Before I start my notes today I thought I would give you something to think about as I do this study. Like Pr 31 isn't enough to think about right :-)? Well this goes along with the study really.
Have you ever compared the woman of Pr 31 with yourself or the woman of today? Or of any day? God's wisdom is timeless and she is very much like us or any woman of any other time period.
She runs a household, makes important decisions for her family, juggles meal planning, shopping, helps worthy causes, and cheers on her children and is a helpmeet to her husband.
Wisdom is not just timeless but it takes time to get wisdom.
I don't know of anyone who can honestly say they have it all together. I surely can't. But I think we need to be striving daily to become more like her. We need to keep moving forward even if we are moving slowly. The problem comes when we start moving backwards instead of forward, or when we aren't moving at all. Just as water becomes stagnant and smelly so do we. If you have ever past by stagnant water you know what I mean. That is how we must smell to God when we are not moving forward. I know the word says be still and know that I am God, this is not what I am talking about.
Ok here we go after much chatter over the last couple of days on just the first verse lol. This may be a long few days.
Even if we don't do everything listed in the verses 10-31 we can still be a virtuous woman. As we have been learning it is a heart attitude.
God does have a set of standards for us as women, and they are found in these verses. These verses will be the outward result of a heart following after God.
In Phil 3:12-14 it says: Not as though I have already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
It doesn't happen in one day. God knows we are not perfect and haven't fully arrived. We won't be perfect until we are with Christ and transformed.
Sitting at the feet of Jesus daily gives us the strength to face our day and whatever is in store for us that day according to God's will.
With these thoughts in mind let's look at 31:11
Pr 31:11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
Dependable, steadfast, trustworthy, wise
Dependable means That may be depended on; as dependable friendships.
Steadfast means 1. Fast fixed; firm; firmly fixed or established; as the stedfast globe of earth.
2. Constant; firm; resolute; not fickle or wavering.
Abide stedfast to thy neighbor in the time of his trouble.
Him resist, sted fast in the faith. 1 Peter 5.
3. Steady; as stedfast sight.
Trustworty means deserving of trust or confidence; dependable, reliable
Wise means 1. Properly, having knowledge; hence, having the power of discerning and judging correctly, or of discriminating between what is true and what is false; between what is fit and proper, and what is improper; as a wise prince; a wise magistrate.
Do our lives reflect these words? If not are we self-focused? Are we over committed? Do we think we won't make that much of a difference in someone else's life so why bother?
Even the most responsible person can slip into being undependable if they become self-focused.
If we have over committed then we need to start to say no to the people and situations that distract us from where and what God wants us to go or do. We need our priorities to line up with God's.
Many problems arise when we fail to live up to the responsibilities God has called us to, or we take on responsibilitites He has not called us to.
If we take on things we shouldn't here is what happens:
1. We don't have the time to spend with God that we should.
2. We can't serve as our husband's helpmeet as God said we should.
3. We don't have the time or energy to train our children according to God's word.
4. Everything else we are called to do, minister to others, housework, etc suffers.
You can't be there for everyone all the time. I am not talking about for your husband or children. You have to say no sometimes to people. Being truly available and trustworthy to the few God sends to you is more important then being available and untrustworthy and superficial to everyone.
Let's look at two wives. Noah's and Job's.
We don't know much about Noah's wife. We don't even know her name. She isn't mention very much at all.
In Gen 6 God tells Noah to build an ark.
Can you imagine what she must have thought when he came home from work one day and said God told me to build an ark? What would have been your reaction? Or mine? Then in chapter 7 he tells her they all have to get in the ark with all these animals and live that way till God says differently.
Can you imagine what the other wives said to her while he was building the ark? They must have ridiculed her horribly.
But no place does it say she ever complained. His heart could safely trust in her to support him. But remember he probably made it easy for her because the word says he and his family were spared because Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord in Gen 6:8. He wasn't selfish, overbearing, untrustworthy.
Now by contrast let's look at Job's wife.
Job was perfect and upright according to Job 1:1. This is why the devil wanted to test Job. Now I understand that when his wife told him in Job 2:9 to curse God and die he had lost everything. But Noah's wife had to leave her home to live in the ark. The big difference here is obvious. Noah's wife loved and trusted God and Noah enough to know Noah wouldn't be doing it if he wasn't sure God had told him to do it. Job's wife on the other hand had enjoyed their life till God let the devil test him. When things got uncomfortable she no longer trusted God or Job.
It is easy sometimes for us to brush off those who care about us and we care about. We figure they will understand. But what about when we brush God aside because we would rather do something other then spend time with Him? Or we want to do something we know He wouldn't approve of but our flesh wants to do it anyway? Remember He sees you no matter what you do or where you do it.
As we develop dependability and trustworthiness in our relationship with God, it will spill over to our relationships with our husband, children and others.
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