Who is She?
What does the Proverbs 31 woman mean to you?
Perhaps she is everything you strive to be in your day to day.. or perhaps you’re like “Proverbs WHO?!”
Regardless of your answer, let’s talk about it!
If you’ve never heard of the Proverbs 31 woman or even if you have; you may not know that she’s not an actual person at all! Just for a little back story, King Solomon who’s reputation is based off of being the wisest king in the Bible, was the son of King David and Bathsheba. The majority of the book of Proverbs was written by Solomon and is known as the book of wisdom. Proverbs 31 however, was written by Solomon’s mother, Bathsheba. In the entire chapter, she describes the qualities that she advises her son to search for in a wife. But Bathsheba puts it so poetically that we often take the qualities in Proverbs 31 and make them into a person. And if she were a person, whew chile, kotos to her!
Let’s take a look at some of these wife-worthy qualities found in Proverbs 31:
Virtuous v10
Hard working v13
Business woman v14, 24
Domestic v15
Energetic and strong v17
Creative v19, 22
Generous v20
Confident v25
Wise and kind v26
Proactive and vigilant v27
God-fearing v30
And the list goes on!!
Often times we read Proverbs 31 and feel compelled to be that woman. But the good new is.. We don’t have to BE her!! Rather we can choose to be inspired BY her! Because let’s be real; we are human and there are only 24 hours in a day. Waking up before your entire household and cooking breakfast (v15), while being a business woman, feeding the homeless, designing clothes for your family and yet still prioritizing time with God may not be realistic for your day to day (However, if it is; what’s your secret?!!). Proverbs 31 wasn’t written to discourage us of our incapability to be all things but to inspire us to take on these qualities for whatever season we are in -one day at a time.
Of course, we can do nothing without God therefore becoming the woman that we aspire to be be, starts with Him. The entire chapter of Proverbs 31 boils down to one characteristic that pretty much covers them all and that is found in verse 30. “Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised.”
Hear me when I say, I know without a doubt that God wants us to slay for His Kingdom. However, beauty itself is not the most important thing. It can not sustain itself when an ugly heart is involved. Outer beauty is temporal. Doing all the things (in our own strength) eventually leads to burn out.. BUT what is lasting and “praiseworthy” is a woman who fears the Lord! I believe Solomon’s mother saved this attribute for last so that it could stick with us, so that instead of getting overwhelmed by alllll the other qualities; we could cling to this one truth that covers them all: “a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised.”
The word “Fear” in the text means to have great respect for. The “fear of the Lord” is reflective of your relationship with Him. And girl, be honest; you know we love a good relationship! In this current culture of “My man, my man, my man!”, let’s be women who unashamedly say, “My God, my God, my God!” (If you missed that joke, it’s okay. Only the ratchet ones will get it lol). Seriously though, when we spend quality time with God, we pick up His ways -which are always good. As we spend time with Him in His word, worship and conversation with Him; we become women who fear (or respect) the Lord. As we grow in relationship with God, we develop godly character. Will we be perfect? Nope. But we can rest assured that while we are tending to the Father’s business, He is tending to ours. While we’re doing life with God, living in awe of Him; He’s doing a work in us to give us the wisdom, strength, heart and character of the Proverbs 31 “woman”.
Matthew 6:33 puts it like this: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
I want to challenge you today. Instead of trying to be everything to everyone, create an intentional time to sit at God’s feet whether that be in reading the word, taking notes on a sermon or singing to Him. Whatever it is, make it enjoyable. God doesn’t want us to be bored with Him so think of creative ways to spend time with Him. Most importantly, make yourself available to hearing & seeing what he wants to show you. Watch how beautiful life gets as you strive less and surrender more to Jesus. And not just a beautiful life.. A beautiful YOU!
Application: Read Provers 31:10-31 and try to find the qualities that you already possess. Then go through and make a note of the qualities that you’d like God to help you develop.
Let’s pray:
Heavenly Father, thank You for creating me with a purpose for a purpose. Forgive me for the times I’ve tried to be God and do all the things on my own. Thank You that I can rely on You to help me “do” and “be” the mighty woman of God that You’ve created me to be. I can be myself with You, God. Relationship with You is where my beauty is found. Help me cling to You and Your truth all the days of my life. As I do, please take care of my needs. Help me to develop the qualities found in Proverbs 31 so that others will see You in me. All for Your glory.
In Jesus’s name, Amen.
