We come now to the end of the book of Proverbs. We come to the end of our series “Fearing Deity and Defying Stupidity.” And this book goes out with a bang. This is not an anticlimax in chapter 31. No, instead the last 21 verses of Proverbs are absolutely mesmerizing, as Lemuel’s mother describes to her son what a strong, capable, trustworthy wife should look like. 

And part of the reason that this book ends so fascinatingly is because Proverbs has been describing what a strong, virtuous young man looks like for nearly 30 chapters. But now in chapter 31, the focus moves from a strong, virtuous man to a strong, virtuous woman. That’s unexpected! And of course, the point of this, as I said last week, is to show Lemuel the kind of woman that he needs to marry. Lemuel’s mother is painting him a picture of what his bride should be like.

It was customary when I was in college for my Christian friends and I to say something like this, “I’m looking for a Proverbs 31 woman.” That’s not completely wrongheaded. That’s essentially what Lemuel’s mother is encouraging her son to do. But ladies, if a man tells you that he’s looking for a Proverbs 31 woman, you just tell him, “Good, because I’m looking for a Proverbs 1–30 man!” 

Actually Tremper Longman mentions that there is a corollary to Proverbs 31 in Psalm 112. Psalm 112 says, “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous. It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice. For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries. He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor” (112:2–9). 

Ladies, if a man tells you, “I’m looking for a Proverbs 31 woman,” then you clap back, “Good, because I’m looking for a Psalm 112 man.”

Here’s the problem with that, though. Both of these presentations are idealized pictures of perfection. The statement in verse 10 is more than just a little rhetorical: “An excellent wife who can find?” Good question. Who can find a woman that perfectly embodies the attributes that follow? Who can find a man (other than Jesus!) who perfectly embodies Psalm 112?  

For the record, I don’t think Proverbs 31 is a kind of checklist that unmarried men should use to evaluate their future wives. Neither is it a checklist for currently married men to use to assess their current wife. This is an ideal. 

I’ve entitled this passage today “The Heroic Wife,” not only because I think the work of a wife and mother in today’s world is heroic, but also because I believe that the attributes in this passage are characteristics to strive for, not a measuring stick to judge yourself by. Just like young men are striving for the ideals put forth in the rest of Proverbs, women can strive for the ideals put forth in Proverbs 31.  

Ladies, let me speak to you more directly on this. Please don’t judge yourself against the standard of the Proverbs 31 woman. If you do, you will fall short. You’ll be discouraged. Listen, the Lord holds you to the standard of Christ. And if you have put your faith in Christ, then you are viewed perfectly through him. You are perfected in him. 

And when you have that mindset, you can approach Proverbs 31 with the confidence and the wherewithal to pursue this ideal. I’m not saying don’t let Proverbs 31 influence your goal setting and your idea of what a godly woman should look like. You can and should do that. But you should approach it from the vantage point of your identity in Christ. 

Having that mindset, let’s assess what this Proverbs 31 woman looks like. I’ll give you eight attributes for her.

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Eight Characteristics of the Proverbs 31 Wife:

Here’s the first. 

1) She is strong (31:10)

She is, in verse 10, in Hebrew, an אֵשֶׁת־חַיִל (esheth-ḥayil). 

10 An excellent wife who can find? 

The Hebrew word for “excellent” is חַיִל (ḥayil). And that’s a word that is typically translated “strong.” And it often has a military nuance to it. I’m using the term “heroic” for this woman. Bruce Waltke translates this word “valiant” in order to illumine this woman’s strength and valor. This is not a dainty, little female. This is not a woman who drops her handkerchief and says, “Ooh, can you pick that up for me?” That kind of obsequious daintiness wasn’t valued in the ancient world. 

In the ancient world, you needed a strong woman as a partner in life. You needed a strong woman to birth and care for children. You needed a woman of physical strength, but also emotional and spiritual strength too. That kind of woman was greatly valued in the ancient world. Still is in our day, in the right circles! 

