Proverbs 31:23-Part 4

23 Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

It's intersting that in all the years I've been a Christian I have seldom heard anything about the type of man to which the woman of God should be submitted. This verse tells us that this woman's husband sat at the city gates with other elders. In our culture this sounds as if he was unemployed or a loafer. But in Israel in those days (the days of Solomon) each city had "elders," or the wise ones, who were like a combination city council/mayoralty/judges if people had problems or disputes. They would sit at the city gates because that is where a lot of commerce took place. So, this woman married a very respected and wise man in the community. She didn't marry a loser, a druggie, a controller or other dispicable person. Many Christian women are in the "soup" because they married unwisely and so find it difficult to submit. Of course some weren't Christian before they were married. But for those who were, just marrying any old "Christian" isn't what should be done. Sadly, our churches pressure people to get married and often this pressure and loneliness can "push" people into marriages that are unhealthy. It's up to every Christian single to resist this pressure, whether it comes from their parents, friends, church, or community. The people I've seen throughout the years who married someone their friends and parents didn't feel right about mostly ended up divorced and often, the woman was physically abused(and then divorced the guy....finally). The sad thing is many of these women drageed their children into these messes from other marriages or "relationships." They excuse was, they just wanted a "father for the childrenn." Yeah, well, they got the father from hell for the children. I do encourage single women...and men too...to resist this church/societal pressure and and be mature enough to stand up to these people and tell them right in their face that you are waiting until God brings your person along, and that you are working with Him to prepare yourself for that event. And, it it takes you until 70, then so be it. By the way, 95% of the Christians I've known over the 47 years I've been a Christian, who wanted to get married, did before the age of 50. And most, to the one God had for them....a person described right here in Proverbs 31.