PROVERBS VS. MARTHA STEWART

Transcription

1 TEXT: Proverbs 31 PROVERBS VS. MARTHA STEWART Proverbs 31 provides us with a wonderful picture of the ideal woman. Not just a mother but an ideal for all women. The Proverbs 31 woman has been described as the "Martha Stewart of King David's court", an unattainable ideal. We ve just heard about the Proverbs woman, so let's look at Martha Stewart. She runs her own business and is still able to create a magnificent dinner party for 20. I love the that circulates with supposed letters between Martha Stewart and Erma Bombeck. Martha tells Erma that she has gotten up early to make her own placemats to set under the breakfast of fresh eggs she got from the chicken coop which she carried using her homemade sled, or something like that. Erma counters with how she tried to make her own paper but when it became a ball of mush, she just used the back of the phone bill. It is difficult (if not impossible) to believe that any woman can do all that the Proverbs 31 woman does either. After all, she chooses her own flax, makes her own cloth, clothing and bedding. She's up at 5 am cooking for her family and her servants. She's the corporate executive of the family, trades her homemade goods and buys the land on which she produces a vineyard. She's intelligent and is well spoken, able to share the wisdom she possesses. She is hardworking, well loved, joyful and respected not only by those closest to her but also in the community. I've heard women today say, "I could be a Proverbs 31 woman if only I had a few servants." This is where the great misunderstanding lies. I laugh when I see some of the ideas that come from Martha Stewart Living great ideas, but completely impractical for most women. After all, Martha has 42 sets of china; she can create the perfect table for any occasion. But how many of us look in our cabinets and find it difficult to find 8 dishes that match? 1

2 Setting aside the difficulties of being perfect either in the Proverbs or the Martha Stewart realm what qualities can we find in these two entities that we can use to describe not just our mothers, but all the women who grace our lives. In verse 11, Proverbs talks about a woman's character as a wife. It says, "The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain for doing so." First, we need to understand that in the ancient world things were a bit different than they are for Martha Stewart. Women were looked upon as "second-class", treated more as servants than part of a marital team. But the woman described in Proverbs is one that is trusted the husband does not have to lock anything up because he trusts her. In today's world, the husband could go to work, or away on a business trip, confident in her integrity in the care of his interests. Today as well, trust is a virtue to be cherished. On August 4, 1900, Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was born. We have known her in our lifetimes as Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mum. When World War I began, her home at Glamis Castle became a hospital, and though she was only 14 years old and could not be a nurse, she did help in the care of patients. In April 1926, she became the wife of HRH the Duke of York. Upon the death of his father and the abdication of his brother Edward, Elizabeth's husband became King George VI. Together they ruled an empire that spanned to the four corners of the world. During the war it was suggested that Queen Elizabeth take her children to the safety of North America. However, she preferred to stay in London to share in the difficulties of her people. She was in Buckingham Palace when it was bombed. When King George died in 1952, their daughter Princess Elizabeth became the reigning monarch, and Elizabeth became the dowager queen. The Queen Mother continued to serve the people of Britain. She was a beloved member of the Royal family because of her integrity, ability and good character. The people loved her because they knew they could trust her. This is the kind of woman Proverbs is describing to us. 2

3 The second trait expressed in Proverbs is a woman's devotion as a homemaker. This takes up the bulk of the passage and is quite remarkable. In this reading, she is the ruler of the house. She manages the household, makes thread out of wool and flax or linen. Whatever the home required, that's what she did. In her world there was no place in her life for self-indulgence; no place for laziness; no place for inactivity. She is full of energy in the duties of the home. The needle and the spindle served the family, and she worked with her hands in delight. She was the early "superwoman". I guess if we wanted to, we could compare this to our modern-day superwoman: She works, builds her career, demands equal pay, demands equality with her husband in everything; has an affair or two, perhaps a divorce or two, relies on her own resources and very often has her own bank account; hires a maid or a cleaning service, eats out at least 50% of the time, with her family or without. She is tanned, coiffed, shops to keep up with the fashion trends, makes sure each family member has a TV in his room or at least a radio and a videogame player. She is always eager to fulfill her own personal goals. This is what Martha Stewart epitomizes today. But there is a similarity between the Proverbs woman and the Martha Stewart woman. In each case she does her work without complaint, without begrudging. She finds joy in this labor because she loves the people for whom she does it. She has gifts of strength and dignity and accomplishes the tasks set before her. When we get down to verse 20 we learn that the Proverbs woman shows generosity as a neighbor. "She extends her hand to the poor and she stretches out her hands to the needy." It appears that they do not come to her she goes to them. Not only does she show compassion toward those less fortunate, but she gets involved in their life. She provides what they need. With her generosity as a neighbor, she shows that she is an utterly selfless woman. In order to relate this to the Martha Stewarts of today I looked at the Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Foundation. The mission statement of the organization "is to 3

4 ensure all families realize their potential personally and professionally. To that end, we support organizations that enhance the lives of women, nurture and protect children, foster good nutrition, and respect nature". Surely this is what the Proverbs woman did as a generous and caring neighbor. Surely this is what we all strive to do as modern Proverbs women. We learn in verse 25 that for the Proverbs woman "strength and dignity are her clothing and she smiles at the future." Now this doesn't literally say "teaching", but we can read into these words that she has spiritual dignity and strength. She has true class, true virtue. She has Godly character. She is spiritually strong and has elevated herself to more noble issues. She knows her life is right with God. She knows in whom she trusts. She knows her life is right. Verse 26 tells us that "She opens her mouth in wisdom and the law of kindness is on her tongue." Her influence as a teacher is inherent in her home, which is her classroom. She is the teacher and out of her mouth comes the teaching of kindness, the law of God, the law of kindness. Again I went to her website to see where this might fit into the world of Martha Stewart and here is what it said: "The Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Foundation is about more than making grants. Our company is a leading provider of original "how-to" information, inspiring and engaging consumers with unique lifestyle content and highquality products. Our employees are among the most skilled, creative, and talented in the world. Indeed our employees are a big part of how we give back to our communities-we invest in what is important to them. Our employees are encouraged to volunteer in their communities or with their favorite causes through three company-sponsored days per year. We are looking for creative ways to help improve the lives of women, whether it's a grant, gift of our products, or donation of our employees' skills and time." As with the Proverbs woman, women today give much back to their communities in the way of time, energy and substance. 4

5 We have seen how Proverbs describes the ideal woman as a wife, a homemaker, a neighbor and a teacher. But one of her most important tasks is being a mother. She lives her life for her family. Verse 28 says, "Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also. She exercises careful surveillance over everything. She manages the children and she manages the household The real satisfaction for her comes from the people she loves the most. She has given everything to them and what does she get back? They rise up and bless her and they praise her. They reverence her, literally, they honor her; they hold her in high esteem. All the things we have talked about come into play in her role as a mother her character, her devotion, her generosity and her influence all are part of her effectiveness as a mother. The modern woman must face issues that the Proverbs woman could never have imagined. In today's world it takes two incomes to keep households running. In today's world, women are expected to be active in their children's schools, in their church and in their community. They feel pressured to be successful in business as well. All of this while nurturing their children. The last trait of the Proverbs woman follows her excellence as wife, a homemaker, a neighbor, a teacher and a mother. That is her excellence as a saint. Verses 30 and 31 tell us "Charm is deceitful, beauty is vain: but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised". As we study this chapter we realize that the Proverbs 31 woman is far more than an earthbound perfectionist that we cannot even hope to emulate. When we look at the women who inhabit the pages of the Bible, we realize that the women God used for His plan were women exactly like us. They were imperfect, sometimes disobedient to the law. They were foolish, foreign, adulterous or lazy. Yet, in each story God was with her and she acted according to God s plan. In the long run the Proverbs 31 woman is spiritually strong and her life exhibits the Word of God. She begins with faith, seeks God s wisdom, and everything else falls 5

6 into place as she builds upon that solid foundation. She is trustworthy, generous, competent and shrewd, and it is by those traits that the world knows her faith. Are there saints today? Of course our first thought goes to Mother Teresa whose work among the poorest of the poor in India was an example of unexcelled character, dedication, generosity, influence and effectiveness. But there are many unsung saints, many in this room right now, whose reward will be in heaven rather than on earth. Will Martha Stewart be one of them? Who knows. But you know some who will be counted as saints. I do too. The preamble to Proverbs 31 notes that these are the words of Lemuel, king of Massa, which his mother taught him. We don t know anything about her, but she must have been a very special woman, and she gave him some good advice. She says: Find a woman who fears the Lord, therein is the beginning of wisdom. She will be praised; give her the product of her hands and let her works praise her in the gates. What are the products of her hands? All the good she has done to others; it will now come back to her. All the sacrifice will be hers the rest of her life. Everything she did in private will come back in public as they praise her in the gates, in the middle of town. She will be famous for her godly womanhood that s her reward. There is more to these verses than just a mother s desire for her son. The woman of Proverbs 31 is the personification of wisdom from the ancient world. Even with her flaws, Martha Stewart personifies the modern woman and her place in our society. Either picture tells us that we should live lives that exhibit our faith with the spiritual confidence that comes from our life in Christ. Every Christian woman should be like the Proverbs 31 woman. As a matter of fact, every Christian man should be like her. Proverbs 31 is the mirror in which we should all see ourselves, as we strive for lives of devotion, generosity, effectiveness and excellence in the light of God's grace for us. Amen. 6