10 An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. 

There was such a thing as a bride-price in ancient Israel. So this “more precious than jewels” statement might be more literal than we would take it today. Who can find a woman like this? If you can, she’s worth more than you can pay, in terms of the bride-price.

By the way, speaking of the idealized presentation of this woman… Proverbs 31:10–31 is also a sophisticated Hebrew acrostic. Each line in this poem begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. So this first line in verse 10 begins with aleph, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The second line, verse 11, begins with beth, the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet. And so on, and so forth. 

So what Lemuel is presenting in this passage, with great artistry, is a perfect woman from A to Z. These are the ABC’s of valued femininity in the ancient world. 

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And this woman is strong. She’s also… write this down as #2.

2) She is trustworthy (31:11–12)

Look at verse 11.

11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, 

  This is the beth line of this acrostic poem. Aleph is the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet. Beth is second. And you can hear the b-sounds clearly in Hebrew: בָּ֣טַח בָּ֭הּ לֵ֣ב בַּעְלָ֑הּ (bataḥ bah lev ba'lah).

11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. 

  Literally in Hebrew, the end of verse 11 says he will have no lack of “plunder.” That’s fascinating! That reinforces the heroic (even warrior!) imagery of this poem. This woman is strong. She brings back plunder! This woman is more like Xena Warrior Princess than she is a damsel in distress. 

  And this husband doesn’t mind. He likes that. Why? Because look at verse 12.

12 She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. 

If you remember from Genesis 1, everything was good, good, good (Hebrew: טוֹב [tov]) in the Garden of Eden. Of course it was good. God created it, and there was no sin in that environment yet. 

But there was one thing that wasn’t good. God looked at Adam, and he was alone (Gen 2:18). That wasn’t good! All the other animals were created in swarms (Gen 1:20). All the other creatures were created with procreative partners. 

But Adam wasn’t created in a swarm. He was created alone (Gen 2:7). Adam searched for a mate among the animals, but no suitable helper was found for him (Gen 2:20). So what did God do? God created an עֵזֶר (ezer) for him—a “helper.” And she became for him a partner in life.

We read several weeks ago in Proverbs 18:22: מָצָ֣א אִ֭שָּׁה מָ֣צָא ט֑וֹב (matsa ishah matsa tov). “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” The role of a husband is to love and cherish his wife like Christ does the church. The role of a wife is to submit to her husband (see Eph 5:22–33). She follows him and completes him as a “helper.” She builds him up; she doesn’t tear him down. And verse 12…

12 She does him good [טוֹב (tov)], and not harm… [till death do them part]

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Write this down as #3. The Proverbs 31 woman is strong. She’s trustworthy. Also…  

3) She is Industrious (31:13–19)

Look at verse 13. 

13 She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. 

14 She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. 

Translation: she knows how to cook Italian food, Chinese food, Indian food, etc. She enriches the family’s table with “food from afar.” That was no small feat in the ancient world.

15 She rises while it is yet night and provides food [literally: ‘prey’] for her household and portions for her maidens. 

I heard Tommy Nelson say to his wife once, “When are you going to rise early and provide me some food?” And his wife replied, “When are you going to provide me some of those maidens?”

In ancient Israel, it was not uncommon for the well-to-do to have male servants and female servants. We don’t have that in today’s world. But we do have dishwashers, stoves, refrigerators, washers, and dryers. The maidservants in our house are named Whirlpool, LG, KitchenAid, and Maytag. But let’s be clear, there is a sense here in which the wife is responsible for the home. She’s a homemaker.

In the NT, Paul says, “[Older women] are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled” (Titus 2:4–5). Paul tells younger widows to marry and have children and “manage their households” [οἰκοδεσποτέω] in 1 Timothy 5:14. There is a good and healthy expectation scripturally that a woman runs and cares for the home. 

Can a woman work outside the home? I think so. The Bible doesn’t prohibit that explicitly. We’ll see later that this woman is especially good at bringing in income for the family. Nevertheless, the duty of homecare, nurturing children, and managing the household falls on the wife. 

