If Psalm 112 is a description of the man of noble character, then Proverbs 31 is a description of the woman of noble character. And we're going to focus a little bit today on the last two verses of Proverbs 31. Let's read those again together. Proverbs 31, the verses 30 and 31. Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. After the ministry of the word, we'll sing together from Psalm 128, stanzas one, two, and three. Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, today is Mother's Day. This is a day set apart to recognize the unique role that our mothers play in our lives. This is not a day that we observe in the same way that we observe, say, Christmas or Easter. It is not a separate day in the liturgical year. But the Bible does have a lot to say on this topic. And so today is a good day to immerse ourselves in what the Bible teaches us about the role of mothers. Proverbs 31 is a poem in praise of the godly mother. But you don't need to be a godly mother to be a godly woman. So our text speaks to all women, regardless of where you are in life. And it also speaks to the men among us in more ways than you might expect, as we hope to find out this morning. So with that in mind, let's submit ourselves to the word of God this morning, and I bring that word to you under the following theme. A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised, and we'll see first what she does, second, how she does it, and finally how to praise her. Verse 10 of our reading says that this is a description of a wife of noble character. It says, a wife of noble character who can find. Now what does that mean, that she is a woman of noble character? Well, in the original language it refers to someone who is efficient, someone who is capable, someone who is well-equipped to do what they do. You could say that she is a valiant woman. I actually think the right pronunciation is valiant. She's a valiant woman, a woman who shows courage and determination in what she does. And that word valiant has military connotations. And actually, the poem uses more military imagery to describe her. This is very subtle. It doesn't come out well in the English. But it does come out in the original language. For instance, in verse 11 it says that her husband lacks nothing of value. Literally it says that he lacks no plunder. That's military language. And verse 17 says that she sets about her work vigorously and it says her arms are strong for her tasks. Literally, she girds her waist with strength and she makes her arms strong. So here again we have language that would make more sense if you were describing a soldier preparing for battle. But here it's being applied to the wife of noble character. And that battle imagery reminds us of the many Old Testament heroes of the faith whom God uses to deliver his people. So the point is that this poem has somewhat of a heroic feel to it. This woman is a heroine used by God to accomplish his work in her family. Now what kind of a social background does she come from? The passage gives us some clues. This lady and her family are not poor, because according to verse 15, she does have servant girls, apparently. But at the same time, she's not upper class either, because she still does a lot of the hard manual labor herself. If she really were rich, then she would have gotten other people to do that work, but she doesn't. So apparently, this lady is an average, middle class kind of woman. She probably has more in common with us than we realize. So she has servant girls, it's true, but you have appliances, don't you? You have machines that clean your floors, that do your dishes. The difference is really not that big. Whatever else you might say about this woman, she is one hardworking lady. No doubt about that. She does not have time to waste on idle activities like gossip. Her hands are always moving. Verse 13 says that she selects wool and flax. And verse 19 says that she holds the distaff and spindle. I had to look that up too. Those are tools that you use to turn wool into thread. Verse 22 says that she makes her own clothing even, and her own bed coverings. And according to verse 24, she makes so much of it that she even has enough to sell to other people. She invests her profits from those sales into real estate and then she turns that real estate into a vineyard. So this is a very enterprising lady. She is good at doing business. That shows in verse 18. It says in verse 18 that she sees that her trading is profitable and her lamp does not go out at night. Now her lamp does not go out at night does not mean that she burns the midnight oil. That's not the point. But there is a Middle Eastern proverb that says, he sleeps in the dark. He sleeps in the dark. And that means that you're so poor that you don't even have oil to light your home at night. You know, kind of like getting the hydro cut off because you can't pay your bills. He sleeps in the dark is a description of poverty, but this This woman, because she knows how to manage money, she's able to keep her lamp burning at night. And that means that there's always enough money left over. She knows how to manage money. Now, based on this description, you would think that this is a career woman. But that is not the case. This woman is not someone who goes off to pursue her career while she leaves the kids in daycare