Mothers Day 2017

5/14/17                   NOTES NOT EDITED
More Precious than Rubies
Proverbs 31:10-31

SIS--A Godly woman (mother or otherwise) is to be honored, cherished and followed as an example of wisdom and strength.

If you would have asked me a few years ago what my favorite holiday was I would have quickly answered, Christmas.  No one but the "Scroogiest" among us could argue that this is indeed a wonderful holiday.

But, times change, and time changes things. Now, my favorite holiday of the year is without question, Mother's Day.  On this day, I celebrate life.  I celebrate the life that my mother gave me 61 years ago, last Tuesday.  I don't celebrate every event in my life, but I celebrate life itself -- the greatest gift any human could give someone else -- and only a mother (touched by God) can give this gift.

So, with all the pomp and ceremony I can muster in a sermon I want to celebrate "mothers."  Now, if you are a lady who has never given birth to a child of your own -- don't count yourself out.  Some of the most godly and motherly women in the world have never given birth to a child of their own.  These special women, simply mothered any child they could find that needed love.  So, if you are such a lady -- we celebrate you today as a stand-in mother to those special nieces, nephews, and assorted other tripping hazards we call children.

So, regardless of the circumstances that might surround this day for each of us, it is a day to celebrate the most important station any person can have in this life -- motherhood.  There is nothing that can compare to a Godly mother.  The text we will read together in a moment begins like this:

¹⁰A wife of noble character who can find?

She is worth far more than rubies.

That Hebrew word translated, "rubies," is a very challenging word to translate.  It can also mean, "coral," (as in from the sea).  It can mean simply any precious gem, but it is often associated with something red in color -- as with a rich, red ruby.

Whatever particular view you take, a "a woman of noble (godly) character" is rare and priceless.  In fact, it is so priceless that such a woman cannot be purchased at any price.  Notice in our text that this woman is "discovered" (found) not purchased.  A godly mother is rare and priceless and we should take note of her virtues.

We are going to read a portion of God's Word that is an "acrostic" poem.  This is a type of poetry in which the first word begins with one of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet -- in order.  It is a 22 point sermon -- but I'm only going to examine 7 of the points.  You can look at the other 15 at your leisure.  From my seven you will clearly come to comprehend that A Godly woman (mother or otherwise) is to be honored, cherished and followed as an example of wisdom and strength.

Mothers are indeed amazing people.  One amazing feat they can seem to accomplish more than anyone else, is writing a letter to a son or daughter.  Mothers can say things in ways nobody else can say them.  I recall one such letter a mom wrote to her son in college.  She wrote:

Dear Son,
Just a few lines to let you know that I am still alive.  I'm writing this letter slowly because I know you cannot read very fast.

About your father. . . he now has a lovely job.  He has 500 people under him.  He cuts the grass at the local cemetery.

By the way, your sister, Mary, had her baby.  I haven't found out yet if it is a boy or a girl so I don't know yet whether you are an aunt or an uncle.

Some sad news. . . your Uncle Dick who works over at the brewery drowned in a vat of whiskey. Some of the crew dived in to try to save him, but he fought them off bravely.  We had him cremated and it took three days to put the fire out.

The weather here has been awful.  It was so windy last week one of the chickens laid the same egg four times!

Well, that's about all the news I have for now,

Signed, "Your Loving Mother."

PS--I was going to send you $50 but I had already sealed the envelope.

No, nobody can write a letter like a mother. Let's read what God's letter, the Bible, has to say about a godly mother:

Let's read together what God's letter, the Bible, says about a godly mother. We'll read a couple verses and
examine more as we go.

PLEDGE

¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.

.................................................

²⁹“Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” ³⁰Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. ³¹Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Wow!  I get tired just reading the list of virtues such a godly woman possesses.  I get a little jealous, too.  I also, get just a bit convicted when I think of the type of character this passage calls every one of us -- male and female -- to develop in our lives. 

I recall what the man's man, Teddy Roosevelt, soldier, safari hunter, and president of the U.S., said about mothers.  He said,

"The mother is the one supreme asset of national life.
She is more important, by far, than the successful
statesman, or businessman, or artist, or scientist."

With that in mind, let's consider the virtuous example of a godly mother who is "more precious than rubies."

1. The Virtues of a Godly Woman

a  The first virtue we discover is DIGNITY (v10)

 A wife of noble character who can find?

She is worth far more than rubies.

A virtuous woman is a "Noble" woman.  She carries herself with dignity and honor.  It is unusual to see this word used here in regard to a virtuous woman because it is the same word used in verse three.  Here, the writer is reminding Solomon not to dilute his position of dignity as the king by taking foreign wives.  V.3 says:

do not spend your strength on women,

your vigor on those who ruin kings.

The Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint, translates a “noble, capable” woman as a “manly woman.”  The focus is not on physical strength as much as it is a deep understanding of one’s value before God.  Dignity represents and inner strength that derives from knowing we—man or woman—are created in the image of God.

Like this virtuous woman, we should all carry ourselves with the dignity of knowing not only “who” we are, but “Whose” we are.  We are God’s unique creation, and we should act like it.

b  A godly woman is also DEPENDABLE (V. 11)

A noble, virtuous wife can be "safely trusted." Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.

If you pay attention to the context here, you will see that this probably refers to "trust in financial matters," not just "matters of the heart."  The passage goes on to say, "He will have no lack of gain."  A godly, virtuous woman does not put pressure on her husband to sustain a lavish lifestyle for the family.  She is frugal with the resources of the family and content with that which her husband provides.  Nothing brings more disharmony into a family than for the husband and wife to be at odds on what the standard of living should be for the family.  Discontent over money matters is the number one cause of marital discord.  Someone once wrote:

"There's was a perfect marriage except for one feminine flaw // He was fast on the deposit //  But she was quicker on the draw.

Mothers, be content with what resources you have as the manager of the home.  Learn to be content.  Learn to make much out of little if you have need to do so.  Let your husband know that he can depend on you to make the most out every paycheck.  Never harp about money -- it is the kind of harping that carries a horrible tune.

g DEVOTION characterizes a godly mother (v. 12)

"She does him good and not evil  all the days of her life."

I read a sermon this week in which the preacher said, "A godly wife is like a fountain of blessing that never runs dry."  Such a woman is a perpetual, devoted source of unspeakable blessing to her family.

We could all take a lesson in devotion from this "noble woman" of Proverbs 31.  Many marriages end almost as soon as they are started because of a lack of devotion -- sometimes on the part of the wife, sometimes on the part of the husband, or sometimes (oftentimes) on the part of both.  Devotion is absolutely essential to wedded bliss and a long, happy marriage.

In one of his books, Gordon MacDonald tells about a young Florida man who became devoted to Elvis Presley. For Dennis Wise, devotion meant spending every bit of money he had to collect Presley memorabilia (books, magazines, pillows, records, and even tree leaves from the Presley mansion in Memphis). Wise never met Presley but he saw him perform several times, and he had once seen him at a distance when he looked through the gates at Graceland (Presley's home). He had stood there for more than twelve hours to get a fleeting glimpse. Wise's devotion is so great that he underwent six hours of plastic surgery to make his face resemble that of the famous singer.

Dennis Wise was completely devoted to Elvis and had never even met him.  A wife should be that devoted to her husband and even more -- except for the part about getting plastic surgery to look like your husband -- that would be just "creepy."

Devotion requires a depth of love that far exceeds any idea of simple romance or emotional attachment.  Devotion erupts from a well-spring of personal sacrifice -- sort of like, the love God demonstrates for to us that "while we were even His enemies, he loved us and gave his son to die in our place" (Romans 5:8).  That's the sort of "devotion" that makes a great marriage.  Anything short of absolute devotion, and the winds of life will tear apart a marriage like a tornado tears apart a teepee.

d  The 4th virtue describing this "noble lady" that
      is more valuable than rubies is DELIGHT (v 13)

V. 13 says, "she willingly works with her hands."

The key word in this verse is, "willingly."

Nearly every translation I could read used the word, "willingly" to describe how this Virtuous Woman of Proverbs 31 went about her daily tasks. In each of these translations the emphasis is on "how" she went about her tasks, but not, "why."  The Hebrew word for "willing, or willingly" can also be translated, "delight, or delightfully." I don't think the important issue is so much "how" she went about the daily chores -- and they were many and hard -- but "why" she went about the daily chores so willingly -- she took great "delight" in serving her husband and children, no matter how difficult or arduous the task.

There's not enough money in the world to get someone to "willingly" carry on the tasks of motherhood.  The labor pains alone were enough for me never to want to be a mother again!

No, what keeps a godly mother going is not working because she "has to, " but because she "wants to."  As one preacher said, "She does what she does because she loves her family and she loves the Lord."

Let's apply this virtue of "delight" to being a servant of Jesus Christ through His church.  A church will never achieve what God wants her to achieve if people are merely coming to church to fulfill some religious duty.  In order for the Holy Spirit to fall upon a church, each member must "delight" in His Presence.  Psalm 1 says,

¹Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. ²But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

The word translated "delight" in this Psalm is the same word translated, "willingly," in Proverbs 31.  The key to being a godly wife -- or a godly person in general -- is to serve because it is a "delight" to serve, not a duty.

h  For the next virtue, I'll combine verses 14 and 15
    under the heading, DEDICATION.  (15 actually begins with w)))

Notice to what great lengths a Godly Mother will go to provide for her family:

In verse 14: "She is like a merchant ship sailing the seas to find the best food for her family."  In verse 15: "She rises before daybreak to get the best deals at the market."

