Chapter 6
Purity
*We’ve all heard the term “Proverbs 31 Woman.” I must admit that I had read this passage many times, but never understood anything of it beyond what is blatantly there. Romans 15:4 tells us that what was written in times past is for our instruction. The whole of the Old Testament is for our betterment. Proverbs 31 should be for the entire Church. Yet, we say it is only for women. It has been recent when I last read this chapter, and upon reading it, my wife had pointed out that this is a picture of what the Church should be. That makes a lot more sense than it is only for women.
*I don’t wish to diminish the idea of a Proverbs 31 woman. For a male, though, this was always a passage of Scripture that I passed over. I read it, but I never really dedicated myself to understanding it.
*“A wife of noble character, who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her Husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings Him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. 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. When it snows, she has no fear for her household, for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her Husband is respected at the city gate, where He takes His seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her Husband also, and He praises her: ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’ 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,” Proverbs 31:10-31.
*I seem to get grief from some people about “church.” My wife’s father tells people that, “They are looking for a place that does church right.” What a way to miss the point! As long as church is something to “do right,” you will never be the Church. Here is the perfect illustration of what Church is.
*We can even start with the first line in verse 10: a wife of noble character who can find? The Church is also known as the Bride of Christ. When we read “a wife,” it can easily be referred to the Church. Yet, this question is a difficult one… Who can find her? We have all our big ministries and all of our church buildings, but where is the Bride of Christ?
*It is sad that the Bride is in the crowd, but is not part of the crowd. The last statistic I heard was that almost ¾ of America is Christian. Yet, how many of those who claim it really live it? We find that what most often happens in our buildings is that you have the “fat sheep” of Ezekiel 34 battling the flock of God. When you read the whole chapter of Ezekiel 34, you find verses against the shepherds (which are also the fat sheep), “The diseased you have not strengthened, neither have you healed that which was sick, neither have you bound up that which was broken, neither have you brought again that which was driven away, neither have you sought that which was lost, but with force and with cruelty you have ruled them.” “Thus I will judge between fat cattle and lean cattle because you have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad.”
*This is a vivid, yet precise, picture of what is happening today. Those who are the sheep of God, and therefore the Bride of Christ, are being pushed, kicked, shouldered, and killed. All we ask of the shepherd (pastor) is a little food to eat of. Lead us to the still waters of life that we might drink deeply and be satisfied. Show us the green pastures of God that we might eat and live. Yet they tend to the goats, and give no food to the sheep.
*Thus the Bride of Christ is within the “church,” and starving. Because men are too afraid of men, and don’t want to offend a soul, the sheep starve until they either collapse or die. Praise be unto God for the Good Shepherd who still leads His sheep by still waters. If it were not for God Himself to sustain His Bride, she would have been destroyed long ago.
*Who can find a wife of noble character? Christ, our God, has. Noble character doesn’t come easy, and it isn’t cheap. He has remade us into His likeness by the regenerating of our souls upon salvation. Though she is bruised, beaten, mistreated, and despised by all, His Bride is still pure and spotless, because He is her Husband. And she is worth far more than rubies and precious stones.
*Her Husband has full confidence and trusts in her and lacks nothing of value. I do not wish to puff up the pride of so-called church. These words are from the very mouth of God Himself to His Bride. What I want to ask is: does this describe you? Lets for a second forget about the rest of the Body. If the words of this passage don’t describe you, then you have missed the mark. You have missed the high calling.
*Can God say about you that He lacks nothing, because you are “the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way,” Ephesians 1:23? Would you consider yourself as in such unity with Christ that you are part of His Body? Are you in such unity with Him that you know when He speaks, and you act upon it? The body knows when the head tells it something. When the head speaks to the hand, the hand moves. Does that describe your relationship? What about when the head doesn’t speak? Do you move on your own accord?
*To lack nothing does not mean that God now has everything. In this context, the Husband lacks many things. Yet, it is safe to say that He lacks nothing because His Bride is everything to Him. I don’t have riches, but in Christ I lack nothing. I don’t have much of anything when it comes to the things of this world. I don’t even have television because I can’t afford it. Yet, I lack nothing. Those of you who are in Christ would know what I’m talking about. The same is true of Christ. He lacks nothing because He has us.
