Douglas Jacoby Podcast

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas' website.

Eunuchs in the O.T.

• Eunuchs were excluded from the assembly of the Lord and from the priesthood.
  • “No one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the Lord" (Deut 23:1).
  • And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Speak to Aaron, saying, None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer the bread of his God. 18 For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long, 19 or a man who has an injured foot or an injured hand, 20 or a hunchback or a dwarf or a man with a defect in his sight or an itching disease or scabs or crushed testicles... 22 He may eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy things, 23 but he shall not go through the veil or approach the altar..."
• Lev 22:24 — animals, too — unfit for offering as sacrifices.
• 2 Kings 9:30-33 -- Eunuchs defenestrate Jezebel.
• Isa 39:7 = 2 Kings 20:28 -- Hezekiah's sons will be made into eunuchs in Babylon.
• Also Jer 29:2; 34:19; 41:16.
• Key passage: Jeremiah 38:1-13
• Esther 1:10 and throughout; Daniel 1:3-18 -- Daniel may have been a eunuch.
• Important note about eunuchs and officials:
  • The O.T. Hebrew word for official (saris) also means eunuch.
  • This is probably because many officials, especially those with access to the royal palace (and royal lives), were often castrated.

Eunuchs in the N.T.

• NT times: Matt 19:12 — Jesus is probably referring to eunuchs metaphorically -- those who forego marriage.
• The better known Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:26-40).
• A Gnostic work from 180 AD names him "Simeon Bacchus." Perhaps that was his name (?).

Parallels between the two men:

• Both are Ethiopians eunuchs.
• Both had attached themselves to God's people, one serving the king of Judah, the other living as a God fearer (a Gentile attracted to Judaism and observing Torah partially -- embracing the moral aspect of the old covenant without taking the demanding requirements of keeping kosher, observing Sabbath, and submitting to circumcision (which would have been impossible). There was a strong Jewish presence in Ethiopia.
• Both came into contact with a man of God -- a man with a message.
• Both were responsive to the message of God. Ebed-Melekh realized that Jeremiah was both innocent and one who spoke the truth from God. His more famous New Testament counterpart welcomed the assistance and guidance of Philip.
• Both acted with urgency. Ebed-Melekh took 30 men plus the necessary accessories to bring Jeremiah out of the cistern (where the water level had gone down). Candace's treasurer gave the order for his chariot to stop so that he could be baptized.
• In a sense, the O.T. Ethiopian Eunuch foreshadows his better known N.T. counterpart.

Outsiders: God's love and justice

• Key passage: Isaiah 56:1-8
  • Judgment on unfaithful Israel, and esp. its leaders.
  • Welcome to foreigners, eunuchs, and others excluded from the covenant blessings.
  • 1 Thus says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my righteousness be revealed. 2 Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil. 3 Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say, 'The Lord will surely separate me from his people'; and let not the eunuch say, 'Behold, I am a dry tree.'" 4 For thus says the Lord: “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, 5 I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. 6 And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant— 7 these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” 8 The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, “I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.”

What we learn about God

• He sees the end from the beginning.
• His exclusion of the eunuchs was not because he lacked love.
• The Lord is just.
• Outsiders become insiders.
• God won't miss anyone. Let's trust him!

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas' website.

Rahab Study Outline

Hebrew Names

Rahab: means “large,” “extended.” New Testament scriptures has it spelled the same in Hebrews and James (Ra’ab). However, the Gospel of Matthew used a slightly different spelling (Rahab as in Rachab) in the Koine (common) Greek.

Jericho: means “a place of fragrance” and called the “City of Palm Trees” by the Israelites.

Asherah: This was the name of a sensual Canaanite goddess Astarte (Uh-Start-ee), also related to the moon. Image often carved into wooden poles.

Harlot/prostitute: “kedeshah” was a woman consecrated to prostitution in connection to Asherah worship.

Further Study

Historical studies on the Canaanites and the Bronze Age and geographical studies help us better understand the situation.

The name Rahab is mentioned in Job 9:13 and 26:12, Psalms 87:4 and 89:10, and Isaiah 30:7 and 51:9 in regard to a nation (Egypt) that is proud and quarrelsome.

Study out Tamar: someone who became involved in prostitution (Genesis 38:1-30), yet shows up in the genealogical line of Jesus. Study  the book of Ruth, where a Moabite persuades the Israelite Boaz to marry her; she too is in the genealogy of Matthew.

Some Things We Learn About God

God is merciful and gracious to those outside of Israel who had genuine faith and were willing to put it into action.

Even though we see the here and now, we can forget that God always has bigger plans in the long run. Rahab had a bigger-picture role in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.

For kids

God loves us and has plans for us. Not one of us has an excuse because of where we come from or what mistakes we have made.

If we love God we must trust and obey him, not only with words but also in what decisions we make and how we live.

We should love, care for and look out for our family always, and not only look out for our own interests.

Key Verses

Joshua 2:1-21, 6:17, 22-25

Matthew 1:5

Hebrews 11:31

James 2:25

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Hebrew words: Yonah (Jonah) – may mean “dove." 28x in the Bible.

Further study:

• Passages referred to in this podcast
  • 2 Kings 14:25
  • Jonah 1-4
  • Jeremiah 18:1-10
  • Luke 9:52-55
  • Exodus 34:6
  • Romans 12:21, 2 Corinthians 10:4, 1 Peter 2:21
• Even more:
  • Did God resurrect Jonah? Click here.
  • Listen to an entire seminar on Prejudice and Separation, including the Atlanta story. Order here.
  • Of special interest to those in the Restoration Movement, watch the 3-lesson DVD series Friend or Foe.
  • Check out Joel 2:14. The King of Nineveh (3:9) seems to have a better handle on theology than the prophet Jonah!

Some things we learn about God:

• The people of God tend to be insular, whereas God is expansive. They tend to be exclusive, while the Lord surprises us by being so inclusive. This was a scandal for the religious establishment in Jesus’ time, and it is no different today. This is another way of saying that God is love.
• God is not partial. With him there is no prejudice or favoritism.  But we don’t always get it! So…
• God will sometimes go to extremes to get our attention

For kids:

• Check out this link (for younger kids).
• For older children, read sections of the story (esp. ch. 1:1-17, 3:1-5, and 4:1-11) pausing to ask the following questions:
  • Why do you think Jonah ran away?
  • Did God's command to him change between chapter 1 and chapter 3? What does this tell us about the word of God?
  • Does the prophet seem happy when the Ninevites repent?
  • How angry is Jonah about these outsiders being spared? (Several times he shows that he prefers death to God saving the Assyrians!)
  • How should we view those outside the church?

Key verses:

• Jonah 1:3 – Jonah evades his orders to preach to the Gentiles.
• Jonah 1:12 – He would rather die than take the message to the Assyrians.
• Jonah 2:8 – Jonah (hypocritically) looks down his nose at the pagans. He is happy to receive God’s grace, but is unwilling for God to extend his grace to others.
• Jonah 4:1 – Jonah is very upset that God has forgiven the Ninevites. He would rather die (4:3, 4:8, 4:9)!
• Jonah 4:11 – But God cares about all people, even the Gentiles.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Hebrew: 'Amos (Amos) – “borne, burden." 7x in Amos

Further study:

• Passages read or referred to in this podcast:
  • Amos 1:1, 7:10-17, 7:1-9; Jeremiah 37; Galatians 1; Amos 3:8; 1 Corinthians 9; Jeremiah 20:9; Amos 7:1-9.
  • Amos 2:6-7a, 3:2-8, 4:1-2, 5:14, 4:12, 5:18-24, Micah 6:8, 6:1-6, 8:4-6, 8:9-12, 9:7-8, 9:13-14a.
• Advanced:
  • Consider Amos 9:11, which is cited during the Jerusalem Council (49 AD). The passage prophesied that once the fallen tent of David (the Tabernacle) was restored, the Gentile mission will flourish. James (Acts 15:16) explains the success of the Gentile mission in light of this passage. In other words -- and on this point I come into disagreement with many scholars -- by the time of Acts 15, the "restoration" of Israel had already taken place (through the ministry of the first century leaders). As a result, the Gentiles mission was underway.
  • PowerPoint presentation from Sunday School at Angelfire. Click here.
  • If you want to be challenged by some great historical fiction, checkout Francine Rivers’ The Prophet.
• Be sure to check out the Amos series (premium subscribers) at this website. 13 lessons in all, going in detail through all 9 chapters of Amos.

Some things we learn about God:

• When we ignore God’s warnings, he punishes us. Yet the judgment is followed by blessing.
• God works among the nations, and cares for all of them (1:3-2:6, 6:2, 9:7, etc).

For kids: Here is a lesson based on Amos 8:11-12 (hunger for the word).

