How Women Should Be Praised
Said there was a new discovery in Israel recently.
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Archaeologists are going through and they found a set of scrolls and in there they found.
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A passage that was long forgotten. Proverbs 32.
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And the text says in proverbs 32 ha fools you. Anyone took that last part seriously. Must have had a major performance complex.
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That article came from what is called Lark News, and if you're not familiar with Lark, a lark is a lark.
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Is something done for fun, especially mischievous?
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So did they really find a, you know, a lost piece of scripture?
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But I think it hits on a truth.
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They were making fun of.
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The thing as often as we read.
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Proverbs 31 and women, especially as you preach proverbs 31 you start to throw your hands up in the air and go.
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Who can be like this?
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Like this standard is insane.
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And that's the point.
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Sometimes, often when it comes to setting goals.
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And we'll see this as we go through. And you were listening to it. These are the words of king Lemuel's mother saying an excellent wife who can find.
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She's trying to lay out to him, son, not judge your wife and say whether she does these things she's saying to him before you get married.
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What is going to matter?
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What is going to value?
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So this is not this is this is one in the book of proverbs, so it's wisdom poetry.
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Not everything is stated it it doesn't lay out how she did all these things.
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It's supposed to make you think it's supposed to make you value.
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And it lays out in here so.
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That we focus often on what someone is good at and so we look at ohh here's what she is good at.
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What is she doing?
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But actually, the whole point.
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Of the proverb is to drive us towards her character.
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Her godly wisdom that is a beneficial that brings beneficial value to both her family and to her neighbors and society.
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The point is what she values and who she values ultimately God.
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God is glorified by our efforts and God is glorified by these women's efforts, and I mentioned it earlier.
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Pasteuri was doing an excellent job going, taking us through Ephesians 5 and the role of women and husbands in the church and thought as take a week away, it was kind of scheduled.
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Let's focus on some positive attributes here.
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This poetic.
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Explanation of what a godly woman should be if you're following in your notes, you'll see there on the top 12 characteristics.
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Wisdom teaches should be praised in women and you're going 12?
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Yes, we're going to try and get through 12 in the next 40 minutes.
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So go with me if you could.
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You pray for me?
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But they're each one, and we could spend a whole sermon on.
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So take these as introductions.
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Things to get you thinking about.
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Maybe we have some books in the resource in the library or you can talk to us for further resources if you want to dig into this.
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But this is just to get us introduced onto these 12 characteristics that wisdom teaches us should be praised in women.
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What should you look for and praise in the women around you?
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Verses one through 9 lays out the first one.
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She is a teacher to leaders.
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At teacher to leaders.
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She says.
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What are you doing?
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The mother of King Lemuel, writing to her him says.
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What are you doing?
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My son, what are you doing?
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Son of my womb.
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What are you doing, son of my vows.
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Do not give your strength to women.
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Your ways to those who destroy kings.
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It is not for Kings O Lemuel.
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It is not for kings to drink wine or for rulers to take strong drink, lest they drink and forget.
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What has been decreed or pervert the rights of the afflicted?
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Give strong drink to those who are perishing in wine to those in bitter distress.
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Let them drink and forget their poverty and remembering.
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Remember their misery no more.
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Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of those who are destitute.
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Open your mouth, judge righteously.
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Defend the rights of the poor and needy.
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The Queen Mother is teaching her son, King Lemuel.
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Some people believe this is Solomon.
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Some people believe Solomon took this other ancient wisdom and brought it into proverbs.
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Either way, it's this image of a wise mother.
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Coming around her son and saying.
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Don't give your strength to a plurality of women.
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Find one good woman.
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Don't be controlled by alcohol or any kind of intoxicating drugs, and instead be a king of justice.
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Help those who cannot help themselves.
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She calls him to be a good king and to find.
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A Good Wife.
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And we must remember, throughout history, it has been shown again and again that women have incredible leadership.
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Even in times where women had no authority, they had the leadership of influence and direction.
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Think of, for example, the bad influence of Catherine Demich.
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Forgive me French speakers Catherine de Damici, who was the mother of King Charles the 9th of France.
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This is during the time of the Reformation when the Reformation is spreading all over Europe and into France comes Protestants who are known as Huguenots.
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They believe not in the Roman Catholic way, but.
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In the way of the Bible.
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The way of God's word over even a church leader.