*She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. It is amazing what some Christians will say about God. Some of the clichés and teachings out there are absolutely heresy, if not blasphemous. People claim a God who “tests” them, which usually their tests look more like torture. If you are being thrown to the ground and raped spiritually and emotionally, that is not a test from God. When your life is full of stress and anxiety that is not a test from God. He can use all things to the working out of good, but He did not assign a test to you to torture you and see how you react. That is not God.
*Does God test us? It would be true in saying so. However, I have friends who are going through such grievous and difficult circumstances that to say God is the one who is testing their faith would be to make God a monster. If a woman is raped to death, does that mean that God is testing her husband? When someone is forced into a gang because of the “draft,” you have no other choice. The gang threatens your life, your family, and your friends. You have no choice but to join the gang. Is it God testing a man when they come around? Is it God testing a man when he is forced into a situation with a gang that leads him to jail? Whether the Lord works it out for good or not, the question still remains of whether God is the author and direct cause of this. Does He test us with these kinds of excruciating trials?
*We say these things, and act upon these things, and we bring harm to the name of Christ. It does not bring God glory when we complain because our lives are too difficult to stand, even if we feel like it. It does not bring glory to God when we pass out soap and say, “Jesus loves you and so do we.” It does not bring glory to God when we stand on the street corner with a bullhorn and condemn every one who walks by for being a “sinner.” It does not bring glory to God when we have superficial relationships with one another, and then claim to have the love of God. It does not bring glory to God when we claim that we have been freed from judgment and shown mercy, only to then judge others by their appearance or way of talk.
*So many times I am told that I judge the Church. Is this not a judgment itself? The man who speaks this speaks against the Lord Himself. I don’t judge the Church. I judge the establishment, but I do not judge the people. I want nothing more than for the Church to wake up from her slumber. I want nothing more than for the Church to see reality and flee from the systems that bring death and bondage. I want to deliver the Church, not judge it. This statement itself brings harm to the name of God.
*The true Church brings God good, not harm, all the days of her life. How accepting are you? I didn’t ask how tolerant. God doesn’t ask us to be tolerant. He asks us to love. He asks us to be patient. He asks us to be gentle. He asks us to be humble. He asks us to be peaceful. He asks us to be kind. He asks us to practice self-control. These things bring glory to God. We do harm when we are not acting as He acted.
*How accepting are you? Will you accept even the worst of the worst sinners into your home? Will you reach out a hand in mercy to those who deserve no mercy? Do you give grace to those who are deceived and think that this life has nothing better than drugs, money, sex, and alcohol? Are you accepting? God is. He loves. Therefore, He was found with the tax collectors and sinners.
*She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. These three verses describe a woman who is a provider. What they would translate as for the Church would be that she uses only the best of things to provide, and even provides with her own hands, she feeds her family (Church), and does not neglect even her friends who are not part of the Body of Christ.
*The wool and flax speak to me of providing a covering. These are made with her own hands. What is the covering? It is prayer. The true sheep of God pray for the other sheep. She protects them from the harshness of the weather by prayer. Her family is taken care of because she has prayed both protection and blessing for them. Yet, this prayer isn’t a nonchalant kind of humanistic sentimental prayer. It comes from the deepest groaning and yearnings in her heart for her love of the Church. Her prayer is a reflection of her love for her brothers and sisters. She prays in the Spirit. She prays without ceasing.
*The food that she brings from afar and provides for her family and servant girls is the very revelation of God. She gets up early to seek Him, and it is from that overflow that she gives generously to all those around her. She speaks the Word in love. She presents the wisdom of God when the only thing that can be seen is the wisdom of men. She brings the very heart of God and thoughts of God to the table. Her family feasts upon the insight that God has granted to her.
*I find it amazing that Paul the Apostle would tell the Church that when they meet together, everyone would have a word. There would be no one who is left without sharing what the Lord had put upon his or her heart. Sometimes this is only to one person, and other times it is to the entire corporate body, but every one there will have a word, song, revelation, tongue, etc to present. This is the definition of “She provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.”
*The very aroma of this woman is something that brings hope to the hopeless. When the world looks in, they see something baffling. There is nothing of this character that can be explained humanly. She is beyond categories. She is beyond definition. She drives the men and women of this world to jealousy. They see her and long and yearn for that which she has. She, in turn, graciously and generously gives them, the servant girls, from the same table as her family.
