; Her clothing is fine linen and purple." Proverbs 31:21-22

"She is not afraid of the snow for her household; For all her household are clothed with scarlet." 

The Bible makes mention of snow many times.  Psalm 51:7; Proverbs 26:1; Isaiah 1:18.  But it only records one occurrence of snow in 2 Samuel 23:20; compare I Chronicles 11:22.  Snow occasionally occurs in Palestine but rarely reaches any substantial depth.

This excellent woman is always concerned about the welfare of her family.  She is not afraid of the snow and the cold because she is well prepared.  She is confident about providing for her household what they need due to her excellent management and hard work.  She has made preparations ahead of time to clothe her household (family and servants) with warm clothes.  Her household is "clothed with scarlet."  Isaiah 1:18; Joshua 2:18 uses the same word to indicate the scarlet color.  It is described in Psalm 22:6 of our Lord, who was bruised and slain to redeem us eternally. 

This godly woman of God makes sure that she represents her husband well (with attires) since he sits "in the gates." She is aware that the clothing she wears represents him as well.  So she cautiously chooses garments suitable for herself and her husband, who is her representative.  She is aware that provocative or unchaste garments would reflect badly on her husband. Her children and husband are not dressed in dull clothing.  Dullness does not add to the spiritual state of a person.

"She maketh for herself carpets of tapestry; Her clothing is fine linen and purple."  

"She maketh for herself carpets of tapestry."  Apparently, these were coverings that she made for her bed (see ESV).   In the Old Testament, in the Hebrew language, the only place where the word "coverings" is found is in Proverbs 7:16.  It refers mainly to coverings for a bed.  "I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt."

This virtuous woman decorated her bedroom with beautiful bedspreads and coverings.  She had mastered her skills or crafts and sewing, making beautiful dresses.

Her clothing, attire, is beautiful and appealing made of the finest material, fine linen of Egypt.   The purple was manufactured by the Phoenicians from a marine shellfish.  The shell was broken and crushed and gave a milky fluid that became red or purple when exposed to the air.  Purple cloth was used in the furnishing of the Tabernacle, Exodus 25:4.  In Solomon's Temple, 2 Chronicles 2:14; 3:14.  And in the highest priest's garments, Exodus 25:4; 26:21.  It was used for the kings' royal garments, Judges 8:26.  It was also a symbol of luxury and wealth.  In the New Testament, we see the rich man wearing it, Luke 16:19, and by the harlot of Revelation 18:16.   Jesus, our Savior, was dressed in purple when they put around Him a kingly robe, Mark 15:17, 20.  In the book of Acts, Lydia was a merchant, seller of purple, Acts 16:14.

So what do you think this verse means in relation to the virtuous woman?   It means that this godly woman does not dress in a shabby way.  Since she is industrious, she can purchase the finest material and make the finest garments with her own hands.  She does not consider going around in shabby, impoverished, and threadbare clothing as a mark of her spirituality.  She wears expensive, royal clothing to match her queenly and godly character.  Her outer garments of beauty and splendor matched her inner beauty.  Despite all of this, she is not vain or arrogant.  She understands well that outward beauty fades away (we will see this on verse 30).   She acknowledges that the most important clothing is the adorning of the inner man:  "strength and honor are her clothing."

I want to make it clear that all these garments do not come at the expense of her family or the poor.  It does not hinder her godliness.  In I Timothy 2:9, Christian women are instructed not to adorn themselves in costly array or garments.  So, do you think there is a contradiction here?  Do you think it is wrong for a godly woman to buy expensive clothing?  Should she instead shop at thrift stores or yard sales to find necessary and inexpensive attire?

In the Old Testament, we find many cases where great wealth and godliness were not incompatible.  For example, Abraham had wealth, and so was David and Solomon.  None of these were condemned for possessing riches.  Psalm 62:10.  In I Timothy 6:17, those who are rich are not condemned for their riches but are instructed not to trust in them but in God.  They are also instructed to be generous and ready to share them.  

"Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed."   I Timothy 6:18-19

• She Contributes Greatly to Her Husband's Success, Prosperity, and Influence.

"Her husband is known in the gates, When he sitteth among the elders of the land."  
(Proverbs 31:23)

"Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land."  

This Scripture says nothing about this godly and excellent woman but instead describes her husband as a noteworthy leader of the land.  Public business and cases were decided and conducted at the gates of the city.  The "gates of the city" served as the city's courtroom.  What then do we learn about the excellent wife from this text?

There is a well known saying, "Behind every good man is a good woman."  Indeed, this is true of this godly wife.  She contributes to her husband's success.  She brings him honor by the way she keeps her domain.  Her support helps bring him to this place.   Notice the contrast in Proverbs 12:4 and in Proverbs 31:23 with the husband without a godly wife, who is industrious, loving, and faithful.  A wife can have a huge influence over her husband, whether it be for good or evil.

• She is Strong, Dignified, Hopeful, and Confident.

"She maketh linen garments and selleth them, and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.  Strength and dignity are her clothing; and she laugheth at the time to come."  
(Proverbs 31:24-25)

"She maketh linen garments and selleth them, and delivereth girdles unto the merchant."  

This efficient, hard-working, and industrious woman is enterprising.  Apparently, she runs an amazing home business. She makes, sells, and delivers quality goods.  She weaves fine linen garments to sell.  Linen garments are mentioned in Judges 14:12-13 and Isaiah 3:23.

Not only does she weave fine linen but also manufactures belts (girdles) or sashes (ESV), which had a high value on the trade market.  It seems like this excellent woman provides a source of income for her family through her business. She is capable of doing this because she is disciplined, she manages well and is dependable. Nevertheless, none of this implies she was "career-oriented." Her career was her family. Her production was carried in her home. Her production was then carried to market.

"Strength and dignity are her clothing."  

Her clothes adorned her inner man, her heart, which is renewed day by day, 2 Corinthians 4:16.  The LORD provides these garments to those who are diligently seeking Him.  She knew the LORD was the strength of her life, Psalm 27:1.  The word "dignity" means honor, majesty, splendor.  In Psalm 8:5, the word "honor" is used to describe God's majesty and honor upon Adam and Eve.  In Psalm 21:5, it is used of David's majesty given by God as a king.

"And she laugheth at the time to come."   

Even though she is entrepreneurial, she is a faithful and godly woman full of strength and hope for the future.  This is the kind of godly woman we read of in I Peter 3 referred to as not "frightened by any fear."  "She laugheth at the time to come (the future)."  She is not overburdened with future cares because she trusts in God.  She is not swayed or upset by her circumstances.  She is valiant and steadfast.  She knows she can face the future with great confidence and optimism.  She knows Who holds the future, Philippians 1:6.

• She Speaks Wisdom with Words of Kindness.

"She openeth her mouth with wisdom; And the law of kindness is on her tongue."  (Proverbs 31:26)

"She openeth her mouth with wisdom; And the law of kindness is on her tongue."     

In Matthew 12:34, the Lord taught that "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."  This means that what comes out of our mouth indicates what is in the heart.  Our speech reveals our hearts.  Out of a heart of wisdom, come wise words.  Out of a kind heart, come words of kindness.  Out of a loving heart, come words of love.  Therefore, let us be careful how we speak to others since our heart is showing.

The word "kindness" occurs 200 times in the Old Testament:  Exodus 20:6; Ruth 1:8; Psalm 23:6; Psalm 100:5; Psalm 1007:8,15,21,31; Psalm 107:43; Psalm 136; Lamentations 3:22; Jonah 4:2.

The word is used in other translations as "mercy," "lovingkindness," "love," or "steadfast love."

This godly woman is characterized by her kindness and steadfast love.  The words that come out of her lips are as a law giving guidance and instruction to those that hear them.  She is thoughtful and sensible with her words.  She shows silence and subjection as a godly wife.  She applies herself to acquire wisdom to learn to govern her tongue.  She is known for speaking wisdom and for doing it with kindness instead of ill-nature.  She shares her wisdom and knowledge to help others.  She is pleasant and loving in the way she does it because of her discernment, thoughtfulness, and gentleness.

• She is a Diligent Overseer.

"She looketh well to the ways of her household, And eateth not the bread of idleness.  Her children rise up, and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praiseth her, saying."  (Proverbs 31:27-28)

"She looketh well to the ways of her household."   

She "looks well" or "keeps watch."  It means to look out or about, to spy, to keep watch.  It is used in 2 Kings 9:17 and Ezekiel 3:17; 33:7 as the watchman.  In the case of this godly, excellent wife, she is alertly watching over her household.  She is vigilantly watching or looking for any danger that might hinder and hurt her family:  evil companions, vile entertainment, internet dangers, and many of this kind.

