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Day 325 Proverbs 31 Proverbs 31:1 The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him. 2 What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows? 3 Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroys kings. 4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: 5 Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. 6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. 7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more. 8 Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. 9 Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. 10 Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies. 11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. 12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. 13 She seeks wool, and flax, and works willingly with her hands. 14 She is like the merchants’ ships; she brings her food from afar. 15 She rises also while it is yet night, and gives meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. 16 She considers a field, and buys it: with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. 17 She girds her loins with strength, and strengthens her arms. 18 She perceives that her merchandise is good: her candle goes not out by night. 19 She lays her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. 20 She stretches out her hand to the poor; yea, she reaches forth her hands to the needy. 21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. 22 She makes herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. 23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land. 24 She makes fine linen, and sells it; and delivers girdles unto the merchant. 25 Strength and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. 26 She opens her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. 27 She looks well to the ways of her household, and eats not the bread of idleness. 28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. 29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excel them all. 30 Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that fears the LORD, she shall be praised. 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates. Proverbs 31 is perhaps one of the better-known chapters in the Bible along with Psalm 23 and 1 Corinthians 13. It stands out as the virtuous chapter, the chapter on how women should conduct their lives. Yet the first nine verses are about how men and rulers are to act. What would your life be like if you adhered to the wisdom of Proverbs 31? Would you stay away from strong drink and not get drunk so you forget what you did? Would you stop flirting with women who were not your wife? Lemuel was Solomon, and his mother was Bathsheba. She knew first-hand the destructive ways of kings who give themselves to women who were not their wives, as David committed adultery with her. Her wisdom, therefore, is what she gleaned as being first the adulterous woman, having lost her child born of adultery, and then being the honored wife and mother of Solomon, king of Israel. Her advice is first to her son, to keep him from acting foolishly. She does not say you shouldn’t drink, but you shouldn’t drink to excess. She also told Solomon he should not stray to strange women, but look for the virtue in them. Solomon is known for his 300 wives and 700 concubines. In that many women, there must have been at least one virtuous woman. We will look at one such person when we study Song of Solomon or Song of Songs as some Bibles have it titled. What did Bathsheba say a virtuous woman is? First, she said they are hard to find. As I look over this list of virtues in a woman, even I do not qualify as a virtuous woman. A virtuous woman takes care of every area of the household, seeing to the needs of her husband, her children, and her servants. She is a businesswoman, smart. She takes care of her household, sees to it they are fed and clothed with the finest food and material. She doesn’t just go to the market and buy whatever she can, she searches for the best goods for her family. She isn’t idle, but is always doing something with her time and her hands. You’ve all heard that idle hands are the devil’s playground, so she keeps busy. Her husband and children trust her. Her husband isn’t just known for his position in the community, but his wife is also known because of her reputation for taking care of her family and home before anything else. I can honestly say I am not this virtuous. I have many faults. However, I am not completely guilty either. What about you? How do you measure up to Bathsheba’s virtue guidelines? Do you have room for growth in any of the areas mentioned? I know I have room for growth. Let’s pray: Father, help me be a virtuous woman as outlined here. Help me put my family first, before I consider any outside activities. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 31 July 2017 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay