BY HAROLD LEE
We all know that the destiny of the firstfruits is to not only be in God’s Family—and God definitely does have a Family—but to occupy a very special, very unique role in that Family. Revelation 19 and start in verse 7, it says
Revelation 19:7. “Let us be
glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and
His wife has made herself ready.”
And that word translated “wife” is from Strong’s 1135, gune. Zodhiates’ says, “A young woman, a maiden, a damsel, one betrothed or engaged but not necessarily married.” So this covers the whole gamut. And then he says, “Used as the Church as the Bride of Christ.”
Continuing on in verse 8.
Revelation 19:8. And to her
it was granted
The New Revised Standard says,
Revelation 19:8. It was
given to her to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright,
Notice that the garments were provided to her.
Just hold your place there. Just go back to Revelation 6, just a few chapters to Revelation 6 and verse 10. Revelation 6:10, it says
Revelation 6:10. And they
cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You
judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
And verse 11.
Revelation 6:11. Then a white
robe was given to each of them;
Just a comment on the white robes: That word “white” is again Strong’s 3022, leukos. It means light, or brilliant, or bright. It’s actually the same word that’s used of the garments that the angels, in other words, are describing Christ when He returns. And it says, “Those exalted to the splendor of a heavenly state shining or white garments worn on festive or state occasions, used of white garments as a sign of innocence and purity of the soul.” So that’s white.
Now the word “robe” there is Strong’s 4749 and that’s the Greek word stole. And it is where we get if you’ve ever—we talk about a mink “stole.” It is a long garment that’s worn and it’s worn. In fact, it’s a gown that is worn as a mark of dignity. Brown, Driver And Briggs says, “An equipment in clothing specifically a loose outer garment for men extending to the feet, worn by kings, priests, and persons of rank.”
So again the whole potential just in those two words, the
potential of what God’s Bride is really brought out in that.
Okay back to Revelation 19 and verse 8. It says
Revelation 19:8. And to her it was granted to be arrayed
And again, that word “arrayed” it’s a different word than is commonly translated to be clothed. It’s actually a superlative of the word “clothed.” And the literal translation of it is “a palisade around a city.” Figuratively, it means to put up on a pedestal. It means to show off. In other words, “arrayed” means to, it’s something that’s viewed, that’s set up and held up in a position of honor or a position of beauty. So when it says, “And to her it was granted to be arrayed,” it’s not just these clothes but it’s also the presentation. It’s also how that person is viewed.
Revelation 19:8b. arrayed in
fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the
saints.
We know that God is our Master Potter and God is actually forming us into a fit Bride. But we do have culpability in it. We have to submit. We have to be a part of that process. There’s two potential ditches that we can fall into, if you will. One is that, “I have to do it all on my own and by doing this, I earn a position.” The other is, “God does it all. Therefore, I don’t need to do anything.” Remember every letter to the seven Churches, the common term was “to him who overcomes.” Brethren, we are by the way we live our lives, we are to reflect God’s values and God’s laws. And that is our part. And that doesn’t earn us anything, but that is our part is to reflect God, to learn His laws, to learn His values.
It was mentioned, I think last year, when we were focusing more on the Bride and during that espousal period, the Bride was to be learning and understanding the Groom and preparing, as well as a person could, to match that. In other words, to become what was expected of her. And that’s our part. Not that we earn it, but we are to learn God’s values. We are to live our lives and allow them to reflect those values and His laws.
Verse 9.
Revelation 19:9. Then he said
to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage
supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me,
“These are the true sayings of God.”
And then just across the page to Revelation 20 and verse 4, it says
Revelation 20:4. And I saw
thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I
saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and
for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not
received his mark on their foreheads
or on their hands. And they lived and
reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Verse 6.
Revelation 20:6. Blessed and
holy is he who has part in the first
resurrection. Over such the second death
has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign
with Him, a thousand years.
The Millennium which we have just pictured at the Feast of Tabernacles, that thousand year period when God’s government will be set up, when Israel will be set up as a model nation, where all of the nations will flow to it and desire for their God to be the God of Israel, for their ways to be the ways of the God of Israel, to learn His ways.
Turn over to Proverbs 31. I’m going to read this verse 10 through 31 without comment and then we’re going to go back and take a closer look at it. Proverbs 31, it says
Proverbs 31:10. Who can find
a virtuous woman? for her price is
far above rubies. 11) The heart of her
husband [does] safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of
spoil. 12) She will do him good and not
evil all the days of her life. 13) She
[seeks] wool, and flax, and [works] willingly with her hands. 14) She is like the merchants’ ships; she
[brings] her food from afar. 15) She
[rises] also while it is yet night, and [gives] meat to her household, and a
portion to her maidens. 16) She
[considers] a field, and [buys] it: with
the fruit of her hands she [plants] a vineyard.