This godly woman is engaged in her children's lives.  She is watching over everything that is taking place (their activities) to be able to best help her children, discipline them, keep them under control, and direct them into healthy and profitable ones.  Parents must bring their children in all the ordinances of God.  They must watch over all their manners, habits, and connections.  This verse does not mean she is taking all matters into her hands, being their leader of her home.  She is just very diligently vigilant of her home, supervising her children well.  She is conscious of her responsibilities.

"And does not eat the bread of idleness."  

Idleness is not part of her life.  She does not indulge in slothfulness.  She does not waste her time or the time of others.  She is reliable and not idle.  The word "idleness" means sluggishness, laziness.  This word is used in Proverbs 6:6-9; 10:26; 19:15; 24:30.

This excellent woman is known for her diligent hard work.  She works willingly with her hands.  She rises up while it is yet night.  She grasps her hand to the spindle.  She makes fine linen and sells it... She reaps her pleasant fruits.

"Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her."  

She has developed and maintained a good and loving relationship with her children and her husband.  She is praised by those who know her best, her family.  They recognize and honor her. 

The praise of her husband and children is a reward that surpasses all her material gain.  They call her "blessed," meaning happy.  This expression was used by Leah when she pronounced herself blessed:  

"Then Leah said, 'Happy am I! For women will call me happy.' So she named him Asher.'"  Genesis 30:13

Godliness and happiness go hand in hand.  It is the godly woman, that is the happy one.  She is blessed.  This happy woman yearns to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.  Those who seek the Lord and His righteousness find in Him true happiness.  He is their portion.  He satisfies their heart because they are devoted to Him (Psalm 2:12; Psalm 34:8; Psalm 84:5; Psalm 94:12; Psalm 112:1; Psalm 119:1-2).

• She is Known for Her Strength of Character and Fear of the LORD.

 "Many daughters have done worthily, But thou excellest them all.  Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain; But a woman that feareth Jehovah, she shall be praised.  Give her of the fruit of her hands; And let her works praise her in the gates."  (Proverbs 31:29-31)

"Many daughters have done worthily, but thou excellest them all."   

This verse is different from the rest in this section.  All the other verses speak of this excellent woman (wife) in the third person.  For example, in verses 12-22, they all begin with "She."  She will do him good... She seeks wool... She is like the merchant's ships...She rises also.... etc.  But in verse 29, we notice that the second person is mentioned for the first time. "But thou excellest them all."  This expression is more intimate, personal, and familiar.  Her husband is apparently the one who is speaking of her with these praising words.

Her husband is praising her toward the end of verse 28.  In verse 29, her husband is praising her in his own words:  "Many daughters have done worthily, but thou excellest them all."  She was praised for her creative and hard labor, thus calling her the most worthy, excellent, virtuous woman of all.  Virtue is "acting power."  It has the strength to affect or improve all that is around it.

The word "virtuous" used in some translations means strength, efficiency, ability.  This verse is referring to her strength of character, moral strength, and firmness.  Her husband acknowledges that his wife was not the only godly, excellent, virtuous woman but that others were also god-fearing women:  morally strong and of excellent character. Such women are rare to find.  May we be women of excellence who live godly in Christ and who reflect Him in our day to day walk and speech.  May the beauty of our LORD be upon us all.

"Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and confirm for us the work of our hands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands."  Psalm 90:17

"But thou excellest them all."   

Her husband is directing his praise to his godly wife.  It means that she has raised herself above them all.  That she is excellent and incomparable!  "But thou excellest them all."  Do you think this husband had found a priceless gem (compare to verse 10)?  Does he consider his treasure better than all others?  YES!  To him, she is the most precious wife a man could ever have.  No other woman can measure up to her.  In his heart, she excels all others.  She has won the right to be where she is and to have what she has acquired with her hard work:  honor, appreciation, esteem, and love.

"Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain."  

The word "favor" is the Hebrew word for "grace." This verse is used to speak of a woman's outward appearance.  "Grace" and "beauty" are parallel one to the other. Both words conveyed the same idea.  The word "beauty" describes that which is upright and pleasing to the eyes.  It is used to describe Sarah's outward appearance, Gen. 12:11, of  Tamar, 2 Samuel 13:1.

In verse 30, we are told two things about outward gracefulness and external beauty:

1. Grace is deceitful.
2. Beauty is vain.

External beauty deceives and disappoints.  What you see is not really what you get.  Be careful!  A woman's outer charm disguises her inner imperfections, deformities.  Likewise, external beauty is vain.  It is prone to vanish like vapor.  The word "vanity" is used 31 times in Ecclesiastes.  External beauty is not long-lasting since it is here today and gone tomorrow.

We live in a culture that focuses mostly on external beauty.  Makeup is overly used in such abundance that Jezebel would feel right at home in our society, 2 Kings 9:30.  Men and women seem to be excessively obsessed with looking young and attractive.  They seem to want to slow down man's natural deterioration.  Many surgical procedures are offered.  Diet and exercise programs are offered for those who want to look beautiful and feel good.  Television propaganda is devoted to deceiving many into transforming the person outwardly into an attractive appearance through makeup, hairstyles, weight loss, exercise, surgery, and so on.  There is no end to human vanity that seeks to preserve external beauty.

What they don't take into account is that true beauty in the eyes of God is not external.  It is the beauty of Christ dwelling in us.  

"But a woman that feareth Jehovah, she shall be praised." 

A godly woman is not caught up in looking good, attractive, or seductive.  She is conscious of the fear of God in her life above everything else.  She knows that inner beauty comes from a right relationship with the LORD.  True beauty can't exist apart from the fear of the LORD.  When the LORD is enthroned in our hearts, His glory will shine in us.

"Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and confirm for us the work of our hands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands."
Psalm 90:17

In I Peter 3:1-6, Peter speaks of that inner beauty that ought to direct the life of every Christian woman:

"In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.  Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.  For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands; just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear."

To cultivate inner beauty, there must be a fear of the LORD.  Without the fear of God, it is impossible to radiate the beauty of the LORD.  We are to fear and revere God.  The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.  It is righteous fear that draws us near to Him. When one fears God, he knows that God deserves the utmost reverence and honor.  He is afraid to disobey Him and displease Him.  Abraham feared God.  That is, he believed and obeyed Him.

"He said, 'Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."
Genesis 22:12

So often, men choose to fear men rather than God.  What they don't realize is that the fear of men is a great snare, Prov. 29:25.  Choose the fear of the LORD, Proverbs 1:29.

The woman who fears God will be praised.  Her husband and children will praise her and speak well of her.  Moreover, her maidens and all her household servants also praise this godly woman because of her upright walk daily.  She will surely receive the only commendation that really matters:  "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."  Matthew 25:21

"Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her works praise her in the gates." 

A godly, excellent wife will be rewarded.  She will get back what she gives out.  She lives every day so that she may reap what she sows.  Her good deeds will bear good fruit.  She steadfastly labors and abounds in the work of the Lord.  She knows that her labor is not in vain, I Cor. 15:58.  God very generously rewards those who diligently seek Him, Heb. 11:6, Eph. 6:8.  The Lord knows all of our labors and will reward us faithfully.  It pays to fear the LORD and live in righteousness.

The “fruit of her hands" proves the result of her labor.  Her hands have been very busy in doing good (verses 16, 19, 20). She bears an abundance of good fruit.

"In the gates" means a public meeting place where all manner of business was conducted like our city hall.  This godly woman's works, deeds praise her in the gates.  It means she was publicly recognized for her righteousness, her good works, and accomplishments.  She ate the fruit of her doings, Isaiah 3:10.  She was judged by her fruit and her excellent reputation, which was known in the highest assembly of important leaders of the community.  The men who sat at the gate.

Today, some godly and excellent Christian women adorn the doctrine of God and our Savior by their good works of righteousness, Titus 2:10.  They are zealous of good works.  They are fervently seeking to please God in all they do,  Titus 2:14.  They should be worthy of praise, compliment, approval, admiration, applause, and recognition.

"A gracious woman retaineth honour: and strong men retain riches."  Proverbs 11:16 

CONCLUSION:

“Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion” (Proverbs 11:22). 

When we read this verse, the first reaction that comes to mind is, “what a waste!”  Imagine having a beautiful, expensive gold ring and placing it on the snout of a dirty pig. As beautiful as the ring might be, we cannot get past the disgusting image of the snout of the pig.  Who would want a ring that has been in the pig’s snout! The beauty of the gold ring is wasted. It does not beautify the pig but makes the ring ugly.

Now let's apply all of those thoughts to a beautiful woman who lacks discretion. Like the gold ring, here is a woman who has physical beauty. But her beauty is overlooked because something is disgusting about her: a lack of discretion. You see, beauty is wasted like the gold ring because of a lack of discretion, as is the case of this woman.  No one will find a woman beautiful, young or old, who spends her life making bad and foolish choices. Her beauty is wasted because her inner character is lacking. This is why Peter stressed:

“Your beauty should not consist of outward things like elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold ornaments or fine clothes; instead, it should consist of the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very valuable in God’s eyes” (1 Peter 3:3-4).

Ladies, the beauty on the inside, the beauty of the heart, makes you beautiful on the outside. If there is no inner beauty, then it does not matter how beautiful you are physically.  It will be nothing more than a gold ring in the snout of a pig. I advise you to strive to make yourself beautiful on the inside to be more beautiful inside and out.  Take this to heart!

The contrast between the foolish woman and the excellent woman is significant.  All women must learn discretion and wisdom.  A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping.  Have you noticed how annoying the sound of dripping water is?   The constant dripping of water is so annoying!  Notice that our proverb says that a woman who stirs up strife and fights is the same as that constant dripping of water.  The woman who likes to fight is the opposite of the prudent wife who fears the Lord. Prudence is acting wisely and making good decisions. A quarrelsome wife does not act wisely because she often drives people away. Three separate proverbs make this very point.

“Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife” (Proverbs 21:9). 

Remember that Proverbs 31 is a record of a king who is carefully contemplating or reflecting to some extent on many of the noteworthy teachings his mother had taught him.  He called this wisdom, "the prophecy (oracle) that his mother taught him."  His mother had urged him to refrain from certain women, the lewd women, because they destroy a king.  She also warned him about other sinful things.  She expressed to him her concerns that he find a suitable woman as a wife.  She started by speaking of the excellent, godly, virtuous woman, and how rare and precious she was.  She described this excellent woman at length.  She gave him a list of all her excellent attributes and how soon he will find her by what she portrays as a godly woman.  Her life, her deeds, would speak for her.  He would know her by what she does.

Proverbs 31 depicts an exemplary model of a woman of God. Verses 10 through the end of the chapter describe the godly woman the king should desire to marry. Here are some excerpts from that powerful section:

"Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies...She does him [her husband] good and not evil all the days of her life...Strength and honor are her clothing...She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness. She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness...Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised."

Here in this beautiful proverb, we find an excellent woman behaving as a great mother as she endeavors to teach her son to live a godly life and to find a virtuous woman (not one that simply appeals to the eyes) to marry. Is this not mothering at its finest? Is there another example of mothering that excels this?  Isn't it amazing to contemplate this amazing woman of God!  Isn't this a wonderful and excellent example for us as mothers and wives to follow!  

The Book of Proverbs is the most practical book in the Bible.  No other book is more saturated with instructions about the home and the family and family relationships.  No other book has so much to say about women specifically than this Book. Proverbs 31 contains a full-length portrait of a godly heroin.  As we read this remarkable proverb, we notice that there is no mention of rights or the pursuits of self-serving interests, nor do we see the husband assigned to domestic pursuits.  In fact, his occupation and other tasks are clearly stated.

"The heart of her husband trusteth in her... Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sitteth among the elders of the land"  (Proverbs 31:11, 23).  

Proverbs 31 is a beautiful ode of praise to womanhood!  It is a portrait of the golden ABC's of the perfect wife.  It is a paradigm for Brides-to-Be.  Its literary form emphasizes the characteristics that describe God's ideal woman, committed to homemaking, to being a chaste wife, upright in her behavior, and a godfearing woman.  And though very few women can match such a model of skills and creativity perfectly, all godfearing women must strive for spiritual excellence like this excellent woman of strength.

May our light shine before all men that they may see our good works and glorify our God in heaven, Matthew 5:16.  May we be women of excellence who live godly in Christ and who reflect Him in our day to day walk and speech.  May the beauty of our LORD be upon us all.  May we also fear the LORD in awe and reverence to reflect His glory to all men.  May we enthrone the LORD in our hearts as godly and excellent women and wives so that all might see His glory shining in us. Let our righteous deeds and our godly lives, as excellent women of God, speak for us.

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."  Matthew 5:16

Our next study will be part two of this ongoing study of the excellent wife.  It will be an examination of Titus 2:5.


Luci

GOD'S ROLE FOR WOMEN - PART TWO

"Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.  8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, 'Where are you?'  10 And he said, 'I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.' 11 He said, 'Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?' 12 The man said, 'The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.' 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, 'What is this that you have done?' The woman said, 'The serpent deceived me, and I ate... 20 The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.  21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them."' 

Genesis 3:7-21  

Feminism is a false doctrine that has crept into the hearts and lives of nearly every one of us over the past 2 or 3 generations. Please, consider with me some of the basic Bible teachings concerning the God-given role of women.

I.   THE ORIGIN OF SHAME AND EXCUSES

• The Origin of Shame:

• Adam and Eve's Eyes Were Open:  

They have now acquired the knowledge of good and evil.

"Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.  They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, 'Where are you?'  He said, 'I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself'"  (Genesis 3:7-10).

Now both Adam and Eve know, but wish they had never known.  As we mature and our conscience develops, and as we come to the age of understanding right and wrong through the discernment of God's Word, our eyes become open to sin.  Today we call this the 'age of accountability’ or the age of understanding.  Notice what Nehemiah says:

"Then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women and all who could listen with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. He read from it before the square which was in front of the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and all the people were attentive to the book of the law" (Nehemiah 8:2-3).

Understanding can only come with growth and discernment.

• For Adam and Eve Knowledge Came Immediately:

This knowledge came fully grown at once just as they were created fully developed in an instant.  Take note that they were the first ones to experience Satan's lies and their dreadful consequences.

• Both Adam and Eve Found Themselves Ashamed Before God and Man:

"They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.  Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”  He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself” (Genesis 3:8-10).

•  Nakedness Must Be Covered: 

What is the first thing that Adam and Eve realized when God called them?  That they were naked.  Their conscience was telling them they were wrong to be going around like that, naked. In other words, their conscience was accusing them.   In Romans 2:15, we read,  

"In that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them."

Only those who have the knowledge of good and evil and whose conscience has not been entirely seared have a sense of shame.  Likewise, they also recognize that they must cover up.

• They Covered Their Loins:

Both Adam and Eve were aware of those parts of their bodies that needed to be covered.  When they realized they had to be covered, they made some coverings out of what was already available in the garden, mainly the leaves of fruit trees.  Can you see the effect of sin?  Notice that Adam was to dress and keep the garden, and now he found himself tearing at the trees to find something to cover himself with.  They covered their loins with leaves.  Adam and Eve knew something was wrong and that they had to do something.  They really did not know how to fix their problem.  They did the best they could think of at that moment.  They, in fact, thought they had done enough.  But until God called them, they did not realize that they had not really done enough.

• Their Loins Were Not Covered Adequately Before God:

Adam and Eve thought they had covered themselves enough.  Therefore, they stopped adding more coverings to their nakedness.  But when they heard God was approaching them in the garden, they hid.  This leads me to the next questions:  If Adam and Eve had covered their loins enough, why did they hide when God called them?  What did Adam say in answer to God?  "Because I was naked, I hid."  Adam's knowledge of good and evil was enough.  This is what we ALL should do today.  If you are naked, do not exhibit yourself in public!  Evidently, both Adam and Eve knew they were not presentable.  Moreover, they knew that what they were wearing (covered with) was in no way appropriate and acceptable in the presence of God.  They were still naked.  So why is it that many think nothing at all of presenting themselves before God and man in the worst fashions of undress or even in unblushing nudity today?  The knowledge of the evil of public nakedness has been lost in these people.

• They Tried to Hide From God:

Have you noticed that the guilty always flee?  Even when no one is pursuing them.  In Proverbs 28:1, we read, 

"The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, But the righteous are bold as a lion."

Although they tried to escape from God seeing and knowing their nakedness, God knew.

"How long is the land to mourn and the vegetation of the countryside to wither?  For the wickedness of those who dwell in it, animals and birds have been snatched away, because men have said, 'He will not see our latter ending."'  Jeremiah 12:4

"Am I a God who is near,' declares the Lord, 'And not a God far off?  'Can a man hide himself in hiding places so I do not see him?' declares the Lord.  'Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?' declares the Lord.  'I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy falsely in My name, saying, ‘'I had a dream, I had a dream!'"  Jeremiah 23:23-25

Today many behave in the same way as Adam or even worse because they don't have any reservations about parading their nakedness before the eyes of men and God.  They make no efforts to hide it.  They pretend that God can not see and does not know about their sins.