• Read the passage.
• Ask the kids:
  • Are you hungry?
  • If yes, for what? If not, what would you really want if you were hungry?
  • What's “famine”? (Define.) How do people behave when they’re veryhungry? (Desperate, will eat anything. Share about some of the famines – esp. sieges – of the Old Testament.)
  • But what do people really need to “eat”? The word of God. Eating it means they digest it; it becomes part of them. “You are what you eat.”
• Explain that, in Amos’ day, people needed the word of God, but they weren’t getting it. There was lots of religion, but not much “meat.”
• Take a minute or two to bring this principle to life. Ask:
  • How do you feel after eating a light meal? (Give some examples.) You’d be hungry again in a half-hour!
  • In contract, what sorts of things are in a filling, nutritious dinner?
  • How do we “eat” the word of God? What can I do every day to make sure I am eating right?
    • Take time to read the Bible.
    • Don’t just wolf it down – eating without thinking. (Does your dog give a lot of thought to the food it is eating? We shouldn’t be like that when we study God’s word.) Think about what you are taking in.
• Even though the prophet Amos spoke 2800 years ago, the message is still for today.
  • There is a famine for the word.
  • People aren’t finding the word of God.
    • They are wandering around looking for the truth.
    • Yet a lot people who are wandering around prefer not to find the truth.
  • But there is a great banquet prepared for us and everybody else. This is good news.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas' website.

Hebrew words:

• Hoshea’ (Hosea) – salvation. 3x in Hosea, 1x in Romans.
• Gomer (Gomer) – possibly "complete" (possibly completion of ripeness) or "vanishing." 1x in the Bible.

Yizre’el (Jezreel) – “God scatters”

Lo’-ruchamah (Lo-Ruhamah)– “Not pitied”

Lo’-‘ammi – (Lo-Ammi) “Not my people”

Further study:

• Cited in this podcast:
  • James 4:4; Hosea 5:4, 14-15; 6:1-6; 7:13b
  • Hosea 1:2-10
  • Hosea 2:13 (Jeremiah 2:32); 3:1-5; 4:6 and 8:12
• Scriptures equating spiritual unfaithfulness with adultery: Deuteronomy 32:15, Isaiah 1:21, Jeremiah 3:1, 5:7, 13, etc; Ezekiel 6, 16, 23; Matthew 16:4; Mark 10:11; James 4:4.
• Passages on a divorced woman not returning to her husband Deuteronomy 24:1-4, Jeremiah 3:1, Hosea 3:1.
• God seeks reconciliation 5x in the flow of Hosea: 1:10-2:1, 2:14-23, 3:1-5, 11:8-11, 14:1-7.
• For a couple of questions arising from the book, click on Hosea 1:4 and Hosea 6:2.
• Study the New Testament citations: 1:10 in Romans 9:26; 2:23 in Romans 9:25; 6:6 in Matthew 9:13, 12:7; 10:8 in Luke 23:30; 10:12 in 2 Corinthians 9:10, Hebrews 12:11; 11:1 in Matthew 2:15; 13:4 in 1 Corinthians 15:55; 12:7 in Revelation 3:17; 14:2 in Hebrews 13:5.

Some things we learn about God:

• God’s love for us is unfathomable.
• Our relationship with God is jeopardized by our forgetfulness and ingratitude.
• When we are spiritually unfaithful, God feels the pain of a husband hurt by an adulterous wife.
• God leaves the door open; there is always a chance for repentance, provided we are willing.

For kids (two ideas):

1. Explore the concept of faithfulness for children: What is faithfulness? Discuss how faithfulness builds and protects relationships.
What would be faithful acts in their friendships, (sibling relationships, etc)? Unfaithful acts? Discuss how unfaithfulness hurts friendships. Have they ever been hurt by a friend, brother or sister? How did they react?

Share about Hosea and how he was hurt by unfaithfulness. How did he react? What did God tell him to do? God uses Hosea to help us get a picture of how unfaithfulness hurts our friendship with God, and how great God's love and grace are to forgive us.

How can we show faithfulness to God? How can we show forgiveness like God?

2. Check out the lesson from www.eBibleTeacher.com.

Key verses:

• Hosea 1:2 – The prophet is to marry a woman who will be unfaithful to him.
• Hosea 3:1 – The people of God can start over again.
• Hosea 4:4 – The people of God are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
• Hosea 6:6 – The Lord looks for mercy, not sacrifice.

Next lesson: Amos, the penultimate podcast in the series.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Hebrew words:

Daniel:
Daniyy’el (Daniel) -- "God is my judge." 79x in the Bible.
Dan'el (Danel) -- "God is judge." Alternate spelling.
Daniel's companions:
Chananya or Chanyahu (Hananiah) – God has been gracious.
Misha’el (Mishael) – Who is what God is?
‘Azaryah or ‘Azaryahu (Azariah) – God has helped

Further study:

• Passages covered in this podcast: Daniel 1:1-8, 2:27-28,37-38, 4:19-22, 4:25-27, 5:22-30, 6:1-5, 10:16-17.
• About Daniel's reverence and humility in the presence of the divine: Daniel 7:15,28; 8:17-25,27; 10:8-11,16-19.
• Even more:
  • Were Daniel and his three friends eunuchs? Click here for the answer.
  • Notice the parallels between Daniel 5 and the apocryphal see 3 Maccabees 4.
  • See the references to Daniel in Ezekiel 14:14,20 and 28:3. (Presumably they refer to the canonical individual, though Ezekiel and Daniel were contemporaries.)
  • Advanced: The Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 30: Daniel (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1989).

Some things we learn about God:

• God will be with us, even though we live and move amidst a culture hostile to the way of truth.
• God alone is the worthy object of our worship.
• He moves in the life of the one who prays.
• God honors the person who honors him. See 1 Samuel 2:30.

For kids: Take a look at the lessons in Gardens of Praise. Here you will find two lessons that relate to our character. Included are notes, tests, and songs.

• Three Brave Boys
• Brave Daniel

Key verses:

• Daniel 1:8 – Determined to resist pagan culture
• Daniel 4:27 – Speaks truth to power
• Daniel 6:4 – Neither corrupt nor negligent

Next lesson: Hosea & Gomer

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Hebrew words:

• Yehezqe’l (Ezekiel) -- "God will strengthen"
• Only 2x in the O.T. (in the book of Ezekiel)

Further study:

• Passages referred to in this podcast: Ezekiel 2, 3, 4, 24, 33 (18)
• Further material:
  • Ezekiel 34: Messianic prophecy
  • Ezekiel 26: Tyre
  • Ezekiel 16: Allegory
  • Ezekiel 47: John 7
  • Ezekiel 36: Free Will
  • Ezekiel 38: Gog & Magog
  • For more on one of the literary types used in Ezekiel, apocalyptic, see my article on Armageddon.

Some things we learn about God:

• The Lord works through us powerfully when we imbibe, ingest, and incorporate the word of God into our own lives.
• He goes to great lengths to get our attention – sometimes in dramatic, colorful, even drastic ways.

For kids: Please see the useful lesson at Bible Study Planet.

Passages

Ezekiel 2 – Overwhelmed by the prophetic burden.

Ezekiel 3 – Has to keep on preaching, no matter what.

Ezekiel 4 – dramatization of siege of Jerusalem.

Ezekiel 16 -- Allegory of unfaithful Israel (see also chapter 23).

Ezekiel 24 – Subordinated emotions to the will of God.

Ezekiel 33 – Not to be drawn into his own personality cult.

Next lesson: Daniel

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Hebrew words:

• Yirmeyah or Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah)
• 145x in the O.T.  Note: 5 additional Jeremiahs in the O.T.
• Barukh (Baruch) --  Blessed. Jeremiah’s assistant. 23x in the O.T.

Further study:

• Jeremiah 1:1-3,6-9,17-19; 6:10-16; 7:1-5; 23:25-26.
• Passages on Baruch in Jeremiah 32, 36, 43, 45.
• Opposition to Jeremiah 36, 37, 38, 39.
• His questioning of God’s justice (Jeremiah 12:1ff)—yet delivering the message all the same (Jeremiah 20:7-9).
• Weeping in Jeremiah: 9:1,10,18, 13:17, 14:17 (also 22:10, 25:34, 31:9,15-16, 41:6, 48:5,31-32, 50:4, Lamentations 1:2,16, 2:18, 3:48);  cp. Psalm 119:136.
• See the fascinating and well-done teach series by Andrew Kitchen. Click here.
• Advanced:
  • For an interesting follow-on study, check out Lamentations: Who Will Weep With Me?
  • Do you know the meaning of the word jeremiad? If not, click here.