17) She [girds] her loins with strength, and [strengthens] her
arms. 18) She [perceives] that her
merchandise is good: her candle [goes] not out by night. 19) She [lays] her hands to the spindle, and
her hands hold the distaff. 20) She
[stretches] out her hand to the poor:
yea, she [reaches] forth her hands to the needy. 21) She is not afraid of the snow for her
household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. 22) She [makes] herself coverings of
tapestry; her clothing is silk and
purple. 23) Her husband is known in the
gates, when he [sits] among the elders of the land. 24) She [makes] fine linen, and [sells] it; and [delivers] girdles unto the
merchant. 25) Strength and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice
in time to come. 26) She [opens] her
mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is
the law of kindness. 27) She [looks]
well to the ways of her household, and [eats] not the bread of idleness. 28) Her children arise up, and call her
blessed; her husband also, and he
[praises] her. 29) Many daughters have
done virtuously, but [you excel] them all.
30) Favor is deceitful, and
beauty is vain: but
a woman that [fears] the Lord, she shall be praised. 31) Give her of the fruit of her hands; and
let her own works praise her in the gates.
We, as God’s people, have always understood that much of the
Bible including the book of Proverbs has both a physical and a spiritual
meaning and instruction. And Proverbs 31
is no exception. Now I don’t want to
spiritualize away a very important and valuable instruction that’s contained in
it, because there is very good physical information there. However, I also believe there’s a very
valuable and profitable spiritual component that God wants to give to His
people as the affianced engaged Bride of Jesus Christ. And there’s some tools in there for
self-evaluation and spiritual growth.
Again, I think if we approach this Proverb from strictly a physical
standpoint we can only conclude that this particular section of Scripture is
only for the wives. In other words, God
didn’t put that in there for men. He
only put it in there for the wives. I’m
just going to quote a verse you know very well, 2 Timothy
2 Timothy 3:16. All
Scripture is given by inspiration of
God, and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
Brethren, Proverbs 31 is a very rich source of information for us today, for all of us today. And I believe it gives us information for the vision that we should have for the future. And what I think we should actively be doing as—remember we read about the righteous acts of the saints? That’s our part. That’s our culpability and that’s our preparation for the return and the subsequent marriage of our Husband and our Master Jesus Christ.
And before we go into the meat of the Scripture, I’d just like to lay some groundwork that I think will help us in our understanding. So set a marker at Proverbs 31. We’re going to continuously come back here. Look over at the beginning just go back up to Proverbs 1 and verse 1 and let’s just read the general SPS of Proverbs. Proverbs 1 verse 1 it says
Proverbs 1:1. The proverbs
of Solomon the son of David, king of
He was the author of the Proverbs and the purpose of those, as we will read, think about—I just read 2 Timothy 3:16—look at the purpose of those and see how it fits hand in glove with 2 Timothy 3:16.
Verse 2.
Proverbs 1:2. To know wisdom
and instruction, to perceive
And notice these verbs. The verb is the action. To know.
Proverbs 1:2b. to perceive
the words of understanding, 3) To
receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity; 4) To give prudence to the simple, to the
young man knowledge and discretion—
And again, just take note of those action verbs: know, perceive, receive, and give. The entire Bible is for this purpose, but Proverbs, which some might tend to think are just physical Christian living principles, are really very deep and very spiritual. And the Proverbs are a resource of living and dealing with our fellowman, but as well what God considers important in our thoughts and our actions today. They also, I believe, tell us a great deal about our relationship with God, because they tell us very clearly what’s acceptable to Him and what’s not in our everyday circumstances.
Okay, let’s go back to Proverbs 31 and, of course, we started in verse 10. I want to start in verse 1. We’re going to leave part of it out, but let’s just look at the setting for this particular Proverb, Proverb 31. It says
Proverbs 31:1. The words of
King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him:
If you look up “Lemuel”—of course, you can go through all of the kings that are listed and you won’t find Lemuel anywhere. Lemuel is, and let me just read, it’s again Strong’s 3927. And it says Lemuel, and it says a symbolic name for Solomon.
Now what is a symbolic name? Why didn’t they just call him “Solomon,” which means peace? Solomon or I think the Hebrews pronounce it Shlomo, but it came from Shalom. Solomon means peace.
