Mother, A Woman of Strength
Today in contrast;
A worldly woman you can find everyday. She is very often popular in the social circles and gossip is usually on her tongue. Her husband is afraid to trust her, and her children check her mood before they respond. She has embarrassed them often. She opens her mouth with foolishness and folly. She is selfish and self-centered and freely eats the bread of idleness. She is queen of nothing and a royal disgust.
The Bible counters:
A vitreous woman is hard to find, but her price is far above rubies. If she first fears the Lord, then she will more likely be a beautiful mother, wife, and friend. And her language will reveal her true character and her soul will manifest her Lord. Her family will declare, “Thou excellest them all.”
<st1:bcv_smarttag>Proverbs 31:10-31
The 31st chapter of Proverbs is a poem concerning a “Virtuous Woman” (literally in the Hebrew, “A woman of strength,” or excellence in all areas of her life. The poem is in the form of a Hebrew acrostic. Each couplet begins with the first succeeding letter of the Hebrew alphabet of 22 letters.
The chapter begins with words of King Lemuel, concerning a prophecy his mother taught him. The first 9 verses (31:1-9) concern her teachings to him. The remaining verses (10-31) are either a poem he has written in praise to her, or a poem expressing her teachings about a woman of strength. Either way, it is praise to his mother and thus very appropriate for Mother’s Day.
This poem is in sharp contrast to the kind of woman warned against throughout the book of Proverbs. There are many warnings against the immoral woman, the hot-tempered woman, the designing woman, and the selfish and idol woman. This concluding poem holds up, instead, a woman whose price is far above rubies and worth searching for.
Notice also, in Proverbs chapter 30, that “cursing parents (v.11), is placed alongside moral blindness (v.12), pride (v.13), and cruelty to the poor (v.14). All these evils go together and are signs of a person who does not fear God or know wisdom. Respect for parents is a biblical mark of a righteous person. In verse 17, of chapter 30, one who curses parents is shown perishing without a person to care.
The virtuous woman is one whose strength of character is because of her fear of God and her own works prove it. Please notice that this ideal includes the working woman. Verse 24 reveals the ideal working woman and verse 27 the ideal homemaker. The working woman can be an ideal woman too, It is only harder to accomplish. This poem blows away all the stereotypes about woman.
Remember that the Book of Proverbs is God’s book of wisdom sayings. It concludes with this beautiful climax which paints the picture of a mother and wife from God’s point of view. Although King Lemuel is honoring the wisdom of his mother, God included it in the Holy Scripture to be the guide and model for us. The Holy Spirit means to apply these principles to our day and circumstances. May God be exalted in our homes and in our marriages.