Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land, (31:23).

It was May of 1984, only five months after I had met Jesus and trusted Him for salvation, when I attended a ladies’ retreat. Although I do not remember the speaker’s name, I remember her message. It was on what is often referred to as the Proverbs 31 Virtuous Woman. I actually still have my notes from that retreat.

Although I barely remember what she looked like or the sound of her voice, there was one thought she articulated that has stayed with me as though I just heard it yesterday. I will never forget the words she spoke as she turned our attention to Proverbs 31:23: Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land.
         “Ladies, your husband will be known by the way you make him known.”

Our retreat speaker went on to explain from this passage that because this husband took his place among the elders, he was a man of influence. And due to the way that this wife conducted her life, through her deeds and her words, this excellent wife was regarded as an asset to him in advancing and increasing his influence in the public’s eye. (As a side note, I made a commitment before the Lord to never publicly bad-mouth my husband, and I know the Lord has more than honored that in our marriage of almost 38 years.)

And today as I looked for Him in this chapter devoted to reminding a young king of all that his mother had taught him about the need for righteousness in ruling his kingdom and in finding his wife, I was reminded that throughout His Word, God has called Himself our Husband, and compares our relationship with Him to a marriage. Several verses are included below for meditation:

“For your husband is your Maker,
Whose name is the Lord of hosts;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,
Who is called the God of all the earth. (Isaiah 54:5).

“Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, ³² not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 31:31-32).

“In that day,” declares the LORD, “you will call me ‘my husband’; you will no longer call me ‘my master,’” (Hosea 2:16 NIV).

“I will betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice,
In lovingkindness and in compassion,
²⁰ And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness.
Then you will know the Lord. (Hosea 2:19-20).

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom,” (Matthew 25:1).

You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’ ²⁹ He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. ³⁰ He must increase, but I must decrease,  (John 3:28-30).

For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. ³² This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church, (Ephesians 5: 31-32).

Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” ⁸ It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints, (Revelation 19:7-8).

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband… ⁹ Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb,” (Revelation 21:2, 9).

He is our Husband, He sits exalted, and He is Known in the Gates.

Consider Him Who is Known in the Gate

• He is Known in the Gates, as understood in His creation
  • “To whom then will you liken Me
    That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.
    ²⁶ Lift up your eyes on high
    And see who has created these stars,
    The One who leads forth their host by number,
    He calls them all by name;
    Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power,
    Not one of them is missing, (Isaiah 40:25-26).
  • For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse, (Romans 1:20).

• He is Known in the Gates, as spoken in the prophets
  • nor have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets, (Daniel 9:10).
  • God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, (Hebrews 1:1).

• He is Known in the Gates, as explained in His Son
  • No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him, (John 1:18).
  • in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world, (Hebrews 1:2).

• He is Known in the Gates, as revealed in His Word
  • You are near, O Lord,
    And all Your commandments are truth.
    ¹⁵² Of old I have known from Your testimonies
    That You have founded them forever, (Psalm 119:151-152).
  • for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God, (1 Peter 1:23).

• He is Known in the Gates, as given in His Name
  • “I am the Lord, that is My name;
    I will not give My glory to another,
    Nor My praise to graven images, (Isaiah 42:8).
  • And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved, (Acts 4:12).

• He is Known in the Gates, as made evident in our Conscience
  • because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them, (Romans 1:19).
  • For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, ¹⁵ in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, (Romans 2:14-15).

• He is Known in the Gates, as demonstrated in His bride
  • “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven,” (Matthew 5:16).
  • But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, (1 Peter 2:9).

How do we respond to Him Who is Known in the Gates?

It truly is a lofty goal to become a virtuous woman to an earthly husband; but oh, to be counted virtuous as His bride, what more could we desire?

As His bride, we are to live a life that will make Him Known in a way that will be an asset to Him in advancing and increasing His influence in the public’s eye, that others would be drawn to want to know Him because they see His Spirit having His way in us.

Let us live to bring Him glory as we shine our light on Him Who is Known in the Gates.

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven,” (Matthew 5:16).

Oh, may we live as His chosen bride who boldly proclaims the excellence of His gospel, that others would be brought out of the darkness and into the marvelous light of Him Who is Known in the Gates.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, (1 Peter 2:9).

And let us love like He loves us, that as His faithful bride we would we live and love so that others would know Him. And what a joy it would be, that if because we live and love as His virtuous bride, others would come to know that we are His disciples who belong to Him Who is Known in the Gates.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another,” (John 13:34-35).

Let’s Grow Together!