In Croatian, the word for this is domaćica. It’s derived from the word doma, which means “home.” In English we use the word “housewife” or “homemaker.” Those are good words. And that is a precious designation for a wife and a mother. And what Lemuel’s mother is saying here is that Lemuel needs to find himself a Xena Warrior Princess. But his Xena Warrior Princess better be able to keep house. She better be able to care for children too! She needs to be both Xena Warrior Princess and Suzy Homemaker. 

Ladies of VBVF, you have an essential task in your homes to care for your children, manage your home, and take care of your … let’s just say… absent-minded husbands. They need you. And that is a high calling in this world. The world may despise the designation “housewife.” But that’s the world. They don’t know anything. They think boys can be girls and girls can be boys. 

The world may despise you. But the Bible affirms you, and this church affirms you. And this Bible and this church admonishes you too. Be industrious with your task as a homemaker.     

Speaking of industriousness and working outside the home, look at verse 16.

16 She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. 

This woman is not only industrious, she’s money-smart. She’s entrepreneurial. 

17 She dresses herself with strength 

She’s going to have to have strength if she’s managing a vineyard. Vineyards are labor-intensive. Literally, verse 17 says “she girds up her loins with strength.”

17 She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. 

Notice the emphasis on strength here again. Both of these words in verse 17 are different than חַ֭יִל (ḥayil), the word for “strong” in verse 10. So if you are keeping count, the author has used three different Hebrew words to describe this woman as strong. 

That’s not just a description of her personality. And it’s not just a description of her faith, although we’ll get to that later. Look at the end of verse 17. She’s got strong arms! She even makes her arms strong. She’s shredded! If you’ve been looking for a Biblical injunction to hit the gym, ladies, there’s your motivation right there. 

And why does a married woman have strong arms? I’ll tell you why. It’s not because she’s been doing push-ups. It’s because she works hard. It’s because picking up kids and holding them for hours on end is no joke. I’ve seen those carriers that you ladies bring your kids in. Those things are like fifty pound barbells. I tried to help a young mom and dad carry their son to the car once in one of those things… I had to stop and take a rest halfway to their car. 

An ancient woman in Lemuel’s day was strong, because motherhood requires strength. But also because strength was required for the daily tasks of a woman. This was a desirable characteristic of a wife. Nobody wanted a dainty princess in that culture who was too pampered to care for herself. 

Look at verse 18.

18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. 

Now, some think that means that she’s burning the midnight oil at home. She’s up early. She’s up late. Whatever her family needs! That’s possible. But that’s hard to sustain. If you are getting up at the crack of dawn, and then burning midnight oil, when are you sleeping? You’re going to wear out really fast! 

More likely this is a description of the wealth that she brings into the home. It’s a prosperous home, and she’s able to keep the lamp burning all night long, because of her entrepreneurial wherewithal.

There’s an old Arabic proverb that speaks of a man who sleeps in the dark. That’s a reference to financial destitution. He spent all his money, and he’s got no money to light up his lamp at night. This woman doesn’t have that problem. She is industrious, and her industry is profitable. 

In verse 19,

19 She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. 

In ancient Israel, even the wealthiest of women had to sew their own clothes. You would buy the raw materials for your clothes, but you still had to make them yourself. You didn’t just go to Kohl’s or JCPenney and buy the right size outfit.

When I was little, my mom would take us to the department store at the mall to try on clothes. Barton Creek Mall in Austin, Texas. And I hated those trips. That was torture for a little boy. And they had those round clothes hanging racks (still do, in fact), where you would rifle through clothes to find the size you wanted. And my brother and I would hide underneath those things, and try to avoid my mom when it was time to try on clothes. And my poor mom had to fight with us to try on stuff. 

That’s the modern day equivalent to verse 19. 

19 She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. 

In the ancient world, you would spin a long distaff on your thigh. This is how you would spin flax fibers in order to make garments. It’s a time-consuming and labor-intensive process. And the end product would need to be customized for your children as they age. So it’s something that a wife would have to learn over time. She would eyeball the size of her children… and the size of her husband too, as he got older… And she would continue to make garments for them. She might be Xena Warrior Princess in the marketplace, but she’s Suzy Homemaker at home.  