Now remember than a name is more than just a handle. I mean today we’re Jim and Bob and Joe and
Charlie and that’s just your handle. But
a name to God also carries attributes that describe the individual’s character,
their position, their role. Think about
Moses, draw out. Elijah, the Eternal He
is God.
Just look at 2 Samuel chapter 12. Again, setting your marker there in Proverbs 31. But notice 2 Samuel 12:24.
And, oh, by the way, before I go on, Lemuel, of course, it means belonging to God. It means it belongs to God. It was dedicated to God.
2 Samuel
2 Samuel 12:24. Then David
comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her and lay with her. So she bore a son, and he called his name
Solomon. Now the Lord loved him. 25)
And He sent word by the hand of
Nathan the prophet: so he called his
name Jedidiah,
Which means “Beloved of Jah.”
2 Samuel 12:25b. because of
the Lord.
So again, names, Solomon had more than one name. And they reflected attributes or characteristics. David named him Solomon. And God called him Jedidiah because God accepted David’s repentance and forgave him for that.
Let me just read The Geneva Bible notes. You can go back to Proverbs 31. Geneva Bible notes and it just says of Proverbs 31:1.
Proverbs 31:1. The words of
King Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him:
And it says
That is of Solomon who was called
Lemuel, that is “of God,” because God had ordained him to be king over
Continuing on Proverbs 31 verse 2, it says
Proverbs 31:2. And what, my
son? And what, son of my womb? And what, son of my vows?
Now since this was Solomon, Lemuel, this was Bathsheba that was teaching him. That was his mother. And she’s saying, “And what, my son?” In other words, she was saying, “This is my own son.” “And what, son of my womb?” In other words, it was her physical child. She bore him. “And what, son of my vows?” Solomon was her chosen child. She had made vows to Lemuel’s father, to David. She also likely made vows to God concerning her son and his upbringing. It’s not recorded, but remember Solomon was her firstborn son that lived, and, of course, there was a dedication of a firstborn. Even though it was not David’s firstborn, it was her firstborn.
Remember Solomon was not the first in the lineage of the
throne. David had made vows to Bathsheba
that Solomon would be a successor. You
can read that over in 1 Kings 1 on your own study. We won’t turn there. But remember, he promised her that he would
be the king. David’s firstborn, if you
go back and you read, was Amnon. And, of
course, he was killed by Absalom for the rape of his sister Tamar. David actually had six sons born of six wives
while he was in
Continuing on in verse 3, it says
Proverbs 31:3. Do not give
your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings.
Proverbs 31 is the teaching of a mother to a king that was beloved of God and belonging to God. And there’s two parts to it. The first part, which we’re not going to cover, but that’s verses up to verse 9, is how to reign in justice and protect those that are poor and needy. The second part is the subject of the sermon today and it is identifying the attributes and the actions of a perfect wife, a help-meet for a husband, for this beloved king.
Now I’m using The Nelson’s Published Edition of The New
King James. It says giant
print. There’s no surprise there. But the marginal notes it says and I found
this interesting. And again, it was only
after I started the study of this. It
says in the marginal notes—and perhaps your Bible does too—it says, “Verses 10
through 31 are an alphabetic acrostic in Hebrew.” And then it says, ‘Compare Psalm 119.” There are twenty-two verses starting with
verse 10 and ending with verse 31 and each starts with a successive letter of
the Hebrew alphabet. Verse 10 is aleph.
11 is beth, 12 gimel, and all the way to 31 which is tau or thav.
Again I was astounded at this because it’s in the middle of a chapter. And, because of the fact that it’s an acrostic, some scholars say, “Well, that was sort of tacked on later. It just doesn’t seem to fit the first part of Proverbs 31. So it was tacked on later.” I still have to fall back on 2 Timothy 3:16 and say, “This was God breathed.” So again.
But all of you know that I have covered a number of the Psalms and the book of Lamentations on its acrostic writings. And, again, I had no idea this one as well until I saw the margin notes. Now for all of you sitting here and probably listening, the subject of acrostics, I’ve gone in it more than once. And I’m not going to go into it again. Except I want to make a couple of comments.
First, I want to reiterate that acrostic writing while lost in translations, again, were methods of memorizing Scriptures or Psalms that were composed in that manner, because it was very important information. And the reason that or the fact that Proverbs 31:10 through 31 is written in this form, I believe, means we should pay very special attention because there’s detail that God wanted us, I believe, to take special note of as all of those parts that were acrostically written.
