Difference between revisions of "Proverbs 31:10-31"

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Revision as of 18:58, 24 April 2021

Objectives

Introduction

Main Body

God’s ideal is for people to live a life in reverence to him rather than focus on temporary human ideals.

Setting the Stage (Verse 10)

We see an interesting question. "Who can find a virtuous woman?" This question is not intended to suggest that not such woman exists but rather that such a woman deserves honor [1]. Traditionally, most of the verbs in Proverbs 31 are translated in a present tense. However, in the Hebrew, these verbs are often past. For example, in verse 11, the NKJV writes "her husband safely trusts her." In reality, the verb for trust is a past tense verb and we should probably say something like "her husband safely trusted her." The idea here is that Proverbs 31 is not a set of expectations that a man holds for his wife. Instead Proverbs 31 is a poem of honor for a woman who has lived honorably. This slight change in perspective allows us to look at the woman described in Proverbs 31 recognize those same virtues in our mothers, wives, and other woman with whom we interact, thank them for their life, and ask what can we learn from our mothers that we can apply to our life today.

Ephesians 5:25–27 speaks of the church as the Bride of Christ. As we seek to honor the women in our life today, I want you to think about your position as a member of the Church, the bride of Christ. Does your personal life reflect that of a virtuous bride? Within Proverbs 31 we are going to see several virtues, virtues that we see in the women in our life. Are you modeling those virtues yourself.

Some Things We Can Learn From Women

Wives Bring Honor to their Husband (Verses 11,12,23)

Women Selflessly Toil (Verses 13-15, 19,20)

Women Serve as Wise Stewards (Verses 16-18, 26,27)

Don't Be Fooled

Proverbs 31:30 provides an apt summary statement. "Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,

But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised."
  1. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 972.