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| For a smile of God thou art |
20 She
stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the
needy. 21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her
household are clothed with scarlet. 22 She maketh herself coverings of
tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. 23 Her husband is known in the
gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. 24 She maketh fine
linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. 25 Strength
and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. 26 She
openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. 27 She
looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of
idleness. 28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband
also, and he praiseth her. 29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but
thou excellest them all. 30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a
woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. 31 Give her of the
fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
(Proverbs 31:20-31)
Virtuosity is perfect moral righteousness, and there is only One who is perfect
and righteous – God. So the Ensign is raised in the midst of the people of God
as our rallying point. The Plumb Line is established in Christ as our perfect
standard. Can we conform to that perfect standard? No, not in our imperfect
being, but we shall be accounted righteous by that perfect standard established
by Christ. For more than forty years, I taught, or supervised the training of,
young military officers in the Aviation Branch. The new student pilot could not
hold altitude, airspeed, or heading within any rational limits on the first few
days; however, he was constantly reminded that we must fly at a precise
altitude, a precise airspeed, and a precise heading. No student ever achieved
that perfection established, and no other seasoned pilot has achieved that
perfection either. But when we aim for the perfect mark, we will come closer to
perfection than if we simply aim for the outer ring of the target. The
bulls-eye is the objective. So God has established the bulls-eye for
Godly woman and Godly man. If our full hearts are set on a perfect obedience to
God, our physical failures will not matter. God looks upon the heart and not
the outward appearance.
One quality that gives evidence of Godly faith and character is that of
compassion. Compassion drove Christ to the Cross for us. It lifts the chin of
the despairing child, and the unbecoming yoke of sin from the penitent. So the
virtuous woman is a woman of compassion for the unfortunate. 20 “She
stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the
needy.” Good mothers of their own children make good stewards of
less fortunate children of others. There were none of greater need than you and
me whom Christ came to redeem. He gave His life to accomplish that goal. Should
we not stretch our hand forth to the needy at much less cost than He paid for
us? Benevolence is a striking quality of the good woman.
21 “She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her
household are clothed with scarlet.” If our preparation is
sufficient in due season, we shall not be troubled with worry at the time of
the snows. The virtuous woman labors in the hot months to weave and yarn warm
clothes for the winter. Her fruits are prepared and stored in the cupboard, and
her family is not only warmly clothed, but clothed in exquisite scarlet.
22 “She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is
silk and purple.” The virtuous woman provides always first for her
family, but she is also strikingly elegant. She adorns herself in raiment
befitting a woman of good repute. Her home is furnished in beautiful adornment.
White linen covers the table, and the bedding is clean and intricate in design.
Purple dye was the royal color of that day, and very expensive. And silk was a
luxury that traveled many miles to its consumer. Both these precious
commodities clothe the virtuous woman, not because she is rich in worldly
wealth, but manages her household with frugality and wisdom.
23 “Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the
elders of the land.” Why is it always true that the husband of a
virtuous woman is a renowned citizen of the city and a ruler of the land? It
must be because he has a virtuous woman to more than double his wisdom. Men do
not always have the insight into social polity that a good woman has. So she
teaches and directs her husband to do those things that will make him a success
by gentle persuasion. He may even think the matter was his OWN idea! It has
long been said that behind every good man is a good woman. I feel that this
rule needs modification: “BESIDE every successful man is a good and wise woman.”
Wisdom never counsels from behind. Just as national leaders cannot lead from
behind – ludicrous!
24 “She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles
unto the merchant.” The true lady of virtue spends far more
time in productive labor and industry than she does before the mirror of
vanity. Instead of searching out 'designer' apparel, SHE designs her own and
SELLS to the merchants rather than PURCHASING from them.
25 "Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall
rejoice in time to come." Once you are acquainted with the
heart that beats beneath the silken robe, the robe is no longer a distraction
even if it were made of hemp. The virtuous woman evokes respect and admiration,
not by what she wears, but who she is. A ruby, covered in its robes of clay is
far less attractive than the ruby which has been polished and cut. It is the
ESSENCE of the Ruby that bestows beauty, not the rough soil from which it is
extracted.
26 "She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is
the law of kindness." Regardless of outward appearance, how
beautiful is this woman! Her thoughts and words are not idle gossip, but sheer
wisdom. Wisdom spoken profits all in earshot. It is not always easy to speak
truth in kindness, but kindness typifies the language of this lady of virtue.
