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Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The Virtuous Housewife
Proverbs 31:10-31
E. Johnson

I. HER INFLUENCE IN THE SPHERE OF HOME. (Vers. 10-22.)

1. Her exceeding worth. (Vers. 10-12.) A costly treasure not everywhere to be found; no commonplace blessing: an ornament and a joy above all that earth affords of rare and beautiful. A treasure on which the heart of the possessor ever dwells with delight.

"Continual comfort in a face, The lineaments of gospel books." She is the rich source of revenue to her husband in all good things.

"All other goods by fortune's hand are given;
A wife is the peculiar gift of Heaven."

(Pope.) If women be good, said Aristotle, "the half of the commonwealth may be happy where they are." "The greatest gift of God is a pious, amiable spouse, who fears God, loves his house, and with whom one can live in perfect confidence" (Luther).

2. The picture of her domestic industry. (Vers. 13- 22.) It is an antique picture, the form and colouring derived from ancient custom; but the general moral effect is true for all times. The traits of the housewifely character are:

(1) The personal example of diligence. She is seen from day to day spinning at her loom, the chief occupation of women in ancient times. She is an early riser (ver. 15).

(2) Her unrelaxing energy. (Ver. 17.) She has no idle hour; her rest is in change of occupation.

(3) Her personal attention to business. (Vers. 16, 18.) Whether examining land with a view to invest her savings in purchase and cultivation, or inspecting goods, her mind is in all she does She is not slothful in business, but glowing In spirit, and all that she does is done with heart.

(4) Her benevolence. Her thrift is not of the odious form which begins and ends with home, and breeds a sordid miserliness out of hard won gains. Her open hand outstretched to the poor (ver. 20) is one of the most winning traits in the picture. She has no lack of good herself, and always something over for the needy.

(5) Her care both for comfort and for ornament. (Vers. 21, 22.) Both the very spheres of woman's activity. But she observes their true order. Her first thought is for the health of her household; she provides the warm "double garments" against the winter's snow. Her leisure is occupied with those fine works of artistic needlework by which elegance and beauty are contributed to the scene of home. Refinement adorning comfort, - this is the true relation. In finery without solid use and comfort there is no beauty nor worth.

II. FURTHER TRAITS AND DETAILS OF THE PICTURE, (Vers. 23-31.)

1. She reflects consideration on her husband. Her thrift makes him rich; her noble character gives him additional title to respect. His personality derives weight from the possession of such a treasure, the devotion of such a heart. Her business capacity, her energy, and the quiet dignity of her life and bearing; the mingled sense and shrewdness, charm and grace of her conversation (vers. 24-27); - are all a source of fame, of noble self-complacency, of just confidence to the man who is blessed to call her "mine."

2. Her life and work earn for her perpetual thanks and benedictions. (Vers. 28, 29.) Her children, as they grow up, bless her for the inestimable boon of a mother's care and love. She has revealed to them God; and never can they cease to believe in goodness so long as they recollect her. She basks in the sunshine of a husband's constant approved. "Best of wives!" "Noblest of women!" is the thought ever in his heart, often on his lips.

3. It is religion which gives enduring worth and immortality to character, (vers. 30, 31.) Beauty is a failing charm or a deception of the senses. But religious principle gives a spiritual beauty to the plainest exterior. Being and doing from religious motives, to religious ends, - this is a sowing for eternal fruits. And the works of love for God's sake and man's fill the air with fragrance to the latest end of time, and are found unto praise, honour, and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. - J.

Biblical Illustrator
Her children arise up, and call her blessed.
Proverbs 31:28
The children's praise
Philip Henry, M.A.
This is part of the just debt owing to the virtuous woman. It is enough to make virtuous people happy that they are blessed of God. Yet this is thrown in as the reward of virtue, that among men also ordinarily it hath its praise. The praise that attends the virtuous woman comes from her own children.

1. It is a great comfort to those who are good themselves to see their children rising up. Here rising up means, stir up themselves to pursue the same course as their good mother.

2. The children of the virtuous woman call her blessed. It is her honour that she shall be praised by them that are best acquainted with her and most indebted to her.

I. THE CHARACTER of those parents to whom honour is due from their children.

1. Those that are truly wise deserve praise.

2. Those that are truly kind.

3. Those that are industrious and careful.

4. Those that are charitable.

5. Those that are virtuous; that is, sober and temperate, just and righteous in their conversation, exemplary in integrity and uprightness.

6. Those that are pious and religious towards God.

II. THE DUTY OF CHILDREN IN DISCHARGING THEIR DEBT TO THEIR PARENTS.

1. Maintain a grateful remembrance, and, on occasion, make honourable mention of our godly parents.

2. Give thanks to God for them.

3. We ought to be very sensible of our loss when such parents are removed from us.

(Philip Henry, M.A.)