somewhere. We live in a time when many women work outside of the home and the children are raised by a stranger while both parents are busy pursuing their careers independently. That is not a biblical approach. That is also not what the woman in our reading does. It is true that she is a smart businesswoman, but she works from home. See, verse 27 says that she watches over the affairs of her household, and you cannot do that when you're working a full-time job somewhere else. Now, her work is an important part of her life. It is an important outlet for her creative abilities. But she does not sacrifice her family life for her job. Instead, the two are integrated. And this is something that we can learn from. The point is not that she's not allowed to engage in any kind of business at all because her passage clearly shows that she does, but the point is that you cannot do that at the cost of the family. What about her husband? Well, we don't hear much about him, do we? He's kind of in the background, isn't he? But that is not because he is a passive man who is overshadowed by his wife. Instead, verse 23 says that her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes a seat among the elders of the land. And the city gate was a place of justice and administration for the towns and villages back then. Think, for example, of Ruth 4, Boaz went to the town gate to confirm his right to marry Ruth. The city gate is the center of civic and of economic life. And her husband is right in the middle of it. Now, if you read this too quickly, you could come to the conclusion that these two are leading separate lives. She does her thing at home while he pursues a career in politics and business. And she makes sure that she has dinner ready when he comes home, and for the rest, she doesn't give him too much trouble. That would be a real 1950s kind of ideal of family life, but that is not actually what our passage says either. Our passage makes it clear that this woman shares in his success. The only reason why he's able to be there in the city gate is because his wife takes care of things so well back home. And he realizes that. Verse 11 says, her husband has full confidence in her. He knows that she does a really good job. He trusts her completely. He can leave this up to her and know that it is in capable hands. She is his crown, as Proverbs 12 verse 4 puts it. Let her works bring her praise at the city gate, says verse 31 of our text. In other words, this man is proud of his wife, and he makes a point out of telling that to his colleagues. He brags about his wife to them. So no, they are not leading separate lives. Instead, she shares in the glory of his success and he is very much aware of what goes on in her life and that's the way it should be. That is what a healthy relationship looks like. Not what we have so often today where you have a man and a woman living under the same roof and sleeping in the same bed and for the rest they have nothing in common and that's supposed to be marriage. No, this is quite different. These two lives are well integrated with each other. In many ways, our passage is a description of a stay-at-home mom. Over the course of the last number of decades, the feminist movement has successfully stigmatized that calling. Somehow, we are led to believe that women who choose to spend most or all of their time at home are not living up to their full potential. But I hope you see by now that our passage completely destroys that notion. And it does that especially in verse 22. Have a look at this. Verse 22, here we read that this lady makes coverings for her bed. She's clothed in fine linen and purple. What is purple? Well, purple is a color of nobility. Back then, only kings and queens in royalty and maybe very rich people wore purple. But here we read that this lady is clothed in fine linen and purple, and the focus is on her nobility. There is something noble about how this woman fulfills her calling. She is a queen in her home. Now maybe you're a stay-at-home mom with a few kids under the age of five, and whatever else you might feel like, it's not a queen. It is hard to feel like a queen when you're running on four hours of sleep, When you've changed your tenth diaper of the day, the sink is still full of the morning dishes, and your oldest just put her shoes in the garbage can again. And you only wish that you had it together like this Proverbs 31 woman does. But remember what we discovered with regards to this military imagery earlier. God is using you to accomplish his work in your family. Of course it's difficult, it is battle. There's a reason why she needs to be equipped for this. You may not see this clearly right now, but if you remain faithful, then he will accomplish that work in your family. And by the way, as an aside, here's another reason why it's important for the husband to support his wife so that she does feel like a queen, so that she does realize that this is a calling. And we'll talk more about that later on. The woman of noble character is a blessing not only to her family, but also to society around her. These blessings in her life, they spill over out of family life into society around her. And you see that especially in verses 19 and 20. Here it says, in her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. Literally it says she