 Anyway, here we are, Proverbs chapter 31, and we'll do the entire chapter. And so we'll begin here in Proverbs chapter 31 at verse 1. I'll read to verse 3 and get into our study. Proverbs 31, beginning at verse 1, reading to verse 3, the words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him, What my son, and what son of my womb, and what son of my vows, do not give your strength to women nor your ways to that which destroys kings. So as we begin here, notice with me the obvious. It begins with the words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him. Now Lemuel, the word Lemuel is translated dedicated to God. That's what Lemuel means. But there's nothing known of this particular king by the name of Lemuel. When you look into commentaries, Jewish legend ascribes Lemuel, the name Lemuel, Jewish legend ascribes this to Solomon and would say that this is Solomon's mother Bathsheba, giving him advice. But the problem is, is that's just tradition. So there's no way of really knowing that at all. And so it's safer to say this is an unknown king that has given Proverbs, and though there are those who would ascribe the name Lemuel, speaking of the fact that he was dedicated to God, there are those who would say, no, this would be in reference to Solomon and Bathsheba would be given the advice, but that's not scriptural, that's simply tradition. But that said, verse 2 says, what my son and what son of my womb and what son of my vows. Do not give your strength to women nor your ways to that which destroys kings. Notice she uses the word what three times. What my son, what son of my vow, I'll rather womb what son of my vow. She uses the word what three times. So that would help us to know that she has a great desire to give her son good advice. In other words, she's basically saying, what advice can I offer you that will guide you through life and through life's challenges. When she says, what my son, my son, she is saying, you are the gift that God has given to me. You are, you're my baby. And it's interesting how, how mamas are with their, their children in that this is a woman speaking to more than likely an adult. And yet, even as she's saying it, she's speaking to him as if she is still her child, her baby. My mom, even in her old age, used to tell me that all the time, you're still my baby. You'll always be my baby. And at first, you know, I thought, you know, that's uncomfortable. But over time, I came to realize how precious that really was to her, to refer to me no matter what my age might have been as her baby. So my son, in other words, you are the gift God has given to me. You are my son, you're my baby. You are the son of my womb. When she says that, that's an interesting thing. Son of my womb is saying, you are my natural born blood son. I didn't adopt you. I didn't find you. You are mine. And then she refers to him, and this is another interesting thing, son of my vows. So when she says, son of my vows, remember that the word vows, as she's speaking here, and rather as she's speaking about dedication and all, because that's what it is. The son of my vow is really a dedication. She's saying, I've dedicated you to serve the Lord. Remember that Lemuel speaks concerning the fact that he's a dedicated one. And so she's saying, you are the son of my vows. And so that refers to the fact that she had dedicated her son to the Lord. You still see this practice, by the way, on Sundays when we do baby dedications. There's that sense of offering the child to God for God's service. In 1 Samuel in chapter 1, verses 27 and 28, when Samuel was born, Hannah, his mother said, for this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition, which I asked of him. Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he shall be lent to the Lord. I've dedicated him to God's service. When the Lord gave to Marie, my wife and me are children. We had our Corrine and then we had our David. And those are exciting times for us as new parents and all. And I still remember the joy that we had as the Lord had given to us these babies. And yet on the day that my son Joseph was born, that there was something unusual that took place in the room that day. I was there as Marie gave birth to Joseph. And as this baby was born and those of you who've had children, you know, the general procedure, he parted the womb. The doctor took the baby, the nurse in the room attending, took Joseph, put him under some warm little booth of some sort, put some drops in his eyes and dried him up and everything. And he was crying and all of that. And there I was in that room, witnessing this amazing thing called childbirth. And when they brought the baby to me and handed him to me, we already knew his name would be Joseph. And as he was handed to me, I remember something that I have to believe was the Holy Spirit. Touched my heart and I still remember taking this brand new newborn infant and holding him up before the Lord, kind of like Kuntakinte. You hold the only thing greater than yourself. No, I I took him and I held him up like this before the Lord. And I prophesied over that one child and I said, this one shall serve the Lord. I still remember that there's that dedication, that act of dedication. And so here we have the words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him, what my son, what son of