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And France had been a thoroughly Catholic country for many years.
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Ever since then, even today, people some people say that Protestantism was never able to get a hold in France because on 1517 there happened what was known as the Saint Bartholomew's Day massacre, which saw the death of nearly every Huguenot.
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In France, those that survived fled often to Geneva or other places.
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And this came about because the Queen's mother was threatened by Bible believing preachers. She didn't like them. She liked their authorities, and so she pressured and convinced her son to have them all killed.
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It is said that it brought Charles the king to the point of Great Depression.
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For the rest of his life, even in his last days, he cried out.
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Ohh my subjects.
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What have I done to my subjects?
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Because of the negative influence of his mother.
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Women Scripture says that you do not have the burden of being the preacher God has set aside a different position from the leader who is either in the family, who is the husband, or the church, who is the elders pastor.
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You get a great exposition on first Timothy 2 explaining that.
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But God has called women to have a great leadership of influence.
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You don't want to be like Catherine de Merci, who used her influence for her own agenda and destroying of lives.
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You want to use it for good.
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The rest of this song or this poetry is in an acrostic.
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Each verse begins another letter of the English alphabet, and so the rest of these, all of the outlines are in alphabetical order.
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So forgive me if some of them seem a little silly.
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I was trying to do that.
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We have a a teacher to leaders.
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And then secondly, B, she is beloved.
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A woman should be praised as she is a teacher of leaders and she should be praised and that she is beloved.
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Verse 10.
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An excellent wife who can find she is far more precious than jewels.
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The word excellent life.
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Could be translated noble or or powerful.
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It's the same word as verse three translated strength.
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She has her own virtue.
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She does not steal it from her son.
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She she doesn't come and and cling on to the king and gather on him.
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She is a godly woman on her own.
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She doesn't come as a lesser partner, but she is a strong wife who makes her husband look great.
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The phrase only other peers for women in Ruth Chapter 3, verse 11, as Boaz says to his fellow townsmen that Ruth, that she was a worthy or excellent woman.
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Interestingly, in the Hebrew Order of the.
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Bible, the book of Ruth comes right after this.
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This is 1 whose reputation is excellent or godly.
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She establishes her life according to the standards of Scripture or of the Torah, the Old Testament.
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And it says she's rare, precious.
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Worth more than all the riches that you can acquire.
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You you may know the story of the runaway nun, Katie Luther.
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Famously, Martin Luther thought he would never marry because he was on the run for most of his life.
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He thought that the Pope and his armies, or the princes of Germany would find him and have him killed.
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And so why would he bring a family into this?
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And so he kind of kept it off for a long time.
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But Katie and a number of nuns escaped the convents, and they wanted to live our lives.
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According to scripture.
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And he tried to marry her off.
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Over and over again, and she would take none of the men until finally, as she alone remained.
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On June 13th, 1525.
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Katy and Martin Luther got married and they saw this act of marriage as an act of confession and obedience to God's act of creation in defiance to the Roman Catholic teaching.
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That said, you shall not get married if you are a priest.
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After one year of marriage, Martin Luther, writing of his wife, said my Katy is in all things so obliging and pleasing to me that I would not exchange my poverty for the greatest of riches.
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He lived a poor life, but with his wife.
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It was worth it.
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He would not trade anything.
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Those of you men who are married.
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Praise your wife.
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I often call Liz my greatest earthly treasure, and yours is too.
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Do you tell her that often?
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But this is also not just a letter written between two people.
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This is a public statement being given it's teaching.
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All of Israel.
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And so.
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It is a call to all of us to praise women who seek to be God's kind of woman who seek to be a excellent woman not based on the world's standards but on God's standards, who seek to bring their strength and their blessings to others.
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Praise that kind of woman.
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And he says then find and be the virtuous woman who 3rd is constantly trustworthy.
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Because this is wisdom literature and it bounces around a little bit, I've combined some of these.
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Versus together. So I'll put 11 and 12 and 23. She is constantly trustworthy.
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Verse 11.
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The heart of her husband trusts in her and she will have no lack of gain.
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She does him good and not harm all the days of her life.
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Verse 23. Her husband is known in the gates where he sits among the elders of the land.
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See this excellence.
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Woman's husband has complete and total trust in her because she takes care of all of him and all that needs to be done.
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She has a large home here, seems like and she is allows him to pursue leadership in the city gates instead of having to worry about what they will eat each day she takes.
