Feminism...From God’s point of view…Part 2 - Trapped or Trusted?

When I was 17, having just finished high school in Hawaii, I told my mom that I was going to move out and live in the D.C. area. My mom agreed. On the afternoon before my evening flight, I sat with my mom. She could see I was disturbed. She asked me what was wrong. I told her that I was bothered, when my two older brothers wanted to move out, they were both 20 at the time and were only moving 15-20 miles away, she argued with them. Here I am 17, moving over 4,800 miles away…and she helped me pack! She laughed and looked me straight in the eye, smiling and said, “Nathan, of my four boys you are the one I have never worried about, I know you could always talk yourself into a meal!”

The qualities that a godly woman has can challenge men so much, if they are wise it makes them better men.

We saw that a godly woman is Mature.

As we continue through Proverbs 31, let’s discover more of these qualities.

A second quality of a godly woman is that she is an Overseer

Overseer Defined: To look or see after, to take care of

¹³ She finds wool and flax and busily spins it. ¹⁴ She is like a merchant’s ship, bringing her food from afar. ¹⁵ She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day’s work for her servant girls. ¹⁶ She goes to inspect a field and buys it; with her earnings she plants a vineyard. ¹⁷ She is energetic and strong, a hard worker. ¹⁸ She makes sure her dealings are profitable; her lamp burns late into the night. ¹⁹ Her hands are busy spinning thread, her fingers twisting fiber.                       

She manages things. Notice the kinds of things; big and small! A great Christian leader used to ask his disciples 9 questions. One of them was quite revealing – How does he handle the little things? Pick up his clothes, make his bed, and clean the dishes…because it is the little things that show the true character of a person.  This woman manages all the tasks in her life, exciting and mundane.

²⁰ She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy.

She manages her responsibility of being part of the human community by extending care to those less fortunate. It is normal to take care of your “own”, but the heart is revealed when we love those we do not know. She has compassion.

²¹ She has no fear of winter for her household, for everyone has warm clothes.

She manages her future by being prepared. This is proactive oversight, thinking ahead and looking for possible needs.

²² She makes her own bedspreads. She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns.

She manages herself. She uses her skills to bless her family and she pays attention to how she looks. This is not vanity, but an understanding that how she looks does reflect how she views what it means to be a temple of the Lord and how she represents her family. I understand this because I am one of those that struggle with weight. The important issue is “struggle”. When we just don’t care and give in, our weaknesses will rule us! We all have weaknesses, but we should never give up or give in to them. God honors the struggle!

²⁴ She makes belted linen garments and sashes to sell to the merchants

She knows how to manage “extra.” This shows she understanding the stewardship of opportunity. After taking care of what she believes is needed for her family, she uses the extra as investment. This would apply not only to money, but also to time. Many blow every extra moment they have on useless things. A good overseer understands that even leisure time should be invested…it should produce restoration and renewal in our life.  

²⁷ She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness.

           

She carefully watches the ways of her children, husband and home, and does not model laziness or idleness. This is not a woman that is “trapped” – no she understands the importance and influence of her life and desires to be a faithful steward.

There are four more qualities to come, but let’s take a pause and consider what kind of Overseer are we. Where do we fall short, what do we plan to do about it? Where do we excel – are we modeling it to our disciples? 

Feminism...From God’s point of view.

When I was a Senior in Bible College my mother went home to be with Lord. She had trusted Christ with me 3 months earlier. She was 49. I was asked by my dad to do the funeral, this was the first funeral I had done. That was 33 years ago, yet I still find that the impact my mother had on me continues. She did not become a believer until late in life, but due to the era she grew up in, she held many Biblical views that she brought me up with. As Mother’s day approaches let’s consider what characteristics a godly mother has.

Proverbs 31:10–31 Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies.  Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life.  She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She finds wool and flax and busily spins it. She is like a merchant’s ship, bringing her food from afar. She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day’s work for her servant girls. She goes to inspect a field and buys it; with her earnings she plants a vineyard. She is energetic and strong, a hard worker. She makes sure her dealings are profitable; her lamp burns late into the night. Her hands are busy spinning thread, her fingers twisting fiber. She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy. She has no fear of winter for her household, for everyone has warm clothes. She makes her own bedspreads. She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns. Her husband is well known at the city gates, where he sits with the other civic leaders. She makes belted linen garments and sashes to sell to the merchants. She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness. Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!” Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised. Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.

