DAVID SIMPSON

Have you ever been on the outside, looking in, at school or work? I have.

You are not known, not needed, and are probably just ‘in the way’. Almost certainly you know you could do at least as well, if not better, than those actually involved, but you are not being given a chance. In fact, they are all getting on very well without you. Whatever it is that is going on, you have something to offer, but you are not needed. It hurts, doesn’t it?

There is not only pleasure, but there is security in being involved, isn’t there? But involvement in the Truth’s activities gives a greater feeling than that of pleasure or security. We are all in this together. And ‘this’ is CHRIST.

In Christ there is no ‘they’. It is ‘us’.

I appreciate that sometimes we have to have one person as a secretary, or a group to organise the catering, or one youth leader to make decisions; but there are two important points to remember:

1. The leader or committee is doing the job on behalf of Christ.

2. All of us are equal in the sight of God.

Sometimes it must happen that there is an expert in one field, and so that person is the obvious choice to take the lead. But have you ever thought how he or she became an expert? We all have to start somewhere. Even professionals were beginners yesterday, or the day before. And that is the whole point of this article. How do we start?

In Bible days yokes helped burdens to be halved. A servant could share between both shoulders the weight he had to carry. Two oxen could pull one plough. So Jesus advised his followers who felt heavy-laden that he could give them rest. If they took his yoke, and learnt of him, then they would find a tremendous strain lifted from their shoulders. He was meek, and lowly in heart. He did not mind whom he helped. In fact the disciple of Jesus soon realised that his old burden or responsibility had been replaced. No, he did not get away without doing anything. But the yoke of Jesus was easy, and the burden became light. It was a burden shared. “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows” (Isa. 53:4).

In Christ we have to do our bit. And when we look around the Brotherhood, I think you will agree with me that there are many bits to do.

Our responsibilities are two-directional. They are for ourselves, and for others in Christ. James says that pure religion means keeping ourselves unspotted from the world and helping those in need. We must look to ourselves and to others. Could I here just sound a note of caution, though. However far we look, when we are thinking of ‘getting involved’, or whoever we plan to visit when considering the “fatherless and widows” of James 1:27, we must be governed by Paul’s words: “let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10). Our responsibilities first and foremost are to Christ’s family; then, after that, we can turn our attention to outside the family.

Whatever your age or experience, there are always jobs to do in an ecclesia. In addition to other suggestions in this Special Issue, you can contribute by:

Teaching or helping in Sunday School

Leading CYC

Taxi driving for anyone in the meeting who needs it

Visiting the elderly, housebound, and parents of demanding babies

Hall cleaning

Odd jobs and gardening around the meeting room and at members’ homes

Reading to elderly members (Bible reading, and books and magazines)

Literature stamping and sorting

Organising ecclesial library and/or bookstall

Saving stamps for CBM

Helping Recording Brother with correspondence

Leaflet distribution

Flower arranging.

Then, in the interecclesial world:

Isolation League Sunday School teaching

Bible Mission correspondence (teaching the Truth by post overseas)

Campaign work

Correspondence with lonely or isolated brethren and sisters

Helping small ecclesias (supporting, presiding, speaking, etc.).

Attending fraternals, youth gatherings

Offering to work in the Home and Hospital, Homes, etc.

Regularly visiting one of the Homes if you live near enough.

If you are a brother there are the very useful contributions in your own ecclesia of presiding, doorkeeping and speaking. When you have gained experience you can help other ecclesias too. Brethren and sisters should support every meeting arranged by their own ecclesia. Everyone should prepare for, and give generously to collections. Those with the ability should be prepared to play the organ.

Much of the ‘seen’ work of an ecclesia centres around presiding and speaking brethren. But from the long lists in the previous paragraphs it will be readily seen that platform work is only one part of the work of an ecclesia.

Let no one underestimate it, however. All too often our meetings suffer through lack of preparation, or dedication, by those privileged to lead their brethren and sisters in worship. Those of us whose names appear on ecclesial programmes could, by December, have had eleven months to choose our hymns if we preside; or two or three years (or more) to write a good exhortation if we have been asked to go speaking.

Preparation is essential if meetings are to be conducted in a reverent and Christlike manner. The president who flicks through a hymn book ten minutes before the meeting is due to start, to choose the only part of the service in which everyone unites to send praise to heaven, is hardly giving his best to God, or to his brothers and sisters.