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Care of it?
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In those days, City Gates were not just.
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The outside protective layer there at each part there was walls and then there were gates that you had to traverse through.
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And so everyone coming into the city had to go through the gates. And so it became a place where officials handled business. For example, in Deuteronomy 1618, it commands each city.
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To set aside judges and elders and they would sit in the city gates.
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And so her husband could have been a leader in the city.
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But if you hold your finger here and turn back to Proverbs 7.
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Because one thing proverbs does very well is it keeps painting a picture between a the illustrative woman of folly and the illustrative woman of wisdom.
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And so we have another woman whose husband is off doing business in proverbs 719 through 21.
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She says for my husband is not at home.
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He has gone a long journey.
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He took a bag of money with him and a full moon.
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He will come home with much seductive speech.
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She persuades him with her smooth talk.
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She compels him all at once.
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He follows her as an ox, goes to the slaughter.
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Or a stag.
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It's caught fast till an arrow pierces its liver and a bird rushes into a stair.
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He does not know that it will cost him his life.
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See the wicked woman given here is whose husband leaves her business and she goes out looking to seduce another man.
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The woman of Proverbs 31 gives her husband every reason to trust.
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To trust her, she will never do him anything to harm him.
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Again, Luther.
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Had devoted his entire life to the study in the proclamation of scriptures, and yet he says this.
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Next to God's word.
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There is no more precious treasure than holy matrimony, God's highest gift on Earth is a pious, cheerful God fearing homekeeping wife with whom you live peacefully.
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To whom you may entrust your goods and body and life.
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Irregardless of your married status.
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God calls all women to be trustworthy.
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Calls it to all people, but women are called to be trustworthy, as Jesus said in Matthew 537.
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Let your yes be yes and your no be no anything else comes from evil.
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No one should ever have to get you to promise you say it.
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It's as good as done.
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Of course, that doesn't mean we're none of us are God.
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So there are things we say we can do and we can't do, and we have to apologize for that.
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But that's what it means to be trusted, because your word is trusted.
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Your mothers, your sisters, and your wives and their ability to handle things too easy it is to micromanage.
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You're like, well, you know, did you do?
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This do this we we.
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Trust and we show the trust because they are trustworthy.
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Single guys who are not married, they're young or you're looking forward to it.
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Think very carefully.
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You want to find a woman who you will trust everything with because you will have to trust her with everything.
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And let her be a woman who's trustworthy.
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Now, with all that resourcefulness she has, we see the virtuous woman is 4th.
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D diligent.
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Diligent verse 13 through 16.
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She seeks wool and flax and works with willing hands.
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She is like the ships of the merchant.
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She brings her food from afar.
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She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.
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She considers a field and buys it.
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With the fruit of her hands.
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She plants a vineyard 18.
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She perceives that her merchandise is profitable, her lamp does not go out at night. Verse 24, she makes linen garments and sells them.
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She delivers sashes to the merchant merchant. 27. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of wildness.
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Remember, ancient Israel, no factories, no machines.
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No knitting tools.
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This those stores. So this woman has to work incredibly hard, spitting wool, making clothes every spare moment, because if she does not, her family's clothes would wear out and they would have nothing when the season changes, it would be either too cold or too hot.
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Now, as you listened and you might have thought, as you've read this before, this cannot be the average Hebrew households because in verse 15 she has servants she provides for her maidens, which would be most likely her female servants.
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In verse 14, she's bringing in foreign food instead of just.
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Having a family like garden.
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Verse 16. She's buying.
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Fields from other people, rather than most families in Israel, just inherited it from their parents.
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And she is.
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Supposed to be the wife of the king.
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You get this, this she's describing A attributes and attitudes because whatever she's doing, she is seeking for the benefit of her family and her home.
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She pours her life into serving others.
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Like this must have been a very rich woman, but she didn't sit back on her riches and say, ah, that let everyone else do the work for me.
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I'm going to be a queen.
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She is working hard.
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Verse 18 says her lamp does not go out at night and verse 15 says she gets up what while it is still dark now this cannot mean that she never sleeps.
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Because all of us burn out if we have the what's the phrase?
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You burn the candle on both ends, right?
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We will burn out what is describing is as a whole picture of her life.
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Not every single day.
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But she is willing to do what is needed.
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Some days she stays up late.
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Some days she gets up early.