my womb, what son of my vows, the one who has been dedicated to service to God, my natural born child, my baby, I'm giving you advice. Verse three, do not give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings. That's her mama's advice. What is this mother's advice? What is the warning his mother is giving? Well, she says, do not give your strength to women. Do not give yourself over to lust. Do not give yourself over to sensuality. When it speaks of giving your strength, the word strength speaks of the heart's appetites, the heart's direction, the things that the heart pays attention to. When it speaks of giving your strength, that's your ability, that's your efficiency. It could even speak of your wealth. Do not give these things over to sensuality. When it says, nor your ways to that which destroys kings, the word ways speaks of your energy or your course of life. Again, this might even refer to his sexual vigor or strength. And what is the mama's advice here? Well, remember that power opens the door to many things that can draw you away from your duties. And not the least of these distractions will be sexual temptation. Remember that power is attractive and some will be drawn to it, including women who might want to use that as an opportunity to further themselves. And so she's warning her son against giving himself over to somebody who will use him. She's saying that this kind of woman is one who will be the ruin of you. She could be the ruin of a king. So avoid this kind of woman at all costs. Now, interestingly enough, when we think of Solomon, the Solomon loved many women. And the scripture speaks of a thousand women in his life. And he loved many women. And the scripture in first Kings chapter 11 tells us in his latter years, his wives turned his heart away from the Lord. And so the woman has an influence and can have an influence for good or for evil. So this mother's advice to her son is be careful who you yield yourself to. Be careful who you pursue. And for us in our day, if this was a mother speaking to a son, she might say it in a different way. I don't even know if this is a phrase that would be used anymore, but the concept is still there. Son, be be careful with the office flirt. Be careful with the woman that when you walk in seems to bat her eyes at you and ask you how your weekend was and what have you been up to in this and that. Be careful with that because you can end up entering into a relationship that could hurt you. Remember we saw in Proverbs chapter 5 verses 8 through 11, how the advice the counsel was keep to a path far from her. Do not go near the door of her house lest you give your best strength to others and your years to one who was cruel, lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enriches another man's house. At the end of your life you will groan when your flesh and your body are spent. So it's good advice. Be careful who you yield to. Be careful that you don't give your strength to someone that you ought not to be given it to. Because this is the stuff that destroys kings. And then going on in verse 4, it is not for kings, O Lemuel. It is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes intoxicating drink. Lest they drink and forget the law and pervert the justice of all the afflicted, give strong drink to him who is perishing and wine to those who are bitter of heart, let him drink and forget his poverty and remember his misery no more. And so in verse 4 and 5 he says it's not for kings to drink wine. And this is another temptation that has toppled kings intoxication. And basically the advice is simple, craving intoxicants is not for a king. Why? Because intoxicants cloud judgment. And the one who gives themselves over to intoxicants or those things that encourage them to become drunk is really revealing a weak character. Remember we already looked at this in Proverbs in chapter 23 verses 29 and 30. The questions were asked, who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? And then the answer was supplied. Those who linger long at the wine, those who go in search of mixed wine. It isn't wise for kings to give themselves over to intoxicants. Now we need to remember something as Christians. God has created us in order that we might serve him. And as believers, God has called us to live as children of a holy God. In Revelation chapter 1 verse 6, it says there that he, God has made us kings and priests to his God and father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. We are kings and priests. We have that royalty if you will. We are children of God, children of the king. It is not for kings to give themselves over to intoxicants. In Romans 12 verse 1, Paul said, I beseech you there for brethren by the mercies of God. They present your bodies of living sacrifice, wholly acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Rather than giving yourself over, dedicating yourself over to that, which causes you to lose self-control, yield yourself to the one who gives you self-control. Because in the book of Ephesians 5.18, Paul had said, do not be drunk with wine, which is dissipation. The word dissipation is a word that we don't use in common language every day. It simply means a lack of self-control. And a person who gives himself over to wine and becomes drunk with wine is losing self-control. And he says, do not be drunk with wine in which is dissipation. Be filled with the spirit. Why? Because the Holy Spirit gives you self-control. That's the fruit of the spirit. And so rather than giving yourself over to something that is not what kings ought to be give themselves over to, make sure that you yield yourself to the power of the Holy Spirit. In verse 6 continuing, he had said, Give strong drink to him who's perishing. Wine to those who are bitter of heart. Let him drink and forget his poverty. Remember his misery no more. Well, there are those who are dying. There are those who are in anguish. And they would cloud themselves with strong drink in order to dull the pain or to forget what they were sorry about. And so it would be used in some ways as a medication. It would stupefy them. It would deaden their pain. And those who are impoverished, they would forget for a time their poverty. But obviously when the effects of the wine would wear off, that person was no better off than before. Now they do this because they're not strong enough to deal with what they're experiencing. But again, this isn't for kings who have a nobler character and those who know who they are. In verse 8, open your mouth for the speechless in the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. Speak for the ones that are certain to perish if they are left without help. In Proverbs we saw in chapter 24, verse 11, rescue those being led away to death. Hold back those staggering towards slaughter. So speak up for the ones who are going to perish if they're left without help. In verse 9, you are to open your mouth and judge righteously. You're to plead the cause of the poor and the needy. In other words, as a righteous individual, champion the cause of the poor and those who cannot speak for themselves, be willing to stand up and speak. And so with those first verses, we close the first section and then we move to the second. The second is what I have called, as you know, the impossible dream. We're looking at the virtuous wife, the virtuous woman, one of the most poetically beautiful portions of scripture that you're going to find in your entire Bible, the virtuous wife, the one who finds a good wife, obtains favor of the Lord. And so they're finding a good thing. And what we have here is the description of the virtuous woman, the woman of valor. And so let's begin looking at this particular portion of scripture, looking at this wife of noble character that has come to us traditionally as the virtuous woman. In verse 10, who can find a virtuous wife for her worth is far above Ruby's, the heart of her husband safely trusts her, so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life. And so he begins with what is called an acrostic. Each line of this particular portion of scripture begins with the letter of the Hebrew alphabet. And they would put it in that way because it made it more possible for memorizing. This passage traditionally was recited by husbands and children at the Sabbath table. And it's a poem that reveals the value of a woman with godly character. It's interesting that you'll see that it's her character that gives her the ability to be a blessing to her family. And she's a blessing to her family as we'll see in a moment because she's a godly woman and a godly wife. And so what she does is she epitomizes the ideals of wisdom that have been written throughout the book. She's intended to set the standard for godliness for all generations. She is not simply some man's dream woman. She is woman as God intends her to be. And that's what we see here is a blueprint for a godly woman. And so who can find a virtuous wife? Her worth is far above Ruby's. When asked the question who can find a virtuous wife, the word virtuous speaks of efficiency. It speaks of strength. It's a woman of noble character. And he's saying such a woman is not easily found. But when you have a woman of noble character, she is far above material wealth because material wealth does not automatically bring joy. And it never really has resulted in contentment. This is a woman who has worth that is far above materialism. That's why it says her worth is far above Ruby's. You could have millions of dollars he's basically saying you can have all these precious jewels and all. But if you don't have a woman that has a great character, then you don't have what you really need in life. Because in verse 11, the heart of her husband safely trusts her so he will have no lack of gain. And so he begins to speak about this woman. It's interesting how the virtuous woman inspires confidence. Notice how her husband trusts her. She's a woman that the man has 100% trust for. That there's not a sense in him that she's going to be unfaithful. There's not a sense in him at all about her that he has to be concerned about her. There's nothing in her that would make him distracted and concerned and worried. There's nothing in him that makes him think that one day there may be another man that enters into her life that can steal her affection from him. His heart safely trusts in her. He has 100% trust in this woman without any fear, without any concern that she will ever do him harm. When Marie, my girlfriend at that time, who is now obviously my wife for many years, when she and I were dating, I was real slow to begin to feel the feelings that I ultimately gained and all. And I can still remember that I was nervous about committing myself to her. I just didn't want to. I didn't have a lot of trust for women. And I remember, I remember when I finally realized that this is a woman that I loved, that I did love. As corny as this sounds and men may not understand that some of you women may appreciate it, I don't know. It's kind of a vulnerable thing for me to even open up and say to you, but it's true. I was very hard-hearted. I was not one that you would know how I felt about you. I didn't tell you. I wouldn't say anything. I was very quiet about my feelings. I'm quite different now than I was then. Quite different. So Marie didn't know where she stood with me. She never did. I wouldn't tell her. I wouldn't say anything to her that would give her any impression that I had any interest in her other than as a friend to go out with once in a while. And that went on for several months of our dating relationship. Never said anything with affection. Never gave her any impression that there was anything in my heart towards her other than a friendship kind of thing. But I knew that I was beginning to love her. And then one day I still remember, and I'm sure she does too, how that I was with her. And I said, listen, I said, I'm going to do something. And I said, and this is how I did it. I said, Marie in my hand right now is my heart. I said, see, I get emotional. That's why I shouldn't say it. But I said, Marie, and I have in my hands my heart. And I want to give it to you. I said, but you need to know something. It breaks easily. And I'm afraid. But I trust you. And I'm giving you my heart. The only thing I'm asking, please don't break it. She never has. She never has. She's a woman that I can trust. And so this is what he's speaking about. He's saying the heart of her husband safely trusts her and he will have no lack of gain. She inspires confidence in her and he trusts her deeply and he lacks nothing. In verse 12, she does him good and not evil all the days of her life. She consistently loves him, not just in the good times, but also in the difficult times. Because it's her desire to do him good. And this desire to do him good covers an entire lifetime. We know that every marriage has their stormy seasons. And you have some seasons that are just a lot of fun. And then you have some darker seasons. Every marriage has that. It's not a surprise to anybody. It shouldn't be. And yet she has remained in love with him and has been good to him. And her desire for him is one that lasts not just through the good, but also through the bad. So again, the heart of her husband trusts her. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life. Now it speaks concerning her industry. She seeks wool and flax and willingly works with her hands. And so when it speaks of her seeking wool and flax, wool is obvious. It's used for clothing. Flax is not a word that we use today. It's what is used for linen. And so wool and flax speaks of materials that were used for clothing and domestic youth. What it's saying is she's a homemaker. She's inventive. She's creative. She's industrious. Her attention to the details of her home are seen in its effects on the family. It speaks of her seeking wool and flax. So that gives us the understanding of her concern. A concern that her family is properly cared for. It actually gives an insight in the fact that she wants to make sure that they dress right. That's Marie too. It's not that I can't dress myself. She doesn't think I can. So she's the one who goes out and makes sure that I have a shirt. This shirt here she bought. She bought me this shirt. It was my birthday last week. And so she bought me a birthday present with my money, as God intended. But she makes sure that they dress properly. The woman who looks at you when you're about to walk out the door and says, you're not wearing that, are you? That kind of thing to make sure that you're dressed properly. That's what she does. She makes sure that the family is taken care of and she has attention to the details of her home and administers to the family. She makes sure that they have their needs met. She makes sure that they're all cared for and clothed properly. In verse 14, she's like the merchant ships. She brings her food from afar. She goes shopping at the store. She shops for the family in order to make sure that they're cared for. And while she's there, she looks for the best prices. And notice how it says it, by the way, so you'll see this. She's like the merchant ships, brings her food from afar. She may have a place she can buy something close by, but she's willing to compare prices. And so if it takes more time and a bit of a distance ago to save something that's worth saving, she'll do that. So she's somebody that looks for the best price, even if she has to shop further away from home, meaning she wants to take care of the family income and all and be a good steward of it. Verse 15, she also rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and a portion for her maid servants. She rises early to provide food for the family because she's concerned for them. She's not a woman who just sleeps in and tells her husband, you know, when you finish making yourself some breakfast, I'd like a couple of eggs myself. She doesn't do that. She doesn't habitually sleep in. She makes sure that she cares for her family. She doesn't make them care for themselves. And it says in verse 15, and she even provides a portion for her maid servants, that means that she's generous to other people who aren't her family. As far as businesswoman, verse 16, she considers a field and buys it. From her profits, she plants a vineyard. And so she's a wise businesswoman. She's somebody who knows how to use money. She can turn a profit. She's a woman who is financially responsible. She's thoughtful in her purchases and long range in her plans. I still remember a woman whom I met many years ago, now probably over 35 years or so ago, that really impressed me with one thing. And that is that every year she would take some money and she would redo her entire house. All the furniture, everything would be changed out every year, every year. And I thought that she is spending her husband into bankruptcy. And that's what she was doing. Because she wanted new things all the time. She had him working all the time to pay for all of those things. She wasn't satisfied with the things that she had. She didn't look for the best prices. She wasn't frugal in her approach to life. And she put pressure on her husband. That was something that wasn't proper then. It's not proper now. But this woman, on the other hand, she is somebody who takes care of the family. She's wise and trustworthy with the finances. And she's thoughtful about her purchases. And she makes sure that she thinks things ahead. In verse 17, she girds herself with strength and strengthens her arms. She goes to the gym. She works out. She got yoga pants. No, I shouldn't have said that. Again, she takes care of her health. She makes sure that she's a healthy woman. She doesn't let herself become an unhealthy person. Verse 18, she perceives that her merchandise is good. Her lamp does not go out by night. She works late. She makes sure she has properly fulfilled her duties of the day. She's organized. She stretches her hand to the distaff. Her hand holds the spindle. Verse 19. In other words, she spins that flax that was mentioned earlier into thread. And she sows. So for her, domestic duties, how they're called, they're not beneath her dignity. I still remember a woman, a vice, the president's wife, I won't mention Hillary's name. How when her husband was elected, she said, I'm not one of these women who, you know, stays home and bakes cookies, as if that was something that that was a bad thing to do. And I remember when she said that, and I know I kind of figured what she intended to say. She was trying to say that she had a job, she wanted to work, she wanted to produce and all of that. But in the way that it was said, I still remember when it was said how it impacted quite a number of women because it demeaned them. It demeaned the woman who wants to be at home. It demeaned the woman who wants to raise a family. It demeaned the woman who wanted to bake cookies. My wife bakes cookies all the time and they're amazing. It demeaned a woman who found joy in caring for a family. And I have to tell you, we need more in the society, more of that heart for a home, more of that desire to care for children, more of that. The greatest job a woman has, and I know that some can argue with me, that's all right, you're wrong because the greatest job you have is you're raising your children if you have them. That's your greatest job. It's the hardest job. It's the hardest thing. It's the job you can't quit. It's a job that you get no break from. You can't schedule illnesses for your children. You can't say you can have a fever during the day but not at night. You can't say to that child, if you have explosive diarrhea, it's going to have to be between the hours of 12 and 4 because that's when I'm at my best. You can't do that. You can't do that. And so it takes a heart of sacrifice. It takes a heart of priority. It takes somebody who sees the value of raising children and caring for a home to actually make the United States a much better place to live in. She's somebody who cares about these kinds of things. Domestic duties are not beneath her dignity. In verse 20, she extends her hands, her hand to the poor. Yes, she rips out her hands to the needy. And so she cares for others. She is lovingly generous to those who are in need. Remember it said in Proverbs 21, 13, whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard. And in Hebrews 13, 16, it says, do not forget to do good and to share for with such sacrifices. God is well pleased. Well, she's a generous heart. She's one who is touched by people's need. She reaches her hand out and she cares. She's a loving and compassionate woman. Verse 21, she's not afraid of snow for her household. For her household is clothed with scarlet. She doesn't neglect her family. She plans ahead. She makes sure that they are cared for. It's interesting how it says here, and I'll just touch this for a moment, that all her household is clothed with scarlet. Now there's a couple of applications to that scarlet. They are clothed with scarlet. Scarlet was a material that was used to make robes or outer coverings and all, and it would be double thick, so it was real warm. And so it's speaking here concerning the garments that her family would wear, and they were warm, and that's why she would not be afraid of snow for her household, because even when it was cold, she made sure that they were cared for. But there's another application with that word scarlet. Let me touch it for just a moment, but you'll find it interesting, I think. All her household is clothed with scarlet. The first explanation, she doesn't neglect the family. She makes sure they're cared for. She gives them double thick garments to keep them warm in the cold, but the word scarlet, well the word in Hebrew translated scarlet has an interesting root. The word speaks of an insect, and it's a particular insect that the dried body of this particular insect yields coloring, a coloring or a dye from which it was used to make scarlet dye that would be used to dye cloth. And so it speaks of a particular insect that when it had died and began to dry out, they would crush it. And as they crushed this particular insect, they would use it for dye, and then they would dye something scarlet. So this is where it gets kind of interesting, because in the Psalms, the Psalmist in Psalm 22 used the same word in what is called a messianic Psalm. And it says in Psalm 22 verse 6, I am a worm and no man, a reproach of men and despised by the people. When it says in Psalm 22 verse 6, I am a worm, the word worm there speaks of the dye that was made from the dried body of the female of the worm. It's called Kokus illysis. The dye is produced by the body, and when collected it was crushed and it produced the red which was used in dyeing a cloth. Now the Bible says in Isaiah 53 verse 5, he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, and it could be picture of how she makes sure that the children have religious instruction, that she cares for the spiritual needs of her family, because when Jesus in Psalm 22 verse 6 is really recorded of his death on the cross, I am a worm and not a man, speaking of his crucifixion, then you look at the word worm and you realize that it's the worm that is used to make scarlet, and scarlet is used to cover people, and so there are those who would look at this and say that this could be a picture, not just of the fact that she cares for her children and her husband, making sure that they're warm when it's cold, but it could also be an implication that she takes care of her children's spiritual needs. And again, as a husband and as a wife, I know that my responsibility in my home, whether I was a pastor or not, whether I was driving a truck as I desired to do, or whether it was pastoring a church as I do, I knew and Marie knew that my responsibility as the husband and father was for the spiritual well-being of my family. I knew that, I knew that I was what would be called a priest in the home, because God has given to us a priest to it, and I knew that I had the responsibility to give devotions to my children, and I knew that I had the responsibility to teach them how to pray, and I had the responsibility to teach them to read the word, and that was my responsibility to teach them basic essential doctrine. That's what I did, and I taught them the value of service, and I taught them the value of generosity, and giving to the Lord. I taught them those things, because that's my job. But as I, as a minister on occasion, would leave sometimes for 16 days, because I went to China, and I went to the Philippines, and I went to just various places throughout the world, India, and I could be gone sometimes a week or two weeks at a time, South America. My wife took the responsibility, and my wife would gather our small children, and my wife would pray, and she would put them to bed. In the morning, when my kids went to school, there was never a day in their school that I didn't touch them and say in Jesus' name, remember who you are and may God be with you today, every day. And even with that, my kids went through their ups and downs, no I didn't raise any perfect children, some of you know my kids and you'll yell, amen, I didn't. I didn't. I didn't. But my wife and I made every effort that we as parents could do to give them Jesus, every day. We still do. We still do. I still do that with my grandchildren, to this day. One of them's near me, and like today, one of my grandchildren had a fever, and I saw her, and I put my hand on her little head, and I prayed in Jesus' name, Father, touch this baby. That's what we do, but that's what the virtuous woman does too. Let me say it like this, we husbands have the responsibility, we fathers have the responsibility to raise our children and the knowledge and nurture of Jesus Christ. That's our responsibility. But wife, if your husband refuses for whatever reason, do it yourself. Make sure you pray with them. Make sure you read with them. Make sure you impart to them. Clothe your family in scarlet. Teach them of the blood of Christ that covers them and cleanses them from all sin. And daddy, husband, take the responsibility seriously. You only have your children as small children for a short time. And what feels like, oh, are you never going to grow up? Are you ever going to get out of here? They don't. But if you get into that mindset, you're 18, you're out of the house, I don't know anywhere in the Bible that says I stopped being a father. I don't know it to you. I don't know anywhere in the Bible that says I stopped being a father. I remain a father