Proverbs 31
Proverbs 31
Today we are reading a Proverb that is well-known to most everyone who has been in Christian culture for any length of time. It is the source of a lot of wall art and Instagram bios, but many may not know who the advice is really coming from.
The author of this proverb is King Lemuel, who is believed to be Solomon, and Proverbs 31 is advice from his mother, Bathsheba. Bathsheba, who went through rape, the murder of her husband, the death of her son, and then watching Solomon make poor decisions as king. She probably learned quite a lot in her life, and desired her son’s life to look better. I picture verse 2 as her begging him to stop and think about what he is doing and the choices he is making.
She wants him to use his influence for good, and not for his own pleasure and glory. The proverb then switches to advice on what to look for in a wife. Maybe these two sections were told to Solomon at different times by his mother, or maybe she thought an excellent wife may help him to have better judgment and actually gave this advice back-to-back.
Reading this section of the proverb often makes women feel inadequate. But listen, this woman is most likely imaginary, a prototype for good qualities. And even if this was a real person, this list of things most likely spanned her entire life, not a 24-hour period. This is what I believe we should learn from this piece of wisdom literature and why I think God put it in Scripture, what the Proverbs 31 woman values determines how she spends her time.
Verse 30 says: “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
Fearing the Lord means she values God above everything, she trusts Him, she is in awe of Him, she is obedient to Him and His Word. She relies on God to make her into the strong, loving, hard-working, reliable, wise, praiseworthy woman that she is. Ultimately God is who sanctifies us and changes our character. This means God is to be praised for who she is. God is the source of her good example.
The Proverbs 31 woman is not the hero. She points to the hero.
Our life, and the life of Solomon, was not meant to glorify us, but God. That is our purpose on this earth. So how does your life point to God and glorify Him? How do your daily routines show that He is Lord and worthy of our praise?
By: Kaitlin White
Today we are reading a Proverb that is well-known to most everyone who has been in Christian culture for any length of time. It is the source of a lot of wall art and Instagram bios, but many may not know who the advice is really coming from.
The author of this proverb is King Lemuel, who is believed to be Solomon, and Proverbs 31 is advice from his mother, Bathsheba. Bathsheba, who went through rape, the murder of her husband, the death of her son, and then watching Solomon make poor decisions as king. She probably learned quite a lot in her life, and desired her son’s life to look better. I picture verse 2 as her begging him to stop and think about what he is doing and the choices he is making.
She wants him to use his influence for good, and not for his own pleasure and glory. The proverb then switches to advice on what to look for in a wife. Maybe these two sections were told to Solomon at different times by his mother, or maybe she thought an excellent wife may help him to have better judgment and actually gave this advice back-to-back.
Reading this section of the proverb often makes women feel inadequate. But listen, this woman is most likely imaginary, a prototype for good qualities. And even if this was a real person, this list of things most likely spanned her entire life, not a 24-hour period. This is what I believe we should learn from this piece of wisdom literature and why I think God put it in Scripture, what the Proverbs 31 woman values determines how she spends her time.
Verse 30 says: “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
Fearing the Lord means she values God above everything, she trusts Him, she is in awe of Him, she is obedient to Him and His Word. She relies on God to make her into the strong, loving, hard-working, reliable, wise, praiseworthy woman that she is. Ultimately God is who sanctifies us and changes our character. This means God is to be praised for who she is. God is the source of her good example.
The Proverbs 31 woman is not the hero. She points to the hero.
Our life, and the life of Solomon, was not meant to glorify us, but God. That is our purpose on this earth. So how does your life point to God and glorify Him? How do your daily routines show that He is Lord and worthy of our praise?
By: Kaitlin White
3 Comments
"She is not the hero. She points to the hero." What a great reminder Kaitlin! When we are successful, we should give the glory to God, when we fail, we should ask God for wisdom and help. It was never about us, it's about Him! Being a mom (especially to these wild boys of mine) is teaching me so much about how I need God every moment of everyday and how I can look for glimpses of His presence in our days, however busy or seemingly slow/"dragging-on" they may be.
Thanks Kaitlin for your post today!
That is exactly what I was thinking, Emily-"She is not a hero. She points to the hero." Perfect reminder, Kaitlin!
Thank you for your message, Kaitlin! "This means God is to be praised for who she is. God is the source of her good example." I appreciate the reminder that God is the source of any good that is found in us. Any time someone recognizes the good in us, it serves as an "on ramp" to share about Him. I pray that we would be humble and bold enough to use those opportunities!