The word “Mother” is found behind the scenes of the verses of Proverbs Chapter 31. Verse one tells us that this is, “The words of King (Lem u el’), the prophecy that his mother taught him.” According to Church references, when Prince Lemuel was young, his mother taught him this verse in Hebrew Alphabet Character, or Acrostic Verse, so it would be easier for him to remember how to be a godly king and find a godly Christian wife and mother.
Acrostic means, according to the Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, (1.) a composition, usually in verse, in which certain letters of the lines, taken in order, form a name, title, motto, etc. is the subject of the composition. (2.) A Hebrew poem of which the initial letters of the lines or stanzas formed the alphabet in order. Twelve of the psalms are of this character, of which Psalm 119 is the best example, another is Proverbs 31. Acrostic verse is very effective in helping children and adults to memorize important information.
Example: My sons learned the planets in order from the sun by using Acrostic Verse.
My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto
King Lemuel’s mother, who taught him this Proverb, also knew this was an effective way to teach her son something that would have a major impact on his life. With that in mind, I would like to use Proverbs 31 in an English acrostic form for Mother to help us to remember important points of interest concerning the Proverbs 31: Mother. But now let’s look at a couple of other important facts about this chapter and then the portion of Proverbs 31 that I would like to deal with in this devotional study.
First verses 1 – 9 are instructions to him on how to be a godly king. Second in verse 10, she begins to instruct him on what a godly woman should be like, which is where we will begin our devotional study.
Scripture: King James Version, 1611:
Proverbs 31: 10 -31 The Acrostic Form for Mother
Pro 31:10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
Pro 31:11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
Pro 31:12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
Pro 31:13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
Pro 31:14 She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
Pro 31:15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
Pro 31:16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
Pro 31:17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
Pro 31:18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
Pro 31:19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
Pro 31:20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
Pro 31:21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
Pro 31:22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
Pro 31:23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
Pro 31:24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
Pro 31:25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
Pro 31:26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
Pro 31:27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
Pro 31:28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
Pro 31:29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
Pro 31:30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
Pro 31:31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
There she is quietly hiding behind the pronouns of “she and her,” working. Doing what she does best. Doing what God created her to be a “help meet” for her husband. She has a tremendous job and great responsibility, which we will look at briefly in this devotional study.
M M, the first letter of our Acrostic Verse Mother, is for the word mother. There is a blessing in just the name Mother. The Proverbs 31 Woman shines as a beacon to what a Mother should be and the blessings that comes with it. Proverbs 31: 28 states, “ Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.” Here are just a few reasons why women felt blessed to be a Mother.
1. God made us that way. We read in Genesis 1: 28, “And God bless them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth,….” And then we read in Psalm 127: 3, “Lo Children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” Therefore, it is a blessing to be a Mother and such a place of honor that:
- Eve, who means the mother of all living, said in Genesis 4: 1 after the birth of Cain, “I have gotten a child from the Lord.” Then she said in Genesis 4: 20 when Seth, which means substitute, was born after the exile of Cain and death of Able, “God hath appointed me another seed.”
- Sarah, who was barren, named her son Isaac, which means laughter, “…for the Lord hath made me laugh in my old age.”
2. For a woman to be barren, according to the law of Moses, meant judgment of an immoral sin she had done from God (Leviticus 20: 20 – 26). As a result, she was shunned and persecuted by other women because of her barrenness. Thus the attitude adopted was they have done something wrong, or they feel incomplete and empty inside. Therefore, it also became a woman’s life long desire to be a Mother.
· Rachel cried in Genesis 30: 1, “Give me children, or else I die.” In verses 23 – 24, after the birth of Joseph, which means he shall add, Rachel said, “God hath taken away my reproach…for the Lord shall add to me another son.”
- In 1st Samuel 1: 11 Hannah made a vow unto the Lord for a man child. “….if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thy handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life,…” Then in the latter part of verse 19 we read, “…..and the Lord remembered her.” She called his name Samuel, which means asked of God.
Therefore, it is a blessing just to be called a Mother.
O O, the second letter of our acrostic verse Mother, is the word Others. Others are always on her mind and others admire her handiwork and kindness.
· Prov. 31: 27, “ She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.” How does she do this? She is a weaver, wool and flax were commonly used for weaving or spinning (13); she rises up early for meat for her household and her maidens (15) and sits up late making thread and cloth (18 – 19); she is a master seamstress for she makes clothes for her household (21 – 22); she is industrious and thrifty or economical for she sells fine linen made with her hands and considereth a field (finds out all the details and talks with her husband) and buys it and worketh it with her hands; she is also creative with the use of dyes so their clothes is like that of royalty but not nearly as expensive and not of time or money (16 & 24); and she prepareth for the winter (21). Quite a domestic engineer looking out for the needs of her family. Every young girl thinks that they want to be a mother until they are faced with the responsibility of being one, especially when they are not ready to handle or take on the responsibility. It is not the glamorous life style that Hollywood paints for you in the movies. If you are not ready, it can be very overwhelming.
· Prov. 31: 20, “She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.” She looks to the needs of her family and to the needs of others.
· Prov. 31: 23, “Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.” The others of the community and of the church know her and her deeds.