As well as the formal side of our services, there is the informal or social side of being in the Truth. Knowing and understanding our fellow brothers and sisters is very important if we are going to weld together into a family unit. The New Testament has several figures of speech to illustrate the group of worshippers: Christ is the Head, and we are the body (Eph. 4:15,16); Christ is the Corner Stone, and we are the building (Eph. 2:20-22), for example.

If we are to fit together like bricks in a building, providing a pleasant and useful structure, then it is essential that we get on well with the bricks either side of us. If one of them is, to continue the analogy, feeling like falling out, then we can take some of the pressure off them and ensure the building remains intact. Permanent damage can be caused to the structure as a whole, and to one brick in particular, if a member becomes dislodged and drops out. “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2).

The human body is another excellent example of the way members of the ecclesia work together. Bones, joints, sinews and even finger nails all contribute towards the effectual working of every part, so that, as Paul says, the body edifies itself in love (Eph. 4:16). We often do not acknowledge how dependent we are on a thumb, or a knee, until that part is incapacitated. Then we perhaps stop taking it so much for granted.

So it is in the ecclesia. We did not realise how much that elderly sister did until she went into hospital, and then things did not get done, or the kind word of thanks or appreciation was not said. There is surely a lesson there for everyone to make an effort to encourage all the other members; we are all in this together, are we not?

Another word of warning though, if I may. Analogies are good, but must not be taken too far. If we think of ecclesial members as the parts of a body, we could take it to the extreme where someone represents the index finger. Vital for tying shoelaces, very helpful when using a knife and fork, but never given the chance to develop a mouth and to speak a word in season.

We should guard against putting people into pigeonholes, and therefore allocating certain jobs to certain people all the time. To look at it from a personal point of view, while we are bound to have preferences and enjoy (and possibly be better at) one part of the Truth’s work more than another, we should not say, “My job is playing the organ, and that is all I am going to do”.

I would suggest that if we are to learn to bear Christ’s yoke, and to love him, we must learn to love each other. But we cannot completely love someone whom we do not know. So a part of our learning must be learning about the brothers and sisters and young people with whom we regularly worship.

First, we should encourage those we talk to before and after the meeting to discuss Scriptural things. It is easier than perhaps you think. Try: “I found a smashing idea in the Readings the other night . . .”; or: “Could you just spare me a minute please? Do you know where it says . . .?”; or: “Isn’t God great making a flower as wonderful as this one?”; or: “What did you make about that item on the news last night? Why does God allow such things to happen?”; or, at the end of a meeting: “I had never noticed that point before, about . . .”. What about adding more ideas to this list? Then try some of them out.

Secondly, there is the social side of brethren and sisters and young people’s lives. If we have found it difficult in the past to start conversations, or felt ill at ease in the company of those who, like us, are learning to bear Christ’s yoke, we could target one or two and really make an effort to get to know them. Possibly we could:

Visit their homes

Be interested in their work and hobbies

Enquire about the health of their relatives

Show an interest in their outings and holidays

Follow their children’s progress

Ask them to accompany us to do the readings with someone else

Suggest travelling with them to a fraternal or youth gathering.

Most ecclesias hold one or two special activities each year when they invite members of other meetings to join them. These are excellent opportunities for us to get to know brothers and sisters in other ecclesias, and to begin to realise that we belong to a much wider Brotherhood than that which appears on our own ecclesial register.

The first time we go to a new or bigger gathering, we are bound to feel shy. But on our next visit we can find someone whom we remember seeing or talking to last time, and start a conversation on that basis. Most of us know members (or often are related to members) of other ecclesias, and so our conversations, and eventually our circle of friends, will increase.

Not ignoring the most obvious point, that by visiting other gatherings we gain from the spiritual food which we receive from the Bible studies, we gain also in the following ways:

a. meet more of Christ’s brethren and sisters, and so enlarge our spiritual family

b. encourage those who have arranged the fraternal by supporting their efforts

c. possibly find more ways of serving the Lord

d. discover more possibilities of finding a friend or a partner.

And please let me emphasise the importance of that last comment, in addition to what has been said already in the previous article “Walking Together”. When we are young, or new to the Truth, it might appear that our chances of finding a marriage partner are rather slim. That is not so. For those willing to make an effort, and to visit fraternals, youth gatherings, and conferences, we can find literally hundreds of young people like ourselves who are willing to be friends.

But again, a warning note. We should not dash off all over the country every weekend, and ignore our own ecclesia. If we do, we seldom get a chance to participate in ecclesial life, and other young people who visit our meeting will conclude there are no young ones there, and possibly then also go off looking for young company.

