Proverbial Women

---

The Responsibilty Of The Godly Woman 1. Be submissive to your own husband: God's design for marriage is that the man be the head of the house (Gen 3:16; Eph 5:22-24). A marriage which does not follow that pattern is destined for trouble (Psa 127:1). This is why it is so important for the woman to very seriously "count the cost" before she gets married. Lincoln once said, ''love is blind, but marriage is a real eye opener!" Far, far better for the woman to clearly see the cost of submission prior to marriage than to be surprised in the midst of it. Some key questions for any woman before getting married are, "Can I submit to him when it is costly as well as convenient? Am l open to his rule as well as his romance? Do I see him as God's ordained authority over me or as acting on his own?" Until you can answer yes to these, you are not ready for marriage. We can see that the Christian wife should be submissive to her Christian husband. But what happens in the case of a Christian woman who is married to a non Christian husband. Does she still have to submit to his authority? The answer is very clearly "yes." The only exceptions would be in instances where she is being commanded to do something which is in direct opposition to the word of God. And then, like Daniel, she should first try to find a creative alternative before disobeying. 2.Win husband by maximizing works and minimizing words. Don't try to drive your husband to the Lord, draw him. The lips are to be still while the life shouts it from the housetops. Concentrate on beautifying the inner woman. Here are some of the cosmetics which make any woman truly beautiful (verses 2-4). Purity (hagnos) -"chaste conduct." Refers to inner character which is unblemished by the impure actions and attitudes of Galatians 5:19-21; Colossians 3:5-9; 2 Corinthians 7:1; and Titus 2:5. Fear (phobos)-"reverential respect." Refers to fearing God or reverencing husbands. Probably carries both meanings. Because she is a woman who fears God she also reverences her husband. "Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised" (Prov 31:30). Meekness (praus)-not to be confused with weakness. This woman does not cling to her rights because she knows God will meet all her needs. Sarah is a beautiful example of this. Twice she subjected herself to her husband's cowardly wishes and each time God showed himself strong on her behalf (Gen 12:11-20; 20:1-18). Quietness (hesuchios)-probably not much difference between meekness. Solomon had much to say from personal experience about the necessity for a woman's quiet spirit. Note how opposite this is to the spirit of today! Obedient to husband- note her godly attitude as well as actions. "Sarah obeyed Abraham calling him Lord"(vs 6).The reason Sarah was able to do that was she had learned to distinguish personality from position. Submission comes out of response to another's position and not personality. These are some of the qualities which are precious in the sight of God. And these are far more important to a man than makeup, jewelry, fine clothing, etc. The man who is more interested in the external than the infernal is not worth attracting anyway. Verse three has been used by various groups to say that women should not wear makeup, jewelry, braided hair, etc. This is a misinterpretation of that verse; for if their interpretation were true, then clothing would also be prohibited! The real spirit of the passage is that real beauty is not the result of cosmetics but of character, not golden jewelry but godly genuineness, not the outward man who is perishing but the inward man who is being renewed day by day. If you look at a picture and your eyes are drawn to the frame surrounding the picture the artist made a big mistake. The frame of a picture is only there to accent the painting, not take attention away from it. Our body is simply the frame which encloses our soul and spirit, and it is upon our soul and spirit God is trying to portray the image of Christ. Our body and clothing should help in this purpose and not hinder. We are called to become "mighty in spirit" (Luke 1:80) and not necessarily mighty in looks. A truly godly woman will stand out today as a very different person. And there will be constant pressure upon that woman to re-evaluate her beliefs and conform to this world system. Alas, I am afraid that the spirit of the age has already crept into the church and taken many Christian women captive in its tentacles. May the spirit of 1 Peter 3:1-6 also take many godly women captive and use them to show this world true beauty.
Proverbs 31: The Proverbial Woman The past few months we have been studying Proverbs. We recommend a very useful book by E. R. Reid, "The Proverbs 31 Woman A Study Aid." This scripture gave birth to our name, "Proverbial Women." We aspire to be as much like the woman King Lemuel's mother described in this passage, "Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies." The woman in this passage can do it all and she is not overwhelmed because she gets her strength and energy from our Heavenly Father. We will finish our study of the proverbial woman this month and will begin anew in January as God instructs.