Mother's Day
Notes
Transcript
Mother’s Day – Proverbs 31:10-31
Introduction
· Get a reaction from mom’s in room
· Where does your wife work? She doesn’t work, she’s a stay-at-home mom.
· My experience with Tyler-How hard a job this is.
· Motherhood is a sacred task.
· As wives and as mothers, you guys are women of excellence and pillars of strength.
· Today we are going to see a picture of a God-centered wife and mother, filled with the wisdom of God from the book of Proverbs
· We’ll see the qualities she has and how they manifest into all her actions.
· We will also see how valuable and appreciated you wives and mothers are to our families.
· I’m going to keep it light today, rather than taking an in-depth look into each verse as we usually do.
The Biblical purpose of the book of Proverbs is stated in 1:2-6.
Proverbs 1:2-6
2 To know wisdom and instruction,
to understand words of insight,
3 to receive instruction in wise dealing,
in righteousness, justice, and equity;
4 to give prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the youth—
5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
and the one who understands obtain
guidance,
6 to understand a proverb and a saying,
the words of the wise and their riddles.
Wisdom is the acquired skill for Godly living
1:7 and 9:10 reveals the source of all wisdom contained in the 31 chapters.
Proverbs 1:7
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge
Proverbs 9:10
10 The fear of the Lordis the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
“Fear of the Lord”: In a nutshell, is:
· Standing before God worshiping Him with awe, reverence, and adoration.
· To recognize His holiness leading to our submitting our lives to Him in obedience.
· Proverbs 31:10-31 describes an excellent wife and mother whose life is centered on loving and serving the Lord.
Text: “The Song of a Valiant Woman”
Proverbs 31:10-31
10 An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
15 She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She dresses herself with strength
and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.
Exegesis
Overview
· This text gives us a picture of God’s ideal wife and mother.
· We discover what a wise woman looks like and what she does in practical terms.
· We discover the extraordinary value of such a woman.
Very important
· It would be irresponsible of me not to address concerns some of you may have after reading this text.
· Some of you may feel guilty because you feel you don’t measure up to the wife and mother the text describes.
· I certainly don’t want you to go home feeling this way.
· The truth is, all of us, men and women, fall short of the standards of wisdom we see in Proverbs.
· Try to think of it this way; Jesus is the ideal, our perfect example for us to strive for. However, we can never fully reach this standard until we are glorified.
· In a similar way, this is the ideal woman, the wife and mother we can strive to become.
Vs 31:10-12, 23 – Qualities and Benefits of an Excellent Wife
· An invaluable asset to her family
· More valuable than any earthly treasures we can find-Jewels.
· Trustworthy- Her household has complete trust. Complete trust means her husband and children have “full confidence” in her in every area of life. This trust is built on her exhibiting wisdom from God; her words, decisions, and actions are made through the leading and power of the Holy Spirit.
· She is selfless-She provides all the family needs.
· Focuses on how she can love, strengthen, and build up her family rather than herself-Brings good rather than evil.
· (23) “Husband known at the gates.”
· The husband’s reputation amongst his peers are benefits from his wife’s life and work at home and in the community
· Behind every great man is a great woman.
Vs 31:13-18 – Wisdom for Discernment and Diligent in Activity.
Vs 13
· She delights in hard work using the gifts and skills God has given her.
Vs 14-15
· She seeks the highest of quality food for her family and for others in her household.
Vs 14, 18
· She works tirelessly making the most of her time.
· (18) The “lamp” is often a metaphor for inner strength, resolve, and life.
Vs 16-18
· She exercises responsibility using their money wisely.
· She has wisdom to recognize opportunities to invest money wisely.
· (17) Dressing herself with strength means she prepares for the endurance and fortitude required for her daily work.
VS 19-20 - Hands of Skill and Strength for Generous Giving
· (19) she puts her hand out and holds the spindle for work.
· (20) However, she opens her palms and stretches out her hands to generously give to those in need.
VS 21-22 – A women’s source of peace and resolve during the hard times.
· She’s not caught off guard.
· She prepares and provides everything her family needs during times of difficulty.
· Because she is diligent to prepare, she “laughs at the times to come.”
o Meaning she has no fear or anxiety because of her diligent work to face any circumstance.
VS 26-27 - She is full of wisdom as a strong teacher for her children as well as a strong provider
· “Opens mouth with wisdom”
· She builds up her husband and children with kind words.
· She teaches her children and grandchildren.
· “Looks well the ways of her household”
VS 28-31 – Well Deserved Praise and Blessing
· Husband and children recognize how valuable she is to the family.
· (30) “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain”
The world tends to honor women for one of two reasons.
· Some are honored because of their outward beauty and charm.
· Because such value is placed upon appearance, many women spend a lifetime trying to gain perfect body and face.
· Some women receive worldly honor, independent women who have achieved success at work, who have accumulated their own wealth apart from any one else’s help.
What kind of woman does God honor?
· The biblical ideal for a woman is completely counter-cultural.
· You don’t need worldly achievement or outward beauty for fulfilment in life.
In verse 30, we see the phrase, “A women who fears of the Lord should be praised.”
· Godly women don’t succeed in their own strength.
· The fear of the Lord is the source of her strength and success.
· She serves God in her home with the strength that God supplies.
· And this is made possible through the Gospel. Our perfection is in Christ, who has forgiven us of our sins through His death and has given us eternal life through His resurrection.
· Jesus imparts to us his righteousness and His virtues, the high moral standards like we saw today in Proverbs.
Conclusion
As you celebrate the rest of your Mother’s day, know that:
· You are invaluable to your families, to your children.
· You are the backbone, the crown of honor behind your family.
· You treat us husbands and your kids better than we deserve.
· And if you are a Godly woman, you know it’s because you do it ultimately for the Lord.
Prayer
Lord, on this day in which we honor mothers, may we love and cherish the special women who have born us, who have nurtured us, and who have prayed for our well-being.
May our hearts overflow with gratitude to you Lord, who formed us in a mother’s womb.
We pray that You would give each mom strength and wisdom. We ask You to be the daily bread for tired mothers. May each one find rest in You.
Amen