Revision as of 14:40, 13 May 2020

Objectives

Text

Proverbs 31:30 "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

Setting the Stage

• We could appropriately call Proverbs 31:10-31 "The Valiant Wife" and following Waltke outline the proverb as

1. Introduction: her value (v. 10-12)
   1. Her general worth inferred from her scarcity (v. 10)
   2. Her worth to her husband (v. 11-12)
2. Body: her activities (v. 13-27)
   1. Her cottage industry (v. 13-18)
   2. Seam (or janus) (v. 19)
   3. Her social achievement (v. 20-27)
3. Conclusion: her praise (v. 28-31)
   1. By her family (v. 28-29)
   2. By all (v. 30-31)

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Theological Proposition/Focus: Only

Homiletical Proposition/Application:

Introduction

Body

King Lemuel's mother wanted him to know how to identify a praiseworthy woman: THEN/EXEGETICAL

The first bad reason to give praise: mental prowess

The second bad reason to give praise: physical appearance

The reason to give praise: godliness

The LORD does not look at the things people look at...the LORD looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7): ALWAYS/THEOLOGICAL

Our mental prowess is not impressive to God

Our physical appearance is not impressive to God

Our willingness to live a godly life is reveals our heart

Shift your focus and try to look at people as God sees them NOW/HOMILETICAL

Don't look at someone's mental prowess as your measure of the individual

Don't look at someone's outward beauty as your measure of the individual

Seek to help people grow in godliness by encouraging godly behavior

Conclusion

1. ↑ Waltke, Bruce K. The book of Proverbs, chapters 15-31. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2005.