Finally, let us try to think of the meeting to which we belong as our ‘Family in the Lord’.

We put in, and we take out. We can contribute and we can benefit. We teach in the Sunday School, but we learn from the experience and the knowledge of older brethren and sisters during the week. We sit down and we listen, but sometimes we get up and do or speak. We visit other ecclesias, but we bring our young friends back to our meeting too. We enjoy the cakes at the social evening, but we help with the washing-up.

In other words, we learn to work together. We bear the same yoke. “To do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Heb. 13:16).

JOAN LEWIS

A close look at the New Testament reveals a number of active, God-fearing women. Luke tells of one who “spake of [Messiah] to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem” (2:38); Mark implies that women were the last to leave Golgotha (15:47); John says that they were the first to reach the tomb (20:1); and in Matthew we read that women were the first to proclaim the resurrection (28:8). From Acts we learn of the women who joined with the apostles at the first meeting of the early church (1:14), and elsewhere we learn that women preached the word (Jno. 4:29), taught it (Acts 18:26), served the church (Rom. 16:1), and were considered by Paul to be fellow workers (Rom. 16:3,6,12; Phil. 4:3).

Surely today’s ecclesia is the same: the brethren take a leading role in worship and public preaching, while numerous ecclesial activities are conducted by brethren and sisters together. The ecclesia is not merely the place where the faithful gather for a few hours each week, but the name of Christ’s ‘called out ones’ who have to live and work in the world (with the problems that creates) for most of the time. So, although a sister is not actively involved in leading worship, she has more than enough to do in the ecclesia.

To consider the sister’s role in ‘bearing the yoke’ we need to look at the spiritual and practical ways she carries out her varied ecclesial activities.

Woman’s nature and her life’s experiences specially fit her for ministering (a word generally meaning ‘to serve’). Pregnancy teaches her about restriction, so that she more readily understands aspects of ageing such as tiredness and forgetfulness; she develops patience with those suffering permanently in this way. When she gives up work to care for a family, a woman learns acceptance of the physical and mental restraints children bring, while she faces what most men will not experience until retirement: society’s attitude that a non-working person has no place in this materialistic world. If she was used to a busy working environment she may have to learn to cope with a life devoid of much human contact.

Also, it is often to the woman that the responsibility comes for sick and ageing relatives, which can prove a long trial of faith.

So a sister’s sensitivity to and awareness of others develops in a different way from that of most brethren, experience she can positively use in the service of the ecclesia. She learns that people, not things, matter, and she recognises that behind a bright smile a wretched heart may hide, that confident words and a serene ‘Sunday face’ may belie a crushed soul. In his provision for his ecclesia the Lord has enabled a sister to empathise as much as sympathise with the lives of her brethren and sisters, whatever their age, in a special way.

Whereas a brother’s life of employment, ecclesia and family follows much the same pattern throughout his working life, that of a sister is not so straightforward, moving through a number of phases:

1. She is single;

2. She is married and joins her husband in ecclesial activities;

3. She has children and is less able to join so fully in ecclesial life;

4. Her children are grown up and self-sufficient; perhaps away completely. Life has turned full circle and both husband and wife are able to do things together once more.

Each of these periods has its positive aspects for both the sister and the ecclesia. These stages will be looked at to see how, throughout each, the yoke of discipleship can best be carried. The points relating to 1 and 4 above are combined since these two areas have some common ground.

After a sister is baptized she should try to involve herself in something positive in ecclesial life. Whatever that is—Sunday School, CYC, visiting— it needs to be done faithfully, seeing the task as a commitment, and not a whim to be taken and left at will.

Young people need and want to meet others, and the rich variety of activities the Brotherhood provides makes this possible. However, the desire to attend everything on offer must be tempered with the knowledge that baptism signifies a dedication to the service of Christ and so to the care of one’s own ecclesia. A young sister should also pay attention to her own spiritual development; this is a period when, without any ties, she can acquire a good Biblical knowledge, aided by some of the Brotherhood’s literature. This will give her an oasis to draw from later when time is scarce and opportunities for reading fewer. Regular attendance at Bible Class and Sunday meetings will develop a sister’s interest in all members of the ecclesia, and increase her awareness of those outside her own age group.

Not all sisters marry, nor do all have children, and there are many, unencumbered by a family themselves, who play an important part in the spiritual growth of young brethren and sisters. Their God-given freedom is also used in caring for the elderly to an extent not possible for those with family ties. Some use their time to increase their knowledge of the Scriptures, holding studies for other sisters and interested friends.

