Introduction

Good day to all! We are here to study Proverbs 31. When I first started researching Proverbs, I had a goal: that everyone would become smarter by reading it. However, I realised that I myself was not smart enough. As I read, each chapter became more difficult. After weeks and weeks of struggling, I started to wonder if I was suitable to teach Proverbs. But it does not matter, let us learn together. So if I say anything wrong, please do not blindly follow me; it is best if you have your own views. Proverbs 31 speaks at length about a wife of noble character. If we connect this passage, it is not really about a wife of noble character. I think this chapter is about managing well the responsibilities God has entrusted to you. Whether you are a man, a woman, or anyone else, do not be a bird man. Once you become a bird man, you are in trouble.

One year, I went to view a property development. The boss's English was not very good, and he referred to the development as a bird man. Everyone knows that bird man is not a good term. Later, it was translated as flying bird guest. Whether flying bird guest or bird man guest, it is not a good thing. Why? Why would a person want to be a bird? It is strange that some people, having been born as humans with such difficulty, want to be animals. If they do not know that humans are the most honourable of all creatures, it is indeed a tragedy!

If you were to die, what would you want to be reincarnated as? Some say they want to be a pig. Pigs have food and drink, which is great! They eat, drink, and then sleep, only to be sent to the slaughterhouse. They only think of eating, drinking, sleeping, and resting, forgetting that pigs are sent to the slaughterhouse and roasted into suckling pigs. Some say they want to be birds, flying freely in the sky, which is wonderful! But there are many things that fly in the sky: mosquitoes, flies, cockroaches, and so on. It is better to be a human! Whatever kind of person you are, coming into this world means you are carrying a vocation given by God. The crucial matter is whether you can take on the responsibility God gives you.

God created man to live according to His purpose for creating man. Just as we build a car with the purpose of driving it, or create a computer or a handphone for people to use. If a handphone cannot make calls, a car cannot run, or a computer cannot connect to the internet and shows only a black screen when turned on, it is rotten and has not fulfilled the purpose for which it was created. Whether you are a king or a commoner, a man or a woman, when God created man, He had an idea of what that person should do. In fact, Chinese Mingding Destiny emphasises this point because the Book of Genesis begins with these things. **

Then God said, Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. (Genesis 1:26-28)

Have these managerial responsibilities changed from the time God created man until now? No. What are you doing in this world? Some sisters come into this world and do only one thing: watch their husbands all day long. She says that she had a dream last night that her husband ran away with another woman. Why? This is the result of thinking about it all day and dreaming about it at night. When she wakes up, her face is dark. When this sister scolds her husband, he does not even know what happened and has not even entered her dream. God's job for her is not to watch her husband, but to be a wife of noble character. It is disastrous to be a wife without virtue. There are many, many unvirtuous women in this world because they do not do what is right.

Whether man or woman, we must take on the responsibilities God has entrusted to us. God had a plan when He created man. You will know this when you read Genesis chapters 1 to 3. These three chapters are the foundation of the Bible and are timeless truths. Even in the New Testament, when Jesus came, did God change His mind? No. God still wants people to live prosperously, be fruitful and multiply, and govern the earth. Do you understand?

If we say a person has virtue, it means that he or she has taken on the responsibility he or she should bear. If she is a woman, it means that she has taken on the responsibility of being a woman; if he is a king, it means that he has taken on the responsibility of being a king; if he is a commoner, it means that he has taken on the responsibility of being a commoner. So let us also try to do this and take on the responsibilities that we should bear.

Let us read Proverbs 31. This passage is what King Lemuel's mother taught him. We think that a mother certainly sees her son as good and treasures him, so King Lemuel's mother will definitely teach him the best knowledge. Unlike some mothers among us, who do not know how to be mothers and just mess things up. As for who King Lemuel is and who King Lemuel's mother is, there are many different opinions and speculations because no one knows who King Lemuel is. So some people speculate that this King Lemuel is King Solomon, and Lemuel is likely to be the nickname his mother gave to King Solomon. Although we do not know what Lemuel means, because we do not understand Hebrew, we can know that what King Lemuel's mother taught her son is definitely very important.

Do not spend your energy on women

Do not spend your energy on women, on those who ruin kings. (Proverbs 31:3)

Some time ago, we had a child with depression come to us. We know that it is very painful for people to suffer from depression, so this child hates his mother very much because his mother does not know how to be a mother and just messes things up, so this child suffers from depression. Recently, his mother started messing things up again because she wanted him to get married, so she started helping him find a girlfriend, but King Lemuel's mother was not like this. She said to her son: Do not spend your energy on women!