Some things we learn about God:

• He is with us when we take a stand and speak out -- for his cause and righteousness.
• Intellectual and emotional honesty, even when they entail negative thoughts, never stopped people from being used by God. In fact, the Lord will use us all the more when we are truthful.
• His prophets will be opposed by the world’s prophets. The fact that worldly prophets are in the majority in no way alters the truths of God’s word.
• He wants us to stand for the truth no matter what.
  • Jeremiah did so for 40 years.
  • The people ultimately rejected his message, and disaster fell on Jerusalem and Judah.
  • If we read this high-impact book of prophecy, and breathe deeply its eternal principles, we too can be used by God.

For kids: See the lessons on Jeremiah at Bible Study Planet.

Key verses:

• Jeremiah 1:5 – Called by God to take his word to the nations.
• Jeremiah 12:1ff – Questions God’s justice (also 20:7-9).
• Jeremiah 15:16 – Jeremiah accepted and rejoiced in the words of God.
• Jeremiah 36 – Jeremiah sends the word to king Jehoiakim, even though the hard-hearted monarch is unwilling to listen.
• Jeremiah 38 – Thrown into a cistern.

Next lesson: Ezekiel

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Hebrew words:

• Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) Salvation of Yah(weh). 32x in the O.T., 22x in the N.T.

Qadosh -- holy. Over 60x in Isaiah alone.

Shear-Yashuv – "A remnant will return" (one of Isaiah's sons)

• Maher-shalal-chash-baz – "Quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil" (literally, "swift booty, speedy prey")
• 'Immanu'El (Immanuel) -- "With us God"

Further study:

• This lesson covered Isaiah 6:1-8, 20:1-6; and referred to in passing: 7, 37-39; 1 Corinthians 15:10; Titus 2:11-14; 2 Samuel 6:22.
• Can you find the 57 citations of Isaiah in the New Testament?
• Some of the Isaianic passages suggesting God's goodness and grace:
  • 25:6 -- rich banquet
  • 27:6 – fruitfulness
  • 44:3 – outpoured Spirit
  • 44:22 – removal of sin like vanishing cloud
  • 49:15 – comparison to a mother
  • 49:16 – engraving our names on the palms of his hands
  • 30:18 – He longs to be gracious.
• Sources for the martyrdom of Isaiah, during the reign of Manasseh: the Mishnah, Justin Martyr, Ascension of Isaiah, Epiphanius; see also Hebrews 11:37.
• Isaiah certainly does not appear to be sole author. Isaiah 8:16 suggests that his disciples were also involved in the writing down of these divine messages. A parallel is found in Jeremiah 36:4 and 32. For more about the authorship of Isaiah, click here.
• Get a copy of Abraham J. Heschel's stimulating book, The Prophets (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1962).
• Among the Dead Sea Scrolls, there are 19 manuscripts of Isaiah. The most complete and best preserved is 1QIsa.

Some things we learn about God:

• God is glorious, awesome, holy.
• His presence is overwhelming, even terrifying.
• Those he touches and cleanses He sends to carry his message.
• He longs to be gracious to us.

For kids:

• Begin with Hebrews 11:37. Explain that the Jews believe that this is referring to death of Isaiah. Isaiah was very courageous, and obeyed God even when many others were disobeying him. What did the prophet Isaiah say that made people want to kill him?
• The book of Isaiah is very long; it has 66 chapters. Let's look at part of chapter 1. Read Isaiah 1:2-3, 11-19, about God's rebellious children, and ask some age-appropriate questions.
  • Explain that Isaiah preached to the people that they needed to obey!
    • Read v.2 -- Adults can be rebellious too, not just children. How do people rebel and disobey God? What have you seen?
    • Examples: being selfish, cheating at school, stealing, getting hooked on drugs, ruining the environment, trashing other people, being rude...
  • Talk about your pets, or about animals familiar from cartoons or movies. Which one is the smartest?
    • Read v.3. -- Sometimes animals are smarter than humans!
    • When are grown-ups not so smart?
  • Take turns pretending to pray sing a church song (have fun!), pretendingto pray (a fake prayer), pretending to preach.
    • Vv. 11-15 -- Does God need our "sacrifices"? What can we do, or what do we have, that he needs?
    • Does he care if we are only pretending to believe, if we aren't living any different than people who don't believe? Does the Lord only want us to go to church? How does he feel about people who only talk about faith, but don't put it into practice?
  • What's the dirtiest you've ever been? How did it feel? How long did it take to get clean? How do we feel when someone else near us is very dirty?
    • V.16,18 -- We all need to be washed.
    • Why do you think the Lord wants us to be clean?
    • What makes us dirty, spiritually? (What we do, say, think...)
    • Read v.17 -- What does the Lord expect us to do? (To care about others...)
  • How can we be different? What kind of people is God looking for to be with him in heaven -- and even on earth?
    • V.18 -- God wants us to be reasonable. To use our heads. We may not get all 'A's in school, but all of us can become wise if we study God's word.
    • V.19 -- The goal is to be willing and obedient... Not just pretend. Am I obedient? Do I do it just because I have to, or because I want to? What am I like when my parents aren't looking, or the teacher is out of the room?
• Turn on a flashlight, and shine it straight into each person's eyes.
  • A lot of people didn't want Isaiah preaching to them like this. He was sort of shining a light on their lives.
  • How do you feel when the light is in your eyes? Can you imagine it ever making anyone angry? Isaiah made people angry, even though he was a humble man.
  • End with prayer, everyone taking part. Ask God for wisdom, the right heart, and lives that please him.

