The Virtuous Woman :: Part Two

She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household is clothed with scarlet.

She makes tapestry for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple.

Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.

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

Strength and honor are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to come.

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.

She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her:

"Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all."

Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates.

~ Proverbs 31:21-31 ~

{Written by Johanna Rose}

{Please be sure to read Part One first!}

Thank you so much for joining me for part two of this Proverbs 31 study. I pray that you have been blessed by taking a deeper look into this beautiful passage.... I certainly have. It has been such a challenge to write this -- for, writing this has made me study these verses intently and carefully, and now, I find that I even have a better understanding of this lovely Proverb. Let us begin Part Two, shall we?? ~

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She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household is clothed with scarlet. She makes tapestry for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple.

Proverbs 31:21-22

     In Proverbs 31:16, it talks of how the virtuous woman buys a plot of land, and plants a vineyard therein. In verses 21 through 22, we see that she doesn't even fear the cold weather, as she has provided scarlet clothing for her family. In both of these passages, we can see the the virtuous woman always is looking ahead -- she is not overly concerned with the present, but rather, she takes care to look to what the future may hold, and provides the necessities ahead of time.

     I can, again, see my own, dearest Mother in this verse. My Mama is constantly providing our family with the clothes we need, and the food we eat. Not once have I gone hungry, from lack of planning on her part. Not once  have I been cold, because she didn't supply me with the garments I need -- not once. This is truly a virtue which we, as young ladies, need to think about. So often, we only think about what must be done now -- or what is going on currently -- etc, etc. But ladies, we to often forget to prepare for the future. We need to be rational in our actions, and account for the present as well as the future -- this is the key to having a smooth, and well-runed household. 

Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.
Proverbs 31:23

     Now, we all know that Proverbs 31 is about the virtuous woman :: So, why is this verse specifically about her husband, and not directly about her??? Well, I believe that this verse relays a valuable  point, which I think a lot of us, when studying this verse, pass over. And that point is this :: the importance of honoring your husband.

     Often times, it depends on the actions and behavior of the wife, in order to accuratly label the character of the husband. Ladies, this is one of the hidden roles of being a wife, and help-meet -- and it is so very important. It is our duty to be a virtuous, hospitable, warm and welcoming homemaker. We need to be a reflection of Christ in every one of our actions, and in each of our words. This will not only add honor to the One Above, but it will also be honoring to our husbands, and reflect his good character. 

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

Proverbs 31:24

     This verse ties in with Proverbs 31:18-19. Each talks of how she is a skilled seamstress, and makes profit by selling her goods. Often times, these verses are used the the feminist movement, saying that the virtuous woman was, indeed, a businesswoman -- a working woman. 

     However, I feel just the opposite. I believe that here, within these verses, we can see that the virtuous woman can indeed help her husband by bringing extra income into the home. But what I also see here, is that she does this in addition to being a homemaker and help-meet. She doesn't put her work above her family, neither does she put it above her biblical-calling which is to be the keeper of the home. She does her sewing and selling within the home. I believe this is a perfect way of helping your husband, yet still caring for your family at the same time. 

Strength and honor are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to come.

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.

Proverbs 31:25-26

     Strength. Honor. Rejoice. Wisdom. Kindness. All of these virtues are mentioned in the above passage, and I believe we must take each one of them to heart, and focus on perfecting that trait within ourselves.

     Strength is something that, I believe, we all must have a degree of -- especially for the times that we live in. In our culture, being a full-fledged Christian -- one who loves to not only talk-the-talk, but walk-the-walk as well -- is not the easiest of tasks. In fact, it is far from being easy. We need to be as the virtuous woman, and gird ourselves up with strength. {Proverbs 31:17}

     Honor is something that one must gain -- not accomplish. It is like a reputation -- hard to gain, but easy to loose. We, as young woman, are vulnerable, and are easily lured into traps that would put our god-honoring hearts into danger. We must be sure to gird ourselves up with the sufficient strength in order to preserve our honor.

    Rejoice. Being cheerful in whatever circumstances. This is truly very challenging -- yet, I believe it is crucial. And when accomplished, I find that it is so rewarding. We need to constantly put our trust in Jesus Christ, and look unto Him. We need to empty our hearts of fears, so that their may be room for joy -- but certainly, their can't be both. We need to let Jesus reign, for that is when our joy truly will be full.

    Wisdom is something that a virtuous woman must attain. It is something that will last a life time, take a life time, and become a life time -- all we must do is gather it.