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Write this down as #4. She’s industrious. But she’s also generous. 

4) She is generous (31:20)

Look at verse 20. 

20 She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. 

Here’s another example from the book of Proverbs of the power of generosity. How many times have we seen this attribute esteemed in this book?

From my own experience… this is strictly anecdotal, but take it for what it’s worth… from my own experience, it is usually the men and women who are the most hardworking, who are also the most generous. 

In other words industrious and generous go together. I don’t see a lot of generosity flowing from idle people. Hardworking people, on the other hand, typically are generous. But they don’t like to engender laziness. Nor should they. They don’t like to enable bad habits among people. 

This woman, in Proverbs 31, is both hardworking and benevolent to those who are down on their luck. 

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Also, there’s this. Write this down as #5. Also… 

5) She is prepared (31:21–25)

Look at verse 21. 

21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, 

Why? Because she lives in San Antonio, Texas. Actually snow was pretty rare in Israel too. And I don’t know where King Lemuel resided, but if it was anywhere near Israel than snow was rare there too. 

And that gives additional meaning to this passage. This woman’s ready for anything, even the unexpected. So if “snowmageddon” hits in San Antonio, Texas, her kids are ready for that. 

for all her household are clothed in scarlet. 

Look at verse 22. 

22 She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple. 

She dresses nice, and she appreciates nice things. There’s nothing sinful or intrinsically materialistic about that. It’s okay to have nice things. It’s not okay for nice things to have you. 

The reference to “bed coverings” here may have sexual overtones. This is the same word that was used of the adulteress in Proverbs 7. If you remember, that wayward wife covered her bed with sensual delights to seduce another man’s husband. 

Well, the virtuous woman can do that too. She can make herself attractive to her husband. She’s not prudish or withholding with her husband.

By the way, when you read Song of Solomon, it’s not just about a man enjoying the sexual delights of his wife. It’s also about the wife enjoying the sexual delights of her husband. The woman does a lot of talking and seducing in Song of Solomon. Look it up! 

And speaking of this woman’s husband, look at verse 23.

23 Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. 

In “Fiddler on the Roof,” Tevye wants to be a wealthy man, so that he can sit among the elders and talk about the Hebrew Scriptures. That was a place of dignity and nobility. So this woman is an asset to her husband. He is known and respected among the people. And she’s part of that. She’s so diligent at home, that he is able to sit among the elders at the city gates!

In the book of Ruth, Boaz was one of the city elders. He had to go to those elders to procure Ruth as his wife and address the matter of kinsman redeemer. He was a respected man in Bethlehem, and Ruth acquitted herself well as his wife. 

By the way, Ruth is explicitly referred to as a an אֵשֶׁת־חַיִל (esheth-ḥayil). Boaz calls her that (Ruth 3:11). She was a strong, capable woman. And in the Hebrew Bible, the book of Ruth actually follows the book of Proverbs. So some have speculated that Ruth is the epitome of the Proverbs 31 woman. She’s a living enactment of these attributes.

Look at verse 24.

25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. ant.

25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. 

Here’s another statement about this virtuous woman being strong. If you haven’t grasped this yet, you should know that the Word of God elevates the concept of a strong woman. 

And by the way, there’s a myth that circulates in our world that strong women like weak men. Maybe that’s true in some settings. Maybe that’s true in some sectors of feminism where women denigrate and try to replace men. 

But I’ll just tell you, I don’t believe that it’s true that strong women want a weak man. I think strong women want a strong man as a husband to lead them. They want a husband that can lead them and love them and keep up with them. 

Now strong women don’t want an abusive husband. Neither do they want a macho man who is all style and no substance. They want a Psalm 112 man. They want a Christ-imitating man. They want a man that fears God, loves his family, and is willing to die to himself for her benefit, just like Christ did for his bride… for her benefit! 

And look at the end of verse 25. 

25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. 

25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. never anxiety builds in her heart, she cries out to the Lord in prayer. She abides the instruction of Paul in Philippians 4: “[D]o not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (4:6–7). 