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She is a sacrificial person doing what is needed for the sake of her family.
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She's involved in everything.
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But she couldn't run all these things herself.
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She has helpers who are doing.
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Things for her.
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The point that the Queen Mother is giving to her son is find a woman who's willing to work hard in whatever task she needs to do.
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Women must be diligent.
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I can't help but praise my wife for how hard she works.
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Some of you may know, or maybe forgotten, but my my wife has a number of health issues that prevent her from having the energy levels that most of us do.
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She's unable to.
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Her body can't compensate for some of the weaknesses that it has sometimes.
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And yet she sacrifices to get up early for a meeting.
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She spends hours preparing to teach her children.
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She works hard even in the midst of her weakness, to love those around.
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Godly women must be hard workers.
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In her book The True measure of success for women by Carolyn Mcculley, she writes.
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Should women work?
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Women should work and work hard every day as Christ following women, the Bible calls us for to work for the glory of God.
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The location of the work is neither the definition nor the measure of our success.
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And you think about like the idea of being a worker at home, as Titus 2 calls women to be.
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And yet here this worker at home is doing a lot of.
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Commerce engagement with those outside.
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This is not just a woman who cleans.
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This is a woman who is doing what needs to be done for the sake of her family.
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But Carol McCauley continues saying.
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We may be wives or mothers, or we may not.
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But as important as these roles are, all those roles end in this life.
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We continue on into eternity as children of God and sisters to those who have been rescued by Christ.
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See, the key call is not just to provide for one's family.
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It is to work for Jesus Christ.
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Even into heaven, the new heavens and the new Earth.
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We will be workers, we will serve, we will do things and so women should work hard and whatever God has called them to do.
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But doesn't just stop there with her seeking and working hard, it's effectiveness in her work.
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Verse 17, she doesn't just work hard, she is able to do the work because she dresses herself with strength.
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She makes her arms strong.
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The English equivalent.
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Some commentators have said, is like we might say she has a strong back.
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She is capable of all the tasks that she has been given and through her many servants that she's able to get these things done and everyone in an Agricultural Society was needed on the farm.
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So there was no hey, you just you.
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You're the house person, you're the farm person.
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Everyone did everything all the time.
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In first Peter, when it calls women a weaker vessel, it doesn't.
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Necessarily, me and women are uncapable of lifting anything.
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They can be strong, they can do what needs to be done.
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Good reminder, first Timothy.
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4 eighths.
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Directs wise women to the truth that for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way as it holds promise for the present life and also the life to come.
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I think when we think of this idea of being effective.
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Sometimes we get caught in just.
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Strength and ability skill.
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But perhaps what's more important than that is endurance than appearance.
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I think if I could say I I see this often and I hear it from people and I've heard good stories and bad stories about women get praised for.
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The way they lose their weights and they're, you know, they're self-discipline and dieting like.
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Ohh why you?
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Look so great.
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And that is good and it is good to have that self-control and then praise God for those of you women who.
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Have to go through these things but.
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That we cannot forget in here, as in all of this, the reason she is trying to be strong is not to lift herself up and look good.
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She is doing this.
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To be able to bless other people that makes sense.
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She wants to help others, so in the same way do we praise women who are effective in serving, no matter their weaknesses, who love and act, whether they look good or not?
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Number six, then, fastidiousness verse 18 fastidiousness.
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She perceives that her merchandise is profitable, her lamp does not go out at night.
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She knows what her.
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Stuff is worth.
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She knows what she can get for it.
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She has a wisdom about finances.
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She knows, according to Proverbs 1423. In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.
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So yeah, this is the IT keeps getting.
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The image of a.
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Hard worker.
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She knows what things are worth.
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She knows how to make it happen.
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Yet verse 20.
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Says she opens her hands to the poor.
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And reaches out her hands to the needy.
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She understands the importance of money and the importance of valuable things, but those do not control her.
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She's willing to give because she knows Proverbs 11/28. Whoever trusts in riches will fall.
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But the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.
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She she holds both these things, she knows the value of money, and yet she does not trust in money.
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We have to manage our money as a spiritual calling.
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Hebrews 13-5 says keep your life free from the love of money.
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Be content with what you have for he has said I will never leave you nor forsake you. Hebrews 13/5.
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A trustworthy woman.
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You need to know what money is worth.
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What possessions are worth, and what they're not worth.