*She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. This speaks to my heart of counting the cost, and still surrendering. So far, there has been a lot written about what it costs to be a disciple of Christ. The true Church has counted this cost, found it reasonable, and paid it. There are no questions asked. There are no regrets. There are no disappointments. The field is bought.
*The vineyard, almost always, represents a place of worship. The vineyard is the heart of the Believer. Where the wellsprings of life come forth, that is the very place where this vineyard is planted. We can compare this to Song of Solomon and find that she doesn’t plant the vineyard for herself. It is for her lover. She gives this most precious of places to the One whom she loves.
*It is a curious thing to me that the worship is likened to a vineyard. Why a vineyard instead of wheat field or cornfield or any other kind of crop? I have to imagine that it is because the grape, after a process, gives us wine. The Scripture seems to speak of wine as something precious. There, of course, are those verses saying not to tarry long at the wine, but at the same time there is a respect for wine that needs to be understood.
*In the story of Jesus turning the water to wine, you can see this respect fully. If we summarize, and reword slightly, we can see the intent of this story. Jesus tells the servants to take the big jars, which are more like barrels, and fill them with water. The water would have been murky, dirty, possibly diseased, and without boiling, it is not something to drink. God says to fill the jars with that. Liken this unto yourself. That though you might have seemed “good” on the outside, the water within was detestable. Then, they start to draw water out, and behold! The water has been turned to wine that is even fit for a King!
*The men then have to admit that this is a strange thing, for most people leave the cheap wine for later. Yet, this man has saved the best for last! The work of Jesus Christ had turned this dirty water into a wine that was better quality than the wine of this king. The whole point is that God Himself has done the work to make this vineyard, yet it is the Church who bought the field and planted. Once again, this is a time where we see that God wants to work with us instead of alone.
*She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that all her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In these two verses, we have volumes to speak. First, she does the work that Christ has commanded with vigor. She is intense with her passion. She is forceful in her plowing. Her strength comes from another realm, and therefore her arms are strong for her tasks. It is from this strength in Christ that we do the work, and it from that strength that people will ask, “From where do you draw your great strength from?”
*The true Church is like the two men who went and traded their talents for more talents. The man who buried his talent was condemned. When we keep fishing in the same pond, we eventually run out of fish. Most of us aren’t even fishing in a pond; we’re fishing in our bathtubs. Sunday after Sunday the same message goes forth to the same people who all have the same problems that aren’t being addressed. The majority of our Christianity is burying that talent. The Bride of Christ ensures that all her trading is profitable.
*Pentecost went outside. The true Church doesn’t need to be told to go out and witness. It automatically happens. When a man or woman is first saved, because they are passionate about this, and because they experience joy that is so otherworldly, they go to all their friends and they must speak. Usually they can’t answer all the questions, but they have to tell their friends of all the riches and glories in Christ. They must speak because of the marvelous work that has been done. The fact that most of our congregations have lost that zeal and traded it for a succession of Sundays and maybe inviting their neighbors to the building shows just how unlike the original intent we are.
*Her lamp does not go out at night. Remember the 10 virgins? 5 had the oil run out of the lamps; the other 5 were able to wait all night. She has an overflow, abundance. The lamp stays on all through the night to shine to those who, even while she’s sleeping, need to see the light to escape the darkness.
*The evangelism of the Church isn’t necessarily with words. I agree with St. Francis of Assisi. His famous quote is, “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” This is exactly the point. Because of her lifestyle, her lamp burns brightly. It doesn’t go out. Those who are trapped in darkness can see that light. Those who want to come to the light will run to her. Our evangelism doesn’t have to be with words, but there is a testimony against us when our friends who are of this world don’t want to talk to us about the things of God.
*In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. The definition of a distaff, if you don’t know, is that it is a staff, or rod, for holding the flax, wool, or tow in spinning. This is to show both precision and dexterity. She is precise in her work, and this precision brings both caution and quality. Those who are “saved in her ministry,” to use a glib catchphrase, are not quick to fall away. Spirit gives birth to Spirit, and when she births someone, they are of top spiritual stature.
*It describes dexterity because, as far as I can tell, she is holding both the distaff and the spindle in the same hand. She has great ability in what she does. She is not a “beginner.” It is completely by the Spirit of God, but she has more than enough to “get the job done.” Since God Himself is not a “beginner,” the vessel that is governed by His Spirit, namely the Church, will do the tasks with great wisdom and ability.
