A Closer Walk

Mothers. We all have them. None of us would be here without our mother carrying us and giving birth to us. Even the Only Begotten Son of God had an earthly mother. Sunday is Mother's Day; a day our country has designated as a day to celebrate our mothers. Over the years, centuries even, Proverbs chapter 31 has been considered the Christian yardstick for wives and mothers. The “Gold Standard,” if you will. Pastors have lauded this chapter for its wisdom and example for mothers. So let's look at parts of it.
“The words of King Lemuel, the oracle which his mother taught him,” Proverbs 1:1 NASB. The oracle which his mother taught him. Mothers teach us. They teach us a lot. From learning how to hold a fork to potty training, they teach us about a multitude of things. My own mother taught me how to be a gentleman. That is a word we don't hear much in this day and age. She taught me to open doors for ladies. To let the ladies go first (my turn would come). And numerous other things. Mothers are our first teacher.
“An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, And he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil All the days of her life,” Proverbs 31:10-12 NASB. Many women become wives before they become mothers. As wives they have a pair of strong hands and broad shoulders to help with raising their children. And husband helps with a whole bunch of other stuff too. Single moms are quite prevalent in today's society. They should be commended for the work they do in raising their children on their own.
“She looks for wool and flax, And works with her hands in delight,” Proverbs 31:13. There is an old saying, “A woman's work is never done.” The wife and mother works with her hands. Here is the key. She does this with delight. She does not consider her work drudgery because she does it for her family, her children. Further, “She is like merchant ships; She brings her food from afar,” Proverbs 31:14 NASB. Merchant ships sail the ocean blue to gather their cargo, maybe stopping in many different ports, and return home with their wares. The wife and mother will go where she needs to go to get food to feed her family. In Biblical times this may have meant a long walk there, and a long walk back home.
“She rises also while it is still night, And gives food to her household, And portions to her maidens,” Proverbs 31:15. This wife and mother feeds her entire household and her servants also. My own beloved would get up early on Christmas morning and make lemon bread for us; the only time of year we had that. Our children loved it and looked forward to it every year. Maybe your mother did something similar. “She looks well to the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness,” Proverbs 31:27 NASB. In other words, she has seen to it that the needs of her family and her entire household have been met. Why? Because she doesn't spend much time in idleness.
“She considers a field and buys it; From her earnings she plants a vineyard,” Proverbs 31:16. This woman conducts business for the well-being of her family. Presumably, this field is not in her kitchen or living room. So she leaves the house to look at the field in order to buy it. Once the field has been bought she plants a vineyard. How does she pay for this vineyard? With the earnings she has reaped from her labors such as gathering wool and flax and any other work she might perform. So this woman works in delight to feed her family, to help provide for her family, and to prosper her family. The wine from the vineyard that is not consumed for the family's own needs can be sold to bring in even more income. Hence the prospering part. “She senses that her gain is good; Her lamp does not go out at night,” Proverbs 31:18. She knows in her heart that her gain from her efforts is good and that she has done well for her family. Her lamp does not go out at night likely because she has the money to buy the oil to keep it going.
“She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hands grasp the spindle. She extends her hand to the poor; And she stretches out her hands to the needy,” Proverbs 31:20. A distaff, along with a spindle, is a tool used for spinning wool or flax into thread. Once it becomes thread it can be woven into fabric. She extends her hand to the poor. She offers a little help to the poor. She stretches out her hands to the needy. She gives with one hand to the poor. She gives with both hands to the needy. So she helps the needy a lot. Giving with both hands may refer to using little or no restraint with our giving.
What is this wife and mother's reward for all this work and effort? “Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also, and he praises her, saying “Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all,” Proverbs 31:28-29 NASB.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MOTHERS!