If we read Proverbs 31 carefully, we can roughly deduce that this should be a dialogue between King Solomon and his mother, because the words are very wise, and this mother is Bathsheba. Although she was once Uriah's wife, she later became King David's wife and Solomon's mother. Moreover, Bathsheba's name was also recorded in Jesus' genealogy. David begot Solomon by Uriah's wife, and then continued to record Jesus' genealogy, which shows that Bathsheba was remarkable! The first thing this mother taught her son was: Do not spend your energy on women! If we carefully consider what she said, it is really interesting!

When Solomon was young, his mother Bathsheba taught Solomon to value the things of God, so this explains why Solomon discussed with his father how to build God's temple at a young age. This child's mind was full of the things of God, so who taught him this? In fact, it was Solomon's mother, Bathsheba. A child thinks like this, which is closely related to his mother, so I encourage the mothers among us to be virtuous mothers no matter what, and not to be unvirtuous women. So a virtuous mother like Bathsheba taught her child the first sentence: Do not spend your energy on women, because women know women very well, so the mother gave her son a suggestion, teaching him, hoping that he would walk the right path before God.

What can I say, my son? What can I say, son of my womb? What can I say, son of my vows? Do not spend your energy on women, on those who ruin kings. (Proverbs 31:2-3)

Do not look at her with coloured glasses, even if this person is Bathsheba, because Solomon later asked God to give him wisdom to govern the people of Israel, and this credit must be related to his mother Bathsheba. In fact, Solomon's mother, Bathsheba, also understood God's will very well, which is the theme of Genesis chapter 1: Let us manage the duties that God has entrusted to us. Therefore, do not spend a lot of time and energy on finding boyfriends and girlfriends. Some people get mental illnesses because of doing this.

Some time ago, I ministered to a girl with bipolar disorder, which was caused by having a boyfriend. People with bipolar disorder will talk nonsense and scream loudly. The things they say are very upsetting. She told others: So-and-so raped me. She even directly named the names of these wealthy children. As a result, her husband was very upset after hearing this. But this girl is like this because her heart is actually very dirty.

I think whether you are a man or a woman, do not put all your energy into these things, because God did not create you into a pig, a monkey, a dog, or a horse, nor into the wild cats that often appear here. When wild cats are in heat, they become very stupid. They make sounds like children outside the window, which are very disturbing. Someone asked me, teacher, what is this sound? Whose child is crying so miserably? I said, no, this is a cat in heat. Even a cat in heat is like this, so what if a person is in heat? When God created man, He did not create man like an animal. God did not create man to be in heat.

Therefore, we must understand what God created man to do, just like King Lemuel's mother, teaching her child to take on the responsibilities that God has given us. Do not put all your energy into women. God's purpose in creating man is not to have them do that all the time. That is not God's purpose in creating man. But in fact, many mothers think that their children must have this. I think that if a person can take on his destiny, whether he has this or not is not very important. People get upset when they are in heat. What I want to say here is that God's purpose in creating man is not to have people live like animals. Man is so noble. Man came into this world to fulfil God's mission for us.

Do not spend your energy on women, on those who ruin kings. (Proverbs 31:3)

How well said. If there are other behaviours that ruin kings, none are as ruinous as this. The key point here is do not give your energy to women.

It is not for kings, Lemuel—it is not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed, and deprive all who are oppressed of their rights. Let beer be for those who are perishing, wine for those who are in anguish; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more. (Proverbs 31:4-7)

In fact, drinking here means drinking to the point of forgetting your troubles, drinking too much. People should not be addicted to alcohol. In fact, being addicted to alcohol is very troublesome. People easily become confused when they are addicted to alcohol. Once they become confused, they forget God's laws and reverse the rights and wrongs of the poor. If a person caters to the flesh and focuses on eating and drinking, living like a pig, then will that person not become a pig's head? Then that person will definitely not be good, and his brain will definitely not work well.

Being gluttonous, fond of drinking, and lustful are not things that wise people do. So if you want to be a wise person, do not be driven by appetite and lust, otherwise you will be in trouble. I once ministered to a brother who could not live without women. One day, he quarrelled with his wife and was kicked out by her. Then he lived with his wife's best friend. His life was relatively chaotic. Later, I ministered to him and asked him, why are you doing this? He said, teacher, I am a man, I have this need! It can be seen that those who are gluttonous and lustful are not wise people.

The Duty of Kings

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. (Proverbs 31:8)

This is the duty of kings. We know that our God is the King of kings. So who are the kings? It is us; we are the kings. We are all kings established by Jesus, and we should fulfil the duty of kings. The duty of kings is to speak up for those who cannot defend themselves and plead for the rights of all who are lonely.

