[Peter Eddington] Let me begin by stating upfront, we're going to study Proverbs 31:10-31, the part of the Bible commonly called "The Proverbs 31 Woman." Now, go ahead and turn to Proverbs 31 if you wish because that's about where the only place we go to be throughout. But let me ask, how do you measure up as a Christian woman? Is that chapter almost too much to live up to? Or is there another way to look at what it says? Here's an interesting possibility. Proverbs 31 is not primarily directed to Christian women after all, but actually to Christian men. Have you ever heard that? Have ever considered that? We're going to explore that today and then the women can breathe easy, and the men can be on the edge of their seats.

Over the years, many women have felt very inadequate to living up to the ideal Proverbs 31 woman. And let me read you some actual thoughts from women in our church about Proverbs 31. I don't mean this congregation here, I just been general in the United Church of God. Perhaps some of these ring true for you too as a woman. "The Proverbs 31 woman is seen as a model example to aspire to be like for Christian women. But in all honesty, I am pretty much the epitome of how not to be the Proverbs 31 woman." Here's another one. "Lately, I could get 10 hours of sleep and wake up exhausted. I don't even get the dishes done after dinner. I have never been good at keeping the house neat. And with kids, you know how quickly it gets trashed. And if you don't have kids like this, then clearly I'm failing at motherhood too." So, these are genuine feelings of concern by ladies. "I want to help others outside my family, but my kids act like I don't love them and guilt me even further for failing to keep up with the house." Then one final one. "I can never be a better Proverbs 31 woman. Please help me."

So, as we proceed through the message today, I'll relay to you a few additional quotes and thoughts of frustration from women in our Church, particularly as they relate to some of the passages in Proverbs 31. But I want to show a solution to all this frustration. And here's the point today, there is much all of us can learn from this chapter. And in particular, men and boys should listen very carefully to what is written. And I would say that teen boys should very carefully consider what is outlined in verses 10 through 31. And why do I say this? Well, I trust as we proceed, you'll see why. The title of the sermon today is "The Proverbs 31 Man." This is a passage through which the males amongst us must pay keen attention.

So, beginning in verse 10, Bible translations often have that subheading above verse 10 that they've added. In my Bible, it says the virtuous wife, they're beginning in verse 10. "Who can find a virtuous wife for her worth is far above rubies." The Hebrew word, the King James, and New King James versions translate as virtuous in verse 10 is hayil, H-A-Y-I-L, hayil. And the word has a sense of strength. In fact, if you look at verse 3 in the same chapter, it says, "Do not give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings.” It's a warning to men not to go after certain types of women. Do not give your strength or your hayil, your virtue to women of that type that is talking about here. It's also rendered “well” in verse 29. “Many daughters have done well” or many daughters have done virtuously. That's that word hayil. And it's used throughout scripture, the word hayil, in a sense of military valor or bravery. In fact, much of Proverbs 31 has military overtones. It's a chapter about courage and strength and valor, almost from a military battle perspective.

Boaz, you recall, called Ruth a woman of hayil in Ruth 3:11. The point being that she was a woman of strong, brave, virtuous character. We're going to discuss Ruth again in a minute, for a very important reason. And it's directly related to Proverbs 31. Now, the New International Version, the chapter heading for verse 10 calls this section the wife of noble character, the wife of noble, or hayil, character. So, it's not virtuous, it's also noble. The virtuous wife is one of good, honorable, strong, noble, brave, virtuous character. The point being, these verses are talking about the character of the woman, not necessarily her business acumen, her real estate savvy, or how good she is with a sewing needle. That's not the primary objective, it's about character. Here's some background on the fascinating way Proverbs 31 is constructed. The latter part of the chapter verses 10 through 31, the Proverbs 31 woman or the virtuous wife section is actually a brilliantly constructed literary composition. It's a masterful poem that we read it in English and we don't see that. But when read in the original language in Hebrew, it is a very, very masterfully created poem.

There are multiple layers of organization in the poem, and it demonstrates great skill on the part of the writer. We just mentioned as a side note when we look at the Bible, we have to greatly respect how well the Scriptures are written, how well they're formed, compiled, and structured. It is like no other volume ever written in human history. Or I don't care who your favorite modern-day author is, the Bible is like no other work. No other book of volume would ever measure up to the way the Bible is constructed and written, and it's God-given and inspired. The words we hold here on our laps or looking at on our smartphones, are not just average words written by uneducated ancient men and women. No, it's a literary masterpiece. Some of it is prose and poetry, like Proverbs 31. Other parts are history. Some of it is dramatic storytelling. A large portion of it is prophetic, and some parts contain fulfilled prophecy that can be proven. And Proverbs 31 is no exception.

First of all, the work is an acrostic, which means that each of the 22 verses, verses 10 through 31, each of the 22 verses begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. So verse 10, the first word begins with aleph, then verse 11, the first word begins with bet. So, we get the word aleph-bet, the alphabet. But each verse then goes through the 22 characters of the Hebrew alphabet. And this was very important at a time when the average person could not own a physical copy because it helps memorize the verses. You already know what that first word is going to be for each verse based on the letters. And as I mentioned earlier, it's packed with militaristic imagery. The poet here in this chapter praises the everyday achievements, in this case of an upper-class Jewish wife, a woman who keeps her household functioning day after day, which is actually just like women here are doing. You all keep your households functioning day after day. And like any good poem, the purpose of this one is actually to draw attention to the often-overlooked everyday routine. Doing this, doing that, day after day. And probably so anyone highlights the everyday routine of the family.

And as a poem, Proverbs 31 should not be interpreted as a job description for all women. No. Its purpose is to celebrate wisdom, to celebrate wisdom in action, not to instruct women everywhere to get married, have children, and take up a sewing machine. It's about wisdom and character. This honorable woman in chapter 31 opened her mouth with wisdom and kindness, as we read in verse 26. And our focus is on service. Now, look at verse 23, which is pretty much right in the middle. Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. This verse actually is different and stands out from the rest of the poem. It's about the husband this time. The New American Commentary in its note on verse 23 states this. "Verse 23 actually establishes the central message of the poem. This woman is the kind of wife a man needs in order to be successful in life. In short, the original intended audience was not young women, like this is what kind of wife you should be, but young men, this is what kind of wife you should get. This does not mean that the poem cannot be used to instruct women, but the interpreter must recognize its primary objective."

The quote continues, "Although it may seem strange that a wisdom poem on the virtues of a good wife should be directed at young men, it is in keeping with the whole thrust of the book of Proverbs. The book everywhere addresses the young man as ‘my son’ and not the young woman." And then a little bit further down in the quote, "There is no double standard. The gender slant in Proverbs is a matter of audience orientation." So, it's meant for men, right? "Rather than ideological bias. Proverbs directs the reader away from the prostitute towards the good wife because its implied reader is a young man. For the same reason, wisdom is personified as a woman and not as a man." I'm going to quote several Bible commentaries throughout the sermon today. So, bear with me as I do this a little bit because they help lay important groundwork and background for the reasoning behind Proverbs 31.

In the Jewish community today, in the Orthodox community, those that are serious about their beliefs, you may be surprised to know that it's not the women who memorize Proverbs 31. The men have to memorize Proverbs 31 in the Jewish community. So, I was just thinking maybe our next men's retreat at Camp Joy should be a study of Proverbs 31. So, I think several of us have been the Camp Joy but though not right now with the COVID going on. In the synagogues, the men memorize it to sing as a song of praise to the women in their lives. So, there's a song the men sing to praise their wives, their daughters, their sisters, their mothers, and friends. Some husbands sing Proverbs 31 to the wives at every Sabbath meal every week in the Jewish community. The only instructive language in the poem, the only thing that says you do this is in verse 31, and it's directed at a male audience. The NIV puts verse 31 this way, "Honor her for all her hands have done." It's directed to the men to honor the women. And that's the only instructive verse in the poem. So, Proverbs 31 is telling men to honor the women in their lives.