• God Later Provided Them With Adequate and Lasting Cover:

"The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them."  Genesis 3:21

Although they knew that they had to wear something else that was more appropriate, they did not come up with the right answer.  So God gave them proper clothes.  God made them durable clothes to wear that were also modest.  It covered them properly.  And though they had covered their “loins,”  God made them garments called “tunics” or coats.  This was new to them.  It was proper clothing in both material and amount of body covering.  People in some parts of the world still wear this kind of robe as their typical clothing.

• They Tried To Hide Their Sinful State:

Their nakedness was only part of what they were trying to hide.  They knew they were naked because they had disobeyed God.

"Have I covered my transgressions like Adam, By hiding my iniquity in my bosom."  Job 31:33

And although Adam tried to attribute his hiding to modesty, that was not all there was to it.  His biggest problem was guilt because he had sinned.  God knew they had sinned, yet they hid, hoping He would not find out or notice them.  The truth of the matter is that God always knows.  He always has and always will.

"He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion."  Proverbs 28:13

Adam tried to blame his sin on someone else like so many after him have done when they get caught.

• The Origin of Excuses:

Although man is often caught in sin, he seldom admits to it.  He makes up all kinds of sorry excuses like Adam did.

"And He said, 'Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?'  The man said, 'The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.'  Then the Lord God said to the woman, 'What is this you have done?'  And the woman said, 'The serpent deceived me, and I ate."'  Genesis 3:11-13

• God Knew They Had Sinned:

God always does, and there is no way that man can escape from Him.  Not only does God know that we have all sinned, but He has directly told us so, making us aware.

"As it is written, 'There is none righteous, not even one."'  Romans 3:10

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  Romans 3:23

Yet, so many deny it.

"If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us."  I John 1:8-10

"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."  I John 2:1

Like Adam, many today avoid the real question of why they sinned.  Man always evades serious problems by focusing on less serious problems.  Isn't it true?  What man does not realize is that this is a carnal and evasive tactic, and it will definitely not work with God.  In Adam's case, God confronted Adam with his sin.  God cannot be fooled or be distracted.  Let us take heed!

"Then He said to me, 'The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is very, very great, and the land is filled with blood and the city is full of perversion; for they say, 'The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see!'  But as for Me, My eye will have no pity nor will I spare, but I will bring their conduct upon their heads.'"  Ezekiel 9:9-10

• Man Tried to Blame Woman:

"The man said, 'The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.'"  Genesis 3:12

Even though Adam had received Eve, his wife, as a great gift from God, he, after a short time, accused Eve, this gift of God.  What Adam did not realize was that he was accusing God himself for the wrong that he had done.  This is amazing!

"Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”  Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name.  The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.  So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.  The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.  The man said, 'This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.'  For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.'"  Genesis 2:18-24

Take note that when he accused Eve, Adam did not speak of her as his "beloved wife," but instead, he said, "the woman."  It is amazing to me how sin affects our relationships, even the dearest ones, by turning our hearts cold.  This reminds me of those that because of their cold hearts denied our Lord Jesus even when He had been so gracious to them. 

Adam ungraciously admitted to his sin, not from conscience but only because he was caught.  Does this sound familiar?

• Woman Blamed, After a Fashion, God Also:

"Then the Lord God said to the woman, 'What is this you have done?' And the woman said, 'The serpent deceived me, and I ate.'"  Genesis 3:13

When God dealt with Eve, she also immediately blamed someone else.  She said it was the serpent's fault.  Notice that Eve did not mention tempting Adam and getting him to also eat.  She even went ahead and said, "Yeah, but it is not all my fault."  Isn't it something that man loves to blame others instead of himself?  Today, many hide from their guilt by saying that their parents were bad, and they had a difficult childhood.  They find excuses for their sinful behavior instead of repenting.  This perverse impulse is nothing new.

"Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, ‘The fathers eat the sour grapes, But the children’s teeth are set on edge’?  As I live,' declares the Lord God, 'you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore.  Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die."'  Ezekiel 18:1-4

God had told them to stop sinning.  He is telling us the same thing today.  As sorry as Adam and Eve's excuses were (and you can be sure they were sorry excuses to God), my excuses and your excuses for the sins we commit are just as sorry.  Take heed!  Even worse still, all of our excuses are old and worn out.  They don't even have the novelty of being as original as theirs were.

• Excuses Don't Excuse:

Despite all of Adam and Eve's excuses to justify sin, they lost Eden, the garden.  Consider the following:

"Then Saul said to Samuel, 'I did obey the voice of the Lord, and went on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.  But the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God at Gilgal.'"  I Samuel 15:20-21

In the New Testament, the lawyer who questioned Jesus tried to justify himself.  What he did not know was that he was still guilty:

"And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, 'Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?'  And He said to him, 'What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?'  And he answered, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.'  And He said to him, 'You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.'  But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?'"  Luke 10:25-29

What did the lawyer say to justify himself to Jesus?  He said, "And who is my neighbor?"

So often, our confessions are more an account or announcement of sin rather than genuine repentance.  We must be ashamed of our sins, mourn them, and confess them, forsaking our transgressions to find mercy from God.  Remember, God searches, He sees, and He knows the heart of man and He cannot be fooled.

"He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion."  Proverbs 28:13

II.   GOD'S ROLE FOR WOMEN:  

• Characteristics We See in Women of The Bible:

The following is a list of negative characteristics or qualities we see in women in the Bible, according to Nave's Topical Bible:

1. Women are more easily deceived, I Timothy 2:14.
2. Timid, Isaiah 19:16; Jeremiah 50:37.
3. Self-indulgent, Isaiah 32:9-11.
4. Subtle and deceitful, Proverbs 6:24-29, 32-35;7:6-27; Ecclesiastes 7:26.
5. Silly, easily led into error, 2 Timothy 3:6.
6. Loud and wayward, Proverbs 7:11.
7. Contentious, Proverbs 21:9; 21:19; 25:24; 27:15-17.
8. Prone to be gossips and busybodies, I Timothy 5:6.

Here are the positive characteristics or qualities also found in women in the Bible:

1.  Affectionate, 2 Samuel 1:27.
2. Tender to our offspring, Isaiah 49:15; Lamentations 4:10.
3. Virtuous, Ruth 3:11; Proverbs 31:10-31.
4. And, of course, Proverbs 31 tells us that women can be:
1. Industrious.
2. Savvy in business.
3. Wise and well-spoken.
4. Trustworthy.
5. Influential.
6. Skillful and productive.
7. Kind and compassionate.
8. Strong and courageous.

Although a woman was the first to sin, we find in Scriptures many women who were with Jesus, being the last to leave the cross on which our Lord and Savior was crucified, Matt. 27:55-56; Mark 15:40.  The first to arrive at the sepulcher, Mark 15:46, 16:1; Luke 23:27.  And the first one to whom the risen Lord and Savior appeared, Mark 16:9; John 20:14.  Let us not forget the women of the early church who helped Paul and the apostles with their good works such as Dorcas, Acts 9:36-42; Lydia, Acts 16:14-15, 40; Phoebe, Romans 16:1-2; Priscilla, Romans 16:6; Lois and Eunice, 2 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 3:15; Euodia and Syntyche, Paul's fellow laborers, Philippians 4:2-3 and many more.

The list teaches us a lot about ourselves as women.  And although we can be easily deceived and led into sin, especially when we want to be independent of God, we can be of great and valuable use in the Lord's work.  Of course, we must first obey the Gospel to become women of faith and devotion to our Lord.  We should find a lot of hope in this.  I will leave you with these questions:  As a Christian woman, where do your characteristics and qualities lie?  In what areas do you need to grow to be faithful to the Lord?

III.   THE INFLUENCE OF WOMEN:

Today many feminists protest that the Bible is all about men and that women are viewed as inferior, second class citizens.  The fact is that throughout the Bible, we see women in a variety of roles, equal in value to men.  We see them as equally essential to revealing the story of God's grace upon mankind.  The created order does indeed place women as lower in rank to men, but this does not imply that she is in any way less important or influential.  In fact, we see the influence of women on history all through the Bible.  Consider the following:

1. Eve's influence:  As a result of it, sin entered the world, Genesis 3
2. Sarah's influence:  Upon Sarah's urging, Abraham had a son, Ishmael, with her slave Hagar.  By the way, Ishmael's descendants are the Arabs, who today are still at war with the Jews, the descendants of Isaac, Abraham's son with Sarah, Genesis 16.
3. Rebekah's influence:  She induced her son Jacob into deceiving his father Isaac regarding the blessing, Genesis 27.
4. Rahab's influence:  She is the one who received and helped the Israelite spies, casting her lot with the people of the Lord.  Her faith saved her family from destruction, as well as the lives of the Israelite spies.  She also became one of the ancestors of Christ, Joshua 2; Matthew 1:5; Hebrews 11:31.
5. Delilah's influence:  She enticed Samson into his downfall, Judges 16.
6. Abigail's influence:  She kept David from destroying and killing Nabal and all his household.  I Samuel 25.
7. The influence of Solomon's wives:  They turned Solomon, the wisest and richest man in the world away from the Lord.  Because of all his pagan wives, he worshiped false gods, with tragic and permanent consequences, I Kings 11.
8. Jezebel's influence:  She incited Ahab to defy God's law with bold and shameless conduct, bringing increased judgment on Israel, I Kings 16-21.
9. Esther's influence:  She interceded on behalf of her people, saving them from destruction.  
10. Herodia's influence:  It cost John the Baptist his head, Mark 6.

