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Proverbs 31...Possibly the most studied chapter of the Bible in Ladies' ministry. The woman whose work ethic is unmatched and seems unattainable. Does she stress you out a little when you compare yourself to her? I think most women would say, to an extent, YES!!
After 21 chapters of collected sayings, Solomon has circled back around to finish the way he started. King Lemuel is considered by some to be Solomon himself, maybe a nickname or a pet name given by his mother, Bathsheba. I'm going to speak from that theory. We started in Proverbs with King Solomon telling his son to listen to his father and mother. (Pr 1:8) Solomon ends by telling his son that, in addition to the wisdom gifted by God, (1 Kings 3), some of his wisdom came from teachings from his own mother. And this is not just a bedtime story, it's an oracle, an "inspired utterance". She warns him against Lady Folly, a metaphorical woman who offers nothing but distraction and destruction. "With great power comes great responsibility" (Uncle Ben in Spider-Man 😄), applies to those in leadership. The ones who follow Lady Folly can have their drinks to help numb their travel on death's pathway. But those who are wise use their time to remember what has been decreed, to speak, to judge righteously, to defend the rights of the poor and needy.
The mother wants her son to find the exact opposite of Lady Folly, an excellent wife.
But where can she be found?
In the high places--vs 10, 17, 28, 29.
In the markets--vs 13, 14, 16, 24.
In the gates--vs 23 and 31.
And at the crossroads--vs 20.
She is wise in her conversations--vs 25, 26, 28, 29, 31.
She is wise with her cash--vs 10, 11, 16, 18, 24.
She is wise with her contacts--vs 10, 11, 12, 15, 20, 23.
She is wise with her character--vs 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 22, 30.
Her check-engine light is not throwing any error codes for anger, envy, jealous, worry. Only cheerfulness, joy, trust, peace--vs 21, 25, 26.
Lady Folly is arrogant, she is a liar, she is a cheater, she wears a cheap imitation of someone else's perfume. Her path is death.
The Proverbs 31 woman is trustworthy, she is joyful, she is respected, she is influential. She wears her strength and her dignity like clothes. Her path is life.
So if we just do all the things this excellent wife does, is that life? No, and we would probably die trying. The lesson is found in Proverbs 31:30
"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."
The fear of the LORD. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight." Lady Wisdom, the Proverbs 31 woman, has built her house. She has hewn the seven pillars herself--instruction, knowledge, understanding, discretion, counsel, reproof, insight; she has accepted them all with gladness. Because she knows the cornerstone, square one, is the fear of the LORD. She trusts the foundation to sustain her speech, her finances, her family and friends, her character, and her emotions. The influence she exerts is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8) She shows love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) Lady Wisdom has built her house and patterned her life after Jesus Christ. We can be a Proverbs 31 woman, not because we are good, but because God is good. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!!" Psalm 111:10
"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit." Ephesians 2:19-22
"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock." Matthew 7:24-25
"The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone." Psalm 118:22
"Therefore, thus says the Lord God, Behold I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed." Isaiah 28:16
"For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ." 1 Corinthians 10:4
"It is from Him (God) that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us--our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption." 1 Corinthians 1:30
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