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. (Proverbs 31:9)

What we should do today is to set the captives free and release those who are oppressed. To break the bondage of men, remove the curses from them, and restore the glorious image in which God created them. This is our Mingding Destiny, not some drudgery, but the very purpose for which God created us. People need to have responsibility. A king should do what a king does, and a commoner should do what a commoner does. We must never say that it doesn't matter what we do, as long as I can go to heaven, even if it's just sweeping the floor there. Heaven is not short of sweepers. God can have a few little demons clean everything up spotlessly. There's no need to order a king to sweep the floor. In fact, God created man with great dignity. God created man to receive the title of prince and the position of king. But many people lack this dignity. In the end, they find all sorts of excuses to content themselves with very low positions.

If you are really sweeping there, and someone gives you a glance, glaring at you, you feel bad. Why did you glare at me? Why did you treat me like that? God created you to be a king, but you have degraded yourself to the lowest of the low. If you despise yourself so much, who else will respect you? Among us, I have a small request for everyone: take responsibility for your growth. We are eager for you to grow.

Later, I invented some terms, and I will repeat them for you today. Some people say: Teacher, I love the world very much. I say: You're dreaming! You're not even qualified to love the world. Someone says: Teacher, I'm very old horse. I say: You're dreaming! You're not even an old donkey, let alone an old horse. You're not qualified! Why? Because you can't do anything right. It's a miracle if you don't mess things up. It's not easy to avoid making mistakes!

So, you're always looking for trouble. I think you should hurry up and get a living license! Our 003 ministry includes the 101 course and Genesis. I say, hurry up and take a 003 course to get a living license. Otherwise, if you don't have a living license, how can you live! We call 003 the license of life, the treasure trove of living. If you are not qualified to love the world and not qualified to love God, what should you do? I have a small request: you must desire growth. When you are not qualified, I will teach you until you are qualified. If I teach you to be qualified to love the world, and you continue to love the world, I will wish you good luck. If I teach you to be qualified to love the world, but you choose not to love the world and then choose to love God, then you have a license this time, and you can choose to love God. Thank God!

Brothers and sisters, take responsibility for your own growth. We are developing a life software for you called the treasure trove of life, the license of life. Brothers and sisters must become smart and know why you came into this world. Studying is hard, but not studying is even harder! Therefore, I have invented many things. Some people can't learn programming no matter how hard they try, because their brains haven't been working well for so many years, and they still don't work very well now. Later, I invented a calculator. I only taught addition and subtraction, and everyone wrote it. Later, everyone did multiplication and division, which is pretty impressive! They started to be able to do it. What have you been doing all these years? Besides playing, you just played. Isn't that deadly?

Do you serve God? Yes, you also serve God, but serving is a little bit hard. So, brothers and sisters must know that the word Mingding is too heavy. The word Mingding is very heavy. Without Mingding, people live just to live, wouldn't that be like animals, just tools for procreation for a lifetime? Isn't that very sad?

The Duty of Women

A wife of noble character who can find? (Proverbs 31:10)

This is the responsibility of a king, but women also have a responsibility. In this place, there is a very interesting thing. A wife of noble character who can find? This is the lament of King Lemuel's mother! It seems impossible to find. Although a lot is said about a wife of noble character, it is later discovered that the first sentence is the most crucial. You will find that being a king has the duty of being a king, and being a woman also has the duty of being a woman. For everything, God has a plan for him, which is called Mingding. Returning to God's Mingding is blessed!

Do not spend your strength on women, your vigor on those who ruin kings. (Proverbs 31:3)

You may be eager to marry a wife of noble character to help you, but you find that you have married a wife of immoral character. If a man marries a wife of immoral character, isn't his life ruined? King Lemuel's mother actually has a negative attitude, A wife of noble character who can find? Her view is actually hidden a bit deep, but if we read carefully from Proverbs chapter 11 to chapter 31, we will find that this is not a woman, but a person that men can't compare with! Brothers and sisters, have you found that if you continue to read, it will be terrible!

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. (Proverbs 31:10-24)

This is not a woman! This standard is super high. Why is this standard so high? In fact, it represents A wife of noble character who can find? This is telling King Lemuel, Don't spend your strength on women, and also telling King Lemuel, Don't daydream. Brothers and sisters, have you seen such a woman? Anyway, I have never seen one. The women I have seen are all women who control their husbands. They are not beneficial and harmless, but harmful and useless! What does King Lemuel's mother want to tell King Lemuel? Son! Give up on this thought! Do you all see it this way? I think that's what it means, but don't think that everything I say is right. Think about it carefully. Many women use this passage to compare themselves, but I think the comparison is a bit far-fetched.

In short, both men and women must fear God and fulfill the duties God has entrusted to them. After talking about the standard for a wife of noble character, everyone seems to be failing. The standard is so high, so we should demand ourselves to such a high standard. No matter who it is, the most important thing is to obtain Mingding, which is the good intention that God had for me when He created me. In fact, in heaven, there is no distinction between men and women. Women can also be kings and queens of kings, and the requirements are the same. Don't think that you are a woman and make a lot of excuses for yourself, just not wanting to obtain Mingding. Women must also obtain Mingding and live out the glorious image of God, which is the most important thing. Of course, this whole passage is not only for women, but it is also good for men to be able to do it.

Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. (Proverbs 31:31)

In fact, there is no difference between men and women. Solomon's Proverbs 31 highlights a clear theme, which is to manage well the duties that God has entrusted to us. Some women think that their duty is to watch over their husbands and do nothing at work, just move a stool and stare at their husbands. She is the boss of her husband, and the husband is the boss of the company; it is also possible that the husband is the pastor of the church, and she is the pastor of the pastor. She looks at her husband's every move all day long, and she doesn't actually create any value. That's not the purpose God created you for.

God did not create you to pick on your husband all day long, but to create value in this world and do something beneficial. Don't just sit around and talk nonsense all day long. After you finish talking nonsense, you still pick on others. Ask yourself how much value you have created? How many women are thinking of marrying a rich man, whether he is tall or handsome is not important, just to buy, buy, buy. Sun Wukong subdues demons today and eliminates demons tomorrow, but the purpose of these women's lives is to buy a bag today and buy a pair of shoes tomorrow. In the past, a sister in my group had a special shoe cabinet with about 300 pairs of shoes. Those shoes were not cheap, and no amount of money at home was enough for her to buy shoes. When you hear this, don't think that it would be much better if you bought ten pairs of shoes. You still have to change it. Buying too many shoes is useless.

I said, she is not a centipede, why buy so many shoes? She thinks that a woman has to match a pink bag with a pair of pink shoes, and then match it with a pair of pink pants. She didn't even figure out the colors clearly. Wouldn't it look good if everything from top to bottom was pink? It's completely tacky! Later, she bought a pair of green-framed glasses and was thinking about buying a pair of green shoes to match. In the future, she will definitely have to think about matching a hat or a bag.

God Has a Wonderful Plan for Us

From the first family God created, Adam and Eve, He has set a natural duty for men and women. God has a perfect plan for men and women, which is to enter into God's Mingding Destiny for them. Your Mingding Destiny is not to live in this world and stare at your husband, but to complete the things God wants you to do. Either you be an assistant, or you are willing to be a judge of Israel, and you can follow Deborah's example.

If you are willing to be a judge of Israel, there is Deborah for women and Gideon for men to follow. You must know that Mingding Destiny is very important. Don't always think that you are a wife of noble character. I have also seen some women with ambiguous expressions, putting their hands together, and saying: Lord Jesus loves me, I am the bride of Lord Jesus. The Bible does not say that someone is the bride of Jesus Christ, but that the church is the bride of Jesus Christ, and building a glorious church is our Mingding Destiny and duty. Manifesting the manifold wisdom of God through the church.

Some women control pastors very severely. When the pastor preaches, he doesn't talk about Mingding Destiny, he just talks about his wife cooking for everyone, and her joints are hurting. He emphasizes that his wife has paid a great price for the church, but that is because of the knowledge of good and evil, which is caused by looking at her husband all day long. Brothers and sisters, return to Mingding Destiny and don't spend your energy on each other. Return to God's original plan when he created us.

The previous two chapters were still talking about people not being complacent and not being stiff-necked. In this chapter, there are still people who think they are wives of noble character, and they even dare to put this hat on their heads. Don't they feel ashamed? From today on, everyone should be like the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians: those who marry are like those who do not marry, and those who marry are like those who do not marry, and start living for God. If you really have a Mingding Destiny from God and live for God, do you still need to look at other people's expressions and care about other people's expressions?

There is a woman who is in a long-distance relationship with her husband. Her husband came back these two days, and they always quarrel over trivial matters. As a result, one day she was carrying bricks and accidentally injured her waist. The pastor prayed with her and received a revelation from God, saying that she was because of the knowledge of good and evil. After the prayer was healed, she carried bricks again and nothing happened. Because it has nothing to do with carrying bricks, it has to do with the knowledge of good and evil. Everyone should think about it. Since Adam and Eve were created, this story has been told like this: the woman was first seduced by the devil, and then the woman went to seduce the man, and as a result, the two fell into the pit together. Until today, the tragedy of Adam and Eve is everywhere.

There are also some pastors who learn from Peter's set and pretend! The relationship between husband and wife is not good, but they pretend to be very affectionate in front of the congregation, just doing superficial work. They even say on the way to the church: We are about to arrive at the church, stop fighting temporarily, and continue fighting when we get home. This kind of thing happens a lot. You must know that this passage of the Bible tells us: God has a perfect plan for us, and both men and women must enter into God's plan.

May God bless everyone!