The Zondervan NIV Study Bible says in its introduction to Proverbs that the poem besides offering counsel on the kind of wife a young man or to seek may be intended "in a subtle way to advise young men to marry Lady Wisdom, thus returning to the theme of chapters 1-9, concluding epitomizing of wisdom in the wife of noble character forms a literary frame with the opening discourses, where wisdom is personified as a woman.” And so they're starting to let us know that it's not actually talking about a real woman, but the personification of wisdom. So, it's not only a brilliant literary creation in its own way, but its message and position also make the whole of Proverbs a greater, more unified literary work. The virtuous woman, as I said of chapter 31, may very well be the personification of true wisdom, not an actual woman.

Expositor's in its notes on Proverbs 31 says more about wisdom here. "The theme of the poem, the wife of noble character, captures the ideals of wisdom that have filled the book. It may well be that this is more the point of the composition than merely a portrayal of the ideal wife." And then the commentary gives some good reasons for at least seeing important symbolism here, and not treating the poem as some kind of numbered checklist of female righteousness or something. Continuing in Expositor's in its notes on chapter 31, "The woman here presented is a wealthy aristocrat who runs a household estate with servants and conducts business affairs, real estate, vineyards, and merchandise, domestic affairs, and charity. It would be quite a task for any woman to emulate this pattern." Is not it's not meant to be a real woman. "Others have also recognized that more is going on here than a description of the ideal wife, or instructions for the bride to be." And then continuing the quote, "In general it appears that the woman of Proverbs 31 is a symbol of wisdom. Indeed, many commentators rightly invite a contrast to the earlier portrayals of Dame Folly lurking dangerously in the streets, she was to be avoided and Lady Wisdom, who is to be embraced."

So, Proverbs 31 is showing the contrast between Lady Folly and then Lady Wisdom. So, men and teenage boys should listen up because today we're talking to the Proverbs 31 man in many respects. Of course, there is much for women and girls to learn from Proverbs 31, no doubt, especially the character to strive for in life, it's about character. It's not just how nicely the living room floor is swept. That's not the point. And now a very important matter to cover. I mentioned Ruth a moment ago. Consider that woman of valor, the virtuous wife, the wife of noble character named Ruth. To be a wife of noble… sorry to be a woman of noble character, you don't have to be an upper-class Jewish wife. You don't even have to have much money, you don't even have to be married. Ruth was a destitute foreigner. For most of her story, she's neither a wife nor a mother. You can say her life looked nothing like the life of the woman depicted in Proverbs 31.

Ruth didn't spend her days making clothes for her husband. She had no husband, she was a widow. So, she couldn’t check that one off the list. Ruth's children didn't get up in the morning and call her blessed, she was childless. Ruth didn't spend her days exchanging fine linens with the merchant ships and keeping an immaculate home. No, she was poor. She worked all day in the sun gleaning leftovers from the corners of other people's fields. She was poor. And yet, when Boaz meets this poor widow, here's what he says in Ruth 3:11. "All the people of my town know that you are a virtuous, hayil, woman. The whole town knows you're a virtuous woman." Ruth is identified as a woman of valor, not because she checked off a Proverbs 31 to-do list by getting married, keeping a clean house, and producing children, but because she lived her life with honesty, integrity, bravery, wisdom, and strength. That's what made her a hayil woman. She lived her life with valor.

And I will say here today, we don't have to turn to Proverbs 31 to find women of valor or a woman of valor. Us men can look around the room here today and see many women of valor. Our women are bringing their unique gifts, insights, and passions to our very congregation. And ladies, single ladies here today, you don't have to be married to be a woman of valor. I might mention that there's a lot more detail along these lines in our own Bible Commentary that the church has produced on the Book of Proverbs if you want to go to the website sometime and even study more about Proverbs 31 and some of the background. Now, let's go through it verse by verse, starting in verse 10. That's where this section starts. "Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies." So, here's a quote from one of our ladies. "I fail at literally everything I try. I'm pretty sure my husband and children do not see my value as above rubies. They certainly don't look at me and say they are blessed." So, is that the fault of the husband maybe?

