Living by The Word - Mother's Day 2024

Living By The Word Podcast

THE WORTH OF A MOTHER Prov. 31:10-30

READ TEXT: Prov. 31:1, 10-31

1. A MOTHER’S WORTH
2. Seen in her relationship to God- v. 30. She is a woman who

fears the Lord.

Secondly her worth is…Seen in her relationship to her husband- vv. 11-12, 23

1. 11-

Seen in her relationship to her children- vv. 14-15, 21, 26

15. 14-15.

Seen in relationship to herself- vv. 17, 25, 30a

LESSONS FOR US ALL:

1) In this picture of a virtuous woman, wife and mother we can also see a

picture of Christ. He is the perfect embodiment of all these qualities.

You cannot read Proverbs and miss that in Christ are hidden all the

riches of wisdom and knowledge.

Human mothers will fail and falter. But Christ is the perfect picture of one

who cares for his church, nourishes his church, works and sacrifices for

his church, extends his hand to the needy sinner.

Don’t miss the portrait of Jesus here! He is the embodiment of all that is

described in perfection. Do you know him my friend???

2) We must do all we can in the church to support moms and help them.

This is a community project. Raising children is hard – especially with

all the ungodly influences there are out there. That is why we all

participate in serving at VBS. When we minister to children, we are

also minister to moms. That is why our children’s ministry and nursery

need to be the best they can be. That is why we have a preschool

ministry. That is why we support pro-life legislation and prolife

ministries such as BirthChoice. The church must rally around the

centrality of motherhood.

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OTHER NOTES TO CONSIDER:

In this passage in Proverbs, God presents us with His description and estimation of what a godly wife and mother looks like. In

this passage we are given a glimpse of a woman who is a wife and mother, and one who diligently cares for her household, the extended

family unit including servants, business associates, and those she helps in the society in which she lives. This woman, whom God praises

and defines as “excellent” (NASB) or “of noble character” (NIV) or “virtuous” (KJV), and whose value is far above jewels, is shown to

possess at least five characteristics or qualities. But before we look at these five qualities, let’s consider the word translated “excellent” in

the NASB.

The word “excellent” (vs. 10) is the Hebrew word chayil which means “strength, efficiency.” To illustrate something of the

nature and power of this word, it is helpful to note how it used and translated in other passages of Scripture. It is translated in the

NASB by “able” (5 times), “strength” (10 times), “army” (82 times), “valiant” (over 40 times), and “capable” (3 times). In the context

of Proverbs 31, it refers to moral strength, but also to domestic ability and efficiency.

The five qualities are:

1. She is a devoted wife (vss. 11, 12, 23). She is one who has the confidence of her husband, who seeks his welfare, and

enhances his reputation.

2. She is a diligent partner (vss. 13-17, 18b, 19, 22, 24). As a woman with God’s viewpoint, she is a willing worker, a wise

shopper and planner who is able to minister to her family because she keeps herself fit spiritually and physically (cf. vs. 18a,

25).

3. She is a dutiful servant to the needy and the poor (vs. 20). She has a vision for ministry not only to her family but to her

society.

4. She is a dependable mother (vss. 15, 21, 27). She is devoted to the needs of her family. She is well groomed, attractive,

organized, and disciplined and as such, is a testimony to her children.

5. She is a doctrinally oriented woman (vs. 26, 18). She is a woman full of God’s wisdom.

Well, after this description, you are probably saying, “I give up! This doesn’t describe a woman, it describes superwoman”! Not

exactly, though you are close. It describes a woman who is living in a supernatural way with a supernatural God.

As we look at this passage we can see that being a wife and mother is a tremendously challenging task in any age. But in our

day it is even more challenging because of the distorted values and inroads of secular humanism and the moral breakdown in our

society. And it is especially difficult for single moms without the help of a husband, and many times without the help of a caring

church.

But may I inject here an important statement. Nothing, absolutely nothing is more important to a society than godly

motherhood. The family is the foundation of society, and while fathers are responsible for the way the family goes, mothers are the

glue that holds the family together.

Since this is so true and mothers are so important to our society and to each of us in our own families, I’d like us to consider

some of the problems that moms and families face as a means of protecting motherhood and increasing our thoughtfulness for mom.