reaches out her hands to the distaff and her palms grasp the spindle. She opens her palms to the poor and she stretches out her hands to the needy. So you see that there's a sequence of actions taking place here. Her hands close on her work. and then they open to the poor. It's a very visual image and it also so happens that this is more or less the center of the poem. It's a beautiful image because this woman invests herself in the lives of the people around her. Her husband and children are blessed by her. Those blessings spill over into the lives of the people around her and she gives of herself. And this is grace. In that way, from a New Testament perspective, we see that this woman reflects Christ. Because it is His love and compassion and giving that she shows to those around her. Christ also gives out of what He has, He gives to His own. And this woman reflects that Christ-like image. She does her work and then she gives out of what she has been given. And that is why we should be thankful to God for the mothers that he placed in our lives. Because in a normal family relationship, the love that they show to us echoes the self-sacrificing love of Christ. This is an image, the giving hands. And that brings us to our next point, how does she do it? And that's a good question to ask because By now, I imagine many of the ladies in our midst are feeling intimidated, if you're honest with yourself. I mean, Proverbs 31 puts the bar so high. The question posed in verse 10 is, who can find this kind of wife? And we feel, with a sinking kind of feeling, that the answer is, well, no one. So how does a woman in this passage do all of these things? Well, one important point to keep in mind is that this chapter, like the rest of Proverbs, is classified as wisdom literature. Wisdom literature is literature that teaches us how to live harmoniously in the life that God has created, in the world that God has placed us in. So all of these things that this woman does, all of these things are applied wisdom. In that way, this wife of noble character is idealized. There's a reason why she comes at the end of the book of Proverbs. You know, the beginning of the book of Proverbs shows wisdom in feminine terms. It depicts lady wisdom, and at the end of the book of Proverbs, we have this wife of noble character, and that is not an accident. She embodies applied wisdom, and in that way she is idealized, but we need to understand that this depiction is idealized, but it is not idealistic. There is a difference. It is idealized, but it is not idealistic. It is not impractical. The Holy Spirit did not put this in the Bible so that we can read it and go, wow, will you look at that? I wish I was that good, and then set it aside. The whole book of Proverbs is meant as instruction for attaining a life of wisdom. So where then do you get that wisdom from? If this is applied wisdom, then where do we find that wisdom? Proverbs 1 verse 7 spells that out for us. It says that the fear of the Lord is a beginning of knowledge. So this woman, this wife of noble character, is who she is because she fears the Lord. She is drunk deeply from the well of God's word. The wisdom that she speaks with, the faithful instruction that she dispenses in verse 26, all of those were drawn out of the well of God's word. And that is why regular time in God's word is so important, even if you're a busy mom. And if you're so busy that you can't make that happen, then your husband has to step up to the plate. Husbands, brothers, Does your wife have the opportunity to immerse herself in God's Word? Are you willing to babysit to make it happen if that is necessary? Are you giving her the room that she needs to grow into this kind of woman? It's easy for us to harbor inner complaints that our wife is maybe not living up to the ideal we have in mind, but are you giving her room to grow into it? Are you letting her immerse herself in the Word and Just as important are you spending time in the Word yourself, so that you can grow to appreciate this kind of woman. Because the fact is that a woman like this does not just appear out of thin air. They become this way through God's grace. And that grace in turn is passed on to the children in faithful instruction. You see, usually when you see a wife of noble character, it is because she had a mother of noble character. Young men, you should be paying careful attention here. Are you listening to this text? Because by God's grace, one day you're going to be married. The woman you marry will be the mother of your children, if God graciously gives them to you. So you need to ask yourself, if you are going to be, or if you already are in a relationship with a woman, what is she like? Is she a woman of noble character? Does she fear the Lord? Is she wise? Or are you pursuing a girl because of her looks? Looks are not unimportant. The Bible devotes a whole book to them. It's called the Song of Solomon, in case anyone was wondering. But you're foolish if you try to build a relationship on looks alone. Charm is deceptive, says our text. Beauty is vain. Charm is deceptive and that means charm can fool you into thinking that beauty equals this kind of nobility. And that is not necessarily true. And beauty is fleeting. If the only thing that's holding you together in your relationship is her beauty, then you're not