PROVERBS 31:10-31

This is one of the best loved passages in the Bible. It is a beautiful description of a wife who compliments her husband. It can also be used as a partial  description of a single woman whose character is beyond reproach. In as much as Proverbs says so much against the wicked woman who is unfaithful to her husband, or who has no husband, or seeks to entice the young man, this poem is all the more important. The poem is an acrostic, each succeeding verse begins with a succeeding letter of the Hebrew alphabet, making the poem easier to memorize.

So Proverbs devotes a lot of effort to talk about women. How fitting the book ends with a picture of a woman of strong character, great wisdom, many skills, and a great compassion. Some people have the mistaken idea that the ideal woman in the Bible is retiring, servile, and entirely domestic, Not so!

This woman is an excellent wife and mother. She is also a manufacturer, importer, manager, realtor, farmer, seamstress, upholsterer, and a merchant. Her strength and dignity do not come from her amazing achievements, however, They are a result of her reverence for God. To our society, where physical appearance counts for so much, it may surprise us to realize that her appearance is never mentioned.  Her attractiveness comes entirety from her character.

The woman described in this chapter has outstanding abilities. Her family’ social position is high (remember in Old Testament times there was no middle class). In fact, she may not be one woman at all- she may be a composite portrait of ideal womanhood. Do not see her as a model to imitate in every detail, a woman’s days are not really long enough to do everything she does! See her instead as an inspiration to be all you can be. We can’t be just like her, but we can learn from her industry, integrity, and resourcefulness.

The Book of Proverbs begins with the command to fear the Lord (1:7), and ends with a picture of a woman she fulfills this command. Her qualities are mentioned throughout the book, hard work, fear of God, respect for spouse, foresight, encouragement, care for others,respect for the poor, wisdom in handling money. The qualities, when coupled with fear (reverence) for God, lead in enjoyment, success, honor, and worth. Proverbs is practical for us because it shows how to become wise, make good decisions, and live according to God’s ideal. The book ends by saying she deserves the reward her own labor produces, and that she will be honored in the public meetings. No wonder this poem is loved whenever the Bible is read.

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