And as she does she walks in His wisdom with His power. (You may also find this post helpful: “ 3 Tips to Help You Understand Proverbs.“) The Fruit of Wisdom in the Proverbs 31 Womanįirst of all – the Proverbs 31 woman is a composite, an overview of a lifetime of a wise woman. She isn’t following a long to-do list, but instead is following her Lord one step at a time. I think the reason the Proverbs 31 woman often intimidates us is because we are looking at what all she does rather than Who she serves. We must acknowledge His authority and yield to His Lordship in our lives. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” (Proverbs 9:10). If we want to live wisely and not work against the One who designed the universe we must submit to Him and His ways. God is the Source of true wisdom (Proverbs 8:22). “The fear of the LORD” is a running theme in the book of Proverbs. “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30 ESV The “secret” is the source of her wisdom: She does not possess some secret super power or run for days with no sleep. This woman is not smarter or more energetic than today’s average Christian woman. The Key to Understanding the Proverbs 31 Woman The first word of each line begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet in sequence. Husbands and children even recited it in ancient Jewish homes at Sabbath dinner by. On commentator said it reads more like an ancient hymn, a musical poem to lady wisdom. And of course, she is set in the time and culture of an ancient Jewish household. She is an idealized wife, in an idealized home. This wise woman of virtue stands in contrast to all the adulterous and foolish women set forth throughout the book. ![]() The wife of noble character then is the personification of wisdom, a collection of all the characteristics of wisdom we see in the collection of proverbs. ![]() ![]() Sometimes the teacher depicts wisdom as an immoral, foolish woman and sometimes as a wise, godly woman. Since the Hebrew word for wisdom is feminine, wisdom is naturally portrayed as a woman. Throughout Proverbs, the wisdom writer often personifies wisdom. The woman described in the last chapter of the book of Proverbs, also known as the “wife of noble character” is more than just a description of a godly woman. But, perhaps we’ve misunderstood this woman all along. We read the 31 st chapter of the book of Proverbs and think, “That’s just impossible.” We feel defeated before we ever begin. But frankly, the woman set the bar far too high for the rest of us. Many of us have had a love/hate relationship with the Proverbs 31 woman.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |