Excellent Wife

“An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.”

Judges 14:19   And he said to them,If you had not plowed with my heifer,you would not have found out my riddle.”And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty men of the town and took their spoil and gave the garments to those who had told the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father’s house. And Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.

Ruth 3:9  And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” And he said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich.

Proverbs 12:4
An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.
The thoughts of the righteous are just;
the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.

Proverbs 31:10
An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.

Samson went to marry his foreign bride.  During the 7 day feast he made a bet with 30 of the men from the city about solving a riddle.  His wife had little choice – find out the answer to the riddle or you and your fathers house will all burn.  In the end her and her family were all killed however not at this time.   I am reminded of what is said in Proverbs – “An excellent wife is hard to find” – “An excellent wife is a precious jewel” – “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband”.  I wonder how many times I don’t see my wife as my crown, a precious jewel, and my blessing from God.  When our eyes are off of God and His blessings in our life we so easily lose sight of them.  A crown we would display proudly and wear it with confidence.  A precious jewel we would cherish and protect it with all our might.  A blessing we would live with a never ending thankful heart.

Think about what you put first before your wife.

Joy Set Before Him

who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross

Matthew 27:27
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God

Philippians 2:8
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,

Psalms 69:19
You know my reproach,
and my shame and my dishonor;
my foes are all known to you.
Reproaches have broken my heart,
so that I am in despair

Isaiah 53:3
He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions

The verse that always sticks in my head and heart is “for the joy set before Him he endured the cross”.  He could have called down a legion of angels but did not do it.  We are the joy He bore the cross for.  He knew our helpless state before a Holy God and chose to bare our sin so that trusting in Him and this sacrificial act we would be saved.  However it does not end there.  He also said that He would send us a helper (Holy Spirit) to speak to our heart and soul and lead us through this life in a way that honors and glorifies God.  How much do we truly endure for Him?  The absolute best we can give is our whole heart’s desire to live and obey His guidance everyday.