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And a godly woman like this then is not threatened by wealth disappearing at times.
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Go back with me. Time travel to 368 AD after Christ in the Great City of Constantinople, there is a woman there named Olympius and she was a woman of great riches. Much like the proverbs 31 woman. She had a great estates. She had good family.
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But the emperor.
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Of the Roman.
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Empire wanted her to marry his friend.
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Because she was so beautiful and she was so connected and was like, I'm going to do.
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It and she.
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Was not convinced because she.
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You know today's story, of course, would.
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Be oh, I don't love him.
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I couldn't marry him because I don't love him.
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No, no, that that's that wasn't her reason.
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She was convinced she should not marry him because she was to follow Christ.
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And she did not believe that Christ wanted her to marry this kind of man, and so she refused.
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So in response.
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The emperor found a way to take all of her possessions.
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Her response to him?
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Perhaps a little bit sarcastically, was to thank him for removing the heavy responsibility, and she says use that wealth that you took from me to support the church and the poor.
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The Emperor so frustrated that he couldn't convince her by threatening her, relented and returned all the property to her, and instead she chose to say I will give most of it away, living simply, and she used her vast resources to help the sick and the poor and the church.
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Again, a godly woman.
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Is not idle.
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With her resources, she doesn't just sit back waiting for them to do things, but she does not idolize them either and make them God.
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Whether it's your own budget.
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Or the budget of your families.
00:28:30
Really, all of our money belongs to God.
00:28:34
Do you consider it God's money to be valued, and do we praise people who use their resources?
00:28:43
For the good of others.
00:28:46
With her wealth, we already mentioned it, but seventh, she is clearly giving.
00:28:52
We're making good time here.
00:28:55
Verse 19 through 20, she's giving.
00:28:58
She puts her hands to the distaff.
00:29:00
She and her hands hold the spindle.
00:29:03
She opens her hand to the poor and she reaches out her hands to the needy.
00:29:08
Some of your Bibles in verse 24 May say that the clothes are double there's.
00:29:14
There's some textual confusion here trying to translate it doesn't change it a whole lot.
00:29:20
Perhaps the most.
00:29:22
Trustworthy translation is actually that. There's Scarlets in verse 27, says she looks well to the ways of her husband. She does not eat the bread of idleness.
00:29:38
And this idea here is that she.
00:29:44
Back up the idea of what it means to be selfish is to regard one's own interest and advantage over others.
00:29:52
She regards her own interest and advantage over others, but she does not do that, though she works hard, though, she is diligent.
00:29:58
She opens her hand and gives to those in need.
00:30:03
The proverbs are full of reminders about our importance to give.
00:30:08
Proverbs 2113 says whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor.
00:30:14
Will himself cry out and not be answered. Proverbs 21 three.
00:30:22
We must remember.
00:30:24
That it's not how you show love to those you are infatuated with.
00:30:30
It's easy to give to those who will give back.
00:30:34
Easy to get a really nice present for someone who will give back, but we are to give to those who can give us nothing.
00:30:42
If you would.
00:30:43
You can hold your finger here and turn to Matthew 25 in the New Testament. Briefly Matthew 25.
00:30:53
Jesus is giving a great parable about his future day of judgment.
00:30:58
And what his standard will be?
00:31:09
Matthew 25.
00:31:12
Verse 31.
00:31:14
Says when the son of man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne before him will be gathered all the nations and he will separate people from one another as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats and he will place the sheep on his right and the goats on the.
00:31:31
Then the king will say to those on the right come you, who are blessed by my father.
00:31:36
Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
00:31:40
For I was hungry and you gave me food.
00:31:42
I was thirsty.
00:31:43
And you gave me drink.
00:31:44
I was a stranger.
00:31:45
And you welcomed me.
00:31:46
I was naked and you clothed me.
00:31:48
I was sick.
00:31:49
And you visited me.
00:31:50
I was in prison.
00:31:51
And you came to me, then the righteous will answer him.
00:31:54
Saying, Lord, when did we see you and hungry and feed you or thirsty or give you drink.
00:31:59
When did we see a stranger and welcome.
00:32:01
You were naked and clothe you.
00:32:03
And when did we see you sick or imprisoned and visit you?
00:32:07
And the king will answer them.
00:32:11
Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.
00:32:22
Jesus says what you do for the least of his people.
00:32:28
Those in need.
