We, as women, should strive to be a Proverbs 31 woman. For some reason the Proverbs 31 woman gets overlooked and often looked down upon. But She is the perfect example of the type of woman the Bible calls us to be. The Proverbs 31 woman is perfection, something we can’t reach, but still should strive for because of her attributes.
Proverbs 31
This is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible as a woman. When I first read it, it made me want to be more like this woman. We’ll talk more about it later, but here is the verse.
The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.
What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows?
Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.
It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:
Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.
Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.
Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.
Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.
Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
Bible Gateway
Proverbs 31 Woman
She sounds amazing doesn’t she? Perfect, beloved, very busy. And that’s one of the biggest complaints I hear from women about this verse. She is too busy. This woman has no time for anything else. Who wants to be that busy?
But the problem is they overlook some of the most important things. It is about her being busy, but it’s beyond that. It is about her actions, her family, her attributes. There is so much we can learn from her other than “Oh great more chores.” Let’s dive into it!
What Is The Meaning Of The Proverbs 31 Woman?
So, in case you don’t know, Proverbs 31 is actually about wisdom. Wisdom is taught through the description of a woman. But, it is also believed that this was written by King Lemuel’s mother who was giving him advice on the type of woman to find.
A wise, loyal, supportive wife. Who is not only reliable in all she does, but her looks, though her looks is not where her worth lies. Her worth lies beyond her looks, her paycheck, but her worth comes from her loyalty, kindness, and wisdom.
She isn’t afraid to work. She gets up early and works into the evening. And she takes care of her home, her family, and chores joyfully. All the excess works she does beyond providing for her house goes to the world.
The woman is smart and savvy and using what she earns to invest into her family.
Beyond her works, she is loyal, strong, smart, wise, and confident. This woman knows her worth and accepts responsibility rather than shies away from them. But she also knows she reflects her home and is an influence in her community.
All of this shapes her as a good partner, mother, and worker. No one wants for anything and her husband and children are proud of her. Plus, since he has no worries at home, he has the freedom to serve outside the home.
The proverbs 31 is a fierce woman. She isn’t loud and masculine like what today’s society thinks a strong woman is. She doesn’t complain about what she has to do, but does it joyfully and diligently. But she is a protector, provider, but more importantly she has all the Biblical femininity we all should strive for and a focus that we all need in our lives.
But the most important thing about this woman is that she submits and fears God.
What Should We Learn From The Proverbs 31 Woman?
There are a number of things to learn. This is exciting and I have so much to say so I’m trying to get all my thoughts together.
“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.”
It’s not about the perfection, it isn’t about her looks, but the fact that she fears the Lord. She is a godly woman who fears the Lord.
We should strive to be our best, to be what God called us to be, but we need to submit and fear the Lord first and foremost. We cannot do all the other things without following God first. Once your put God first and fear him then you can move onto the other things.
This biblical woman was wonderful because of who she was and not for what she did.
What she did is important. Or at least I think so, but not as much as her attributes.
What Are The Characteristics Of The Proverbs 31 Woman?
I keep mentioned the attributes of the Proverbs 31 woman, but what are they?
- Dignity- Proverbs 37:10
- Patience- Proverbs 31:13;16
- Diligence- Proverbs 31:17
- Generousity- Proverbs 31:20
- Courage- Proverbs 31:25
- Strength- Proverbs 31:25
- Wisdom- Proverbs 31:26
- Kindness- Proverbs 31:26
- Devotion- Proverbs 31:30
Aren’t these attributes beautiful? And a lot of them go hand in hand with Biblical femininity which we’ve talked about.
Now how do we put this all together?
Her Works Were Important But Not Everything
The woman in this Bible verse is a homemaker. She is the epitome of the Biblical homemaker. However, she does still work and provide. And I firmly believe these are things we should do.
I never believed women should only be at home, though there is nothing wrong with that. But I never believed women should only be in the work place either. This woman shows you can do both. However, your focus should always be God, family, and home.
As workers we tend to focus on all the stuff we can get rather than just doing what we need to, to provide. Stuff is a modern day idol most of us fixate on.
Beyond that, we need to understand that Proverbs 31 is a celebration of women. In the Jewish culture, this verse isn’t telling a woman she isn’t enough, but celebrates who a Christian woman is suppose to be.
As a Christian we should be living a certain way already, and if we are living the way God intends, then we should have most of these attributes already.
How Do You Become A Modern Proverbs 31 Woman?
You have all this information, but now what do you do with it? How do you become a modern Proverbs 31 woman in such a broken world.
Well, good news, you are this woman. If you’re reading this I’m sure you already fear the Lord. If not, then you’re at least interested in getting to know the Lord and becoming better and so you’re one step closer.
To embody the Proverb 31 woman you should do these things also like:
- A virtuous woman
- Blessing to her family
- Be a diligent worker
- Speak with wisdom, kindness, compassion
- Honor and fear the Lord
You don’t have to work your hands to the bone to be the Proverbs 31 woman. Though, I do believe it is important in the sense we are giving our all to the Lord, our family, our community. Idle hands do the devil’s work, and I believe that.
Why Her Works Weren’t Everything, But Still Important
As I mentioned above there is a saying that says “Idle hands do the devil’s work.” We have a tendency to tell ourselves we are so busy, when most of the time we aren’t as busy as we should be.
Many of us tend to be lazier than we admit and focus on our idols. We get bored because we don’t want to do things so we end up trying to find entertainment. Like our phone, the TV, and open up time for other sins like porn, gossip, etc.
I’m not saying you have to be busy 24/7, we are supposed to take a day to rest each week. But we need to learn to be busy, active, and provide for our families and communities, and more importantly be witnesses of Christ.
Proverbs 31 Prayer
Lord,
Please forgive me of all my sins and give me a forgiving heart to forgive all those who have wronged me. I come before you to day to ask that you change my heart. Help me fear, trust, love, and submit to you. Help me submit to my husband. Look at my heart and reveal what needs changed. Give me the attributes of the Proverbs 31 woman. Help me be wise, strong, diligent, be filled with dignity, courage, to be kind, compassionate, giving, and devoted. Let people see you in me and lead me to provide for my family and community. I’m not perfect, but lead me to holiness in you and as I go on this journey to be the woman you want me to be, let others see you in me. Whatever your will is, let it be done in my life. In Christ name I pray, Amen.
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What do you think about the Proverbs 31 woman?