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Write this down as #6. Also… 

6) She is Wise (31:26–27)

Look at verse 26. 

26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. 

The word for “teaching” here is torah. She knows her torah. She knows her Bible. The word for “kindness” is חֶסֶד (ḥesed). It’s the word that is used to describe covenant love between God and his people. She knows her Bible. She knows God. She speaks on behalf of God. She teaches God’s Word to her children. His words are always on her tongue. She opens her mouth and she utters God’s wisdom.  

Look at verse 27.

27 She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. 

Part of her homemaking task is to pass on God-fearing wisdom to her children. And she is not idle in this. She clothes them in garments of warmth and care. But she also clothes her children in the truth of God’s Word. That’s actually the most loving thing that a mom can do. She teaches her children about God. 

Proverbs 1:8 says, “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s torah.” Understood in that verse is the supposition that mama’s got something to say. Mama has torah to pass on to her children. A wise woman passes down God’s Word to her children!  

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Write this down as #7. Here’s a seventh characteristic of this woman of strength. She’s…

6) She is Praiseworthy (31:28–29)

C. S. Lewis said once that “if we do not admire [what is praiseworthy] we shall be stupid, insensible, and great losers.” Obviously, no one is worthy of ultimate praise, other than God. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t praiseworthy men and women in our world. 

As far as a praiseworthy woman goes, look at verse 28. 

28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 

29 “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” 

Literally verse 29 says, “Many women have done [חַ֭יִל (ḥayil)].” In other words, this husband says, “Many women are strong. But you are the strongest of all.”

One of the ways that we know this is an idealized portrait of a woman (or wife) is because of these two verses. Very few moms wake up to the sounds of their children saying, “Bless you, mother.” And while I would encourage husbands to praise their wives, this is not the typical interchange between husband and wife every morning. 

And also, keep in mind that Lemuel’s mother told him these things. And when she told him this, he was probably not married. In other words, Lemuel is encouraged to go find a wife that has these kinds of characteristics. 

But no woman is born with these characteristics. No woman is married on day one and knows how to care for her children. These are learned behaviors. But Lemuel’s mother is encouraging him to look for the kind of woman who has this potential inside of her. This is what a woman becomes over time as she fears God, works hard, and cares for her household. 

Husbands, if you have a wife that meets even half of these characteristics in Proverbs 31, then you take her to lunch this afternoon, choke back your tears, and say, “Thank you, thank you, thank you for marrying me. Many women have done excellently, but you are the woman for me. You are wonderful. And I’m so glad to have you as my wife.”

And if you have a mama that put up with you for 18+ years and has even a sliver of the characteristics of this Proverbs 31 woman, I want you to get on the phone this afternoon and say, “Thank you, mom, for being my mom. I know it was no picnic. But thank you for loving me and sacrificing for me.” 

And mothers-in-law, if you have a daughter-in-law that is doing her best, you encourage her. And moms you tell your grown daughters to stay after it. You encourage them. 

It’s not easy being a mom or a wife in this world. The world is after you, ladies. They want you to renounce children and cheat on your husband. Moms, you just keep after it. You keep serving the Lord through your ministry of motherhood. Even if your husband and children never praise you, you just keep doing what you’re doing. And let your praiseworthiness be made known to God even if no one else acknowledges it. 

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And finally. Here’s the climactic conclusion to this climactic chapter in the book of Proverbs. This Proverbs 31 woman…

7) She is God-fearing (31:30–31)

Look at verse 30. 

30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. 

There you go. That’s the key here. This woman is fearing deity and defying stupidity! This author waits till the very end to give you the real secret to this woman’s success. It’s not luck. It’s not privilege. It’s not heritage. It’s not a “can-do attitude.” The secret to this woman’s success is that above all, she fears the Lord. 

And for a man who is looking for a bride, your search for a wife needs to start there. Don’t start with charm and beauty, although those have their place in marriage. Start with this: does this woman fear the Lord? 

