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Sermons

"A CAPABLE WOMAN"
OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE TEXT: PROVERBS 31:10-31

DAVE RING, PASTOR
LOS ALAMOS 1ST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
SUNDAY MORNING, MAY 9, 2010 (MOTHER'S DAY)

SCRIPTURE TEXT:
10 Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?
She is more precious than rubies.
11 Her husband can trust her,
and she will greatly enrich his life.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She finds wool and flax
and busily spins it.
14 She is like a merchant's ship,
bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household
and plan the day's work for her servant girls.
16 She goes to inspect a field and buys it;
with her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She is energetic and strong,
a hard worker.
18 She makes sure her dealings are profitable;
her lamp burns late into the night.
19 Her hands are busy spinning thread,
her fingers twisting fiber.
20 She extends a helping hand to the poor
and opens her arms to the needy.
21 She has no fear of winter for her household,
for everyone has warm clothes.
22 She makes her own bedspreads.
She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns.
23 Her husband is well known at the city gates,
where he sits with the other civic leaders.
24 She makes belted linen garments
and sashes to sell to the merchants.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity,
and she laughs without fear of the future.
26 When she speaks, her words are wise,
and she gives instructions with kindness.
27 She carefully watches everything in her household
and suffers nothing from laziness.
28 Her children stand and bless her.
Her husband praises her:
29 "There are many virtuous and capable women in the world,
but you surpass them all!"
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;
but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised.
31 Reward her for all she has done.
Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.
(Proverbs 31:10-31, New Living Translation)
PRAYER: (Let us pause to reaffirm our link with God in a moment of prayer prior to this morning's message.) "Lord, may the words of my mouth, and the meditations of all our hearts, be now fitting and acceptable in Your sight. Amen."

MESSAGE: Today is Mother's Day on the secular calendar and the "Festival of the Christian Home" on the liturgical calendar that our United Methodist denomination publishes. With those two themes in mind, I want to try to honor the women present here today by teaching what the Bible presents to us all concerning "capable" women.

"Capable" is an excellent overall characterization of the portrait which Scripture paints of the woman of Proverbs 31. This woman is, of course, an ideal. She has never been a living, breathing individual, either in Biblical times or now. In the New Testament, Jesus taught us, "Be ye therefore perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect." We, as Christians, strive for perfection knowing full well that it is unlikely we will attain perfection in this life -- but nonetheless seeking to move ever closer to it.

The capable woman in Proverbs 31 is of similar nature. No woman on earth possesses all her characteristics, but approximating to some or all of her characteristics is a good and worthy goal. Second, the woman described in today's text is a "wife." There are a number of females present here today, plus every one of the males, who are not wives. Regardless, we can all still learn something of value -- for Proverbs 31 is a portion of the Word of God, and the Word of God is intended as a blessing to all humanity. So, fellows and single women -- don't fall asleep. You might be surprised by what you learn, if you stay attentive.

One thing I want you to specifically notice about today's text is something that isn't immediately obvious -- unless you know the Hebrew language. There are 22 verses in this passage about a capable woman, and that's no accident. You see, there are 22 letters, all consonants, in the Hebrew alphabet. Our English alphabet is "A, B, C, D" and so on, and, similarly, the Hebrew alphabet is "aleph, beth, gimel, daleth" and so forth. Each of the 22 verses of this text begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet, starting with the first letter and continuing, in order, through the last. In addition, every one of the 22 verses except verse 15 counts the same number of syllables in the original Hebrew. In short, this is a Hebrew poem, and, more specifically, an acrostic poem. The point is this: In the original language it was deliberately written so that it could easily be memorized. There are five or six other Hebrew acrostic poems in the Old Testament, and each of them is an expression of praise -- either to God or to the king of Israel. But Proverbs 31 is the only such very carefully crafted poetry in all of God's Word that is directed in praise of a non-royal personage, divine or human. And, despite the well-known Hebrew bias toward males, this is a poem in praise of a capable woman. That makes it a very unique Biblical passage.

Overall, this poem describes a woman who is a whole person. To employ a Hebrew word, she exemplifies "shalom." We hear this word often used to mean "peace," but "shalom's" real meaning is wholeness, harmony, and integrity. The New Living Translation of the Bible terms is woman "a virtuous and capable wife." This capable woman is strong in all of the principal aspects of life that we usually associate with being human -- body, mind, and spirit.

Consider first the bodily, or physical, characteristics of the capable woman. She obviously possesses a high energy level as, in verse 15, we are told that she is an early riser and, again in verse 27, she is not known for any laziness. In Verse 17, she is "energetic and strong, a hard worker." This does not necessarily imply bulging biceps, but only that she possesses appropriate physical strength for the tasks she undertakes. Those tasks are many and varied, including traditional ones such as sewing in verse 13, meal preparation in verse 15, and shopping for the family in verse 14. But her tasks also include what our society would term a more modern woman's roles, such as buying land in verse 15, managing her household's budget in verse 27, and trading in cloth in the marketplace in verse 24. We are not specifically told whether she should be considered "beautiful" in a physical sense, but she is clearly no slouch when it comes to "looking good" in the eyes of others. In short, physically, this is one fine lady.