The second point I want to make and I just want to read a
note from—if you remember, I gave a series on Lamentations, which is also the
only acrostic book in the Bible. And I
received an e-mail from a Church member who is an educator after that. And he was commenting on the acrostic form as
a method for teaching and learning. And
I just want to read a couple out of this.
I’m just breaking in. He says
Yes, when I was taking classes in the field of education, I had the opportunity to read about techniques to foster retention of material. One example of an acrostic in young children to help them master the alphabet is a rope skipping song in which the first stanza goes like this:
My name is
Each successive stanza is loaded with words containing the next letter of the alphabet in sequence.
This note goes on.
Even the singy-songy rhythm of a
poem can help us latch on. Example: Listen my children and you shall hear the
My comment: I can remember those better than what I had for dinner yesterday, so.
It says
Even high school age students can employ a pneumonic technique of substituting a made up phrase to help them recall the particular order of something. Example: Kiss pretty Cathy on the face, good sport. This little phrase can help us recall the correct order of sequence in biology for Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.
And again, it’s just a—mine is what. You all know what happened in 1492. Let me just read. An online encyclopedia said
Acrostics may simply spell out the letters of the alphabet in order. These acrostics occur in the Lamentations of Jeremiah and in Psalm 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, and 145 of the Hebrew Bible. Two further notable acrostic Psalms are the long Psalm 119 which is typically printed in subsections named after the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, each of which is feature in that section. In Psalm 145, commonly referred to as the Ashrei, which is recited three times a day in the Jewish services.
Again, when we encounter an acrostic Scripture, I would just encourage you to study it very closely, because there is meaning in every word. God didn’t just, “Well, I’m in a good mood today, let’s do this.” I really think there’s an extra level when we encounter that that we should.
I think all of us, and I think this is in our Church DNA,
and that is we look at things and we have a tendency to look at a Scripture and
think that that Scripture is referring to someone else. I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed, but did
you ever notice—I’m starting to sound like Andy Rooney now—did you ever notice
that the letter to the
I think we all like to use the Bible as a tool for making ourselves feel better, better than someone else. “Thank you, God. I’m not like this publican.” “We’re Philadelphians and they’re going to” I don’t know what. I think many of us realize that as we mature. We realize that and we’re trying hard to correct it, but I’ll also tell you: “Old habits die hard.” It was in our DNA from—I don’t know how long you’ve been around—forty, fifty years or whatever.
Look over in Hebrews chapter 4. I’ve quoted it before. I think it was said from this pulpit. When you read the Bible and you think it’s talking about someone else, then you’ve missed a very important point and a very important lesson. Hebrews 4 verse 12, it says
Hebrews 4:12. For the word
of God is living and powerful, and
sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and
spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart.
It gets right down to the core of all of our being. A two-edged sword, as you know, cuts both ways. And because of that, it’s dangerous. When you start wielding a two-edged sword, a person has to be very skilled. Otherwise, he can injure or maim himself and more importantly, he can injure and maim others. Brethren, this two-edged sword is not a sword that we should be wielding on others, but we should allow God to use it as a fine surgical instrument on us to remove the spiritual disease and the blight that we all have in us.
Psalm 139 verse 23, it says
Psalm 139:23. Search me, O
God,
Psalm 139:23.
Psalm 139:23b. and know my
heart; try me, and know my anxieties;
24) And see if there is any
wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
In other words, “Look inside me and judge me. And any of those things that are wicked, that are not according to Your way, that are not according to Your value, that are not according to Your mind, lead me away from it. Take it out of me. Remove it from me.”
Psalm 119 verse 22, just back a few chapters.
Remember the purpose for this searching and for this looking and for this evaluation is to get rid of it, to root it out.
Psalm 119 verse 22.
Psalm 119:22. Remove from me
reproach and contempt, for I have kept Your testimonies.
Verse 27, skip down to verse 27.
Psalm 119:27. Make me
understand the way of Your precepts; so shall I meditate on Your wonderful
works. 28) My soul melts from heaviness;
strengthen me according to Your word.
Verse 29.
Psalm 119:29. Remove from me
the way of lying, and grant me Your law graciously.
In other words, the plea is “Please remove my sins! Search me and root them out. And with that surgical instrument of Your Spirit and a sound mind, root that out of me and get rid of it and allow me, as it says, grant me Your law graciously. Allow me to come under Your grace. So remove all of that. Cut it out of me and then, please extend Your grace to me.” Brethren, without both of those elements, we’re going to die. We have to have our sins removed and God’s grace extended to us.