A Proverbs 31 man will look for and see the worth in his bride, her value and character being worth more than physical jewels. He will not look for a woman akin to those representing folly in the earlier chapters. Verse 10 here points out the rarity of such a fine as a virtuous woman and her supreme value, which we're told should be treasured. Now, remember, this applies to both a good wife more generally, but also to wisdom in particular. Expositor's and other commentaries point out the passage-based similarities with heroic literature seeming like an ode here to a military champion is how it is in the Hebrew. It's like you're reading about a military champion here in verse 10. Expositor’s says, "For example, women of valor here in verse 10 is the same expression one would find in Judges for the mighty man of valor in Judges 6:12." It's heroic type literature.

Verse 11, "The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain." Actually, no lack of gain is actually the word for plunder. If he has a virtuous wife, if he follows wisdom, he'll have no lack of plunder. The husband, we're told, if he chooses an honorable woman for marriage, he'll be able to trust her and not fear her betrayal. This is so different than going after a woman on the street like portrayed in the earlier chapters. He would lose trust fast in a woman like that. Verse 11, which is the second in the poem, is actually a good illustration of the acrostic method. It has the letter bet at the beginning, but also all throughout the verse. The letter B or bet is highlighted all throughout to highlight the acrostic pattern upfront. In verse 12, "She does him good and not evil all the days of her life." So, yes. Using wisdom will bring a man good, not evil. And a virtuous wife will bring good, not evil.

Verse 13, "She seeks wool and flax, and willingly works with her hands." So, here's a quote from one of our ladies. "Well, though, I can certainly sew my family clothing, for the most part, they would prefer storebought. And in reality, it's far more affordable to just buy their clothes." So, verses 13 and verse 19 here mention the woman's textile work, right? This should not be taken to imply that every woman today must sew all their own clothes for the family. That's not the point. Or start a garment business. The point is that she makes good productive use of her time, her talents, whatever it might be, for the welfare of the household. Verse 13 is only an example of a wife using those skills to produce items you can then trade or sell in order to acquire other goods and services for the home. Some today have opened up an Etsy account online or their own eBay or selling crafts and things in other ways. But this verse is not saying every wife has to open a Dillard's department store, it's about character and about using what you have wisely. And the point is that wisdom is not lazy. Wisdom works to better oneself and one's family. So, a Proverbs 31 man will choose wisdom, not folly.

Verse 14, "She's like the merchant ships,” yeah. I don't think she's really like a merchant ship. it's a manner of speech. It's talking about wisdom. "She's like the merchant ships, she brings her food from afar. She also rises while it is yet night, and provides food for her household, and a portion for her maidservants." And so this rising while is yet night gets a lot of women, right? Quote from one of our ladies. "I don't get up while it’s yet night, but I do stay up while it's yet night. That's when my brain works best. And when I do my Bible study, I would never get it done if the kids were up." And another lady. "Sure, I can go to bed early to get up early. But the fact is, my brain doesn't even function until around 10 a.m." Interestingly, the word for food in these two verses is actually prey, "She catches her prey." But the woman portrayed in verse 15 is a rather wealthy, upper-class Jewish woman. She personifies the best of wisdom, she trades with merchant ships, she has maidservants. It does not mean the wealthy lady of the house gets up early to personally make breakfast for the servants.

The New American Commentary suggests this, "Instead, she supervises preparation of the morning meal and sees to it that all have a fair share. This implies first that she cares even for the servant girls. And second, that she's diligent about overseeing them." So, it's just about being fair and just. So, the point is wisdom represented by such a woman cares deeply for all of her household and provides food for everyone, even the servants. It doesn't mean if you finally get quiet time to do your Bible study only late at night, that you're not a virtuous woman. That's not the point. Verse 16, "She considers a field and buys it. From her profits, she plants a vineyard." So, a quote from one of our ladies. "I would have no means to possibly consider a field, let alone buy it. So, how can I be a Proverbs 31 woman?" And so what of buying a field, ladies? Where is your real estate portfolio? I'd like to see it.