A married sister whose family has grown is in a similar position. Free of previous responsibilities, she can draw on her experience, instructing the young in Sunday School or in preparation for baptism. She is able conscientiously to obey the Lord’s command to “pray one for another”, bearing in mind how effective fervent prayer can be (Jas. 5:16). On an individual basis, or by means of a class, she can guide the younger women (Tit. 2:3-5), and can replace the new silence of her home with the voices of other young people from the ecclesia, possibly those away from home themselves (Ps. 68:6).

All have their part to play in the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12), and some specific activities in which sisters can be involved are outlined below, remembering that all ecclesial work is a spiritual activity. Whether arranging chairs, hall cleaning or preparing a fraternal tea, the ultimate concern is the spiritual wellbeing of brethren and sisters, and this necessitates the same dedication as other duties. In this way the petty words and actions that occasionally threaten ecclesial harmony (Phil. 4:2) can be avoided.

Most brethren and sisters are pleased to see others during the week, whether mothers with young children or those living alone. James tells us that “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction . . .” (1:27). Such a positive commandment cannot be ignored, and all should try regularly to visit someone who would benefit.

Most ecclesias have a number of brethren and sisters like this, but with the best will in the world we cannot see everybody. Prayerful consideration will make evident those it would be best to call on. A regular (even if monthly) commitment is preferable to an initial zeal that quickly peters into nothing at all. When a personal visit is not possible an effort should be made to maintain contact by letter or telephone. Visits should be upbuilding, especially if the brother or sister does not often attend the meeting; passing on ecclesial problems which are of no concern to that individual is unhelpful and likely to take on a perspective for them far beyond its actual dimensions. Discussing a recent Bible Class or doing a Bible reading is altogether more positive.

A sister can contribute to the work of an ecclesial committee (for example, Bible Class, preaching, pastoral care) and, because she may have more regular day-to-day contact with brethren and sisters, she is able to add their thoughts and ideas to any subject under discussion.

There are some in other countries for whom the only opportunity of learning the Truth will be through the CBM Correspondence Course. This is one of the opportunities a sister has to teach the Truth to others (Acts 18:26), although fear of over-commitment deters some from volunteering (and for similar work, like Isolation League). Offering a little help is preferable to nothing at all, and it is something worthwhile a sister can do if she is at home a great deal.

Many sisters have an extraordinary patience and understanding with the young, and, when we remember that God has so designed it that women have almost complete influence over a child in its formative years (1 Sam. 1:24; Lk. 2:51), it would seem that the teaching of the younger children at least should fall to the sisters. The importance of this work can be testified by anyone who learnt the Truth later in life and who will probably admit to embarrassing gaps in their knowledge and understanding which the youngest Sunday School child knows perfectly. Giving a good foundation in the early years is a Divine command (Deut. 6:7; Prov. 22:6; Isa. 28:9,10; 2 Tim. 3:15), and providing it is surely a privilege.

Catering for large crowds is not for the fainthearted, but most are able to contribute in some way when there is an ecclesial gathering, remembering that, essentially, only “one thing is needful” (Lk. 10:42). For some reason the kitchen is where the flesh seems to war most fervently against the spirit, so when it comes to how things are done it is appropriate to remember Paul’s words to the ecclesia at Philippi: “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (2:3); and to Titus: “the . . . women should be reverent in their behavior, should not make unfounded complaints . . . should be examples of the good life . . . a good advertisement for the Christian faith” (Tit. 2:3-5, J. B. Phillips).

In most ecclesias the preparation of the table on a Sunday morning or afternoon is done by sisters, a duty we do not perhaps give much thought to. When preparing the emblems a sister can try to recall the spirit that may have prevailed in the upper room that Passover night, remembering the purpose for which Jesus and his disciples broke bread and drank wine then. Placing the cloth over the emblems, “the hidden manna” (Rev. 2:17) can be considered, soon to be revealed for our salvation. This small service can be used in this way as part of our own preparation for receiving the tokens of Jesus’s life and death.

Serving the Lord and his ecclesia is the foundation of a good marriage, and a newly married couple should begin their life together in the way they mean to go on. As woman is the natural homemaker it is usually her influence which affects decoration and furnishing; and she has to see that the new home does not reflect the aspirations of her worldly contemporaries, resigning herself to the fact that an accumulation of ironing and dust are the hallmark of those in service to their Lord.

The doors of her new home will be open to brethren and sisters, whatever its condition, preferring fellowship to apple-pie order. The home on Sundays will as often as possible be shared with others, not always depending on parents for lunch (Gen. 2:24; 1 Pet. 4:9).

A married sister has an added responsibility in that, beside her own activities, she now shares and supports her husband in his. The remainder of this section outlines some of the ways she can do this.

Giving her husband time to fulfil his ecclesial responsibilities is important. A sister cannot expect the same help her counterparts in the world might receive from their spouses, having to concede that sometimes only a bare minimum of household jobs can be done in order to fulfil ecclesial commitments. Occasionally she may have to save some burning issue until later while her husband’s attention is occupied with ecclesial matters.

A tactful sister will not trouble her husband with things of little importance when he is preparing for a presiding or speaking appointment, nor hurry him home from an ecclesial duty. (A doorkeeper with an eye on the clock and keys at the ready does not encourage his brethren and sisters to fulfil the commandment to assemble themselves together; Heb. 10:25.)

Neglect of duty, large or small, shows an unloving spirit towards the ecclesia; so, whether a brother is preparing an exhortation or arranging the hall for a meeting, a sister should make sure her husband is free to do it well.

“This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work” (1 Tim. 3:1).

The failure to be elected onto an ecclesial committee can make a brother feel frustrated and rejected, believing that the ecclesia does not wish to use his abilities. Paul’s advice to Timothy was: “Let them serve a period of probation first, and only serve as deacons if they prove satisfactory” (1 Tim. 3:10, J. B. Phillips). A sister can help a brother who feels this way by encouraging him to perform conscientiously the probationary jobs he is given, since whoever is not reliable in ‘minor’ offices is unlikely to be considered for others.

The woman’s secondary role is viewed by some as a reason for passivity, doing little but stoically assenting to whatever her husband says or does. A sister has to use her God-given common sense and intuition to intervene (in the spirit of Titus 2:3) when necessary, following some Biblical examples: 1 Samuel 25:23,24; Judges 4:18ff.; Esther 5:2.

For instance, a young brother, carried on a wave of enthusiasm with a new idea for the ecclesia, can be surprised at the lack of reciprocal feeling from his meeting. The plans founder, followed by deflation and bitterness. The brother has probably not read feelings, or assumed others would automatically share his eagerness. A thoughtful wife can assess the sensitivities of the ecclesia, even if her husband cannot, and encourage him to listen as well as explain his plans, so saving misunderstanding and wasted effort.

On the other hand, there are unfortunately some who will not move from the straightjacket of firmly held, but not Scriptural, views, whoever suggests something new. Jesus encountered such every day, and as we share the yoke with him the burden must be coped with as cheerfully as is humanly possible. Besides, it can be put down to experience, and the resolution made never to become like that oneself.

If there are shortcomings in the way a brother, for instance, reads or presides it is his wife who must mention the fault and help correct it. Two small points may help:

1. Many brethren have one or two idiosyncrasies that can reasonably continue ad infinitum. If it is not important do not mention it.

2. If it must be said then recall the words of Jesus through John to the churches: “I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience [the praise] . . . Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee . . . [the problem]” (Rev. 2:2,4).

Remember, too, how Paul was always first positive to those whom he had to correct.

A sister should cultivate an interest in what her husband is doing (and vice versa). Some partnerships exist where each has a quite independent role: the husband studies, his wife cares for domestic matters. There are perhaps a few too many with spring-clean homes but dusty minds.

As far as possible a sister should try to be up to date with what her husband is doing and be able to make some contribution, hopefully with some help in return. (Those whose partners do not readily volunteer information must ask!) A sister can deal with some of the letters and telephone calls necessary in ecclesial life, and where possible she can unobtrusively involve herself in her partner’s duties, such as greeting visitors when her husband is doorkeeping.

When children arrive ‘life as it was lived’ ceases. Meeting attendance is generally on an alternate basis, so that times for fellowship are halved. And, though a husband may make every effort for his wife to attend ecclesial activities, it can happen that she is the one who stays at home in the evenings more than her partner. This can be due to an ill child wanting only the comfort of its mother; or perhaps the brother is specifically needed for a speaking appointment; he may have to travel in the service of the ecclesia abroad. Whatever the reason, a sister sees more of the same four walls than ever before. Some might think they have been badly done by, but is that right?

It helps if a brother ensures that his absence is for genuine reasons and not just to avoid the responsibilities of a family (1 Tim. 5:8). Those who continue with a full programme, not considering wife or children, risk the spiritual health of all. Even so, a brother cannot stop completely, and what he does do inevitably takes him away from home.

