Daily Bible Study
As we seen in the previous passages the wife’s faithfulness to her family and her responsibilities resulted in multiplied fruitfulness and blessings for the family. Fruitfulness which brought blessings to the poor as well as those who worked with her in the home. Now in addition to those blessings, we see that her husband was also involved within the community and himself was a leader within the city. Often in ancient times the respected men who were elders and leaders sat at the city gates. The city gates were the city hall of its day; therefore anyone who needed advice or had a problem or an issue with their neighbor went to the city gates for advice and resolution.
And from this passage we see that a godly wife paired with a godly husband both working together had a dramatic effect on their community. They provided a godly influence in the community in which they lived. The husband was known for his wisdom and sat at the city gates, the wife was known for her wisdom and skill. And what we see here is she supplied goods to merchants who in turn sold those goods and the city prospered from their activities. These verses paint the picture of the absolute ideal intended for marriage. The passages are given to us in order for us to understand that godly men and women, who become godly husbands and wives not only affect each other, but also their children and they greatly affect the community in which they live.