Scripture Sunday: Proverbs 31 - Pt II

This week we are continuing our discussion of Proverbs 31.  You can find part I here. 

Proverbs 31: A Wife Of Noble Character

1) She Is Prepared

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

^{Not only does the noble wife work diligently to make sure that her family has plenty, but she also has enough to share.  She also understands the adage of "quality over quantity."  Her family is well dressed, warmly dressed, and well provided for.  She plans ahead for the future so that she is not caught off guard but unexpected circumstances.  How often have I been snowed in for days watching my pantry grow bare and my children grow restless.  With some forethought, I'd have been armed with a full freezer and a big box of activities - whether I needed them or not!}

^{2) She Is Wise} 

 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.

The noble wife is filled with the word of the Lord.  She has asked Him for wisdom, and He has provided.  She does not wag her tongue in gossip, but uses her words to guide and uplift others.  She is not shy, but neither is she haughty.  She has sought the Lord's purpose for her life, and she has made a plan for her days.  I often forget that silence is often the most constructive choice.  I forget that planning and organization can alleviate so much of the stress that I allow to creep into my life.   I need to seek my purpose from the Lord, then weed out the excess in my life - the chatter, the 'stuff', the activities that are draining instead of uplifting. 

3) She Is Praised
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.”

The woman who is hard-working and wise, who seeks to build up others and run an organized home - she is praised by those with whom she comes into contact. 

4) She Is Humble
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Isn't it ironic that often the more we try to garner laud for ourselves, the less we endear ourselves to others.  It is in humbling ourselves, before God, before our families, before everyone we meet - in thinking of others before ourselves - that we gain respect in their eyes.  The noble wife knows where her value lies.  She knows that her beauty and glory are found in the Lord, not in her own worth.  And it is this knowledge that makes her truly beautiful.