    Kindness is letting the beauty of Christ shine through you. It is an occupation that will fill our hearts with joy, and our souls with peace. Being filled with kindness towards others is often easy, but often times it can be hard. Again, when you let Jesus truly reign in your heart, you will be filled with true, everlasting joy. And that is when His kindness will shine through you, for all the world to see. {Mathew 5:16}

She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Proverbs 31:27

   When I have an encounter with a truly virtuous woman, one thing that I always note is that she is never idle. Again, my mother relays a sweet picture of what this verse entails. Those who know my mother, will say that she has never just sat about, and used her time for herself. No. Far from it. They would say that they never saw her sit down!! They would tell you that she was constantly on her feet, serving others, and making sure things were going smoothly. 

   This is another valuable virtue that we, as young woman, must learn :: and that is, to be hospitable to others, and serve them with our entire being, so that their stay in our presence may be as pleasant as possible. A truly virtuous woman will always make sure those about her are comfortable, and at ease. 

Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:

Proverbs 31:28

   Ah, what a wonderful verse this is -- this verse talks of the reward that the Virtuous Woman shall receive! Have you ever been talking with friends, and catch yourself saying "Yes, my Mother is amazing!!" *smile* I certainly have! My mama is a truly virtuous woman -- one who puts others above herself always, and who loves unconditionally. 

   This, my dear sisters, is something that we all will want someday. We will want our own children to love and respect us, and to call us blessed before others. We will desire our husbands good words, and true love. But, we must first earn it. We must be a Virtuous Woman in order to attain this praise.

"Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all."

Proverbs 31:29

   Ah. This verse is one of my very favorites -- if not my favorite, in the entire passage of Proverbs 31. This specific verse, holds a hidden challenge. A challenge that speaks to my heart -- and I pray that it will speak to your's as well. 

   It talks of how many woman have done well in becoming a Virtuous Woman. But, it ends in saying, "...but you excel them all." These words are so beautiful to me. In these few words, I can see so much. Ladies, there are so many young woman out there -- all, just trying to do what they think is right -- all, trying to be hospitable, and kind -- all, doing there best to be what they were created to be. But girls, a truly Virtuous Woman will excel them all. For, it is true, that when I encounter a truly virtuous young woman, I find that she is so different from those around me -- and the difference I see, is a reflection of Christ. 

   This is what I hope to be. There are many young woman in this world, but I want to rise above them -- I want others to see a difference between me, and the average girl -- I want them to see Christ dwelling within me.

Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.

Proverbs 31:30

   This, again, is another beautiful portrayal of a truly beautiful, and virtuous woman. Often times, when looking at the world, and the woman of this world, we will see a false image of what 'true beauty' is. We see this false image on magazine covers, billboards, posters, DVD's, etc. We can clearly see that to be truly beautiful in the worlds eyes, you would need the tightest, most low-cut shirt, the highest cut shorts, a complete makeover with the latest styles in the makeup department, an anorexic figure, and a flirtatious spirit. This, is what is now considered truly beautiful.

   Ladies, it can be so easy to fall into the trap of thinking this way -- without even knowing it. Let me encourage you now, to re-focus on Jesus Christ, and His beauty. Truly, I tell you, that even if you were beautiful on the outside, yet, lacked the Holy Spirit within, your loveliness would no longer be. Rather, I believe that, even if the Holy Spirit was your only ornament, you would hold an unchangeable, and true beauty -- which is worth far more then the beauty which the world has to offer.

Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates.

Proverbs 31:31

   The last verse of Proverbs 31 is a glorious ending. And, I believe that its meaning is a very powerful one. For, a truly Virtuous Woman will reap what she has sewn. Ladies, this is so important to understand, and will be so encouraging in those times when we are doubting. 

   We will face so many struggles along our journey of becoming and being a wife, homemaker, help-meet and, ultimately, a Virtuous Woman. And, although this journey may seem as though it is not worth it at times, this verse holds a promise which will strengthen us to continue on our way. For it says that we will gather 'the fruit of our hands.' -- in other words, we will reap exactly what we have earned -- we will receive exactly what we gave. 

I want to close in saying this ::

   Dear Ladies, if you are truly striving to be a Virtuous Woman, know that the Lord will bless your efforts. Know that He is with you every step of the way. Know that He is aware of you vulnerabilities, and your weaknesses -- know that He will lend you His own strength when it is required. 

Know that He loves you unconditionally, and has called you to be a Virtuous Woman, because He has a purpose for you. 

And know, that this purpose, is something that is greater then you could have ever imagined!! And know that the most important step of this process is to trust in Him. Trust in His Strength. Trust in His Love....

Trust in His Plan.