A Chinese Proverb: Ten henpecked husbands formed themselves into a sworn society for resisting the poisonous oppression of their wives. At the first meeting they were sitting, talking over their pipes and wine when suddenly the ten wives, who had got wind of the movement, appeared on the scene. There was a general stampede, and nine of the husbands incontinently bolted like rats through a side door, only one remained unmoved to face the music. The ladies merely smiled contemptuously at the success of their raid, and went away. The nine husbands then agreed that the bold tenth man, who had not run away, should be appointed their president; but on coming to offer him the post, they found that he had died of fright! ^[1]

We all need to laugh at life, but it is also important to learn from it. Proverbs 31:10-31 has some tremendous insight about the impact of a godly woman.

One of the first qualities is that this woman is Mature – which is clearly expressed in her character.

Maturity is defined: Full grown, fully developed

Proverbs 31:10 Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies.

This same word “capable" is found in Ex.18:21

But select from all the people some capable, honest men who fear God and hate bribes. Appoint them as leaders over groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten.

Maturity is seen in someone being able to handle life with balance, a person that can be competent to deal with life’s curves and situations. This kind of wife is more valuable than material things. She is the true treasure!

Proverbs 31:12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

Notice the consistency in her life. This does not mean she does not fail, we are all human, but a mature human, when they do fail, they are consistent to make it right.

Proverbs 31:26 When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness.

Someone mature knows how to communicate. They speak with wisdom, which means they give applied knowledge, i.e. not just the facts but how to use those facts. They also give their instruction with kindness – one of the clearest marks of true kindness is “timing”. Often it's not how we say something, it is when we say it that causes problems.

One of the greatest preachers ever was Dr. G. Campbell Morgan. He had four sons. They all became ministers. At a family reunion, a friend asked one of the sons, “Which Morgan is the greatest preacher?” While the son looked at the father, he replied, “Mother!”^[2]

We will continue through this wonderful Proverb, but first let’s look at the description of maturity and ask ourselves how do we measure up?

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^[1] Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations : A treasury of illustrations, anecdotes, facts and quotations for pastors, teachers and Christian workers. Garland TX: Bible Communications.

^[2] Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations : A treasury of illustrations, anecdotes, facts and quotations for pastors, teachers and Christian workers. Garland TX: Bible Communications.

An Investment Worth It and a Foundation that Guarantees Success

Probing Proverbs 9:9-10 Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.   Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.

Wisdom warns us previously that it is a waste of time to continue to help those that refuse the help. Now Wisdom gives us the encouraging Truth about those that are worth investing in. Remember – this is not speaking to the “value” of a person. All human beings are valuable to God and should be to us. Anyone can be molded into a great person if they will allow it. Wisdom is addressing our input of time and effort, and is making it clear that some individuals will just waste our time. However, the people being spoken of here, by their response, make it clear that time and effort spent on them will be rewarding and encouraging. 

In both cases the point is made that our little investment will produce even more of the same. A wise person takes the instruction we give and after processing it, has even more wisdom. The righteous person takes the teaching they get and squeezes all the knowledge they can from it. Sadly, many times we allow ourselves to be dominated by those that want the attention, yet refuse to maximize the wisdom that is being shared. Wisdom is exhorting us to evaluate those that we invest our time with. We are not judging, rather discerning what they do with our effort. That is proper stewardship and will enable us to maximize our time spent in discipleship. 

After encouraging us to invest wisely, Wisdom lays out the foundations and their outcome when it comes to knowledge. “Fear” means exactly what the word should convey, not just reverence…but knee knocking dread. The only healthy fear of the Lord is an honest one. Respect and reverence yes, but understanding that the Lord is the only One that can destroy both body and spirit eternally should give us a sobering reality of Who God is. This is why it is the foundation of wisdom. Until a person recognizes Who God is, nothing else in life has the proper perspective. Think of all the famous and powerful people that denied God. On that day of judgment what will their titles or accomplishments mean? Fearing God leads a person to live a life that will stand judgment on that day. The second foundation is learning about that God. The more you know Him, the more sound your judgment will be, because your judgment incorporates what He considers important, right and wrong. 

When we allow Wisdom to lay those two foundations, the potential for our life is unlimited! What can a person not accomplish if God is a vital part of their thoughts, desires and plans?