Why was being a seller of purple a sign of wealth?
Being a seller of purple indicated wealth because purple cloth was among the most expensive fabrics of the ancient world. Handling such costly material required significant financial resources and placed a person in the upper echelons of society. Lydia's trade in Thyatira thus marked her as a prosperous businesswoman.
Les teaches that Lydia was a seller of purple from Thyatira, placing her in the upper echelons of society. He explains that you didn't handle purple unless you had money, as it was one of the most expensive cloths of the then-known world. She was a businesswoman who worshipped God but was still lost, until the Holy Spirit brought Paul to speak to the women by the riverside.
And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
More Questions
What kind of woman was Lydia, the seller of purple?
Because Lydia was a seller of purple, she was probably a distinguished, well-to-do businesswoman, not a poor or insignificant woman.