T T, the third letter of our Acrostic Verse Mother, is the word Teacher. She teaches them right and wrong; about God and life. God created us to worship him. If we do not teach our children about God and how to worship him in spirit and in truth, then our kids will fill that void with things of a worldly nature and influence. Such as drugs, sex, alcohol, sports, money, or other worldly pleasures seeking to find something to satisfy the need to worship.
· Prov. 31: 26 states, “She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.” It tells us that we teach with our words from our lips.
· Titus 2:3 – 5 says, “The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.”
She is a teacher of good things the things that matter the most in life. It also tells us that we teach by using two methods. The first method that we use to teach is by our lips, or by what we say. The second method that we use to teach is by our example, or what we do. Your testimony is one of the most precious tools that you possess as a Christian, but once it is marred by sin there is no way to get it back. Therefore, we should be careful how we portray ourselves in front of our children and others for we are all teachers.
H H, the fourth letter of our Acrostic Verse Mother, is the word Heart. Mother is the heart of the home; for no one loves the husband like the wife, and, no one loves the children like the Mother. But she feareth or loveth God more.
· Proverbs 31: 11 states, “The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.” And Proverbs 31: 12 states, “She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.”
· Proverbs 31: 28 states, “Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. And Proverbs 31: 30 states, “Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.” She is pure, honest, kind, loving, and holy.
E E, the fifth letter of the Acrostic Verse Mother, is the word Example or influence. Our Pastor says this, “Your life will be either of a godly or evil influence.” It is a choice you have to make on a daily basis.
· First the godly example, the one King Lemuel’s mother wants for her son, the one who lives her life before the children as a pattern for them and others to follow.
Proverbs 31: 25 states, “Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.” And in Proverbs 31: 31, “Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.” She is strong in character and wise, not weak and not easily influenced. She has a powerful mind full of wisdom and a powerful body willing to work.
· Second the ungodly example of lives that uses there minds and bodies to devise evil.
(Genesis 2: 18 & 3: 6) Eve, a helper for Adam, invited him to join her in her sin.
(Genesis 27) Rebekah willfully deceived Isaac.
(2 Samuel 6: 16) Michal despised David.
(1 Kings 11: 4) Solomon’s wives drew his heart away from God.
(1 Kings 21: 25) Jezebel stirred up Ahab to commit abominable wickedness.
(Job 2: 9) Job’s wife told him to “cruse God and die.”
We should all desire to be a godly example to our kids and a crown to our husband.
R R, the sixth and final letter of our Acrostic Verse Mother, is the word Refuge. She creates a home that is a refuge to her family. When you were a child afraid or hurt you ran to momma. When you got older you told momma all about your dreams, your plans, and your problems because she was always there to listen and help. And when you became an adult, you turned to momma for advice and assurance; because she was a constant, ever shining, beacon and a refuge to find comfort and help if you needed it.
· Proverbs 31: 10 states, “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.” Virtuous means army, band of men, soldiers, virtue, strength, a great powerful force. Strength of mind in regard to danger – encounters danger with firmness; personal bravery and courage. It portrays her as an army of virtues. A mother who protects her young and her household from the ways and snares of the world. And one who instructs them through her example of virtues, moral goodness, and love.
· The rubies that are spoken of here were the large rich red rare rubies that surpass diamonds of equal weight in value. She shines as a beacon and costs far above rubies, diamonds, and pearls. According to Elizabeth George’s book: “Beautiful in God’s Eyes,” Elizabeth George and her husband were taking a trip to Israel and she made a long lists of things that she wanted to be sure to see and one of them was to see the rubies that was spoken of in Proverbs 31. She wanted to get a glimpse of what the beauty of the Proverbs 31 Woman was compared, too. Well what she found when she got there was not at all what she expected. There were no jewels to be found or seen for during captivity other nations took all the jewels. But what she did see and find was artifacts left behind of a life that used to be. Bones, coffins, walls covered with shields and swords, body armor, and other instruments of war. Cases that displayed dishes and cookware made of mud, stone olive presses, and millstones for grinding grains. These were voices or relics of the past that spoke of hard times just struggling to survive and barely managing to exist. They spoke of work and war, labor and loss. There was little if any beauty, color, or evidence of pleasure. Everything she saw was bare, no color, and basic a testimony of the way life was for them. But then she realized that God’s beautiful Proverbs 31 woman was the sparkling jewel in her husband’s life. She brought the love, the color, the joy, the life, and the energy to the home. Yes, life was hard in Israel, and everyday life focused on just surviving in that dry, rugged land. Food, clothing, and shelter were daily concerns. But with a wife who was a sparkling jewel, a man would find life bearable. In fact with God’s beautiful woman beside him, he possessed the greatest treasure of all. A refuge and a beacon ever shining that he could run home, too.
· Therefore, we read in Proverbs12: 4, “A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband:” (a jewel worth finding). And in Proverbs 31: 29, “Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.”
Thus, we have the Acrostic Verse Mother— M (Mother), O (Others), T (Teacher), H (Heart), E (Example), and R (Refuge). And we find that the Word Mother is just another word for Love, Marriage, and Home. You see God made a mother’s life to be a life of submission, a life of service, and a life of samples for our little ones to follow and others to see. Are you the kind of wife and mother you ought to be? We all fail everyday, but there is someone who cares and can help us be what we ought to be for our children, for our husbands, and for others.
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