Let me just read that out of The New Jerusalem Bible. It says
Psalm 119:29. Keep me far
from the way of deceit. Grant me the
grace of Your law.
As we go through Proverbs 31, let’s take heart and let’s see that God is giving us, as a future Bride of Christ, instruction and characteristics that we need in order to perfect ourselves. And, again, remember God is the potter, but there are righteous acts of the saints. There are culpability. There are things that we are to do.
Okay back to Proverbs 31 and verse 10. It says
Proverbs 31:10. Who can find
a virtuous wife?
The King James Version says, “a virtuous woman.” Again, that can be a young damsel. That can be an espoused bride.
And the premise of that chapter on is to answer that question. In other words, the start of this acrostic part of Proverbs 31 starts off with a question and then the remainder of it answers it. Let’s examine and personalize this.
The word “virtuous” is from the Hebrew word and it’s 2428, chayil—I think is the way you pronounce it. It means strength, might, efficiency, wealth. It means valor, a man of valor. It means valiant. It means substance, strong. It means host. In my translator’s margin notes and that’s in my Bible, it says, “Literally a wife of valor in the sense of all forms of excellence.” In other words, all of the quality that says literally a wife of valor. So this “virtuous” woman literally says, “Who can find a wife of valor?” and then it goes on in the sense of all forms.
Look over in Joshua chapter 1. We know that the children of
Joshua 1:1. After the death
of Moses the servant of the Lord,
it came to pass that the Lord
spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: 2) “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan,
you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of
Verse 6.
Joshua 1:6. “Be strong and
of good courage for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land
which I swore to their fathers to give them.
7) “Only be strong and very courageous [very valiant], that you may
observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do
not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever
you go. 8) “The Book of the Law shall
not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that
you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous,
and then you will have good success. 9)
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and
of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
He used that phrase three times in here.
Verse 13, it says
Joshua 1:13. “Remember the
word which Moses the servant of the Lord
commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord
your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land.’
It’s interesting that we are entering into a rest in the
future. It’s called a rest. And we are to receive an inheritance just
like they did. This is very clearly not
only what happened, but also by an analogy spiritually the spiritual children
of
Joshua 1:14. “Your wives,
your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land which Moses gave
you on this side of the
In other words, the armies that were to stay, the men of valor were to also cross over because symbolically going into the Promised Land and possessing it, it was the mighty men of valor that were to do that.
The Hebrew word translated “valor” is the same word that’s translated “virtuous” in Proverbs 31. The same exact word! In fact, the term “men of valor” is used thirty-nine times in the Old Testament and in every case it’s the same word, chayil, that is translated twice “virtuous” and once as “virtuously.”
Brethren, we are called to be mighty men of valor. And we could spend the rest of the sermon covering and being overcomers and overcoming. Remember the one common thread in all the letters to the Churches in Revelation, “to him that overcomes.” We’re called overcomers if we’re continuing on. We are to become men of valor.
The Jewish Publication Society—go back to Proverbs 31 verse 10—in fact, it translates this, “A woman of valor who can find?”
Like her Husband—I don’t know if you’ve considered this—but like her Husband the Bride will be an overcomer. We know that Christ lived a perfect life, but do you realize He was an overcomer? Look over in John chapter 16. He never once sinned. He lived a perfect life, but He was an overcomer. And remember the reason He walked this earth was to set us an example. John 16 and verse 33, it says
John 16:33. “These things I
have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but
be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
“Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Brethren, we’re to overcome because Christ overcame everything that Satan threw at Him. Everything the world threw at Him, He resisted. He overcame it. And we’re to follow Him even as the espoused Bride. We are to be overcomers.
The word “overcome” there, the Greek word nikao, it’s Strong’s 3528. It means to conquer. It means to overcome, to prevail, to get the victory, to be victorious. And that’s what He said. “I have overcome. I am an overcomer and you are to be overcomers.”
It’s interesting that the Old Testament we understand the Old Testament is really a chronicle of God’s dealings with a specific nation and a specific nation that He named for a very specific reason. Look over in Genesis chapter 32. You’re all very familiar with this. Genesis 32:26. Remember Jacob was wrestling with God. Genesis 32:26.
Genesis 32:26. And He said,
“Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he
said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” 27) So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.”
That meant “the supplanter,” “the heel grabber.” You can read it on your own, Genesis 25:26. Remember there were two twins, Esau and Jacob. And Jacob grabbed Esau’s heel as Esau was born. And his name was Jacob, the supplanter.