It is undeniable that women influence their men, whether it is for good or for evil.  This is why Israel was forbidden over and over by God to marry the Canaanite women.  God knew well that they were going to turn their husbands' hearts away from the true God to worship other false gods,  I Kings 11; Deuteronomy 7:3

We, as women, have a significant influence on our husbands, our children, our churches, and our communities.  We have the power to build up our homes with our hands or tear them down with the same hands.  Let us take heed and use our influence for the good of others, especially our homes.

IV.   FEMINISM AND SATAN'S LIES:

When I was a little girl, I had the blessing of a mother who stayed home with her children, which was common for mothers to do in that time and place.  Most mothers wore aprons like my mother.  They prepared three meals a day.  They cleaned the house and taught their children how to do such chores from an early age.  In a few words, they were good managers of their homes.  They were housewives in word and deed.  Today, most prefer to call them "homemakers" or "stay-at-home moms."  Unfortunately, these things are changing for the worse.

Feminist ideology has impacted the family, business, the economy, politics, the military, marriage, sexual preference and identity, childbearing, and education with terrible and profound consequences.  It is tragic to see how a society's mechanism to prepare and sustain each generation is called into question.  The changes are not just "reform" but substantially revolutionary, which are presented by feminists.  Such changes are far far-reaching.  Common sense demands that they be earnestly debated.  Feminism is based primarily on presuppositions that are simply indefensible.  Feminism has been destructive to society at all levels.

Although I am going to be more focused on the effect of feminism on the last hundred years of American History, I would like to start with a few observations taken from written history:

• A Brief History of Feminism:

1. 3,000 BC - The Sumerians (Mesopotamia) kept all women excluded from politics.  These women practiced several roles outside the home and received some protection in owning property.
2. 3,0000 BC - The Minoan people of Crete gave women equal political authority with men.
3. 1,500 BC -  The Hebrew Law placed women under the protection of men making provisions for the widow and the unmarried.
4. 800's BC - Classical myths concerning the origin of man placed the female figure as a disruptive force or as a virgin.
5. 500-300 BC - The Classical Greeks did not allow women to participate in politics.  Women were placed in the home with dignity and respect as managers of their homes.
6. 600's AD - The Germanic tribes viewed women as property to be exchanged by men.
7. 800's AD -  Women could inherit property.  Marriage was still lasting, protecting women.
8. 1000's AD - The Catholic church and various monarchies limited women to the home where love was idealized.
9. During the Renaissance, women were to be kept in the home.  They were protected.  Any other roles outside the home were viewed as disruptive and dangerous.
10. The Reformation period underlined a woman's participation in her own salvation, and marriage was glorified.
11. During the late 1600s, the Puritans in England promoted the idea that a woman's place and life should be centered in the home.
12. In the early history of our country, the American colonies were primarily governed by Biblical principles.  The women enjoyed a level of freedom and protection not known in any other place in the world.

• Feminism in the Last hundred Years of American History:

Unfortunately, as believers became more liberal and democratic throughout the Western world, the typical model of womanhood began to change.  Then came the industrial revolution. The wage-labor force began to grow in which women became the major working part, receiving lower wages than men because men were still expected to provide for their families.  In the 1800s, women cried out for social reform and improvement of their own state.  As birthrates and infant mortality declined, it left more and more women with fewer years of childbearing.  This produced more possible doors for self-expression, leaving women to pursue a variety of roles and more opportunities.

It is an undeniable fact that women have struggled throughout history to not feel inferior to men.  In recent history, women have tried to improve their rights as women, seeking solutions in a diversity of ways.

During World War I, the American nation frantically requested the women to leave their homes and go to work in the vacated factories while their men fought on the battlefields of Europe.  After the war was over and the soldiers began to return, the nation encouraged the women to go home and give their jobs back to their husbands, but most women decided to remain in the workforce.  Their participation in the labor force rose from 15% to 73%.

The women's liberation movement that many think of as originating in the '60s and '70s goes back much further. However, the movement became fully established in America right about that time, and it created a revolution in our country.  Everything from the workforce to the families was revolutionized.  Today the relationships between men, women, and children are all different than they were more than 50 years ago.  Whether we like it or not, we have somehow been brainwashed and have compromised with feminism without even realizing it.  We have all grown up with this whitewashed feminism.  Even those of us who call ourselves followers of Christ and try hard to resist it.  We all know as Christians that God created order for both men and women, along with gender distinctions and roles.

The so-called "antiwar movement" of the 60s fed a new feminism by making most women more sensitive to injustice everywhere.  Women began protesting using small support groups to promote their liberalism.  Their primary target was male supremacy as the root of all women's problems.  They tried an evil tactic to end traditional "masculine" and "feminine" stereotypes.  For these women having babies was the biggest problem.  They fiercely wanted their personal freedom and control over their own bodies.  This was supported by easier methods of controlling conception, such as the birth-control pill.  This has freed numerous women to choose not to be mothers while rejecting celibacy.  Then, in short order, the courts legalized abortion, giving women a whole new set of choices.  

Today feminists claim that the Bible is a sexist book that gives us no rights and makes us inferior.  The truth is that the Bible is filled with guidelines and rules that actually protect and guard the rights of women.  Both in the Old and New Testaments, women did have rights and actually did better than other women under other religious systems.  

All this being said, I would like to examine four of the most popular and absurd claims the feminists make regarding what feminism has done for women.  Consider these claims:

• Feminists Claims:

• Claim 1:  "Before feminism, women were not as valued and did not have as many rights."

Let us make clear that before feminism, the Bible declared men and women equal in standing and value before God.  In fact, this is taught more consistently in the Bible than in any other religious or secular system.  In the Bible, both men and women's work was equally well-founded.  As we read, we find out that married women, motherhood, homemaking, and femininity are not depreciated.  We also notice that women are not manipulated by shame and guilt into living and acting like men.  Quite the contrary, a woman's distinction from man is often praised and honored.  Her unique role is held vital.  In the Bible, we also see that women were protected and cherished, "A gracious woman attains honor, and ruthless men attain riches"  Proverbs 11:16.  "Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates"  Proverbs 31:31.

Notice that it was not until the so-called "women's liberation" that women were told, "your value as a woman is enough."  Likewise, it was not until feminism that our nation began to raise up a generation of thugs, foolish, childish, and irresponsible men.  Such men, young and old, began to treat women as objects to be used and discarded.  Women were "devalued" in their eyes.

As for their so-called "new rights," where did these rights come from?  Let us not forget that all rights must be granted and honored by some Higher Source, which is God and not Susan Brownell Anthony, an American social reformer and feminist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement.   Lest we forget, God is the Author of our rights and not "feminism."

It was He who gave women all rights, such as property rights, marital rights, and divorce rights.  Let us never forget that the Bible was first (before the “Feminist Movement”), giving man strict laws that protected women from abuse, rape, incest, abandonment, injustice, and much more.  Moreover, it also gave women something unique that our legal system cannot:  a whole system of provisions for women who wound up in hard and challenging circumstances. 

Christianity is the only social, spiritual, and political force that gives women real value and rights.  In fact, it is the anti-Christian religions such as Marxism, Islam, and yes, feminism that demean, undervalue and exploit women.  Throughout history, we see that it was the Christian societies that genuinely valued women, protected women, and honored women.  Why?  Because those societies were faithful to the Bible's actual teachings.

• Claim 2:  "Women are better educated today, thanks to feminism."

I am not going to deny that women have more educational opportunities today, as do men also.  But this does not necessarily imply that women are making better use of such opportunities than they ever did.  Feminism did not help “Al Gore invent the internet.” The fact is that there have always been smart and wise women in some societies, and some produced fewer than others.  Historically, the chief barrier to a woman and her education is her own apathy and mental laziness.

Take, for example, Hannah Moore, who was regarded by Britain's intelligence as one of the most scholarly and well-educated women of her time (1745-1833).  Notice what she chided.

"She who regrets being doomed to a state of dark and gloomy ignorance, by the injustice or tyranny of the men, complains of an evil which does not exist."

What they do not take into account is that the Bible offers abundant praise for women who are intelligent, wise, capable, prudent, gifted, well-spoken, prolific, and diplomatic, and so it does for men also.  It also sends out an intimidating vision of all that godly womanhood requires.  One more time, the Bible was there long before feminism, telling women not to be ignorant of the will of God, not to be foolish, not to be lazy, not to be nearsighted or easily led:  Proverbs 9:13; Proverbs 31:27; Lamentations 1:9; 2 Timothy 3:6.

History is filled with many examples of Christian men who knew they needed to educate their daughters completely.  For example, there is a panoply of educated women such as Anne Bradstreet, Lady Jane Grays, Mercy Otis Warrens, Abigail Adams, and others who were but did not come out of a vacuum.  These women were the products of Christian families that understood the importance of educated women to a Christian society.

In 1688, Francois Fenelon wrote an entire book to reject those who exclaimed,

"Why make them learned?  Curiosity renders them vain and conceited:  it is sufficient if they be one day able to govern their families and implicitly obey their husbands!"'  

This was an excuse he attributed mainly to "maternal caprice."  His main theory was that a high supply of intellect can and must be cultivated in daughters.  This will sustain them and equip them for the challenges of productive womanhood.  Those who complain about the depreciation of female intellect should consider that feminism's sons are barely known for valuing women's brains over their bodies.

Feminism has failed to correct the evil of obnoxious men and foolish women.  Likewise, it has failed to motivate many women to educate themselves.  In fact, what feminism has done mainly is to change the goal of a woman's education, for which we will refuse to be grateful.

• Claim 3:  "Thanks to feminism, women can now work and earn money."

Ever since feminism began creeping into the way of thinking of Americans, woman's work began also moving into a different field, but so has industry in general.  In some part, the reason why women are confused about their relation to work today is that economy, industry, and work have been redefined during the industrial revolution.  Sadly, the product of this industrial revolution moved Biblical domestic economy into workstations and factories.  And those women who were housewives or homemakers taking care of their children, family endeavors, and household chores were removed from the sphere of the home.  This was due to ample opportunities for gainful employment.  One of the chief goals of the women's movement was to help bury the family economy by equating "real" work with jobs outside the home.  This industrial sphere changed the family into a collection of individuals in potential and often real competition with each other.

What these feminists don't realize when they make their absurd claims is that before their so-called social movements, women worked.  Their work was conducted mainly in the household workplace, which included working the fields, vineyards, family storefronts or offices, workshops, etc.  This did not limit managing their homes.

Women were indeed productive members of society, producing goods of substantial value, bringing in money, and expanding the family holdings.  Just look at the excellent wife of  Proverbs 31 and in Christian societies in history where women's work included business transactions, production of goods, making investments, developing skills in a variety of fields, and earning money from their home.  One good example was Eliza Lucas Pinckney, who not only accepted the work of maintaining her family's three plantations in her father's absence but used the fields to experiment with crops to strengthen the fledgling nation's economy.  Eliza focused on home and family.  She had a desire to stay in her "proper province," submitted to her father and husband.  It would take a feminist to contradict her actions.  It would also take a feminist to think that Eliza and her contemporaries needed liberation.

• Claim 4:   "Feminism gives us power."

A woman's power is natural or instinctive (inborn).  We women are incredibly influential and, unfortunately, have been for better or for worse.  It is indeed an actual fact that we have always had the ability or capacity to build up or to destroy.  Notice what Proverbs 14:1 has to say about this: 

"The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands."  

In today's culture, most of the power that we see women exercising in their homes is to tear it down with their own hands.  This is sad because it deceives them into thinking this makes them much stronger when, in fact, they are abusing that power to destroy their homes.

Think of how much women have really influenced every society or culture.  When one looks at cultures that have marginalized women, we notice that women played a significant part in that.  Don't get me wrong here!   I don't want to deny that there is plenty of real oppression and exploitation in this world and that there are many actual victims. Still, women often are the ones who support, honor, and defend their own exploitation and oppression.  It takes two to tango!  It takes both to perpetuate pornography, immodesty, a sexually exploitative culture, and many endless harms to women.  When male and female inter-connect and inter-depend on each other, this makes it possible for men to get away with bad behavior to a great extent even when women would not allow it otherwise. 

Feminism is a cunning movement.  It is dangerous and enticing.  It is Satanic!  Today, this movement pretends to be soft, enticing many Christians.  It is infiltrating our churches.  They call it Christian feminism.  The absurd part of this is that little about feminism can be labeled Christian.  It is whitewashed feminism and nothing else.  Why is it enticing?  Because it feeds on a woman's desire to be in control and gives her power.  It is cunning because it claims to be solely based on Christianity, and in fact, it is not.  I am sorry to say, but many Christians hate patriarchy and patricentricity.  Why?  Because this means "father-rule."

• The Assumptions and Implementations of Modern Feminism:

Feminism, in its contemporary form, is nothing but an empirical doctrine that leads and promotes social action.  This doctrine has three tenets:

1. Physical differences apart, men and women are equal (the same).  Infant boys and girls are born practically with the same capacities, and if raised identically, they will develop identically.
2. Men occupy positions of dominance since the myth that men are more aggressive has been maintained by the practice of raising boys to be mastery-oriented and girls to be person-oriented.  If such stereotyping were to stop, leadership would have to be equally divided between the two genders, male and female.
3. True human individuality and fulfillment can only be accomplished when people view themselves as human repositories of talents and traits, without concern to gender.

Obviously, this "nurture" argument reflects a school of thought that views all human morality, thought, and behavior as products of culture and socialization assigned mostly as the school of "cultural determinism," which is nothing more than an extreme relativism.  Feminists reject or deny biological differences and minimize their impact and relevance.  According to feminist ideology, there is no significant difference between the sexes.  To feminists, all social dissimilarities are the result of male dominance and oppression. Thus justice demands the eradication of such "unnecessary" differences.

And according to them, it is a march that must go on until female and male average wages are equal (which of course demands a woman's participation in full-time work to the same extent as a man); until all educational results are the precisely the same; until an equal distribution of males and females exists in every job or occupation and at every level;  until our children's "subjective gender identification" is uni-sexual based on their biological sex.  To feminists, all "gaps" must be eliminated, whatever the cost, for no gap is "chosen" or "natural."  Gaps are all the product of male oppression, for they all prevent true actualization of self. If men and women are really different, the vision will crumble.  If a "uni-sexual" world is unnatural, only force can maintain it, only failure and misery can accompany it.  

So are these feminists' assumptions or presuppositions really correct?  No, they are fallacious!  Despite their tremendous effort and pressure and even bias, many professionals in the biological and social sciences are supporting the traditional viewpoint according to their finding that healthy individuals and societies do not deny but rather believe in complementary differences between gender roles.  Thus, feminists are left to abandon their nurture argument altogether, which demands that they deny or prove that the universality of gender role differences is wrong.  They have failed every time they have attempted it.   

The primary examples of universal male and female differences exist in the areas of male dominance, superiority in status achievement, and patriarchy.  According to feminist ideology, male ideology must be eradicated to give place to an egalitarian, feminist one; providing unisex childbearing and universal daycare to enable or empower all women to work at "meaningful," i.e., paid jobs; providing equal access to all occupations and status positions, including political ones, and strongly encouraging female participates in doing these; downgrading the centrality of marriage and family in favor of community work and of course individualized expression, and heightened sexual freedom.

Then such superior experiments or results have been demonstrated. They must be implemented and transferred to the larger society.  Feminists ignore and reject God's given qualities and limitations.  Like Marxism, it works against human nature, and it replaces Biblical realism with humanistic utopianism, bringing failure in the long run.  Feminists show a remarkable affinity with Marxism and socialism.  Sadly, some of these intimidating tendencies and visions of feminism are shared by so-called Christian feminists as well.  Why?  Because they usually have the same tendencies toward education and "reform," the same for full-time motherhood, the same support for abortion, the same sexual tolerance, and so on.  The only thing they differ on is their exclusive focus on applying these within the Christian community.  Amazing!

Another aspect of modern feminism powerfully related to their Utopian optimism is Eastern mysticism, pagan beliefs, and New Ageism to create a spiritual aspect to their movement.  Modern feminism wants to overcome the old "patriarchal" monotheism that the Bible beliefs represent at whatever cost.  Feminism has a significant force behind the legalization, proliferation, and even government financing of abortion.  Abortion is associated with the feminist denial of biology and the universal "nurturant" female gender role.  Abortion has become an essential component of the mainstream feminist vision.  Abortion technology makes possible the full "emancipation" of women from home and male authority.