The blessing of the pious mother
Henry Allon, D.D.
The family is the profoundest and most sacred of all our social relationships. It is a type of spiritual relationships, and a means of realising them. In this delineation of the excellent woman the influence of the mother is more especially recognised. The distinctive honour of the pious mother is that she receives the benediction of her own children. They do her honour, speak of her with reverence and love and blessing. What must a mother be in order to inherit such benediction of her children? Notice her prudent regulation of the affairs of her household; her kindness, gentleness, and benignity; her piety. The religiousness that influences a child is the religiousness of common life, the religiousness that is the life that imbues all things with its feeling and sanctifies all things with its presence. Urge upon young women the present cultivation of such a character as will make them wise and holy mothers.

(Henry Allon, D.D.)

Gratitude for a good mother
Mrs. Susannah Wesley was a model mother. The wife of a country curate, she brought up her large family so well that all Christendom has cause to bless her name. At her death her children gathered around her bed and sang a hymn of praise in gratitude to God for such a mother. She is called the "Mother of Methodism," so much did her famous sons John and Charles Wesley owe to her influence and training. General Garfield said that his was a model mother. When young and headstrong he obtained work on a canal boat against her wishes. One dark night, when alone on the boat, he fell overboard. It was in a lock, where the water was deepest. He could not swim, and was sinking when his hand touched a rope hanging over the side, apparently by accident. He climbed on deck and found that the rope was only held by the slightest twist round a block. He felt it was God's hand which had saved him, and resolved to start for home at once. He found his mother and described his miraculous escape. "What hour was it?" she asked. He told her, and she said, "At that very moment I was praying for you, my son, that God would protect and bless you." And in after-life Garfield used to say, "I owe everything to my mother."

Her husband also, and he praiseth her
Gratitude for a good wife
S. M. Evans.
The Earl of Beaconsfield said, "Every step in my life to honour and success I owe to my good and faithful wife." President Lincoln, on receiving a presentation, said, "I will hand this to the lady who, by her counsel and help, has made it possible in anywise for me to serve my country." A working man at a great meeting said recently, "My wife was a good woman before her conversion, but now she is worth her weight in diamonds." When Jonathan Edwards was discharged from his appointment he came home in despair. But his wife smiled bravely and said, "My dear, you have often longed for leisure to write your book, and now it has come. I have lighted a fire in your room, and set the table with pens and paper." He was so cheered that he set to work at once, and wrote the book that made him famous.

(S. M. Evans.)

A wife praised by her husband
The late Robert Moffat had a wife of rare excellence. For more than fifty years she shared his toils in South Africa. The Secretary of the London Missionary Society says, "After their return from Africa, while talking over their labours at the Mission House, Mrs. Moffat said, 'Robert affirms that I do not hinder him in his work.' 'No, indeed,' replied Dr. Moffat, 'but I can affirm that she has often sent me out to missionary work for months together, and in my absence has managed the station better than I could have done myself.' Her husband's first exclamation on finding her gone was, 'For forty-three years I have had her to pray for me.'"

People
Lemuel, Massa
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Arise, Bless, Blessed, Gives, Happy, Honour, Husband, Praise, Praises, Praiseth, Pronounce, Rise, Risen, Saying, Sons
Outline
1. Lemuel's lesson of chastity and temperance
6. The afflicted are to be comforted and defended
10. The praise and properties of a good wife

Dictionary of Bible Themes
Proverbs 31:28

     5262   commendation

Proverbs 31:10-31

     5481   proverb
     5744   wife

Proverbs 31:27-28

     8252   faithfulness, relationships

Library
The Gospel Cordial
A Sermon (No. 3236) published on Thursday, February 9th, 1911 delivered by C.H. Spurgeon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington. on Lord's Day Evening, September 20th, 1863. "Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more."--Proverbs 31:6, 7. These somewhat singular sentences were spoken by the mother of Lemuel to her son, who was probably Solomon. She had already said to him, …
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs

Letter Li to the virgin Sophia
To the Virgin Sophia He praises her for having despised the glory of the world: and, setting forth the praises, privileges, and rewards of Religious Virgins, exhorts her to persevere. Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, to the Virgin Sophia, that she may keep the title of virginity and attain its reward. I. Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised (Prov. xxxi. 31). I rejoice with you, my daughter, in the glory of your virtue, whereby, as I hear, you …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Of the Practice of Piety in Fasting.
There are divers kinds of fasting--First, A constrained fast, as when men either have not food to eat, as in the famine of Samaria (2 Kings vi. 25;) or, having food, cannot eat it for heaviness or sickness, as it befel them who were in the ship with St. Paul (Acts xxvii. 33.) This is rather famine than fasting. Secondly, A natural fast, which we undertake physically, for the health of our body. Thirdly, A civil fast, which the magistrate enjoins for the better maintenance of the commonwealth. Fourthly, …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Proverbs
Many specimens of the so-called Wisdom Literature are preserved for us in the book of Proverbs, for its contents are by no means confined to what we call proverbs. The first nine chapters constitute a continuous discourse, almost in the manner of a sermon; and of the last two chapters, ch. xxx. is largely made up of enigmas, and xxxi. is in part a description of the good housewife. All, however, are rightly subsumed under the idea of wisdom, which to the Hebrew had always moral relations. The Hebrew …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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