1. Spurgeon said: "When a home is what God ordains it to be, angels might dwell there and not feel themselves out of their native environment."
2. And for a home to be what God ordains it to be the father has to be right with God.
3. And for a home to be what God ordains it to be the mother has to be right with God. And since Mother’s Day is coming I would like speaking on the subject of Christian motherhood.
4. Proverbs 31:10 says, "Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies." Today we shall look at three characteristics of a virtuous woman.

1. Men complain that it is hard to find a good wife these days. But it has always been hard to find a virtuous woman (31:10).
2. All throughout the book of Proverbs, Solomon has been warning against the contentious woman and the strange woman (harlot), but he finishes up with a beautiful tribute to the virtuous wife and mother.
3. There can be no peace and harmony in the home with a contentious woman (Pro.19:13; 21:9,19; 25:24; 27:15).
4. One man had a very difficult and contentious wife who was always nagging him. It got so bad that it was even affecting his health. His doctor told him to run 10 miles a day and then to call him up in a week. He did that and the doctor asked if things were getting better with his wife, he said: "Yes, much better. I am 70 miles from home!"
5. When one thinks of a contentious woman, one thinks of Katharina, the ornery woman in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Hortensio listens to her constant harping and prays: "From all such devils, good Lord deliver us!"
6. But there is a happy ending. Petruchio manages to tame her and she becomes an ideal wife.
7. The famous Greek philosopher Socrates said: "By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you will become very happy; if you get a bad one, you will become a philosopher – and that is also good."
8. That is interesting advice but we need to remember that Socrates was a heathen (and a philosopher). Actually, one is better off remaining single than marrying the wrong woman.
9. Single men: Do not even consider marrying an unsaved wife. But if she is saved, here is a good checklist from Proverbs 31.

1. Is she trustworthy? (31:11,12) Or will she ruin you?
2. Is she a hard worker? (31:13-19) Or is she a lazy loafer?
3. Is she a generous giver? (31:20) Or is she selfish?
4. Is she a blessing and an asset to you? (31:21-25) Or is she a burden and a detriment to you?
5. Does she edify with her tongue? (31:26) Or does she destroy with her tongue?
6. Will her family be her top priority? (31:27-29) Or is she more concerned with worldly friends, and worldly ambitions, selfish pursuits, etc.?
7. Does she fear God? (31:30) Or is she worldly?

10. It has been rightly said: A wife can either make you or break you. And behind every successful man is a good wife – and a surprised mother-in-law.
11. The great Baptist preacher A.C. Dixon used to say: "Man is the head of the home and the woman is the heart of the home, but a home with two heads and no heart is a monstrosity!"
12. Dixon died in 1925. One can only imagine what he would say today with the hypocritical NOW crowd, and cursing, smoking, drinking women, legalized abortion, etc.
13. Thank God for virtuous women (31:10).

1. The virtuous woman realizes the dignity and value of raising children and taking care of them. She is not brainwashed by the women’s lib crowd, Hollywood and television, and all of the other ungodly influences that are destroying our nation.
2. She would rather walk in the footsteps of Elisabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, and Lois and Eunice, the grandmother and mother of Timothy (cf. II Tim.1:5).
3. Abraham Lincoln’s mother used to set little Abe on her knee and read to him the Bible. She once said, "I would rather Abe be able to read the Bible than to own a farm, if he can have but one."
4. Nancy Lincoln died in 1818, when Abe was only 9 years old. Her last words were, "Abe, I’m going to leave you now, and I shall not return. I want you to be kind to your father and live as I have taught you. Love your heavenly Father and keep His commandments."
5. Later in life, President Abraham Lincoln said, "I remember my mother’s prayers, and they have followed me; they have clung to me all my life. All that I am and hope to be I owe to my angel mother."
6. A godly wife and mother is priceless ("far above rubies" – 31:10; cf. 12:4; 18:22; 19:14). A husband can have confidence in such a good wife (31:11,12).
7. "He shall have no need of spoil" (31:11b); i.e. he lacks nothing as far as household goods are concerned. "She will do him good…" (31:12). She is an asset to her husband, not a liability.
8. The virtuous woman is diligent (31:13); she is not a lazy loafer (31:24). She enjoys weaving and sowing and even goes far away to get good food for her family (31:13,14).
9. She gets up early to feed her family (31:15), unlike some of the worldly moms today. Some women cannot even boil water. One frustrated husband said to his wife, "I’m tired of all these frozen TV dinners! If it weren’t for the microwave, we’d starve to death!" She replied, "That’s not true – I can use the telephone to call up the pizzeria and order pizza."
10. The virtuous woman is industrious and hard-working (31:17-19). She has a mind for business (31:16,24). "Man’s work is from sun to sun, but a woman’s work is never done."
11. The virtuous woman "looketh well (watches over) to the ways of her household" (31:27).
12. Not only is the virtuous woman hard-working, and industrious, and diligent – she is also compassionate and generous (31:20).
13. The virtuous woman understands that charity begins at home (31:21). She unselfishly puts herself last.

1. "She shall rejoice in time to come" (31:25), i.e. when her children are living godly lives, when they are successful, when she sees her grandchildren going to Sunday School and memorizing Scripture and getting saved, etc.
2. The virtuous woman can face the future with optimism and gladness, knowing that she is in God’s will.
3. The virtuous woman is careful with her tongue – she exercises wisdom (31:26). A man went into the hospital for major surgery and was coming out of the anesthesia. He kept asking, "Am I in heaven? Am I in heaven?" His wife looked down at him and said, "No, Bob – you’re down here with me!"
4. I heard about one lady who talks so much that she uses a special tooth paste with shoe polish in it – it’s for people who are always putting their foot in their mouth.
5. Someone said trying to get a word in edgewise with her was like trying to thread a sewing machine with the motor running.
6. But the virtuous woman "openeth her mouth with wisdom" (31:26).
7. To the virtuous woman her greatest reward is the happiness of her family (31:28,29).
8. Some women are good-looking but shallow; some are even selfish and evil. The best choice for a wife is a godly, virtuous woman (31:30).
9. King Lemuel closes with this instruction (31:31): "Give her the fruit (reward) of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the (city) gates" (cf. 31:23).

CONCLUSION: