SCRIPTURE READING: Proverbs 31:10, 28-31

During our last business meeting, mention was made that we ought to recognize and thank the women of this congregation for their many good works in the effort to spread and teach the word here in Cordova. Ladies, the decision was unanimous, and I mentioned I’d throw in my two cents by preaching a lesson in praise and recognition of godly women. Of course, along with that recognition comes an inherent admonition to keep up the good work, and with that in mind, don’t worry—the men will get theirs, too. But as custom demands . . . ladies first!

1. THE GODLY WOMAN – TABITHA (ACTS 9)

Acts 9:36-43

Here is an opportunity where Peter used God’s miraculous power to bring believers to the Lord. I don’t think it’s any accident that Peter chose this woman for the performance of this miracle. Here we read of a woman of God, described as a disciple of God, a woman recognized for her charitable deeds, which she performed continually. People knew her for her good works, and her passing was no doubt a great loss to the brethren at Joppa. Certainly a woman described in the way Tabitha is described would be recognized and appreciated by ALL who came into contact with her. And I imagine that some of those who believed from Peter’s act responded as a result of WHO Peter raised as much as for the fact that he resurrected someone.

We can certainly learn many valuable lessons from Tabitha. Here was a woman who left behind a legacy of love and good works. When Peter arrived in Joppa, the fruits of Tabitha’s works could be seen. In v.39, the widows showed him the tunics and garments she’d made. The point here was not to show him what high quality the clothes were—they were showing him what she had done for them, "Look at what Tabitha made for us." Her works could be seen in the sorrow of her brothers and sisters—she hadn’t merely lent an impersonal hand; she had made a personal impression on those around her.

Matthew 5:14-16: [In doing that, she fulfilled her responsibility as a Christian. Our works must stand out as testimony.] "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

"Nor do men light a lamp, and put it under the peck-measure, but on the lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house.

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven."

Tabitha served God continually—it was evidenced in her lifestyle, people saw her serving God.

When Gary Kerr held a meeting this past spring at Bartlett, he made this observation about Tabitha: If she had seen a need for coats, why didn’t she send $10.00 to the West Rome Church of Christ "Coats for Kids" Fund? Why, that organization sends hundreds of garments out to kids all over Italy! Would she have exerted the same influence if she had?

John 12:24-25: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

"He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates life in this world shall keep it to life eternal."

Is digging out our checkbooks the kind of help Christ preached in His ministry? It sure is if you believe those TV evangelists! Sometimes we can make that error, we can see that collection plate as our means of spreading the gospel, that’s how we do our part. Mr. Kerr called that "Serving God by proxy." Would Tabitha have been remembered as fondly if she had done that? Is that really helping other people?

Of course not! You can’t beat doing it yourself—we must let our light shine on our neighbors and friends.

As evidenced by Luke’s inspired testimony here in Acts, the Lord saw what the folks at Joppa saw in Tabitha. She was certainly measured out as a righteous and profitable servant.

Another thing we think about as we look at Tabitha are the Tabithas in our lives. Certainly every one of us could think of a woman who matches the profile given of this woman. It might be someone we all know, it might be someone dead and gone. But every one of us has in our memory a woman who has touched our life. And that makes you wonder, among those grieving saints and widows in Joppa, how many were regretting that they never got a chance to thank Tabitha for what she’d done for them? How many were wishing they had gotten around to doing something nice for her? Brethren, think about the Tabithas in your life. Don’t let them get away without letting them know how much they’re appreciated.

In this group we have many Tabithas, although some of you are Dorcases!! One need only stroll through the rooms of this building to see the fruits of godly women—classrooms that have been decorated beautifully. But it’s not particularly the craft skill or bright colors that should be recognized—although everything is quite well put together. Rather, what you’ll notice is that these rooms are functional—every decoration is a tool, these rooms are equipped to mold and instruct young minds to appreciate God’s creation, to learn about the Bible and the people in it who loved and served God in their lives. You’ll find in our foyer a rough draft of a member directory, an invaluable modern tool for communicating and keeping in touch with our fellow brethren here. And that directory will be just part of yet another modern innovation, a website being put together to serve as an aid to us members AND as a vital teaching tool to people who might in no other way encounter the Truth.

I know I’ve only touched on some of the more recent accomplishments of a few of you women, and while I can’t possibly in this time frame give credit where all credit is due: Women—each and every one of you—your presence is felt here in this congregation. The time you’ve taken to visit folks, to call, to write cards—they are felt and appreciated.

And I mention these specific things for another reason. These efforts I’ve mentioned are not jobs for just wives and mothers. In Christ’s ministry, there are as many examples of He and His disciples serving food as there are His delegating the task to women. These are jobs of a Christian, responsibilities given to each and every one of us. Much study time is often devoted to a woman’s duties in the home as a mother and wife, and certainly we will look at those vital responsibilities this morning as well. But these parts of a woman’s life should not crowd out, as they often do, her responsibility as a Christian, to contribute to the work of the church.

Women, your voices are not heard in the worship, but your voices and your skills are just as vital to adding worshippers to this body.

During Christ’s ministry here on Earth, His public teachings were directed to both men and women, who had an equal obligation to serve their fellow man. Evidence of that teaching can be observed throughout the book of Acts: in ch. 1, women were present at the choosing of Matthias to take Judas’ place as an apostle. In chapters 2 and 21 mention is made of women prophesying in the spreading of the gospel. In ch. 12 prayer meetings for the endangered preachers of God’s Word were held in women’s homes. In Acts 16, the first converts in Philippi were women. Women taught MEN who taught the Bible. Acts 18 gives us an example of one, Priscilla, and her husband Aquila, giving corrective instruction to Apollos. Truly, women have an equal workload in Christ’s kingdom.

I hear a lot of mention made of one of your speakers in the past dividing the congregation between the sheep and the goats—these people over here! That picture of judgment can be found in Matthew 25, where Christ preaches that judgment will be rendered based upon our charitable works.

Matthew 25:31-35

Certainly, when Tabitha’s time of death rolled around a second time, she was counted among the sheep.

If I may extend the realm of our recognition for a moment, it’s not just in that humorous story that you can tell this chapter has been preached at this place. Brethren, in your acts of kindness that I’ve observed in this short time, I can see that every one of you are sheep . . . there ISN’T a goat side!

[But I make this application toward women because wife/mother roles sometimes crowd out other Christian responsibility . . . but MEN have this, too—as well as husband/father duties that are sometimes not studied enough.]

Having looked, then, at the godly woman, as exemplified by Tabitha, let’s ADD to this picture, like we’d add another layer to a painting, a picture of—

2. THE GODLY WIFE – ABIGAIL (I SAMUEL 25)

In I Samuel 25 we read an account of an occasion where David was in need of a favor from an individual—

v.2-4

David needed assistance from Nabal, and Nabal, despite David’s kindness toward his shepherds, rudely rejected David’s request. This enraged David, and he assembled 400 men to go and destroy Nabal and every man in his camp. But upon hearing of this threat, and the circumstances surrounding it, Nabal’s intelligent and beautiful wife Abigail went to straighten things out.

v.23-24

Obviously, Abigail, in her gentle humility and diplomacy, impressed David. Here was a woman looking out for the interests of her household. She knew that her husband was at fault in this matter, but rather than bitterly watching ruin come upon her household, she took the initiative and once again brought favor upon it. David was SO impressed by her, that upon her husband’s sudden death (v.37-38), he asked her to be HIS wife!

Truly,

Proverbs 12:4: An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who shames him is as rottenness in his bones.

The importance of the woman is driven home in the Creation account. On that sixth day, after this enormous task of creating the different things in the universe, seeing them, and proclaiming them "Good," God, in Gen. 2:18, saw something that was "NOT good."

Genesis 2:18: Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."

God saw a need on the man’s part—and He filled that need with woman. You’ll recall in our lesson last week that God made Adam in His own image—pure, a righteous being. Likewise, it is the righteous woman that is a suitable helper for man. The righteous woman complements the man, making what was previously "not good," into something "good" and whole in the Lord’s sight.

Look at Proverbs 31 once again. A righteous wife is recognized by:

-- Her character.

v.11—The heart of her husband trusts in her . . . [She is a virtuous woman.]

-- Her value.

v.10—Her worth is far above jewels.

Our wives love to remind us of this! You don’t just stop with that one rock on her hand, her value is far above jewels—that’s plural! Keep it coming! Our wives are a priceless gift.

-- Her willingness to work.

v.13, 15—She looks for wool and flax, and works with her hands in delight . . .

She rises also while it is still night, and gives food to her household, and portions to her maidens.

-- Her economy.

v.16—She considers a field and buys it; from her earnings [or profits] she plants a vineyard.

Because of this, her husband "will have no lack of gain" (v.11)

-- Her benevolence.

v.20—She extends her hand to the poor; and she stretches out her hands to the needy.

-- Her unselfishness.

v.21—She is not afraid of the snow for her household, for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

She doesn’t just reserve the fine things for herself.

-- Her encouragement to her husband.

v.23—Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.

-- Her wisdom.

v.26—She opens her mouth in wisdom . . .

-- Her kind disposition.

v.26-- . . . and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

-- Her ability to discipline.

v.27—She looks well to the ways of her household . . .

It is important that men and women alike recognize the importance of the wife’s role in the household. It must NOT be taken lightly.

We live in a society and MOST DEFINITELY in an ECONOMY where women have entered the workforce—as I believe most of you have. Again, our economy is geared toward it. Men, does a woman’s responsibility to household mean that you can leave the duties to her? NO—as her helper, you are to support the weaker vessel. Women, does it give you the right to abandon your God-given responsibilities? Absolutely not! We see in marriage a delicate balance that has been established by God—truly, you have two bodies wholly dependent upon one another.
 
 

Husbands, let’s recognize our righteous wives and praise them for their priceless value. There are Abigails among us.

Women, the task isn’t up yet. There’s another job out there. The want ad might read something like this—
 

I think the one thing this application for motherhood left out was the rewards of the job. We look now at the—

3. THE GODLY MOTHER – HANNAH (I SAMUEL 1)

When we look at Hannah, what we first must observe is that she married well—her husband, Elkanah, is noted as a godly man—

v.3 He worshipped according to the law, making regular sacrifice for his household.

v.8 He was good to his wife, although she had bore him no children, a matter of great cultural significance.

Here we see a woman who is tortured by not only her inability to conceive, but the torment of her husband’s other wife, who has had children. And yet she responds in her anguish not with vengeance, but prayerfully to God, that He might bless her. We notice from this passage that she bears many of the traits of a righteous woman, and a righteous wife. When she prayed silently, v.13, and Eli thought that she was drunk, but she defends herself—

v.15-16

Certainly in the keeping of her promise to God and in her prayer of thanksgiving, it can be seen that she was indeed and pure and righteous woman.

But what I want to focus on about Hannah is that she recognized that children are a blessing from God—and it was upon THAT that her promise was made.

v.11

Psalm 127:3-5: Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth.

How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they shall not be ashamed, when they speak with their enemies in the gate.

What we’re finding today, and what’s actually becoming a major economic threat, is that couples are having fewer children. It’s becoming a common trend that women aren’t choosing to have children until their mid- to late-30s. And why is this? Children get in the way of a career. Children eliminate the luxuries and freedoms a childless couple enjoys. The economic threat of this is: Who’s going to pay for the healthcare of all these adults once they’re old? I think that’s an interesting extension of the selfishness that causes the problem in the first place: Children are a nuisance—they’re even considered that way once they arrive. How often do you hear these complaints: "What about me?" "My family is holding me back from my full potential." "I need some time to be ME." In the year 2000 alone, about 2 ½ million babies were treated like a disease when they were aborted.

Children are a blessing! And the lesson I want to draw from this godly mother, Hannah, is what she did with her child. She promised that child to God. She weaned her boy with righteous virtues. A godly mother makes that commitment to God. "This child is a blessing to me, Lord—I will train this child to give his or her soul back to you."

Proverbs 22:6: Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.

I’m going to make reference to the proposed text of our website, being put together by some of the women. If you’ve not gotten a chance to read this, most of the men have a copy. This is part of what to expect when you visit the church on Rocky Point Road:

"A staffed nursery is not provided for the children. Children remain in the auditorium with their parents. We do this so that the children can learn to worship God from the very beginning. Granted, there will be times when children are noisy, but this is part of the learning process."

There are Hannahs at Rocky Point. Mothers, your efforts do not go unnoticed. Although I’m often part of the problem—this baby pops its head up over Mama’s shoulder and I smile at them and that sends the baby into this spasm of joy and poor Mom is left to deal with that. Mothers, I’ll bet it was a milestone event the Sunday you got to actually sit through a whole sermon and not miss one point.

Here you are as Christians, expected to learn and grow like the rest of us, but you’ve got little hands pulling at your hair and clothes, keeping you from it. But, godly mothers, that constant struggle isn’t a nuisance—it’s a blessing from God. So keep on bringing them, commit their lives to God.

And mothers, remember—you can’t make robots out of them. All you can do is instill those values so that they will be with them, in their knowledge, their whole lives. You can guard them from and guide them from evil influence as long as they’re dependent, but sooner or later, the choice is theirs to make. And even God lost Adam and Eve. Don’t lose hope.

Children may fail you and leave you, husbands may fail you and leave you, but God remains. God’s people remain. Every one of us, men and women, should weigh ourselves against these Biblical standards. Do we work like Tabitha? Are we as bold and watchful as Abigail? Do we show the same appreciation and commitment to the Lord as Hannah?

The path to righteousness is obedience. If you haven’t begun, shouldn’t you start today?
 
 

I. The Godly Woman: Tabitha.
Acts 9:36-43, Matt. 5:14-16, John 12:24-25

Women of Acts

Were present . . . . . . .     Acts 1

Prophesied . . . . . . .     Acts 2, 21

First converts . . . . . . .     Acts 16

Prayer meetings . . . . .     Acts 12

Taught Apollos . . . . . . .     Acts 18
 

II. The Godly Wife: Abigail.

I Sam. 25, Prov. 12:4, Gen. 2:18, Prov. 31.
 

III. The Godly Mother: Hannah.
I Sam. 1, Psa. 127:3-5, Prov. 22:6.