Houses and riches are the inheritance
of fathers, and a prudent wife is from the Lord. So there's
a deliberate contrast here, and the message of this text is as
much on where these things come from as it is in the things themselves. An inheritance, a house and some
money, every father wants to leave those things to his children
to give them help in life and to be a blessing to them. And
that's sort of the normal way of things. That's kind of expected
or hoped for at least. That too, of course, is from
the Lord, but the reason that the contrast in where these things
come from is here is because that is more of a common blessing
than the one that it's contrasted with here. A wise and prudent wife is much
more rare and is especially to be said
from the Lord because there's really no secondary means. The
Lord just gives it to you. In his good time, by the pleasure
of his will, in the case of the father, the father lives a life
and prospers and works and earns an inheritance and passes it
on. But if you get a prudent wife
or husband, that's directly from the Lord. Of course, it includes a wise
husband as well, but in a special way, a wise wife. is a blessing from the Lord.
The woman was made as an helpmeet. And when you find one that's
wise, and these are all words included in the definition of
the word prudent in our text, wise, prudent, circumspect. That means she notices things,
she is aware. of her place in the world. She's
aware and considerate of things. She has insight. She guards her
family against bad things and looks for good things that she
can do or use. for the benefit of her family.
She's prosperous. She considers things. She ponders. She gives attention to things. That's the word. And when the Lord gives you that,
you are greatly blessed of the Lord. Houses and riches are much,
much less important. than a prudent wife. Turn with
me to Proverbs chapter 31. This is a sort of a preview of
where we'll be 10 chapters ahead of here, which is about a year
and a half probably at the rate we're going. Proverbs 31 10. This is what he's talking about. when he mentions a prudent wife
and how it compares to the other. Who can find a virtuous woman
for her price is far above rubies, not just above, but way above. It's not even close. The house
and the inheritance that may come from a father is not even
close. A virtuous woman. The heart, we're gonna find out
what that means. The heart of her husband doth
safely trust in her so that he shall have no need of spoil.
She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
She seeketh wool and flax and worketh willingly with her hands. You know, that word willingly
is important, whether it's a wife or a husband. When you do what husbands do,
or what wives do, and then complain about it all the time, it kind of ruins it, doesn't it?
It ruins it. She is like the merchant's ships.
She bringeth her food from afar. That just means she's, she has, I don't know the word,
ingenuity to make things, make it happen. Even if it's unlikely,
if it's difficult, she'll make it happen. She riseth also while
it is yet night and giveth meat to her household and a portion
to her maidens early in the morning while it's still dark. A lot
of you ladies do that on Thanksgiving and Christmas, don't you, on
Christmas Eve? She considereth a field and bieth
it, with the fruit of her hand she planteth a vineyard. She
girdeth her loins with strength and strengtheneth her arms. Considering
a field and bieth it, she takes some responsibility in the household.
I'm going to think of that word in a minute that kind of applies
to all of this, but I can't think of it right now. You see how the word that we
define there, it meant to be circumspect, to consider and
think on things, consider things. You see that in this definition.
She considereth a field and buyeth it for the sake of her family. She makes an investment. With the fruit of her hand, she
planteth a vineyard. Verse 17, she girdeth her loins
with strength and strengtheneth her arms. You know, we commonly refer to
the man as the stronger. And that's true. I had somebody
that argued. We argued for a year. I worked
with this guy that we argued for years about that. And he was like, there are a
lot of women stronger than me. And I'm like, yeah, but OK. That's
because you're a wimp. But women are strong. They're strong. It doesn't mean
that they're not strong. A good woman that cares. Strength has a lot to do with
the will. If you see that it needs to be
done, you'll be able to do it as a woman. She strengtheneth
her arms, she deliberately becomes strong for her family because
it's necessary. She perceiveth that her merchandise
is good. Her candle goeth not out by night. She's fastidious in her efforts
for her family. She layeth her hands to the spindle,
and her hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hand to
the poor, yea, she reacheth forth her hands. to the needy. You know, the kind of person
that never, that's responsible in their labors and in their, and I believe
we're gonna see some of this in our morning message this morning,
a person that's diligent and industrious, they're givers. because they're
able to. And that's part of the reason
why they desire to prosper and why they prosper, so that there'll
be a blessing to other people. She's not afraid of the snow
for her household, for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She maketh herself coverings
of tapestry, her clothing is silk and purple. Her husband is known in the gates,
and when he sitteth among the elders of the land, she maketh
fine linen and selleth it, and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
Strength and honor are her clothing, and she shall rejoice in time
to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom,
And in her tongue is the law of kindness. Not just kindness
in her words, but the principle of kindness. She's an example
of kindness. She teaches that with her actions
and her words. She looketh well to the ways
of her household and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children
arise up and call her blessed. Her husband also, and he praiseth
her. Many daughters have done virtuously,
but thou excelest them all. Favor is deceitful, and beauty
is vain. But a woman that feareth the
Lord, she shall be praised. Sums it all up right there. That's
the summary of the whole thing. She fears the Lord she respects
God She respects the husband that God gave her she respects
her place in the home She respects the Lord and What
he's done for her Give her of the fruit of her
own hands and Let her own works praise her in the gates. Let her prosper, too, from her
own work. And let everybody know, it's so common in this world
to criticize your wife or your husband. What a foolish thing
to do, what a dishonorable thing to do. Please never do that.
Never do that. I hope I never do that. As this passage is pretty clear
about, this is not just a matter of being a prudent wife. It's
not just a matter of mental acuity or even any noble attribute,
human attribute, in her. so much as it is knowing the
Lord and seeking to do His will. Fearing the Lord has to do with
obeying Him, fearing Him in action, it's not just a feeling. It's
not being afraid of Him, it's respect, it's awe, it's reverence.
And it's like love defined by doing and not doing, not by feelings
alone. And so it is with a husband seeking
to do the will of God for his family and in his home and as
God's authority. The reason there is, always remember
this, the reason that there are such a thing as husbands and
wives. And, you know, this world wants
to define what that is in all kinds of different ways. You
didn't come up with that, so you don't get to define it. God
came up with that, and he's the one that's defined it. And as
we mentioned before, everything, everything when it has to do
with the relationship between a man and a woman in the scripture,
everything that's not marriage between one man and one woman
is forbidden and condemned in the scripture. Everything else,
it's very simple. Very simple. And it's not real
hidden, is it? Pretty openly condemned and forbidden. So the reason that relationship
exists, the marriage between a man and a woman, is because
of Christ and his people. in his church. Marriage between
a man and a woman is an institution that honors the Lord and reminds
us continually of all that he is to us. All that he is to us. A husband. Love your wives even
as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. That's how
much. That's how much. and wives, love your husbands
and submit to them in godliness, in honor, not as an inferior, but as the
church unto our Lord, out of love and a desire to do good
for him, a desire to please him, Christ's bride, what are we exhorted
to be? Everything we just read Prudent
wise be you wise as serpents wise and prudent circumspect
see that you walk circumspectly Watchful Aware Aware of ways
to be a witness for him to be a of service to him, which being
of service to his people, he counts that as service to himself,
pondering the things of Christ. That has to do with prudence,
is the way your mind works. Think on things above, not on
things on the earth. And Christ unto us, he is literally
the perfect husband, providing for us continually. caring for
us, watching over us, protecting us, teaching us the things of
the Lord. And so that's why there are such
a thing as husbands and wives. God ordained that, and that's
why he ordained that. Nobody gets to mess with that. Let me say this, just a couple
of things to notice. Notice the sovereignty of God
in this. If you have a prudent wife, if
you've been a prudent wife, that's the Lord. That's the Lord that
did that. Is God so sovereign that he is
not only instrumental, but the absolute cause of the details
of our lives, even our relationship, yes. Yes. And we are never to make that
fuzzy. In other words, we say things
like, well, I hope the Lord has somebody for me, and then we
go about trying to make things happen, forcing things, settling
for things, just for the sake. If this is from the Lord, then
wait on the Lord. That's what I'm trying to say.
If it's from him, wait on him. Don't take a wife or a husband
that's not prudent and you're hasty to just have somebody.
That's like drinking salt water because I'm just so thirsty.
That's not gonna help you. That's not gonna be good for
you. It's not what you need. The Lord knows what you have
need of, and He gives that. And if He don't give you a wife
or a husband as a believer, it's because it's best for you. Well, it's more complicated than
that, Chris. No, it's really not. We like
to complicate things, but it's really not. If your trust is in him and he
doesn't do that for you, then that's better for you. And that doesn't mean you wait
around until, you know, somebody comes and conks you
on the head and drags you back to their cave. The Lord's not
going to do that. But also don't settle for somebody
that's not going to be a blessing to you. Seek the Lord in it. Seek him
in it. Seek him continually. Call upon him for it. Ask him. Ask him. And wait upon him. It's worth the wait. It's worth the wait, and there
are several in this room that can testify to that. And of course, let's bring this
lesson away from this. Let me emphasize again, let's
strive to be aware and smart in our service to the Lord. on
the lookout for that which is evil to avoid it, and on the
lookout for that which is good to do it or use it for the good
of his household. He is worthy of all that we are, all that we
have, and all that we can do. The Lord's worthy. We ought to
think that way in all of our business in this world. Like the woman who did what she
could and the Lord praised her for it and that always be true
of us Amen let's pray