Proverbs 31:27
“She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.” When we are idle we remain still, without endeavoring to move or accomplish anything. God did not call us to just sit in a pew while watching everyone else do the work. There is no productivity in remaining still and refusing to take part in what the Lord would have us to do. A virtuous woman is busy laboring in the Lord’s business. 1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” While she tends to the ways of her household, her mind is also on the work at hand. She has no patience for laziness, as she believes that we must work in order to eat. Proverbs 19:15 “Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.” There is no time for idleness as we see the day of the Lord’s return approaching. We must redeem the time He has given us by seeking to reach others for His glory. The harvest is plenteous, but the labourers are few. Matthew 9:37 “Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;” Are you laboring or are you idle? Bible Reading: Isaiah 27-28 | Romans 3 | Proverbs 20
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Proverbs 31:26
“She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.” The mouth of a virtuous woman is not always open. When she opens her mouth she speaks wisely. Ephesians 4:29-30 “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” It is wise to speak kindly. There is so much hate, meanness, and disdain all around us. We have the opportunity to allow our words to speak kindness in a destitute world. Ephesians 4:31-32 “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” It is wiser to speak of the Law of Kindness, the Word of God. If we choose to speak the Word, we cannot speak out of turn. When our voice declares the Truth, we are always right. Psalm 119:13 “With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.” A virtuous woman is careful to speak only that which pleases the Lord. Psalm 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” Bible Reading: Isaiah 25-26 | Romans 2 | Proverbs 19 Proverbs 31:25
“Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.” She is strong. Not because of her own strength, but of the Source of her strength. Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Her strength comes from her mind being stayed on Him. Isaiah 26:3-4 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:” Psalm 93:4 “The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.” She is honorable. Not because of her own abilities, but because of Who works in and through her. Psalm 71:8 “Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.” Psalm 145:5 “I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.” A virtuous woman wraps herself in strength and honour. The only way she finds strength or receives honour is by seeking the Lord through His Word. 1 Chronicles 16:27 “Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.” Bible Reading: Isaiah 23-24 | Romans 1 | Proverbs 18 Proverbs 31:24
“She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.” Here we see the result or fruit of two previous verses within Proverbs 31: Proverbs 31:13 “She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.” Proverbs 31:19 “She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.” She is able to make fine linen because she works willingly with her hands using the spindle and the distaff. She makes, sells, and delivers. After she has made enough for her household, she willingly makes what she has crafted available to others. Lydia did just that within her community in Philippi. She sold her purple linen or dye, but once she had heard the Gospel and her heart opened by the Lord, selling was no longer her first priority. She chose instead to carry the torch of the glorious Light of the Gospel to her household and the people in her city. The Apostle Paul remembered her service when he wrote to the church at Philippi. Philippians 1:1-6 “Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” Philippians 4:1-3 “Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord. And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.” A virtuous woman chooses to deliver the Gospel by shining the Light to those around her. Bible Reading: Isaiah 21-22 | Revelation 22 | Proverbs 17 Proverbs 31:23
“Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.” A virtuous woman will either make or break her husband. Especially in the ministry, the wife must stand strong as the helpmeet. She will be faced with situations where she must smile and serve regardless of the chaos that is going on behind the scenes. Proverbs 12:4 “A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.” God uses women to help fulfill His purpose. There are endless opportunities for women to serve, regardless of whether or not they are married. However, as a wife, a woman has a unique opportunity to bring joy to her husband and their household as they serve the Lord together. Proverbs 18:22 “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.” A virtuous woman cultivates her husband’s influence. She makes their house a home where the Lord has preeminence and all are welcome. She knows that God has chosen to use them for His glory if only they will continually surrender to His will for their lives. Bible Reading: Isaiah 19-20 | Revelation 21 | Proverbs 16 Proverbs 31:22
“She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.” In the Scriptures, silk was a sign of riches, and purple a sign of royalty. Here we see that the virtuous woman of Proverbs uses her hands to make coverings for the furniture of her household, while adorned in silk and purple. Acts 16:14 “And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.” Lydia was a seller of purple. She was rich from her business, yet not blinded by the false pagan religions around her at the riverside. She worshipped God, and the Lord opened her heart. Instead of keeping the Good News to herself, she willing chose to reach her household with the Gospel. Then she made a public profession of her faith in Christ. Acts 16:15 “And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.” She is a New Testament type of a virtuous woman. She was the first convert that Paul saw in Macedonia after he obeyed the Lord’s direction, and she eagerly welcomed him and Timothy into her house. Lydia sold her goods; but, more than that, she served the Saviour. Bible Reading: Isaiah 17-18 | Revelation 20 | Proverbs 15 Proverbs 31:21
“She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.” The color of clothing makes no difference to the amount of warmth it brings, therefore the meaning here is not one of color, but rather of double. The house of a virtuous woman is clothed in the Righteousness of Jesus Christ. We are robed in His righteousness through our faith in Him. Our righteousness is no longer as filthy rags when He becomes our Saviour. There are no coincidences within the Word of God; therefore, scarlet was chosen for a specific reason. Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” When we place our faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for our sins, God no longer sees our sin, He sees the Blood of His Son. We are justified by His blood. We are sanctified by His blood. Romans 5:8-9 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” We are sheltered by His blood. There is no need to fear when we are covered by His blood. Bible Reading: Isaiah 15-16 | Revelation 19 | Proverbs 14 Proverbs 31:20
“She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.” There are several profound Truths that the Virtuous Woman lives by, perhaps one more than others. She believes that giving is worthwhile. Acts 20:35 “I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” A virtuous woman is charitable. She intently gives, especially the poor. She reaches out to those in need. She gives in love. Matthew 25:40 “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” The greatest Gift that we can give to those in need is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Colossians 4:5 “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.” What are we giving with the time we have left? How can we reach out to those in need? Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” A virtuous woman uses every opportunity to reach others with the Gospel. Bible Reading: Isaiah 13-14 | Revelation 18 | Proverbs 13 Proverbs 31:19
“She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.” The spindle and distaff were used in Solomon’s day to make clothing. This verse implies that she used them both frequently, perhaps even multi-tasking in order to make the most use of her time. A virtuous woman is diligent to labour where she is needed. Ecclesiastes 9:10 “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” Wherever the Lord has us, and whatever He has for us to do we have the opportunity to give Him our very best. Colossians 3:23-24 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” She is careful to use whatever is at her disposal to bring the Lord the glory He deserves. Ephesians 6:6-8 “Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.” There is no respect of persons who can serve Him, if only we are willing to do so from our heart. Bible Reading: Isaiah 11-12 | Revelation 17 | Proverbs 12 Merchandise is that which we possess.
Virtuous women understand that anything they have is because of Who they have. John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” We are and can do nothing without Him. Any goodness we have is because He is Good. Nahum 1:7 “The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” A virtuous woman lets her Light shine in the darkness. Her trust in Him is evident. Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” She knows that it is not her light, but the Light of the world that must shine. There is no spotlight she desires. Her purpose is for others to see Him. 2 Corinthians 4:5-6 “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Bible Reading: Isaiah 9-10 | Revelation 16 | Proverbs 11 |
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