Proverbs 31:23 “Her husband is known in the city’s gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.”
Lesson- When we read we see the relation between this verse and Proverbs 12:4 (Proverbs 12:4 - “A virtuous and worthy wife -earnest and strong in character - is a crowning joy to her husband, but she who makes him ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.”) . Her husband is in a prominent position in their community and his name is well-known for good things, because she is a worthy wife her husband is able to be successful in what he does. So her conduct and the way she carries herself rubs off on him and is an important part of what allows him to do his work well. We each have a responsibility to care for one another, specifically in marriage the relation to one another is significant because it will reflect how well or not either one is doing because you are now one flesh and that can have a negative or positive effect on the marriage relationship as well. I’m reminded of 1 Peter 3:7 which says “Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as a delicate vessel, and with honor as fellow heirs of the gracious gift of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.”
So husbands treat your wives well and wives treat your husbands well. A key way to do this is for there to be order and for both parties to be submitted unto God which we see in Ephesians 5:21-24 (21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.)
Tip for Men- Make Christ your head and stay submitted unto him. We can only do right and well by one another fully when we treat one another the way God sees us. And men are called to love their wives as Christ loved the church so your model and example is Christ. If you are not following the way of Christ, no woman is obligated to be submitted unto you so don’t think you can act however you please and it’s the woman’s duty to stick around. No sir! Women are to submit to a man who’s submitted to Christ.
Tip for Women- I would also give the same advice as men to stay submitted to Christ. We cannot do right by our men when we’re not treating them according to God’s ways or seeing them rightly. And how we treat our men will be reflected in them. Even if we go back to verse 11 and 12 of Proverbs 31 we see that she has treated him well and now in this verse 23 we see him in an esteemed position, doing well in society. So women your influence goes beyond your household, but it does start there.
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