00:32:30
You do to Jesus.
00:32:33
When you give to believers who are in need, you are expecting a return from their king.
00:32:41
Gentlemen, we need to praise women who give not just to get.
00:32:46
But give to those who need the most because they know that their Heavenly Father will take.
00:32:51
Care of them.
00:32:53
Praise those who are giving.
00:32:56
And #8 praise those who are handsomely prepared. Verse 2122 and 27.
00:33:07
Under three things, the Earth trembles.
00:33:10
Sorry, I was looking at Chapter 30, Proverbs 3121. She is not afraid of snow for her household.
00:33:17
She makes all her household her clothes in Scarlet.
00:33:20
She makes her bed coverings for herself.
00:33:22
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
00:33:25
She looks well to the ways of her household.
00:33:28
She does not eat the bread of idleness.
00:33:32
So Scarlett means she's not afraid of winter.
00:33:36
Well, because in those days Scarlet would have been the best material that out there that would protect her family.
00:33:43
So this woman doesn't just live on what she needs right now, but she also is making her home beautiful.
00:33:52
So it's not, it's it's a good material and it's a beautiful color, she adds.
00:33:56
A feminine touch to everything.
00:33:59
Pat Ennis in her book on womanhood says for all her strength and business.
00:34:05
Acumen she is.
00:34:06
Still, elegant dressing well and decorating the home with pride is her not regarded as frivolous.
00:34:14
It's OK.
00:34:16
OK, ladies, to think how make things look nice.
00:34:19
And whatever the point of verse 27 is, is she is began.
00:34:24
Busy doing, she's acting.
00:34:27
I'll just.
00:34:28
OK.
00:34:29
My wife makes me look good.
00:34:32
I I've had people comment at times, we will say wow, the bugs.
00:34:36
Kids always look nice and I assume that includes me and that's funny.
00:34:45
Cause cause I was the kid.
00:34:47
Even the young adulthood who went to Easter Sunday in ripped shirts and shorts, I I literally had a a family.
00:34:57
I was once preaching at a church when I was in seminary and I was preaching on a.
00:35:03
On a midweek evening, stuff and then on Sunday morning I showed up, kind of raggedy and this family who was from another country, were just, like, appalled of, like, how could someone preach dress like that on a Sunday morning?
00:35:16
It's not my style at all.
00:35:20
And yet I praise God from my wife, who's able to take our children and me and take all the craziness and kind of make us look nice.
00:35:29
And so if there any problems today, you can blame me because I don't think she was.
00:35:33
She wasn't doing anything.
00:35:35
So again.
00:35:36
But praise God for women.
00:35:39
Who bring a touch of beauty to things and say, ah, this would look nice.
00:35:47
Who do it in such a way that they're prepared for the unexpected and surprising?
00:35:53
It's not just the Boy Scouts who should be prepared for every everything. Oh, praise God for the lady who pulls a Band-Aid out of her purse when it's needed, who has what she has and needs it praise.
00:36:07
Women for preparedness and for beauty.
00:36:12
And praise women #9 for integrity, verse 25, strength and dignity are her clothing.
00:36:21
She laughs at the.
00:36:22
Time to come.
00:36:24
It means she's honorable.
00:36:27
Others have a high regard and respect for her because she is prepared and she's worthy of being honored.
00:36:34
Several attributes emerge as this worthy woman takes these things into her life.
00:36:40
Now is she hurt?
00:36:42
Outward compliments are responding to her inward qualities as first Peter says her.
00:36:48
It's her adorning is not just her outward dress and her beautiful clothing, but her inward character.
00:36:55
Trust God.
00:36:56
This is a woman who trusts God and wraps herself in the purpose of glorifying him, which leads her to number 10.
00:37:04
Be judicious.
00:37:07
Judicious verse 26. She opens her mouth with wisdom and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
00:37:15
Jujus judicious wow, judiciousness. Judiciousness. I said it like 1000 times before. The quality of judging things carefully and sensibly.
00:37:28
Wisdom so fulfills this woman that it flows out of her, and it applies the many proverbs of the book of Proverbs.
00:37:37
In Proverbs 11/13 it says whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets.
00:37:43
But he who is trustworthy in Spirit keeps a thing covered.
00:37:50
The wise woman knows what to say and when to say it.
00:37:55
One rider says she she asks herself a number of questions before she speaks very quickly.
00:38:02
She a thought.
00:38:03
Pops into her head and before it.
00:38:04
Comes out, she thinks.
00:38:06
Is this kind?
00:38:07
Is this necessary?
00:38:09
Is this true?
00:38:11
Is this gossip?
00:38:13
And she controls what she says, and only then wisdom comes out of her mouth.
00:38:22
With #10, we see her resulting in #11 kindness.
00:38:29
The K 28 and 29.
00:38:33
Her children.
00:38:35
Rise up and call her blessed her husband also, and he praises her.
00:38:40
Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.
00:38:45
The wisdom of this noble woman inspires praise from her family, from those who know her best.
00:38:52
Like this is a woman who's made her life about others.
00:38:56
She's not seeking her own success.
00:39:00
She's caring for those around her.
00:39:02
And now her family calls and says because of your kindness, we praise you.
00:39:11
She is dressed secure about her feature.
00:39:14
Her husband is crazy about her.
00:39:15
Kids praise her.
00:39:18
Women would not want this.
00:39:22
But the final.
00:39:23
1 #12.
00:39:26
Provides the secret to all her success.
00:39:29
The reason that she does this, it is laid out by the mother as kind of accumulation of saying this is so great.
00:39:36
This is so great this.
00:39:37
Is so great.
00:39:38
Let me tell.
00:39:38
You why?
00:39:39
What's the most important thing to look for?
00:39:42
#12.
00:39:44
She's loving God above all.
00:39:47
Charm is deceitful.
00:39:50
Beauty is vain.
00:39:52
But a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
00:40:00
Someone who gains favor easily.
00:40:03
Just has that personality.
00:40:05
She can just make people like her.
00:40:07
Some of you are like that.
00:40:08
It's not a bad thing necessarily.
00:40:12
It can be used poorly.
00:40:15
It can be used to give an impression of someone that they're not really.
00:40:20
Cover lies.
00:40:22
Beauty is the outward appearance that draws others in.
00:40:29
Can offer a promise of a life that will be wonderful, though does not have the strength to bring it through.
00:40:36
Many a person.
00:40:38
Had a charming dating period and engagement and then they get married and guess what?
00:40:43
You married a Sinner.
00:40:45
And so all of the problems of sin come out in the stretch and you must deal with them together.
00:40:51
Beauty alone.
00:40:54
Like the most beautiful flower.
00:40:57
Like, do you remember?
00:40:58
Like back in the spring when our fields were green and beautiful and flowered, it looked like it was like we were.
00:41:07
In I don't.
00:41:08
Know like Ireland or something, it would just look beautiful and.
00:41:11
Where did all that all go?
00:41:13
It's dried up.
00:41:16
It cannot sustain a relationship alone.
00:41:21
The woman that.
00:41:22
The mother calls her son to look for and she encourages all.
00:41:25
Women to be.
00:41:27
Is who is in awe of God.
00:41:29
And loves the Lord with all her hearts.
00:41:33
She's fearful of sin.
00:41:35
She's wanting God's blessings.
00:41:37
See the book of Proverbs has constantly been trying.
00:41:40
To woo us.
00:41:42
To fear the Lord in.
00:41:46
1923 it says those who fear the Lord will fear nothing else.
00:41:51
1027 says fear of the Lord adds length to life 1426 says the fear of the Lord is a secure fortress for the one who fears, and for our children.
00:42:03
Ed Welch, the pastor and biblical counselor, says.
00:42:07
The great blessing of the fear of the Lord.
00:42:11
Is we think less about ourselves when a heart is being filled with the greatness of God, there is less room for the question.
00:42:19
What are people going to think of me?
00:42:23
See fear of the Lord sometimes seems complicated, but it's really not because you know you know how it is when you get dressed in the morning and you and you try on a certain outfit, or you're looking at yourself and.
00:42:34
The thought comes to.
00:42:35
You what will so and so think.
00:42:38
Or you want to say something and the thought comes to you.
00:42:43
What will so and so say if I say this?
00:42:47
That is, fearing that person you are concerned about what they think, what they will do, what they will respond with.
00:42:56
He's saying the woman to find the woman to be is one who cares more about what God thinks than.
00:43:04
Else, when the thought comes, what will I say?
00:43:06
It's what will God think?
00:43:08
What will I do?
00:43:10
How would God speak about this?
00:43:14
John Bunyan, the writer of Pilgrim's Progress, famously said Christian.
00:43:20
Let God's distinguishing love to you be a motive for you to fear him greatly.
00:43:25
Remember this fear of the Lord is his treasure, a choice jewel.
00:43:35
Sisters, the praise of others.
00:43:37
Is so nice, isn't it?
00:43:39
It just lifts you to Cloud nine when someone says something really nice about you.
00:43:43
And criticism can be like a crashing wave that destroys a mountain as we even see some of the.
00:43:53
The beach is being torn apart by them, throwing you up against the rocks.
00:43:59
God calls you to fear the Lord.
00:44:03
To rely upon the strength he supplies, and so no matter what anyone else says you say.
00:44:08
God's Opinion matters most.
00:44:10
This is the only consistent thing.
00:44:14
To those of you guys.
00:44:16
Who are single, not yet married, remember?
00:44:20
Philippians 48 says whatever is true, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever's lovely, whatever that well, there's excellent and worthy of praise.
00:44:29
Think on these things.
00:44:32
Do you think about the characteristics of godliness in the women around you, even at church?
00:44:37
Do you look at these examples specially some of these older ladies who have lived this life and say, yeah, that's the kind of attribute I want to find in.
00:44:46
A wife.
00:44:48
Married men.
00:44:50
Do you look at the ways that your wife?
00:44:54
Is willing to give up for the sake of God's name where she cares about his praises over others.
00:45:01
And do you encourage her in that?
00:45:05
We've seen some amazing traits here and some.
00:45:08
Overwhelming traits.
00:45:10
And that's that's OK.
00:45:12
It's actually good sometimes to feel a little bit overwhelmed because then we are taken to the gospel where we go.
00:45:17
Jesus, I've tried to live the wise life and I've come short and praise God.
00:45:22
We have forgiveness.
00:45:24
We don't offer our strength.
00:45:26
We say I have failed.
00:45:27
Thank you for forgiving me and that is the key.
00:45:30
No matter what you've done, you can't, too.
00:45:32
Can't be forgiven if you would say, here's the standard.
00:45:36
I have fallen from it.
00:45:39
Lord Jesus, you make up the rest.
00:45:44
The application here I think has been said often.
00:45:48
Is reading a proverb only takes a few seconds, but applying A proverb can take a whole lifetime.
00:45:54
Right. And and this is not just OK make a checklist and start being a proverbs 31 woman tomorrow.
00:46:00
Like just got to do all these things every day, but it's the characteristics that she applies and the God that she fears and what we value.
00:46:10
What will you value?
00:46:14
One more story, if I may. By the lady named Agatha in 251 AD.
00:46:20
Again, a woman who is known for her riches and her beauty.
00:46:25
So much so she.
00:46:26
Even caught the eye of a Roman governor.
00:46:29
But this is not why she was remembered.
00:46:32
See the Roman Emperor in 249 AD decided that Christianity was getting a little bit too aggressive and he wanted to return back to the ways of the Roman gods and so started to apply persecution and pressure to have Christians bow down to the Roman gods instead and to Slayer.
00:46:52
Their allegiance and their worship of Caesar.
00:46:57
She was dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ, refusing to sacrifice to the Roman gods as they wanted her to do.
00:47:04
And so they tried to seduce her.
00:47:07
They tried to mock her.
00:47:09
They tried to break her, they tortured her, and eventually they martyred her because she refused to deny Jesus Christ.
00:47:18
This is a woman who is famous for her martyrdom and the story, if it is true and good reasons to believe so, that before she died.
00:47:28
She was recorded saying.
00:47:30
Lord, my creator.
00:47:33
You have protected me from the cradle.
00:47:36
You have taken me from the love of the world and given me patience to suffer.
00:47:41
Receive now my soul.
00:47:44
See, she believed the truth of.
00:47:46
Philippians 121
00:47:49
For to live as Christ.
00:47:51
And to die is gain.
00:47:55
Brothers and sisters.
00:47:58
When you think of eternity, what will last forever?
00:48:02
What do you believe will be remembered about the women in your lives?
00:48:08
What do you believe will be remembered about you?
00:48:11
And then ask do my actions.
00:48:15
Reflects what I think will be remembered forever, and what I value.
00:48:21
Seek those ones.
00:48:23
Seek the life to live as Christ to die is gain.