Key verses:

• Isaiah 6:8 -- "Here am I. Send me!"
• Isaiah 20:3 -- For three years, Isaiah dresses like a slave, in order to dramatize captivity by the oppressor -- the futility of trusting in man.
• Hebrews 11:37 -- Tradition of Isaiah's martyrdom.

Next lesson: Jeremiah.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Hebrew words:

• Chokhmah -- wisdom. (Ch as in loch, not as in chihuahua.)
• Iiwweleth -- folly. (There are other words for foolishness in Hebrew, but this is very common.)
• Peninim-- corals. The good wife is more precious than corals (Proverbs 31:10). Many versions say "rubies" or "jewels." The Greek (LXX) has "costly stones."

Further study:

• Our text: Proverbs 31:10-31
• Referred to:
  • "Lady Wisdom" in Proverbs 9:1-6,
  • Contrast her with "Lady Folly" in Proverbs 9:13-18.
• For an article on "working women," click here.
• Interestingly, there is no direct passage about the elder's wife in the New Testament, neither in the list of qualities in 1 Timothy 3 or Titus 1. Yet here is a description -- albeit idealized -- of the wife of the elder.
• For our book on parenting, which Vicki and I wrote in 2005 (second edition, 2007), click on Principle-Centered Parenting (formerly,The Quiver). If you would like the Spanish version, click on La Aljaba.

Some things we learn about God:

• God desires spiritual families. This is possible when parents choose to live by his wisdom.
• God builds happy families. This happens where there is respect for his will and his word.

For kids:

Read the poem (all 22 verses).

Focus on a few qualities of the woman. Ask the children what they saw or heard in this poem. Here are a some possibilities:

She has true character. What is the difference between character and personality? She is beautiful inside.

She is good with money. Children, are you responsible? Do you earn, spend, save, and give away money?

She is creative; she can make things.

She is kind. Do we give of ourselves without being asked? Are our words kind?

She is a hard worker. She doesn’t oversleep, but gives her time to God and others.

She is supportive of her husband.

She fears God.

She teaches others the wisdom of God.

Her beauty comes from within. For girls, talk about cosmetics commercials, movie stars, 1 Peter 3:4-5. Can they name one "star" who has a sad, mixed-up life? How can we become women of character, service, responsibility, joy, and so on?

She receives praise, though she was not looking for it. What she did, she did out of a deep respect for God and her family. We get messed up when we are looking for praise, fame, or approval; God is the one we should please. Ask, Why do we do what we do?

Next, discuss what the man must be like.

He is a leader in the community. Explain what “the gate” meant in the ancient world.

He is an elder.

He trusts his wife, and respects her.

He allows her to accomplish many things, and is happy for her to have her own activities.

He is positive about her, and says nice things about her.

His support for his wife makes it easier for the children to be respectful.

He chose her for her inward qualities, not just for her good looks. Boys, are we attracted to girls because they are pretty or cute, or because of their heart?

What do we learn about her children?

They love and respect their mother.

They are well taken care of.

They have good parents.

They seem to have a happy home.

End by talking about the family atmosphere in the Proverbs 31 home, and pray together.

Key verses:

• Proverbs 31:10 -- She is the ideal woman, the ideal wife.
• Proverbs 31:23 -- Her husband is a virtuous person, too, and both respected and involved in his community.
• Proverbs 31:26 -- She speaks with wisdom -- embodies it. (Proverbs 9:1-6.)
• Proverbs 31:28 -- The husband/ children respect their wife / mother.
• Proverbs 31:30 -- Her beauty is internal, deep, spiritual. (See 1 Peter 3:1-5.)

Next lesson: Isaiah