Now, keep in mind she does this every day.  Her day starts before everyone else and it ends -- according to verse 18 ("and her lamp does not go out by night")-- after everyone else.  This is her routine day in and day out.  She is an early riser and a late sleeper.

Now, maybe some of you women are not "early risers."  You aren't always your best before dawn.  I remember reading about a man who went to the doctor because he was not feeling well.  The doctor wanted to diagnose his problem and began asking questions.  He asked the man, "Are you sleeping well at night?"  The man answered, "Yes, I am sleeping fine?"  The doctor continued, "Well, do you ever wake up grouchy in the morning."  The man calmly replied, "Oh, no doctor.  I let her sleep."

Well, maybe some of us men and ladies are not at our best before dawn.  That's not really the point.  The point is that "godliness" -- whether for a mother or anyone else -- requires dedication.  In the family, and in the church, we must be willing to do what ever it takes to make our homes and churches successful

NOW, let me jump down to verse 20, (mistake in bulletin notes, not verse 22) or the letter y (yōd), in the Hebrew alphabet.  This verse begins with the word, for "hand," (yad).  Here we highlight this noble woman's virtue of

y  DUTIFULNESS (V. 20) (we skipped, z zayin;,j heth,;f teth)

"she extends her hands to the poor."

What devotion is to those within our family or our church, dutifulness is to those outside of our families and churches.

In the Great Commandment Jesus teaches that true belief in God is manifest in two spheres or arenas of love -- first, love for God; second, love for our fellow human beings.  When asked by a religious expert (who wanted to trick Jesus into making one of the ten commandments more important than the others) Jesus said:  (Matt. 22:38-40)

‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

The context shows us that Jesus considered these two facets of love as two parts of one whole.  Jesus was teaching that you really could not love God (devotion) without loving or serving others (duty).  Devotion and duty are two sides of the same coin.

The godly woman here in Proverbs 31 exemplified both these facets of true godliness.  One really cannot say they love God if they do not love those for Whom God sacrificed His only Son.  For Devotion to God to be true, it must be reflected in Duty to others.

The godly wife of our Proverbs passage "reached out with a loving hand to a hurting world."

Wow!  What a lesson.  Let me say that again: the godly wife of our Proverbs passage "reached out with a loving hand to a hurting world."  Dutifulness was one of her key virtues.  It should be one of ours also.

OK.  One more virtue to demonstrate the godly character of this Noble Woman we should all follow as an example.  Jump down to verse 23, or "nūn"in the Hebrew alphabet. (Skipping k kaph;
l lamek; m mem)

 n  Call this virtue:  DEFERENCE. (v. 23)

Her husband is respected at the city gate,

where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

Deference means "yielding in opinion, judgment, or wishes;  courteous regard or respect."

Now, some of you ladies may not like what I am about to say but it is God's truth and I'm going to say it anyway (and then perhaps run for cover).  Here it is:

"Ladies, if you are wearing the pants in the family -- you are out of uniform!"

God never intended for women to assume the leadership role in the family.  That will never work.  The Bible is clear:  "Jesus is the Head of the church and the man is the head of the family"  (Eph. 5).

Feminism has taken a secure hold in our society and it has assisted in the continuing unraveling of the American family.  If this is not put into check soon -- America will not survive. 

This does not mean that a woman cannot work outside the family. Clearly, this virtuous woman of Proverbs 31 did contribute to the family treasure chest.  What DEFERENCE means is that the wife should follow the husband as the husband should follow Christ.  God will hold both husband and wife accountable for the roles each chooses to play in the marriage.  Men, take that as a solemn warning.

Well, those are seven virtues  that show us the godly example of a virtuous woman that we should look to and learn from to live a godly life.  But, I want to say a quick word about:

2.  The Victory of a Godly Woman

Ladies (girls) and guys, too. If we will take to heart the lessons in this 22 point poem, here is what we can expect.  Look at verse 31:

Give her the reward she has earned,

and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Folks, as sure as I am of anything else, I am sure of this:  God will reward those who seek to live virtuous, godly lives while pilgrims marching across the frontier we call "life."  God knows how to reward those who are faithful and true, who live good, virtuous lives to the best of our abilities with the help of the Holy Spirit. 

The result of living a virtuous life, is gaining victory over sin and death by the blood of Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  In addition to that, the “Noble Lady”

1) gained the praise of her family (v.28), and received; 2) the respect of others (31, “at the city gates”.  She gained the victory in this battle we call life.

How much better our world would be if we all followed the example Noble Lady of Proverbs 31, who was "more precious than rubies."