Genesis 32:28. And He said,
“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but
“You’ve overcome.”
And
God’s now working with a spiritual nation and He’s building
that nation into the firstfruits of His Family.
That spiritual nation is also called
Look over in Hosea chapter 12. Here is a summary of that incident, but as a prophecy. Hosea chapter 12 verse 3, it says
Hosea 12:3. He took his
brother by the heel in the womb, and in his strength he struggled with God.
So he was a heel grabber, a supplanter, but then he struggled with God.
Hosea 12:4. Yes, he
struggled with the Angel and prevailed; he wept, and sought favor from
Him. He found Him in
In other words, to prevail, to overcome, to just keep on keeping on.
Is there a righteous act of the saints that we’re to do in this? What is our action? Brethren, God didn’t call us to be passive people. Our lives are a constant struggle of overcoming ourselves, our nature, the pulls that we all constantly endure. God’s not going to have a heel grabber, a Jacob if you will, in His Family. This life and the struggle that we face every day, along with God’s Spirit and His mercy, is transforming us into a prevailer. Brethren, we are learning that we can always count on God. And we prevail—not our strength—but God delivers us. And the lesson we’re to learn, the righteous act is to submit to that and understand.
I believe—I can’t prove this. I believe as we go through life and the ups and downs, I think God grieves through our downs as much as we do. Think about a parent. And as a parent what they see their children go through. God doesn’t just sit up there detached. I think those things are tough on Him and yet, He sees the end of it. He sees the outcome because He’s God.
But, Brethren, we can’t be heel grabbers. We can’t be those that ride another’s coattails. It just isn’t going to work.
And we also can look at the finished product that God gives us a vision of and know that it’s all for a purpose. God is forming us into a spiritual Israelite, a wife of valor for His Son.
Let’s go back to Proverbs 31.
Proverbs 31:10. Who can find
a virtuous wife? For her worth
The King James says, “price.”
Proverbs 31:10b. For her
worth is far above rubies.
The Revised Standard says,
Proverbs 31:10b. She is far
more precious than jewels.
Proverbs 31:10.
Have you ever thought about what makes something valuable? Why are precious stones considered precious? The value of something is determined by the cost of producing it, what goes into it. If you have valuables and you have them appraised, the appraisal price is what we call the “replacement cost.” And there’s a large area of cost, the cost of materials, the workmanship that was required to produce it, how long it took, the skill level to produce it, and then as they’re integrated together.
Think about a diamond ring. First there’s raw material. There’s gold and diamonds. And the diamond then needs to be faceted by a very skilled craftsman. It needs to be polished. It needs to be made into a setting. The gold needs to be cast into a setting. And, of course, to get the gold purified and then to design and make the setting. And then the stone is set and it’s polished. And the value is the sum of all of the parts. Smaller diamonds are less expensive, clarity of diamonds, the rarity, type of gold, on and on, the same with a house or a car.
What about a virtuous woman that God is building? What does it cost to produce a virtuous woman? You see the same thing applies.
Look over in 1 Corinthians chapter 7. 1 Corinthians chapter 7 and verse 23, it says
1 Corinthians 7:23. You were
bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.
Brethren, there is a very high price that’s placed on the Bride because of the cost to produce that Bride.
Isaiah chapter 43.
Maybe in this coming week maybe in one of your meditation times, think about what it cost to produce a firstfruit and what goes into it. And you’ll find that it’s priceless! There can’t be a price fixed to it. Rubies can be priced. Diamonds can be priced. A house can be priced. A firstfruit is priceless because of what went in to produce that firstfruit.
Isaiah 43 verse 1, it says
Isaiah 43:1. But now, thus
says the Lord, who created you, O
Jacob, and He who formed you,
So He formed this person as Jacob, as the supplanter.
Isaiah 43:1b. O
And what is that name?
Isaiah 43:1 cont. you are Mine.
In light of what we’ve covered, consider what God is telling
Isaiah 43:2. When you pass
through the waters, I will be with
you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not
be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.
3) For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,
[Notice!] your Savior; I gave
Isaiah 43:7b. whom I have
created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”
If you didn’t think about it, these were—it’s
redundant. “I formed him and I made
him.” God formed Jacob and then made him
Consider a worker. I don’t know what workers—twenty, forty dollars an hour. Any work that a worker does is going to be added to a product. A value of a house that’s built and it sells. It has to take in the cost of the land, the materials, the labor to produce it.
