A Godly Woman Ahead

I've decided to take a break from dissecting Genesis so that it doesn't get too redundant. I will get back to it at some point. For now though, a chapter in the Bible that I turn to a lot for inspiration (and that I've mentioned several times before) is Proverbs 31. Specifically, verses 10-31. I want to give it a verse by verse study and really dig into what it is saying to me. I don't know if I'll just go straight through, or if I'll do a few days and then take a break to give it time to digest. Either way, I'll be sure to label it for future reference.

Before we dig in though, I want to look a little at the whole of the Godly Woman and where she comes from. The origin of this woman is from another woman's imagination, and actually comes from a woman with a son. King Lemuel's mother loved him so much, and Proverbs 31 is some of her advice to him as he was growing. The first part of Proverbs 31 deals with advice to him on how a king should be. The second part, the part I'll be studying is her ideal of the perfect wife for her son, the apple of her eye. I think it is important to remember that the Godly woman described here in Proverbs is just that, an idea. She wasn't based on a real woman, she was based on a mother's love for her son and the search for the perfect wife for him. I think it may be easier to strive to be a Godly woman to remember that no one is perfect, and in this case, there isn't an example of the woman who came before.

Something I want to touch on today is what a treasure this Godly woman is. She has many character qualities, and is such a treasure that at the end of the selection in verse 30 we see that God chooses to praise her! As we go through this section verse by verse, we will find many character qualities for this woman. Some of them being that she is trusting, helpful, wise, kind, careful, energetic, strong, virtuous, capable, diligent, and she is not lazy. She is an excellent woman, and certainly has character worth striving for. I hope you'll stick around as I discover the inner workings of the Godly Woman.

A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.

14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.

15 She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.

16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.

19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.

21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.

26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

29 "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

31 Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. Proverbs 31:10-31