The saddest contribution of feminism is this deadly legacy instituted in the name of equality.  This fatal legacy intricately tied to the underlying assumptions and visions of their thought system is also increasingly embraced and advocated by Christian females.  According to feminist ideology, abortion is a necessary social requirement for female participation in the marketplace.  Their actions are informed by a strong belief that the traditional family, along with the idea that mothers and families are the best caretakers of children, is obsolete.  Our feminist women today are glad to leave the home to pursue a career-oriented life in the marketplace.  They belittle the intelligence, character, and worth of a full-time homemaker.  They prefer status and career aspirations instead of caring for their children and homes.

Another feminist revolution is the soaring divorce rate and the denigration of marriage.  They continually stress the need for women to develop the skills and outlook necessary to be capable of providing for their families on their own.  Why?  Because they most likely would have to do so and because of the high divorce rate!  The only truth is that God has already provided us a means, and that is marriage.  Through marriage, children, homes, stability, and love can be produced.  The feminist viewpoint is destructive, for it is grounded in a system of false presuppositions about God's created order.  It leads to coercion, failure, and censorship.  It contributes, for the most part, directly and indirectly to the growing uncertainty and confusion of the post-Christian world.  Their harmful insights and destructive criticism are not grounded in a worldview founded on God's Truth.  Feminists must rethink their concerns in ways consistent with truth, and in ways that reflect a Biblical understanding of male and female.  A world view that is consistent with the order of things is full of wisdom from above.  It will lead us to greater social harmony and stability, personal creativity, happiness, and fulfillment.

• God's Foundation Shaken By Feminism:

The false freedom that feminists promised women with "no-fault" divorce was an unmitigated lie.  Feminists have succeeded in taking away the security of men and women who don't embrace its lies and want the freedom to divorce.  Sadly, married couples give less thought to divorce than getting a loan for a car or a home.  Because of this and the structure of alimony and child-support laws, there is a perverse incentive to break the marriage vows.  As a consequence, many have reservations about marriage as an institution and have harbored doubts about marriage in particular.  Feminists like Betty Friedan have destroyed a woman's right to be a full-time homemaker.  They openly said,

"We don't believe that any woman should have this choice.  No woman should be authorized to stay home to raise her children... precisely because if there is such a choice, too many women will make that one."   

So any woman who chose to stay home and raise her children, she said, was a "parasite."  Friedan labeled the full-time homemaker as a "parasite."  Indeed, Betty Friedan was no ordinary woman.  She came from an unstable home and married into another one when she married Carl Friedan.  Their marriage was a disaster (both were physically abusive to each other).  The need for caring for children overwhelmed her.  Her home was oppressive.  So she assumed every mother's home and life was oppressive.  Instead of coping and offering other women solutions to cope, she manufactured a huge societal problem.  She blamed society for the plight of the American housewife who lived in a "comfortable concentration camp."  Isn't that Marxism!  Knowing that she couldn't appeal to women by defending Marxism, she took advantage of the mental and physical strain that women suffered while raising young children.

In her book The Feminine Mystique, she argues that a woman's devotion to her husband and children is a tremendous sacrifice that inevitably stunts her growth as an individual.  Raising children, according to her, is a thankless pursuit that does not allow women to use their intelligence in a way that benefits society.  She was not capable of understanding how other women and people could find satisfaction from sacrifice.  So instead of getting the personal help that she needed so much, she concluded that American women live in a patriarchy, which, of course, she hated.  She said women were not men's equals.  To her, the only way to remedy this injustice (oppression) was for women to forgo taking care of their children altogether and pursue a fulfilling career.

In short, The Feminine Mystique offered American women a way out, out of their maternal responsibilities.  With this kind of lawless mindset, the social expectations of women changed drastically.  They began absorbing Friedan's message either consciously or subconsciously and no longer felt morally obligated to care for their own children.  These are Satan's and Feminism's lies that have affected a vast number of women and men today, even in the church.

Friedan's book, The Feminine Mystique, was later used in 1963 by the feminist movement to attack traditional marriage.  Her book urged women to escape from the home and find more fulfillment in life by getting a job in the marketplace.  According to her, the homemaker suffers from an ailment "that has no name."  Indeed, it had no name because it was an invention of Friedan's imagination and a product of her own unhappy marriage. Feminism cultivates the attitude that a woman must put her own self-fulfillment above every other value.  That attitude is not compatible with marriage and motherhood and, of course, is not capable of producing happiness.

The feminists' goal is not women's achievement.  Why?  Because the principal goal of this satanic feminist movement (women's liberation movement) is to move all wives out of the home into the market place.  Their view is that caring for children, even their own children, is demeaning and degrading work for an educated woman.  How about that!  Feminism has brainwashed our women into believing that a woman is a slave in the home but free if she's the slave of an employer who pays her wages. I'd rather be a slave of the Lord in the home as ordained by God than be a slave of men in the marketplace!  Period!

Feminists are not interested in gender equality, for their goals are the wicked feminization and subordination of men to dismantle the whole concept of "patriarchy."  They continuously whine that women are "victims."  They want the victim rather than the law to define the offense.  In the past, it was against the law for a man to speak any obscene, profane, indecent, vulgar, suggestive, or immoral message to a woman or girl.  But feminists have repealed that law, arguing that it is just as actionable for a man to call a woman honey or baby as to call her some indecent word I don't want to repeat.

Today fewer are getting married in our society.  Married couples are now the minority of society's households.  The majority of women (young and old) are living without a husband.  The major factor is the changing ratio of college-educated women to college-educated men.  Fewer college-educated women can find college-educated men to marry and have a family.  Many of these women are choosing not to marry at all.  They refuse to marry a non-college educated man who may make less money than they.  Another problem I see is that many college-educated men are also not interested in marrying college-educated women, so they have a hard time getting married.  The problem is that today we have fewer and fewer women without a college degree for these men to marry.  Our women today have more degrees than a thermometer!!  The saddest part is that this trend is seen in the church today! Our feminists are not only brainwashing our men and women against marriage but also against having and raising children because they cost money, and it is mostly parents with kids who are filing for bankruptcy.

God's primary purpose for marriage is for a man and a woman to voluntarily and jointly assume the moral and legal responsibility for their children.  Marriage connects the baby to his biological father.  Bride and groom promise to take the other "to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, to love and to cherish, till death do us apart."  But many cynically say that marriage is not worth the risk.  Those who live their lives against God's will never prosper (2 Chro. 24:20).

Parents have a significant influence over what manner, of course, their children will follow, both by example and by instruction  (Prov. 23:22).  They have a huge stake, both economic and emotional, in the success of their children's future marriages.  If only mothers, fathers, and grandparents knew how much their influence and attitudes mattered, they would start taking the responsibility of talking to children early on about what to look for in a marriage mate and what it takes to have a good and godly marriage according to God's will.  We must start guiding our children to have a strong faith so that they may stand on their own!

Sadly, most churches have neglected their duty to teach their flocks God's plan for marriage and children. They have neglected to impress on each one the importance of the nuclear family.  Why are our pulpits so silent about the essential morality of marriage and the immorality of its redefinition by supremacist judges?  It should be evident that most of our problems are caused by the absence of the nuclear family (suicides, teen pregnancies, and other social ills).  

CONCLUSION:

Let's Throw Off the Shackles of  Liberation!

Feminism fought for sameness. Sameness brought us transgenderism. Sameness has now brought us legalized homosexual unions. The doctrine of sameness (equality) is a demon ideology. Women now more than ever need to embrace God's design for womanhood and influence coming generations to accept the distinctions and differences that God has designed. Our feminists for years have tried to destroy all distinctions between the husband and the wife, between men and women, in their roles both in the home and the church. Our God is not pleased when men out of their rebellious hearts try to remove all social distinctions.  The feminist movement wants to free women from "oppression," but such freedom can only come through Christ.

True freedom is found in obedience to Christ and His rule.  Anything else is slavery to sin (Romans 6).  The family, more than any other single institution in modern society, is in desperate need of freedom and renewal through the Gospel of Christ.  That freedom comes more effectively when we willingly accept the remedy given in the Gospel and submit to Him to harness the full, abundant blessings that He provides.  We must teach people and especially the church to embody in their families the model of Christ outlined in Ephesians 5:22-33.  We must teach them by our godly example as mature and godly fathers and mothers and strive to love and raise godly children that will pass God's principles of righteousness to the future generations.

In time we would hope that the power of the Gospel might generate godly marriages and so prevail over false and abstract egalitarian sentiments.  God's Word is powerful to reach the hearts of men to regenerate them into what God wants them to be, walking in righteousness to destroy all human philosophy and foolishness, such as feminism.  Feminism distorts and ignores God's plan for the home and family.  As a result of neglecting His principles and warnings, we find ourselves living in the very "upside-down" world that the prophet Isaiah described in Isaiah 29:16.

"Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, 'He did not make me'; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, 'He has no understanding'?'"

Unfortunately today we are part of a generation of women who have degraded and corrupted God's divine purposes for the home and family by prophesying "out of their own imagination" (Ezekiel 13:17), who have willfully erected for themselves "male idols" to supplant the Creator's design (Ez. 16:17), and who have cast aside the greatest blessing of the Creator, i.e., the fruit of the womb (Ez. 16:20, 44-45).  How on earth have we allowed the Word of God to be distorted and conformed to this lawless age, allowing the world to squeeze us "into its own mold" (Rom. 12:2)! 

Sadly the church today has lost its great influence and power against culture.  Our culture is defeating us.  Why?  Because God's principles of righteousness have been inverted so that the self-gratifying personal rights, selfishness, and self-interests are now exalted. God requires us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. In this movement, self-effacing submission, humility, and service to others are degraded and hated. The movement of self-centered self-assertion in the home, in the church, or in the community can never please God as long as we act independently of  God and go on our way (Prov. 14:12; Isa. 53:6).

Our culture has exalted human rights and reason over responsibility and divine relation.  They have subordinated God's Truth to the foolish reasoning of man and woman.  God's absolutes have been replaced with the foolish whims of the creation.  They have willfully rejected the authority of the Scriptures, both male and female feminists, putting a false focus of authority in human hands.  Indeed, there is great resistance in the world of feminism against allowing the Scriptures to speak for themselves.  Instead of fearing God and revering His Word, to allow it to speak to their hearts, many women stubbornly have embraced secular feminism, claiming to improve the lot of women in ways that seemed right and true to them.

Thus the feminists took a "leap of faith" to attach themselves to such a lawless movement with a bunch of excuses to legitimize their position Biblically, changing two millennia of church history and tradition to reflect this new church doctrine that more nearly fits the ugly reality of their active agenda and professional lives.  Yes!  It is a tragic example of the world's evil influence that has set up the agenda for the church rather than vice versa.  It grieves me to see this attitude in the Lord's church! 

It is sad and tragic to watch with growing dismay, even anguish, what has happened to our society, our educational system and yes in the church, in our homes, and in our personality as a consequence of a satanic movement called "feminism."  A movement that focuses mostly on personhood but very little on womanhood and femininity.  Words like manhood and womanhood have been abolished from our vocabulary, and we have been told to forget about such things, which amount to nothing more than biology.  They have brainwashed us to focus on what it means to be "persons."

Feminist philosophy, though sounds reasonable enough on the surface, is a subtle and pervasive poison that infects the minds of Christians and non-Christians alike.  True femininity is the gentle and quiet spirit of which Peter speaks, calling it of great worth in God's sight (1 Peter 3:4).  True femininity is the true mother-spirit, true maternity, so absent in feminism.  The more holy and godly a woman is, the more she is a woman!  Femininity, not feminism receives, for it says, "May it be to me as you have said."  It takes what God gives, a special place, a special honor, a special function and glory, different than that of masculinity, meant to be a help.  In a few words, it is for us women to receive the given as Mary did, not to insist on the not given as Eve did.

Feminism does not fear God, but godly femininity has no ambition for anything but to do the will of God.  It does not insist on having it all, usurping the place of men.  Feminism looks for happiness in self-assertion, but godly femininity, the woman who fears God, knows that joy can only be found in dying to self and in humble obedience to her Creator.

Feminism has cut us off from our heritage of strong and intelligent womanhood by defrauding even those of us who reject and want no part in this whitewashed feminism.  Somehow we all have been affected by this monster called feminism.  It is in our churches, our homes, our government, and our school, everywhere.  I am sorry to say, but we have been severely indoctrinated by an evil worldview that is at war with our Creator, God.  The roles of men and women have been turned upside down as well as inside out. 

The homosexual community threatens to do even more damage, cultivating, and nurturing all sorts of perversion and misery.  And just like its predecessor, feminism is seeking to destroy us, especially the Biblical family.  Feminism is completely opposed to the Bible.  Whitewashed feminism is fighting against women by confusing and burdening Christian women to reject their role as wives and mothers.  This monster called feminism has infiltrated even the church and has given them license to sin against God.  They sin when they rebel against all-male authority and independent power.  They sin when they pursue what God has not authorized them to do.

Feminism has not helped at all!  As a matter of fact, it has become a stumbling block for Christian women to repent and be restored back to God and His authority.  Feminism is one of Satan's big weapons to destroy the home.  He deceives women into thinking that they have been mistreated and that they deserve more and better (2 Peter 2:18).  We must, as godfearing women, keep in mind that our true freedom comes from the freedom from sin.  What that means is that we must repent and not be servants of sin (2 Peter 2:19-21).  We cannot allow ourselves to be deceived by smooth speech or sugar-coated words.  Let us dig into the Scriptures and be like the Bereans so that we may do God's will and be saved. We have to attack feminism with the Word of God!

All that feminism has given us is trouble and misery.  In exchange, it has given us the so-called "women's studies," which is nothing more than a study on discontent.  Why?  Because it divorces women from their context, trying to study "women" as an individual entity.  As if women can only be understood apart from "human" and be extracted from her environment.  This is absurd!  These feminists want to deceive other women by focusing more on victims overcoming victimhood.

These so-called "women studies" consist mostly of building imaginary glass ceilings and planting territorial flags on discoveries that feminism never made.  They love to recruit spokeswomen from among their antithesis.  One good example is Nancy Pelosi.  A woman they called the "most powerful woman in American history."  And who has sparked national discussions on both the history of women in America and the nature of woman's power.  But behind all her power, there is the presupposition.  

"Women find their power in holding the positions of men.  The traditional women's role has no power.  The power traditional women exercised in the past does not count."  

Sadly, Americans are eager and ready to believe this lie because they have adopted and accepted a feminist worldview.

Despite the lies of feminism, there is good news and hope for the humble heart that would heed and obey the Gospel to rebuild and restore what feminism has taken away from us.  There is hope if we stand together on the authority of God's Word, the Bible.  There is hope because God's Word is living and active, and it can pierce our hearts through all our confusion.  The Truth can set the heart free of the slavery of sin, even the hearts of these feminists who have tried to suppress and cover up the Truth from us. We must continue teaching the Gospel that they might repent and be saved.  Thanks be to God that the Bible is the ONLY source of true vision and inspiration.  The Bible, the inspired Word of God, is always there, giving us good examples from ancient generations of godly women and men who did God's will even in dark times such as ours.

Yes, we must go back to the Bible to rebuild a culture of Biblical femininity from scratch.  And let us not restrict ourselves from copying the past.  A Biblical culture of true femininity must be rebuilt on the right foundation of God's Truth.  Not on secular and worldly views, fantasy lore, not on feminist lies and of course not on women such as Nancy Pelosi and others like her.  And let us not follow any of Satan's lies through feminism, in destroying our homes with our own hands.  Let us humble ourselves before God, turning away from sin, that He may honor us and not the world.  Let this be our hope.

Let us repent and be transformed no matter what challenges or obstacles we grew up with, whatever mistakes we have made, whatever our past track record, whatever wrong patterns of thinking or communicating we have acquired or developed.  Let us allow the Word of God to change us from glory to glory so that we may save our own families, the church, and our community and not have to be put to shame by God.  His Word, His grace, and strength are sufficient for solving all of life's problems, deceptions that affect our marriages, our families, and our churches.

So my question is:  Where are you in our society?  Are you allowing other carnal worldviews such as feminism to control your heart and mind?  Which teachings are you allowing to enter your heart, feminism, or Biblical Truth?  Are the feminists deceiving and brainwashing you as a woman?  Do you find that our Bible claims are valid?  As Christian and godly women as well as godly men, are we fighting them with all of our breath?

I hope you choose to say yes.  Finally, what is your standard of measure?  God and His rule or all the lies of Satan concerning feminism?

Let us be women who can plant and build up and let us from all of our hearts go to the ONLY source of Absolute Truth.  And let us not be proud but rather humble, allowing the great Master to refine, mold, and shape our hearts.  Let us replace those hearts of stubbornness and rebellion with hearts of obedience to our Master, sowing those seeds of Truth that will bear good fruit in our lives.

May the Lord help us to shine our Light as we hope in Him.

In my next study, I will be discussing "Submission."

Luci