My mom used to tell me before I got married, “I don’t care what your future wife looks like. I don’t care what side of the tracks she grew up on. All I care about is does she love the Lord. That’s the only criteria I have for your future spouse.” 

By the way, the Hebrew word for “vain” here is הֶבֶל (hevel). It’s the famous word used throughout Ecclesiastes for “vanity.” It doesn’t mean “meaningless.” It means “fleeting” or “smoke-like.” The author of Ecclesiastes says that “all is vanity” (1:2), not because it’s meaningless. But because it dissipates quickly. 

And that’s true of beauty. It’s not meaningless; but it is fleeting. Typically men and women get married in the prime of life. Our bodies are strong and virile. Our baby-making faculties are at their best when we first get married. But it only goes downhill from there! After you have a few kids together… After you start to age together… Your bodies start to sag. And you better have more to build your marriage on than just good looks and sexual virility. 

But this verse isn’t really talking directly about that. The contrast here isn’t between physical attractiveness and mental attractiveness. The contrast is between physical beauty and spiritual beauty. A woman who fears the Lord shall be praised. 

This is a woman who has wisdom. This is a woman who knows God, loves God, and fears God. This is a woman who doesn’t get sucked into the vortex of shallow superficiality that is so common in this world. And as her body wears out, her spiritual strength increases. Her influence on others increases! And a woman like that is to be praised.

 Praised by whom? Praised by her husband. Praised by her children. Praised by the community of faith. As a pastor, I want to affirm and praise the women in this room whom the world puts down. God-fearing is not a valued attribute in today’s society. In fact, you’ll lose jobs and influence in this world if you fear God.   

But we are not interested here in affirming what the world affirms. This place, the church, is supposed to be a place where things are different from the world. And whereas the world will worship at the altar of charm and beauty, we are more interested in raising up women who fear God and follow Christ. 

31 Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.

By the way, verse 31 is a command. It’s the only command in this passage. “Give her the fruit of her hands.” If you see a woman like this in your community, give her the praise she deserves. “Let her works praise her in the gates.”

Martin Luther said once that “The greatest gift of God is a pious amiable spouse who fears God and loves [her] house, and with whom one can live in perfect confidence.” I agree. And that woman, that wife, is worthy of praise in the Christian community.

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I’ve been reading this biography of Elisabeth Elliot that just came out last year. Great book. And in that book, I’ve just gotten to the place where Elliot’s husband was killed by Auca warriors in the jungles of Ecuador. And this is fascinating. Not only did Elisabeth Elliot not return to the U.S. after her husband was killed. She actually stayed in Ecuador. 

But it’s even wilder than that. She stayed in Ecuador to minister to the very people that killed her husband! She took her daughter back into the jungle to live with those warriors who conspired to kill her husband. Talk about a strong woman! That’s not a dainty, Victorian princess. 

What would possess a woman to do that? Why would she be so reckless? Well, if you listen to her tell the story, she’ll tell you. It’s because she loved God. And she loved those people. And she desperately wanted them to have the peace of God that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. 

That’s the reason her husband didn’t kill those Auca warriors when he had the chance. They had guns, when those tribal people attacked them. They had guns but didn’t use them. Why not? Because they knew if they died they would go to heaven to be with Jesus (which is what happened). But if those tribal warriors died, they would go straight to hell because of their unbelief. So Jim Elliot and his fellow missionaries allowed themselves to be speared by those men in that jungle. 

And Elisabeth Elliot picked up the mantle of the men who died. She went to the tribes of those men who killed her husband. And she, and others with her, led them to Christ. That’s a woman who loves the Lord. That’s a woman who is a fearless warrior for Jesus Christ. That’s a woman who fears the Lord. 

Now I’m not asking you, ladies, to move to the jungles of Ecuador to prove your commitment to Christ. There are plenty of ways for you to do that on this side of the jungle. What I’m asking you to do is to counter the expectations of this world as it relates to femininity. What I’m asking you to do is fear God, love your families, and serve the Lord until Christ calls you home. You just keep doing that. 

And for our part, as a church, we’ll do our part to praise those who are committed to that. Because a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised.