A Wife of Noble Character!

She is worth far more than rubies!

       In this day in age, finding the perfect wife or husband seems like an impossible task, especially when you look at a valueless society that is rampant with an unabashed " do your own thing" mindset.

     At the risk of being castigated as being "too old fashion" the standards of morality have declined ever so tremendously compared to even 50 or 60 years ago. I'm certain that the sins of adultery, lasciviousness (leading mostly to divorce) are on the increase as never before. We probably have more single mothers raising children on their own as never before.

     The numerous options single people have today (as compared to the 50's and 60's) are so great that today's youth have not only been exposed to the reigning culture that marriage (possibly the noblest institution ever ordained by God) is no big thing. Try it, and if it doesn't work, try again later. Many people today see being married more than once does not carry the social stigma it did a half a century ago. The images of domesticity portrayed in the movies and television hardly remind anyone of the good old days of " Ozzie and Harriet, Father Knows Best or the parents on the hit TV show, "Leave it to Beaver." In those days, folks only had TV sets (black and white ones), while today's kids have the Internet, of which pornography is its number one customer. Porno site (soft, medium and raging hot) are as accessible as a banana split at your local 31 Flavors Ice Cream stores.

     Most parents (some are knowledgeable of security controls) are not aware how accessible these sites are. Even scarier, some of the stuff on YouTube alone would shock a nun much less your twelve year old daughters, of whom many of them are posted on the Internet in the most scurrilous poses imaginable. People (mostly men who had to go to a liquor store to buy those racy magazines) can merely flip a switch and the whole ugly monster of porn lay at the tip of their mouse and keyboard. How do we know? Get real! Even those with security controls and or those wearing blinders are slapped in the face with these insidious images. Obviously the devil never rests!

     Where are today's concerned parents? Both are probably working at their jobs, barely earning enough to maintain a lifestyle that was promised to them when they were young kids themselves. No longer do we see those Norman Rockwell images of a mother with her apron on, showing her daughter how to make cookies, nor a father playing softball in the back yard with his son. Our sad world has not evolved nor morphed into a higher intellectual plain nor advanced to moral standard it used to boast; it has actually slid backwards. We can blame high tech to a great degree, but it has to do more with the slow, but steady and consistent denial that God is real and has always been available to invoke within all of us His righteousness. The Bible says that where sin abounds, grace abounds in greater measure. This is good because humanity is not advancing into a great moral society.

     Yet, one of the more consistent bastions of moral turpitude has always been realized (more so in past times) of a wife of noble character, one who (probably more than a man) was always at home, tending and raising her children to grow up with the values and wisdom to deal with the onslaught of idiosyncratic insanity that is best examplified on the "reality" shows that permeate the airwaves, those images of society's underbelly we would not have imagined even 10 years ago. The examples need not even be mentioned, all 7 or 8 year olds know about liposuction, beauty products, diets and the bachelor (bachelorette) shows, which our kids are taught to know how to be cunning and devious to achieve perfected beauty and gain a lover. And we thought we had hit bottom with shows like Jerry Springer and Maury Povich.

     But yet, one of our hopes is that a woman of noble character still walks this earth, one who can still be the anchor of her family, setting examples for both daughter and sons, instilling in them values (the best are still found in the Bible), to hopefully provide peace in the hearts of youth gone wild. Obviously, these domestic duties work best when both husband and wives fulfill their respective roles as defined by the Bible. But, for today, let us deal with the wife.

     The following description of such a woman can be found in Proverbs 31, a guideline for woman to emulate, one that worked back in the good old days, and much sorely needed more so, as the world turns!

 1 The sayings of King Lemuel—an oracle his mother taught him:

 2 "O my son, O son of my womb,
       O son of my vows, 

 3 do not spend your strength on women,
       your vigor on those who ruin kings.

 4 "It is not for kings, O Lemuel—
       not for kings to drink wine,
       not for rulers to crave beer,

 5 lest they drink and forget what the law decrees,
       and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.

 6 Give beer to those who are perishing,
       wine to those who are in anguish;

 7 let them drink and forget their poverty
       and remember their misery no more.

 8 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
       for the rights of all who are destitute.

 9 Speak up and judge fairly;
       defend the rights of the poor and needy."
       Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

 10 A wife of noble character who can find?
       She is worth far more than rubies.

 11 Her husband has full confidence in her
       and lacks nothing of value.

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

 13 She selects wool and flax
       and works with eager hands.

 14 She is like the merchant ships,
       bringing her food from afar.

 15 She gets up while it is still dark;
       she provides food for her family
       and portions for her servant girls.

 

16 She considers a field and buys it;
       out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

 17 She sets about her work vigorously;
       her arms are strong for her tasks.

 18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
       and her lamp does not go out at night.

 19 In her hand she holds the distaff
       and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

 20 She opens her arms to the poor
       and extends her hands to the needy.

 21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
       for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

 22 She makes coverings for her bed;
       she is clothed in fine linen and purple

 23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
       where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

 24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
       and supplies the merchants with sashes.

 25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
       she can laugh at the days to come.

 26 She speaks with wisdom,
       and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

 27 She watches over the affairs of her household
       and does not eat the bread of idleness.

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

 29 "Many women do noble things,
       but you surpass them all."

 30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
       but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

 31 Give her the reward she has earned,
       and let her works bring her praise at the city gate, (Proverbs 31:1-31).

     Many folks will respond and say that this person (at least in today's society) is too difficult a role to achieve, even if the wife was a 'stay-at-home-mother, and it's not realistic to expect this from a woman of the new century. True! But it's a great goal to shoot for!

For more information about this blog, and the author's two recently published books, The End Times Passover and Why Christians Will Suffer Great Tribulation (Author House), please click here Joe Ortiz.