What about a spiritual building? Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians 2 verse 19, it says
Ephesians 2:19. Now, therefore,
you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints
and members of the household of God, 20)
Having been [Notice this!] built on the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21) In whom the whole
building, being [joined] together,
Or The King James says, “fitly framed.”
Ephesians 2:21b. grows into
a holy temple in the Lord. 22) In whom
you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
If a product is to reflect the value of the material and the labor to produce it, Brethren, what is this building worth? What is this dwelling place? This holy temple? What price does one put on that?
God invested the eternal life of the other Being of Elohim. And He continues to invest Him as we continue to be shaped and to be molded and purified. What value will the finished product have when you take the very God the Creator, which is priceless, which is far above the rubies and put that into that product, what value can you put on it?
1 Peter chapter 2. 1 Peter 2 and verse 4, it says
1 Peter 2:4. Coming to Him
1 Peter 2:4.
1 Peter 2:4. Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by
men, but chosen by God and precious,
That word “precious” is entimos. It’s Strong’s 1784. It means prized,
valuable, held in high esteem. It’s
interesting. I looked in Zodhiates’
Word Study. The synonym for this
“precious” is agapetos, Strong’s
27.
We know that word very well which means beloved and highly
esteemed. So the synonym for this
“precious” is agapetos. God is love.
God is agapao.
Verse 5.
1 Peter 2:5. You also,
[Notice this!] as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ. 6) Therefore it is also
contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in
In other words, He is valuable. He is priceless.
1 Peter 2:7b. but to those
who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the
chief cornerstone,”
The unique characteristic of this building is the material as living stones. We as living stones unlike normal building materials of wood, brick, mortar have a responsibility as well. What righteous act of the saints do we have in this area?
When we are baptized, there’s a very familiar phrase that we’re told and that is to count the cost. And we always realize later there’s no way that we could have accurately counted the cost at the time.
But we did make a commitment to continue down the path. And as we continue the journey and as we grow and God molds us into the material that He wants us and where He wants us, I believe counting the cost can take on a different meaning. We initially counted the cost of what we ourselves had to give up to follow Him. That’s our only frame of reference at the time.
As we grow and our thoughts become less and less on ourselves and more and more on others and on God and Jesus Christ, counting the cost should take another dimension.
The real value is not the raw material that God started. I don’t know what it is. They used to say that science broke it down and said, “Well, a human being’s worth about 97 cents” if you take all the component parts, this much water, this much calcium and all of those. You can buy a human for about 97 cents broken down into the elements.
Believe it or not, at the war colleges, they put a value on a human life. In other words, it takes us so many thousand dollars to kill a person. So there is a value placed on that.
If you consider us, the raw material is insignificant. It doesn’t even mean anything. The real value is when God started with it and the investment that He and His Son put into that, when He started taking that clay and shaping it and putting part of Himself and part of His Son in that. And our counting the cost now should be thinking about that as well and considering, up to now, what God has invested in each one of us. When we think about it that way, what we go through on a daily basis almost becomes insignificant. And the counting the cost is not “What am I going to have to give up today?” It is “What has God invested in me that is without price? It’s priceless.” And I’ve stated that before. If we understand the investment that God has put in us, we also know He’s not going to lose interest in us and just go somewhere else. I think as time goes on and we do count the cost—and again, count the cost of what God has invested—we should be more committed based on that value.
As was mentioned in the sermonette, with circumstances in our lives and realizing what God has in store for us, we become more valuable from the investment that He made. And also realize that our value reflects the price that was paid for us in our redemption and the ongoing building. And that price, Brethren, is far above rubies. In fact, no price can be put on it.
1 Peter chapter 3 and verse 3, it says
1 Peter 3:3. Do not let your
adornment be merely outward—arranging
the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine
apparel—
Remember when we read at the beginning the Revelation where it talked about “arrayed.” It was a different word as the word commonly used in clothing. Well, this word where it talks about the “fine apparel,” Strong’s 2440, himation. This is the word that’s commonly used as a cloak or a robe or a clothing as a covering.
I think that what he’s saying, if you could write it in today’s colloquialism, it would say, “Look, if you put lipstick on a pig, you still have a pig with lipstick on it.” And that’s not what’s important.
1 Peter 3:4. Rather
Verse 4. Don’t dress up the pig.
1 Peter 3:4. Rather let it be the hidden person of the
heart,
Because that’s what God is investing in. That’s what God has put Himself in.
1 Peter 3:4b. with the
incorruptible beauty of a gentle and
quiet spirit, which is very precious [very valuable, which is priceless] in the
sight of God.