going to be together very long. What you need is a woman who fears the Lord. And if you intend to marry one day, then you need to pray to God to show you that woman. Because God is the one who made her in the first place, so God is the only one who can lead you to her. But you have to pray to Him about that. And your prayer has to be filled with the urgency of this passage, that you see how important these things are. This is not just bonus feature, this is central to your relationship as husband and wife. Young ladies, by God's grace you may one day be in a relationship or maybe you are in one already and you need to ask yourself this question, why is he attracted to me? Why is he attracted to me? Is it because of your looks? Or is it because he has the spiritual maturity to recognize a noble woman when he sees one? This is really, really important. Because if he's only in it because of your looks or your body, then he's blind to your true character. And if he doesn't appreciate those now, then how do you know that he will appreciate those when you're married? The true value of this Proverbs 31 woman is not in her looks. The true value of this woman is in her relationship with God. She belongs to God. She fears Him. That means that she has reverence for Him. That is only possible if you have a relationship with Him. And she wants to live out her will or His will in her life. And that is why she embodies the wisdom that He provides. And yes, it is imperfect. But it is still the wisdom that he provides, and that is the secret to her wisdom and strength, is that relationship. And that is also why she is considered blessed. You find this in verse 28, her children arise and call her blessed. And the Hebrew has two words for blessed, and this particular one roughly translates to that you should be congratulated. So the word translated as blessed in verse 28 means that she should be congratulated. That is to say her children and her husband recognize that her source of strength is in God and they're not just congratulating her on the work that she accomplished. Oh good for you, you changed another diaper today, you mopped another floor. That's not what they are congratulating her for. They recognize that she is who she is because God has accomplished a great work in her, and that is why they call her blessed. Let's talk about praise. Because after all, today is Mother's Day. Our text says, a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. And this is not a suggestion. When you read the Bible, you find out it doesn't have many suggestions in it. It does contain a lot of divine commands, and this is one of them. We have a divine command to praise a woman who fears the Lord. Today's a good day to obey this command, but we should honor our mothers every day. So how do you go about doing that? We know what a woman who fears the Lord is like. But now, how do we praise her? Well, as far as a husband is concerned, it is essential that he recognize the important role that his wife plays. Verse 28 says that her husband praises her. He needs to acknowledge that he could not do what he does without her work, and he needs to remind her of that often. She needs that recognition, brothers, in order to find fulfillment in her work, because that work can feel really unfulfilling. when there's nothing inherently fulfilling in the act of changing a dozen diapers a day. And it can feel pointless and maybe even discouraging to wipe down a window if you know that five minutes from now it will be covered in sticky little fingerprints again. But if these things are regularly appreciated, then she will do them joyfully. She will know that she is not doing her work for nothing. and the children need to be taught to respect their mother. That is one thing that should be consistently enforced. In our passage, it's clear that the husband and wife have a life that is well integrated with each other, and one part of that is that the children are taught to respect the mother. In verse 28, the children, who are probably adults by now, rise in the presence of their mother. And in those days, that was a form of respect. There is a verse in one of the Levitical laws that says, rise in the presence of the aged and show respect to the elderly. And so by now this lady's children are probably older already. They rise in the presence of their mother and they show respect and we might not show respect in that way anymore but there are many other ways in which we are commanded to show respect to our mothers. And they do so out of recognition of her contribution in our lives. That respect has to be there. Finally, our text says in verse 31, give her the reward that she has earned. Literally it says, give her the fruit of her hands. Now what is the ultimate fruit of her hands? Is it not to see the results of her labor? A family shaped by the wisdom that she embodies. Is it not to see this wisdom continue in the next generation? That's the best Mother's Day present that you can give to your mother, is to live close to the Lord, to embrace his wisdom. And you will know how to do so because she taught you. And you will thank Christ for the gift that he gave to you in her. So may all of our lives be characterized by that thankfulness. And so may the blessing that God gave us through our mothers be multiplied to his glory. Amen.