until I go home to be with Jesus. I am always their father. And this woman here, my wife is always their mama always. We need to understand that. And even when they're older, they will still come up to you and say, I'm thinking about something. Oh, they changed the way they're speaking. You know, they're acting as if they've already got it thought out. But you know, just in case, you know, from an ancient wisdom, what would you do? They still do that. They find ways to ask advice. Now, I don't want to be the one who makes up their mind. They must stand before God themselves. And they must learn to hear his voice on their own. I'm not here for that. But I am still here to cover them in scarlet. My wife is still here to cover them in scarlet through our prayers, through our advice, through our exhortations and encouragement, through our way of life and our expressions of our faith. We still are covering them with scarlet. And so she's not afraid of snow for her household, for her household is clothed with scarlet. She makes tapestry for herself. Her clothing is fine linen and purple. When it says she makes tapestry for herself, she, the tapestry here is speaking of bedspreads. She takes care of it. She actually sows these things. She makes her own bed spreads. And she makes sure that it's beautiful. She's just very creative in that way. And then it goes on to speak about her husband, verse 23. Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. Interesting. Her husband is known. The word known is an interesting word. It speaks of this one being listened to. Her husband's counsel is respected, is what it's saying here. Her husband is known in the gates. The gates was a place of judgment. It's where the elders would be in order to judge the cases within the community. They would go to the gates to speak to the ancient or the ancient or the wise ones. And so she's saying, it's saying here that her husband is known. Her husband is, his counsel is respected. So part of this open honor that he has when it speaks of him being known in the gates, part of this open honor is the result of the character of his wife. Because he has a good wife, people respect him. People respect him because they believe that he must have a good influence upon his wife. They would look at him and they would think, what a virtuous woman. He must have something about him that has inspired her. He must be a good leader. She's such a godly person. And even to this day in general, men are more greatly respected when they have a good wife. In the church, spiritual leadership hinges on this aspect of the marital relationship. You see, because a man's home is not in order, that man will be disqualified. But if his home is in order and is excellently managed, it actually gives to him honor. And because of that, his counsel and his judgment would be respected because of her excellence. We need to remember 1 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 7. Woman is the glory of the man. Now she was made from Adam's rib. She was created to complete him. And she was created as a helper. So she's there as an assistant or to assist. But she brings glory to her husband in general. And I don't want to pretend to be somebody who does this. I'm not one who looks around to make judgment on people. Believe me when I say that, because it's true. Yet at the same time, I have known men who wanted to be in ministry. And when they start speaking about wanting to serve and wanting to be in ministry, one of the greatest evidences of their ministry is their family. It's their wife. It's the wife. And so when I have had people who said, you know I want to be a pastor, eventually what happens is I will meet the wife. And as I meet the wife, I'm able to see whether or not this man can run his home, whether he's a good leader by the wife. It's one of those telling things because my church, my number one church is not what I'm doing right now. My number one church is not just my kids. My number one church is my wife. It's my wife because she is my number one priority outside of Christ himself. And so a husband who washes the water, washes the wife with the water of the Word, who sacrifices himself for her even as Christ sacrificed himself for the church, a husband who respects and honors that woman, you can tell that woman is blossoming because she's been loved and ministered to. And that is something that even in the Old Testament, they're saying this man is honored at the gate because the virtue of his wife reflects well on him for the woman is the glory of the man. And that's why we can't neglect our homes. That's why it's so important to take care of that which God has given to us. She furthers her husband's advancement in society. She doesn't hinder it. He's been freed of problems in the home. He's able to seek ways to contribute to his society. The fact that his home is in order because he has a great wife puts him in a position of respect and leadership amongst the elders. It says in verse 24, she makes linen garments and salsum supplies sashes for the merchants. She's a capable businesswoman. She contributes to the income of the home. Verse 25, strength and honor are her clothing. She shall rejoice in time to come. Strength and honor are her clothing. The word strength speaks of her character, her moral strength. It speaks