I think most of you know before the Feast Freda and I attended Linda’s funeral. And I conducted Mr. Don Farmer’s. This was just—I don’t remember—about a month before the Feast. And there’s times that you’re in certain circumstances and I think when a person dies, especially a young person, it sends you down a path, because when someone dies that has lived out their life, you can rejoice. You can say, “Here’s a person that lived a long, full, happy, satisfying life,” and really accept it.
A Scripture that was read—look over in Psalm 116. Psalm 116. This one was read at Linda’s funeral and I think there’s some very deep meaning to this. Psalm 116 and verse 15, it says
Psalm 116:15. Precious in
the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.
At first reading it seems that perhaps God enjoys seeing His people die. But I believe there’s a much deeper meaning. Using the concept of the word “precious” as meaning valuable and having a great price, a person that dies in the faith is a component, a completed component of the building that’s fitly framed together. It’s complete. It’s done. It’s ready to be put in. It’s like a diamond that’s been cut and faceted and polished to perfection and it’s ready to place in the setting. It’s a beautiful piece of art that the potter has carefully fashioned, has fired and glazed and is now ready to be put into service.
I want you to think about in your own lives—I know people in here like to do different hobbies, quilting, perhaps painting, perhaps sewing, maybe it’s woodwork. Think about when you put your hands to something and you complete it. Think about the enjoyment that you get after that and the satisfaction even after you complete it. In fact, that’s really when the real joy comes. Something that you’ve built with your hands and you’ve invested your time and part of your life in and it’s very valuable to you.
I tore this out. Most of you younger people don’t know what The AARP Magazine is. See who smiles and knows The AARP Magazine. Yeah, that’s for retired people. But anyway there’s an article here that I think just perfectly—not that I’m old, okay? [Laughter.] I think you can join when you’re fifty. But here’s an article I think that perfectly puts this in perspective. It says, “No Strings Attached.” And here is a lady that builds guitars and let me just read what she says. She doesn’t even play a guitar by the way. She just builds them in her basement. It says
“I make guitars like this.” You think you’d have to apprentice with a Spanish master. Hendricks bought a kit and taught herself. “I like making something that people are going to enjoy,” the fifty-three year old grandmother says, her genuine Midwestern modesty showing. “I could have made violins, I suppose, but more people play guitars.” A graphic designer of her profession, she made ten of the instruments in seven years, taking her time, making small adjustments for months as the body settles and the neck shifts under the pressure of the tightened springs. And then, more often than not, Hendricks, who doesn’t play a guitar herself, gives them away. She says, “I can’t sell them. You don’t put prices on your children.”
Think about the quilt, the beautiful quilt that you made. If you sold it, you have cheapened it. I’m not saying you shouldn’t. But I’m saying that I know most people when they put that much of themselves, it’s only suitable to give to somebody because you see then it’s still priceless. I know quilts are passed down in families.
But she basically said, “Look, I couldn’t sell one of these. Then that lowers the value. These are my children. I put my life into these. I put my soul into this and it’s priceless. And I want to see somebody enjoy them.”
Those of you that are still in the workforce, how many times have you made something, that perhaps a project you were on, took a long time, perhaps worked on a project and after you were done, the sense of accomplishment that you felt. And I think that embodies the spirit of what Psalm 116 is talking about. The death of a saint is very valuable to God because He has completed another portion of the Bride. And I think He and Jesus feel a sense of accomplishment.
I’m just going to go back and reread Proverbs 31. This is our final Scripture. Proverbs 31. We’re going to stop here. Proverbs 31 verse 10, it says
Proverbs 31:10. Who can find
a virtuous woman [a woman of valor]? For
her price is far above rubies.
Brethren, we are to God, as He builds that virtuous woman, that woman of valor, that prevailer, there can no price be put on that.
Again, I think we’re going to stop and we’re going to continue this week after next.
In the time I have the next couple of weeks, you might want to include Proverbs 31 in part of your study. I think we will be able to see or you can see that it’s much more than just a physical woman. And there’s actions that we take as the righteous acts of the saints that allow God to mold and to fashion us into what He wants us to be. God’s creating a virtuous, valiant Bride for His Son who He’s going to marry on His return. And her value, her price will far exceed the value of anything physical because although she will be shaped and fashioned by the Father, she’s already made up of Their essence which is the Holy Spirit and by Them living Their individual lives in each component part of that Bride. And, Brethren, that is us! That’s the people that God is working with today.
Transcribed by kb