Kindness has always dwelt most abundantly in the feminine heart, but in the
virtuous woman, kindness is magnified beyond all expectation. If God's Words
are forever the Words of Wisdom, and Angels are the messengers of God, then
this virtuous woman comes closer to an angel than a mortal woman.
27 "She looketh well to the ways of her household, and
eateth not the bread of idleness." This woman is not the idle
gossiper referred to 1st Timothy: "Having damnation, because they
have cast off their first faith. And withal they learn to be idle, wandering
about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies,
speaking things which they ought not. (Tim 5:12-13) There is enough to
teach and discuss around the home fires without meddling in the affairs of
others. For this woman, her family comes first just as it did with God in the
Garden eastward in Eden. She honors God's first institution in the Garden.
28 "Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband
also, and he praiseth her." You may say, "But it is
unlikely that children of our day would rise up and call their mother
blessed." You are right, it is unlikely; however, the virtuous woman is an
unlikely mother, and her children will be unlikely children of grace and
gratitude to their beloved mother, for she will teach them in the ways of the
Lord. The husband of such a woman will be blessed by her, and his faith
increased by her enduring faith. Rather than make cheap comments about the
failures of his wife, he can think of none. There is only praise to be made of
such a lady.
29 "Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest
them all." I do not believe it the intention of this Proverb
to demean the good Christian woman who cannot measure up to all of the
attributes of this Virtuous Woman, because none can. She is the prototype and
example of the perfect woman - the example to which each woman should aspire to
be like. In the eons of eternity to come, every lady who names the Name of
Christ shall become likened to this lady. There are, today, many virtuous
daughters of God who sacrifice their all for their husband and children. Many
have foregone their careers to keep watch at home and to even home school, to
the glory of God, those sons and daughters God has so lovingly placed into
their motherly hands. But the feet of the perfect lady has yet to wander in the
halls and trails of this fallen world. The mother of our Lord, too, was mortal.
30 "Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman
that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised." Francis Ridley
Havergal is remembered as one of the most beautiful of women, yet her
appearance was not considered to be pretty. She may even have been considered
uncomely, but she it is who is most remembered among women of her day
(1800's). Jenny Lind was a world renowned Swedish singer of great beauty, but
who recalls Jenny Lind who lived contemporaneously with Havergal? I will add,
however, that even Jenny Lind gave up her beautiful singing to become a
Christian missionary at the last. Margaret Thatcher, Queens Elizabeth &
Victoria, Susannah Wesley, Martha Washington - none of these are remembered for
their physical beauty, but their profound wisdom. There were, beyond
doubt, many women of great beauty of their day who are long forgotten. Do we
not yet praise Fanny Crosby, Florence Nightingale, the martyr Betty Stam, Joan
of Arc, and many other women whose love and wisdom were used by the Lord as a
comforting balm to countless numbers?
31 "Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own
works praise her in the gates." The fruit of the hands of the
virtuous woman is also the fruit of her heart - LOVE. Miserable and wretched is
the man who has such a woman as wife who fails to appreciate the divine and
heavenly qualities of such a prized lady. Her reputation of good and kindness
precedes her in all circles of society. She hides no infirmities in the folds
of her silken apparel for experience has taught that a thousand demons may hide
in the fashionable folds of the attire of a beautiful young lady. The virtuous
woman needs no manufactured acclaim of her admirers - her works of benevolence
and industry are ample for the praise she receives in both high places and low.
Postscript: Wisdom is a perfect lady, and this Lady of
Virtue described in the last Proverb places the seal of validity upon all that
began in the first Proverb. Too far below the divine and heavenly standard have
the young women (and men) of our day fallen. Many perish for lack of knowledge
because the knowledge of righteous living was never imparted to them by a
virtuous mother.
Longfellow makes the proper ending for only the BEGINNING of
a Virtuous Woman in Childhood:
Oh, thou child of many prayers!
Life hath quicksands, --
Life hath snares
Care and age come unawares!
Like the swell of some sweet tune,
Morning rises into noon,
May glides onward into June.
Childhood is the bough, where slumbered
Birds and blossoms many-numbered;--
Age, that bough with snows encumbered.
Gather, then, each flower that grows,
When the young heart overflows,
To embalm that tent of snows.
Bear a lily in thy hand;
Gates of brass cannot withstand
One touch of that magic wand.
Bear through sorrow, wrong, and ruth,
In thy heart the dew of youth,
On thy lips the smile of truth.
Oh, that dew, like balm, shall steal
Into wounds that cannot heal,
Even as sleep our eyes doth seal;
And that smile, like sunshine, dart
Into many a sunless heart,
For a smile of God thou art.