If this situation creates feelings of dissatisfaction it should be remembered that many women in the world, without the hope of Israel, are ‘grass widows’ to husbands who hang-glide or pursue other worldly activities. At least a sister knows she is on her own for a good cause and should try to see it as a very small sacrifice. Many married sisters share this situation, and doubtless many wives have done so from the disciples’ time onwards. Any resentment would be hard to explain to those unmarried sisters who have never had the privilege of a partner in the Lord; and could any imagine the wives of Balthasar Hubmaier or Michael Sattler (The Protesters) lamenting that they were left alone while their husbands were active in the Lord’s service?

With so much to do physically there is a danger that a sister can ‘vegetate’ spiritually during this time. Salvation does not depend on whom one is married to, but on a personal relationship with our Lord. So everything possible has to be done “to make [our] calling and election sure” (2 Pet. 1:10). The time has to be found, however short, to read and meditate on the Word; a book in the car or kitchen, a magazine kept in the handbag, can mean that the odd spare minute is put to good use.

Even if a sister is unable to go out so frequently she can still enjoy the benefits of ‘an open house’. If the habit was established earlier visitors will not be in short supply now. So, even though a sister may not attend as many meetings as before, she still has fellowship.

Besides, if she can continue visiting the ecclesia’s elderly she herself will benefit. First, the visited person has the pleasure of seeing young children; secondly, the child learns about the ecclesia’s ‘extended family’; and finally, the sister herself, despite perhaps a major effort to get there, will enjoy the fellowship that follows.

When God created the earth He established an order, giving each created thing a purpose to fulfil (for example, Gen. 1:16). Together man and woman were given a commandment to rule the earth (Gen. 1:28), but the fall and resultant curse postponed its fulfilment until the Kingdom. Now is the time when the saints try to live the kind of life God originally asked of Adam and Eve, preparing themselves for the day of resurrection, when “they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven” (Mt. 22:30). As that day draws near we ought to comply as wholeheartedly as we can with the calling that the Lord has given to brothers and sisters in Christ.

Proverbs 31 describes the character of the ideal wife or mother. So wonderful are the characteristics of this woman, that sisters despair of ever being able to attain unto her standard, whilst brethren live in hope that they may find a wife that comes somewhere near the character described.

There is no doubt that The Virtuous Woman was no single personality, but the wise man’s estimation of the ideal woman; on account of which he elucidates the positive virtues of such a woman. It is equally true that the woman in question was not the ordinary housewife of today, but more the supervisor of a large household wherein she exercised control over her “maidens” (v. 15), who would assist in the daily tasks of such an house, making possible her achievements as described.

Sisters in today’s society must learn to cope almost single-handed in the daily round of household chores and need not despair if they cannot reach unto the ideal spoken of here. Even so, ideals are set that we may aspire to be like them. If sisters give up their attempts to emulate the virtues of this woman, there is little hope that they will ever aspire to be “like him” who is our heavenly bridegroom.

In order then that sisters may better understand the virtues set out in Proverbs 31, we list them under various headings and couch them in language more familiar to our generation.

Where among these virtues is there room for the demands of so-called Women’s liberation? Where indeed? All the virtues here listed are opposed to that degrading spectacle of women trying to ape the opposite sex, and achieving nothing more or less than that which Brother Thomas said would be the tragic result: “In proportion as they rise in assurance they sink in all that really adorns a Woman” .

Sisters who pattern their lives on the God-given ideal of Proverbs 31 will in no way feel degraded by their loving submission to their husbands, but will find in that subjection is the crowning fulfilment of God’s purpose with them. Indeed by their submission they will share the dominion allotted to the man in whom they lovingly and willingly lose their own identity. Again to quote Brother Thomas: “They will then rule in the hearts of their rulers, and so ameliorate their own subjection, as to convert it into a desirable sovereign obedience”.¹

A Sovereign Obedience. What a wonderful expression! Queens by their very submission, and so to be enthroned by their influence in the practice of humility. May the ideal set forth in Proverbs 31 have its fruit in the lives of sisters, by being translated into actions, so that it may be said of them: “Let her own works praise her in the gates” (Prov. 31:31).

* By John Martin. Published in Selah - a selection of meditations for sisters. Obtainable from P. D. Smith, 14 Lilac Avenue, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B74 3PH. Price £6.00 plus postage.

1. Elpis Israel, p. 122.