*She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. How desperately we need this to sink in to our thick bull-headed skulls! We despise the poor. We abate the needy. What is sad is that we don’t give; we just simply ignore the needy until “they don’t exist.” How many members of your congregation are poor and needy widows, orphans, or their spouse is incarcerated?
*This should not be so! One is too many. Why do congregations have such a huge vacillation between rich and poor? Shouldn’t the rich willingly give to help provide for the poor? Even one widow who is about to lose her home is too many to have. One family who can’t afford food is too many. One couple that struggles to pay the bills is too many. This is happening within the walls. How can we even begin to assume that we’ll be willing to help the poor and needy outside the Church when we don’t even help our brothers and sisters?
*And if you don’t feel any kind of compassion or conviction in this area, most likely it is because you are the one causing the problem. You are the one who is holding back. You are the one who is having a blind eye. You are the one who willing to give words of encouragement, but are not willing to act upon those words. You are the one whom John the Apostle speaks against by saying, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?”
*When it snows, she has no fear for her household, for all of them are clothed in scarlet. Once again, I see the household as meaning community or fellowship. Her community doesn’t need to worry about what difficulties the weather (life) must bring. They are clothed in scarlet, the most royal of colors. They are provided for. The Body helps the Body. No one is left hungry or cold.
*She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her Husband is respected at the city gate, where He takes His seat among the elders of the land. We have missed it. At least in America, no one seems to respect the Lord. There are few churchgoers who respect the Lord. We have not lived a life that demands His honor and respect by the community and city surrounding us, and therefore, His name is blasphemed among the nations. He can’t take His seat among the elders (which I see to be in Heaven, Revelation 4) because His own Bride doesn’t present Him as respectable.
*Why do the people of the city respect Him? It is because of the Bride that they show honor. She has given Him respect, and therefore they applaud Him. It is because of the manner of life that she carries out that they reverence her Husband. It is for that very reason (our manner of life) that people don’t respect God. What is different between the world and us? What is the defining characteristic about us that would enable for us to demand their respect? Where have we given them a reason to reverence God? What alternative of lifestyle have we presented?
*She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. It is ironic that this verse comes after the Husband being respected, because it is this very thing that we are missing. We don’t present anything of worth. Our “linen garments” are rags. We go around telling people to become Christian so they can be like us, and they look at our lives and are repulsed. Our sashes are strands of band-aids tied together. We offer nothing of worth, nothing to be desired.
*What is it that you offer? When the world looks at your life, what do they see? Do they see a life with God? Or do they see a man or woman who is walking about with a little Jesus sprinkled in the mix? How can we present the linen garments and sashes, which is the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we ourselves are living contrary to it?
*The Bride of Christ is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. The devil’s threats don’t frighten her. What is to be afraid of? In the King James this verse says that she rejoices in the times to come. It is from knowing the end, even before it happens, that we can rejoice. We laugh at trials, even the trial of the tribulation. What is suffering? We have eternal life! Anything that comes at us, no matter how painful and brutal, is only light and temporary affliction.
*Because we are clothed with strength and dignity, we have the authority to laugh. Who else can? The economy is failing, the world’s money systems are collapsing, gasoline prices are skyrocketing, jobs are becoming a rarity, and our government is taking over more and more to our harm. Things aren’t looking good. Yet, the Bride knows in whom she trusts, and she knows what His words are, and she fears not. She laughs at the very threat of bankruptcy in the nations.
*How is it going to affect her? It is only light and temporary. Even if persecution breaks out in the most horrendous of ways, she stands unwavering. She has strength that this world knows nothing of. She has dignity that defies humanism. Her power comes from above, and her character transcends humanity.
*She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. I see this as an apostolic seeing. It goes beyond surface issues. It views past the words that are used to apprehend the problem. When the scientific realm names and claims there is no God, it can see past all of their human wisdom and proclaim, “I see that you are a superstitious people.” They claim they have no god, but the reality is that they are their own gods. Anything that would present itself to push them off of the pedestal is something to wage war against in the most vicious ways. Evolution is not a scientific theory; it is an all out attack and war on all religion to ensure that the superstitions and pious attitudes of men are not disturbed. If there is anything that even brings a possibility of their downfall, they ruthlessly attack the offense and the person who brought it, just so that they don’t have to consider an alternative to what they want to hear.