Now, it doesn't mean wives today should go about making real estate purchases unilaterally. It may well be in the example here in verse 16 that this woman's household, of course, is well off enough, it's an upper-class Jewish family represented, that such investments are within her ability and discretionary spending for planting a garden, growing grapes, whatever it might be. The point of the example is twofold. Firstly, the husband trusts his valued wife enough to allow her to spend the household income in these ways. It's a matter of trust that she's allowed to do this. And secondly, she takes initiative in such matters and is very prudent and active in doing so, once again making the most of her skills and talents, whatever that might be. It doesn't mean that every woman should move to Napa Valley and open a winery. That sounds tempting, doesn't it? And Napa Valley is a little warmer than it is right here. But it does mean she should wisely consider ways to help the family. This is the kind of wife of a Proverbs 31 man should seek, not the woman of folly that may come after you.

Let's look at this one example of wisdom versus immorality of wisdom versus the seductress back in chapter 7 because the whole first part of Proverbs is on that theme or on this theme. But Proverbs 7, the first five verses, let's just read those as an example. Wisdom versus immorality, wisdom versus the seductress. Proverbs 7:1, "My son…" Once again, the whole book is directed to the men. "My son, keep my words, and treasure my commands within you. Keep my commands and live,” who wants to die, right? "Keep my commands and live, and my law as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart." Verse 4, "Say to wisdom, ‘You are my sister,’ and call understanding your nearest kin." So, a man needs to seek wisdom and understanding, first and foremost, as if they're married to it, basically. And verse 5, "That they may keep you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words." So, the whole book is about wisdom versus folly. And if you read on past verse 5 here, then it gives a pretty good description of the woman of the street going after some young guy.

So, at the end of the book it says, "No, this is the kind of woman you want." It's directed to the men. We see throughout Proverbs that it's a goal of keeping God's commandments and living, of course, eventually for eternal life, right? Of having wisdom as “your nearest kin," is how it puts it here in verse 4. The opposite is the seductress and the woman pictured by a lack of wisdom. And so Proverbs in chapter 31 masterfully concludes the whole picture with a carefully crafted poem showing a man what he should be looking for in a woman. We're talking about the Proverbs 31 man's approach. So, go back to the end of the book again to verse 17 now. Verse 17, "She girds herself with strength, and strengthens her arms." Strength, the word strength here in the Hebrew is the word oz, O-Z. And it's using other passages for powerful deeds and heroics. Once again, it's like a military term. "She girds herself with strength like a warrior." It shows the wise woman keeping herself healthy and well so as to continue her service. It doesn't mean she'll never get ill or require her husband to give her strength, but it shows her attitude.

Verse 18, "She perceives that her merchandise is good, and her lamp does not go out by night." She's a planner. “She stretches out her hands to the distaff, and her hand holds the spindle." Once again, "her hand holds," here in verse 19, is an expression used in military settings in military battles, "Her hand holds the spindle." Commentator Tremper Longman in his book How to Read Proverbs says on page 140 of his book, "Perhaps life’s struggles here are envisioned as a war and a woman as an active and successful participant in taming life's chaos." And you've all heard of how a woman has tamed a rather rough around the edges kind of guy “her hand holds the spindle.” It's like a military term.

Longman then points out on the next page, page 141, "Another of the dominant themes throughout the poem is the woman's boundless energy. It is hard to believe that any single person could ever accomplish as much as this ideal woman, and perhaps the description then is meant as a composite sketch." She's not an actual woman. Continuing the quote. “In any case, this woman is described not only as a warrior but also as a merchant ship that brings produce to port, namely her home. She also is active in commercial endeavors, not to speak of philanthropy towards the needy. Not only are her actions praised, but also her qualities of mind and attitude. She is fearless about the future, wise and kind. This woman has nothing at all to do with laziness. The emphasis at the end of the poem, as one might expect, is not on beauty or charm, but on the woman's fear of the Lord. Indeed, this woman is the epitome of wisdom. She's a human embodiment of God's wisdom; a flesh-and-blood personification of Woman Wisdom.” And I believe that puts it very well.

Chapter 31 is contrasting wisdom with the earlier examples of folly, Woman Wisdom with the crafty harlot. The wise man will seek wisdom, not folly. Verse 20, "She extends her hand to the poor,” yes, she reached out her hands to the needy. So, here's the philanthropic part in the book on the chapter. But you don't have to be rich, you don't have to be an upper-class Jewish woman to serve others, to help others in need. Look at the example of Ruth, for example, again. "But having succeeded in looking after our own family, she's then able to serve and help others as well."

Verse 21, this one is for today. "She's not afraid of snow… She's not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household is clothed with scarlet." So, finally, a verse about women shoveling the driveway. There it is. But verse 21 is rather showing the woman not fearing for those of her household when it's cold because she's enabled them to be clothed and clothed with scarlet. So, she doesn't fear the cold because she's planned ahead. The Hebrew here for this is shanim, S-H-A-N-I-M. So, she's enabled them to be clothed with scarlet, shanim. But some translations change the vowels because in the original Hebrew, you don't see all the vowels and to read shanim, which means double. So, some scholars think it means not scarlet, but it means double. She's clothed them with double because it's cold out. She's not afraid of the snow because she's clothed them with scarlet or she's clothed them with double is how many translations put it, clothed them with layers.

And then verse 22, "She makes tapestry for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple." Once again, you don't have to go out and try and open a Nordstrom clothing store, unless you want to. The point is she makes good productive use of her talents for the welfare of her household, no matter what talents she may have. It says in verse 22, the wife's clothing of purple tapestry. And in this verse, it means purple coverings, which may refer not just to clothing, but bedding and other types of tapestry around the house. Purple coverings.

Verse 23, here's this central verse again, "Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land." The New American Commentary says in verse 23, "The center point of this chiasmus…" and I didn't try to get into explaining why this whole thing is a chiasmus, right. But, "The center point of this chiasmus is verse 23, the declaration that the husband is highly regarded at the gate. The verse is being read as almost an intrusion into the poem; all the other verses praise the wife, but this verse alone focuses on the esteem the husband commands. Far from being an intrusion, however, verse 23 actually establishes the central message of the poem,” which is what I said earlier about verse 23. “This woman is the kind of wife a man needs in order to be successful in life." So like I said from the start, men and boys, choose wisdom as your kin, not the seductress.

Verse 24, "She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies sashes for the merchants." To quote one of our ladies. "I've never been successful at earning any extra income since becoming a stay-at-home mom. I'm too busy raising the kids." Another one says, "I utterly fail at selling and marketing." You don't need a business degree to be a woman of valor. We're talking about a mindset here, aren't we? Of taking advantage of all that you can in support the family and your husband. It doesn't mean trying to open a Fortune 500 company.

Verse 25, here's a very pivotal verse, "Strength and honor are her clothing." So, we're talking about wisdom here. "Strength and honor are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to come." The word strength is oz again, O-Z again, that's used for powerful deeds and heroics. So, strength and honor, powerful deeds, and heroics are her clothing. And in verse 25 here where it says, "She shall rejoice in time to come," the NIV actually says, "She can laugh at the days to come." So, we read it being armed with strength and honor in the first half of the verse. She can then face whatever the future may bring with confidence. She doesn't have to worry about the days to come. Having faith and trusting God, living a life of honor will give you strength in times of difficulty is what it's saying.

Verse 26, "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness." So, here once again, we see the focus on wisdom and kindness. Verse 27, "She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness." So, one lady said, "I feel like I am eating the bread of idleness, not because I don't see dishes and laundry that needs doing or the floor needing to be swept, but rather because I have no energy." You see, what is actually being said here in verse 27 is that you want to avoid laziness. Having no energy or being affected by a health malady does not mean a woman is lazy, it just means she's suffering in some way. It's not for lack of wanting to do more is what I would say.

Verse 28, "The children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her." And so this is the verse that the Jewish community uses to praise the women every Sabbath and sing a song every Sabbath meal. Her husband, he praises her. And so that's the kind of husband a wife would want, right? "Many daughters have done well,” verse 29, “but you excel them all." And excel them all here in verse 29 is an expression, once again, that signifies victory. An expression that signifies victory. And such a woman is praised by her grateful family. She's a blessing to her family. The opposite of the examples earlier of the woman of folly, not a blessing to the family.

And then the next two verses provide us a very important summary conclusion. Verse 30, "Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." Charm and beauty are fleeting while real and enduring praise is for the woman who fears the Lord. Returning to the books, original counsel that we read in chapter 1, verse 7, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Proverbs 1:7, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,” sorry, “but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” So, it's returning back to the beginning themes of the book. And verse 31, "Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates."

The New American Commentary summarizes it very well in its note on verse 31. "The good wife described here has every virtue wisdom can offer… She's no less than Woman Wisdom made real. The riches Woman Wisdom offers are brought home by the hard work of the good wife. Proverbs has, in effect, come full circle. It began by saying that the young man must embrace the imaginary ideal of Woman Wisdom in order to have a fulfilling life, and it ends by saying that one needs a good wife to achieve this goal… He will either pursue Woman Wisdom or Woman Folly and with them, he will take their counterparts, the good wife or the prostitute/quarrelsome wife."

And then Expositor's puts a nice summary together as well in its notes on chapter 31, at the end, it says, "The poem certainly presents a pattern for women who want to develop a life of wisdom,” and there's not nothing women can learn from this, “but since it is essentially about wisdom, its lessons are for both men and women to develop. The passage teaches that the fear of the Lord will inspire people to be faithful stewards of the time and talents that God has given; that wisdom is productive and beneficial for others.”

And so, without a doubt, the organization, the arrangement of the Book of Proverbs from start to finish, if you'd ever look into deeply, is ingenious, especially apparently in the original language, which I wish I could read the original language after I hear what it's like. It commences, Proverbs starts with telling a young man that knowledge and wisdom begin with the fear of God and lays out the choice between wisdom and folly. And then Proverbs 31 is then the choice a man must make. It ends with a graduation at the end to adult life with marriage to a godly woman, who also wisely lives by the fear of God. For success in life, a young man must not only choose a wise woman, he must choose wisdom itself. You must choose wisdom.

As we conclude here today, I want to emphasize that our women here today, those listening online, are our modern-day women of valor, a modern-day Ruth. We have new examples now of women of valor to add to what's listed in Proverbs 31. I would say you women and girls are winning the battle against this world, against sin every day. And so you ought to be honored for all your hands have done. You have to be honored and praised for all your hands have done.

So, I say that we should cheer one another on, celebrate everything. Not just sewing needles, but promotions on the job, pregnancies, battles with cancer. Often you hear the phrase, "You go girl," between the ladies. Maybe you're a mom who beat breast cancer. If you are a stay-at-home mom with no Napa Valley vineyards, be a stay-at-home mom of valor. If you're a nurse, be a nurse of valor, an honorable nurse. Maybe you are CEO. We have some women in the church that are CEOs, or just a barista at Starbucks. If you are rich or poor, single or married, do it all with valor, with honor, with courage, with integrity. That's what makes you a Proverbs 31 woman, not owning a merchant ship.

So, I've quoted throughout the sermon some of the frustrations voiced by our own United Church of God women who have come to dislike Proverbs 31. But now, I pray, you can make it one of your favorite passages because it provides a wonderful way for the men among us to celebrate the daily acts of faithfulness exhibited by the women in our lives. That's the point. It's for the men to look at and to praise the women who are doing it right. I love verse 29, "Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all." And this is the combination of the Book of Proverbs. The paramount choice presented is before us all. Men and women, young and old alike, choose wisely, choose Woman Wisdom.