of her purity, her integrity. It speaks of her honesty, her character, strength. And it says honor. The word honor speaks of her being respectable, of being modest, of being serious-minded, of being respectable. There's a phrase that I think has been tarnished over the years, but it speaks of men are gentlemen and the women are ladies. And I was reading something today and this quote, and a woman said, this woman said, being a female is a matter of birth. Being a woman is a matter of age, but being a lady is a matter of choice. I like that. That's good. That's good. I wish I had made that up. But that's true. And so she's a lady. She's a lady. She has strength and she has honor. And she's the kind of woman that other young women will look at and say, that's what I want to be like. I want to be like her. It's as she shall rejoice in time to come. This is interesting because as I was studying today looking at this, she does not concern herself with aging and is not worried about her future. Because in her later years, she reaps the benefits of what she has sown in her earlier years. So she has looked ahead. She has prepared for her future. As a beautiful young woman, perhaps, she realized that beauty is passing, but character remains. So she put her attention on becoming a virtuous woman, a woman of honor, a woman of nobility, a woman of valor. That's what she chose to do. It's like we had seen in Proverbs 30, verse 25, that aunt, while she prepared herself for her future, she doesn't fear aging. Someone said she lives in peace with a joyful expectation of her future because she has the comfortable memories of a well spent life and genuine confidence in God's gracious promises that he has made to those who put their complete trust in him. In verse 26, she opens her mouth with wisdom and on her tongue is the law of kindness. When it says she opens her mouth with wisdom, she is well read. And as she has spent time reading and growing, that has enabled her to live in grace, but it also has taught her to speak gracious words to others on her tongue is the law of kindness. She speaks graciously to other people. Her time in personal study and devotion has produced within her humility. As a result, she's not arrogant in the way she speaks to other people. Proverbs 16, 24 says pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. She's that woman with a gentle speech and a gracious way of speaking to you. In verse 27, she watches over the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. She doesn't eat bonbons all day in front of the TV. She is an alert watchman over her home. She guards her home against the enemy. She monitors what enters into her home. She watches over her children. She's vigilant because she knows that the enemy is finding ways to influence the family to evil. So she's aware. She's aware of what her children are reading, what her children are watching, who her children are hanging around with. She's a vigilant person guarding her family. She watches over her household and she never sleeps. This is something she's aware of constantly. And somebody says, I don't know. That doesn't sound. Oh, that sounds tough. Well, verse 28, her children rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also. And he praises her. When I finally got to the point where I was willing to admit that I was in love with a young woman named Marie, I asked some friends of mine who had been part of a Bible study because I met her in the Bible study. I asked some friends of mine if they would join us on a Friday night. And they came to the location of that Bible study. And I used to sit in a small chair and there were only a few people that would come to the study. And I used to sit in a chair and Marie, who became my girlfriend, and there's now a girl that I was in love with, Marie would actually sit at the base of that chair. She would sit there. I was in this little, small, easy type chair and she would sit right here, literally sitting at the feet of her master. Haha. No, she would sit there. And so we came to the house and we sat down and the people who could come that day came. And she didn't know why they were there. And I opened up Proverbs 31 and I read it. And when I read it, I looked at Marie and I said to her, Marie, this is you. This is you. And I said to her, my father, when he asked my mom to marry him, gave her this ring, the ring I wear to this day. I said, this was their engagement ring. I said, Marie, I'm asking you to marry me. Will you be my wife? And I handed her this ring right here that I still wear all these years later. She put it on her hand. She, forgive me. Well, I can say this and I'll say it like this. Many daughters have done well, but you exiled them all. You. I love you, baby. Thank you so much. I can say that. I can say that. I can say that. Can you imagine higher praise coming from a husband? There are beautiful women, gifted women, great women. But on the face of the earth, he's saying your tops, you're the best. You are a woman of valor. You are a woman of virtue. You are the virtuous woman. And so charm is deceitful. Beauty is passing. But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands and let her own work praise her in the gates. Openly honor her for being such a noble woman for she has earned it. And thus we close our study in Proverbs.