*This is the seeing of the Bride of Christ. When she sees the teenagers engulfing themselves in music, she understands that it is bondage. They may say that they just enjoy music, but the reality is that they need sanctuary from themselves, and especially from their emotions. They need to be able to shut themselves off from the world that seems to fight so heavily against them. They need to break from their families, whom they despise, in order to get lost in a moment of “bliss” and not have to deal with the stresses of life. That is not reality. That is not dealing with the problem.
*The true Church is able to see these things, and not be partakers of them itself, and supply wisdom that comes not from earth, but from heaven. This faithful instruction is a cry of freedom from the bondage. It is a pronouncing of liberty to the root issues. When the scientists want to pretend they are intelligent, the Church is to expose their false securities and reveals to them the way of the cross. When the teenager wants to hide in their “sanctuary” of music, the Church needs to provide reality and true freedom from depression and despair.
*For the most part, we have not done this at all. The biggest reason is because we ourselves have indulged in the very same things. We have not found true freedom, because we only want to deal with the surface issues, so we must then go to idols to find a feeling of security. How can we provide deliverance to a world that has lost all hope if we ourselves have not found that deliverance?
*For those who do find the deliverance, they are found to be crazy and are ridiculed. Their words, though they are truth, are mocked to scorn by the world, and also by the religious world. When you tell people that their music is sourish, and you show them the effects and the evidences, they laugh. They say things like, “Every one else is enjoying it. The only person who doesn’t feel God is you. Therefore, you must be the problem. It isn’t with us, it is with you.” To even have this kind of seeing will inevitably bring a suffering and a painful scoffing from the men and women in the religious societies. Prepare to endure hardships.
*She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her Husband also, and He praises her. The reality, or manifestation, of our authentic walk will be our children calling us blessed. When we have the true authority, we can use it in our own households, and our children will know it. If we are playing computer games and watching the television while there is a war going on all around us, they will see our lack of enthusiasm for God and His glory, and in turn they will walk away from Him. The proof of our living holy lives will be that our children will also follow in our footsteps to seek the Lord and live a holy life before Him.
*Why is it that the biggest drop out rate in church buildings is the college age? As soon as the high school students leave home, and leave their youth groups, they flee to their own lives. Why? Is it possible that for their entire lives they saw a lack of reality within their homes, and especially within their youth groups? The youth groups played games. They had food and music. They had a moment where the word was shared, but for the most part, it was all basically a joke. There wasn’t anything with substance. There was no true freedom or sanctuary presented. There wasn’t a point where the youth have to deal with the issues of life. Because we have neglected them, they turn away and want nothing to do with “church” ever again.
*The Bride’s Husband praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Can Jesus say that about you? Can He say, “This world has many people who do well, and right, but their righteousness is nothing in comparison to yours?” Would He be able to call you out from the crowd to give testimony because your life is different? If Jesus Christ were to come to your work and start preaching, could He point you out and say, “This is that?” Would He be able to use you as an example?
*The world is full of people who do “good” things, but they are waiting for someone who will show them God. Oprah Winfrey does “good” things. Are your deeds better than hers? Is your goodness better than hers? Are you nobler than Oprah? The only way to be this is to truly love. It isn’t about giving things away. It isn’t about how much money you have to give to charities. It isn’t about being “nice.” Oprah wins the award for human niceness. God wants you to love.
*The loving thing isn’t always the nice thing. If you are saying something to tear someone down, then it is not love, but if you are refusing to speak truth because you care too much about him or her, then it is not love. Love demands that you would speak truth. The way to do more good to people is to truly care about them. Oprah does good things, but she also gets tax write offs. She also gets a great image. Are you willing to surpass her by doing good things even if it will harm you?
*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. To rewrite this in a more literal way, we could say, “Attracting attention to yourself is deceptive, and beauty will only last so long, but a woman who fears the Lord will surpass them both and bring blessings to her home forever. Give her the reward of her sufferings, just as Jesus has gotten the rewards of His, and let her works bring joy to her in her life here and now as well as in city of God, on Zion’s Hill, forevermore.”
*It is interesting that the two things employed by the world would be charm and beauty. If you are charming, then you will go far. You will go even further if you have a bit of beauty. Yet, these two things can be used for wicked gain. Why is charm and beauty something to not be desired? I believe that the Bride of Jesus Christ should be both charming and beautiful, but it is an inward beauty more than outward. It is an inward charm more than outward. We aren?