Proverbs 31 Woman

I was just reading the book Proverbs and thought of Proverbs 31 for a while. Seeing some aspects of the Proverbs 31 describing the woman more than the woman that fears God and a good housewife. Proverbs doesn't focus on outward appearance of a woman but the inner beauty and character of the woman.

Proverbs has a lot to say about women. And it's no surprise that the book ends with a picture of a woman of strong character, great wisdom, many skills, and great compassion.

Some people have the mistaken idea that the ideal woman in the Bible is retiring, serville, and entirely domestic. Not so! This woman is an excellent wife and mother. She is also a manufacturer, importer, manager, realtor, farmer, seamstress, upholsterer, and merchant. Her strength and dignity do not come from her amazing achievements, however. They are a result of reverence for God. In our society, where physical appearance counts for so much, it may surprise us to realize that her appearance is never mentioned. Her attractiveness comes entirely from her character.

The woman described in Proverbs 31 has outstanding abilities. Her family's social position is high. In fact, she may not be one woman at all - she maybe a composite portrait of ideal womanhood. Do not see her as a model to imitate in every detail; our days are not long enough to do everything she does! See her instead as an inspiration to be all you can be. We can't be just like her, but we can learn from her industry, and resourcefulness.

The book of Proverbs begins with the commands to fear the Lord (1:7) and ends with the picture of a woman who fulfills this command. Her qualities are mentioned throughout the book: hardwork, fear of God, respect for spouse, foresight, encouragement, care of others, concern for the poor, wisdom in handling money. These qualities, when couple with fear of God, lead to enjoyment, success, honor, and worth. Proverbs is practical for us because it shows how to become wise, make good decisions, and live according to God's ideal.

We can try to strive to be someone that are around us, someone that we thought and seems they have it all together. But if we take our eyes off from them and look and meditate on the woman that Proverbs 31 describing then, we may find that, the beginning of being an attractive and a beautiful woman is the fear of God. Inner beauty shines out and reflects every aspects of a woman's life.

Source: Bible: Book of Proverbs