The capable woman is much more than a body, though. She also possesses strength of mind. According to verse 11, "Her husband has full confidence in her," and, considering how little confidence the ancient Hebrew men usually placed in women, that is indeed a major endorsement. This lady is sharp. In verses 15 and 27 we learn that she capably manages the affairs of a large household which includes not only a husband and children but a number of dependent servants. In verses 16, 18, and 24, we are told that she is a successful capitalist with at least two money earning enterprises -- a vineyard and a clothing design business. She's obviously made a bundle, because verses 21 and 22 tell us that she can afford the finest for her home, her family, and herself, and, further, in verse 20, she has sufficient left over to contribute to the needy. Frankly, based only on the text we have here, her husband comes off looking like a "weak sister" by comparison. All that we know about him, from verse 23, is that he sits with his friends by the city gates -- and listens to them praise the accomplishments of his wife. In any event, this capable woman has a very fine mind.

Further, the capable woman is one who is spiritually strong. She's not just preoccupied with earthly doings, although, with so much else that she does, you might expect that she'd be one of those who claims that she has neither time nor energy left for the things of God. But not so. This is a woman who, using the Old Testament Jewish expression of verse 30, "fears the Lord." Employing Christian terminology, we'd probably say that she "loves" the Lord. And her love -- or fear, whichever -- of the Lord produces tangible, earthly results: Quoting verse 20, "She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy." This capable woman of old understands what Christians today are still attempting to fully grasp -- that devotion to God and charity to humanity are two indivisible sides of the same coin. But that's another sermon. The capable woman is definitely mature and strong, spiritually. Still further, it is accurate to say, based on Proverbs 31:10-31, that the capable woman's strengths -- of body, of mind, and of spirit - are balanced. She is not skewed, not one-sided. There are women -- and men -- both then and now, who lavish all their time and energies upon their bodies. To appear the most attractive, or perhaps to be the strongest physically, is their goal. But not the capable woman. She is strong enough to accomplish her tasks, and attractive enough to be admired by others. Physically, that's enough for her. Her mind -- her wits -- are sharp enough to bring her success in life. Perhaps she is wise beyond all others around her -- but she is wise enough not to flaunt her intelligence. She does not attempt to supplant her husband in his legitimate role in the Hebrew society of that day, even though the Biblical text implies that she is his equal-or perhaps even better -- mentally. Spiritually, she is devoted to God, but she does not ignore the necessary, worldly preoccupations of raising a family, keeping a household, and earning a living in order to maintain a false show of deep piety. The capable woman's life is truly balanced. She is not a superwoman, but she is one who has an excellent sense of order; one who keeps the various aspects of life itself in proper perspective, one to another.

Some of you may be asking at this point, "Now, just what does all this mean?" Some of you ladies, and maybe even some men, might be ready to say, "Gosh, I'm tired already, just hearing about this woman. Is this the kind of lifestyle you're recommending to us?" Well, not necessarily me, but it does appear, as I read this text --that God is recommending it. God is commending the kind of capability that this woman demonstrates -- as example to us. That's why it's in the Word of God in the first place. Not, as I said earlier in the sermon, that we each have to measure up to every aspect of the capable woman -- after all, she's an ideal. But rather we ought to be challenged, motivated, to try to emulate her.

One of the greatest things about the Christian gospel is that it proclaims the unconditional love of God. Through Jesus Christ, we learn that God loves us, just as we are. But that same unconditional love of God can also produce one of the greatest problems of the Christian faith. Because, when some people hear that God loves them, just the way they are, they interpret that wonderful news to mean that God wants them to stay just the way they are. And the Christian faith becomes a warm, fuzzy, comfortable womb in which immature believers suck for a lifetime upon the milk of faith -- and never dare sink their teeth into the meat of active, outreaching Christianity.

The capable woman of Proverbs 31:10-31 is a challenge to believers in the one and only God, the God of both the Old and New Testaments. A challenge first to women, but beyond women alone, a challenge to all human beings. God has endowed every one of us with marvelous potential. Physically, mentally, spiritually -- we are wonderfully and fearfully made by our Creator. We are the height, the pinnacle, the finest example of Almighty God's limitless creativity. But unfortunately, the vast majority of humans are content to live far, far below the level of capability that God has placed within us. Just "getting by," rather than excellence, is what far too many of our species are willing to accept -- from ourselves.

The capable woman of Proverbs 31:10-31 is an ideal. She's a challenge -- a goal -- which God has raised up before all humanity in His Holy Word. Her characteristics may be out of reach for some. But who knows -- if we try, we might surprise ourselves with our own display of God-given capability.

I close this message with a salute to the ladies in the congregation. During my tenure as pastor here thus far, I've learned that quite a few of you are capable women. May your tribe increase. Happy Mother's Day! Amen.

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