The Proverbs 31 Woman – Are We Ready for Her?

The Proverbs 31 Woman – Are We Ready for Her? – Pt 1

The following is a guest post by Carol Schultz (read her full bio below):

“Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies“. Proverbs 31:10

So who is she? Is she June Cleaver? Alexis Carrington? In my own pondering of the T.V. role models I think Barbara Stanwick from Big Valley may fit the role. Certainly it is not Peg Bundy or Roseanne.

I cannot remember a Mothers Day church service that did not extol the importance of the Proverbs 31 woman and give honor and thanks to the women and mothers in the congregation. But are we really ready for her?

Early in life I made it one of my goals to know whom this woman was. I studied the scriptures to find godly women and their accomplishments. I read every book and commentary I could find. Most importantly I meditated on the passage of scripture from verses 10 – 31 and prayed them daily, year after year.
Who is she? What does she do? And, does it tie in any way to finances?
Proverbs 31:11-12

She is a trustworthy and honorable wife. Her husband will have no need of spoil. Hmmm…so, if she is doing what she is supposed to and he goes looking for spoil what does that say? I guess we can look to one of our past presidential candidates for the answer to that.
Proverbs 31:13-14

She is busy and hardworking. Up early, not afraid to get her nails messed up, and shops around for the best deals on food. Sounds like many of the frugal blog readers.

I’m sure we are all on the same page so far but this is where it gets to the part that might make some people start to get a little squirmy.
Proverbs 31:15

She wakes early prepares food for her family and for whom? Her maidens. These are the young women that work with her to maximize her time and activities. I had not seen this in action except among the rich until I went to the Philippines.

When a young woman was out of high school if she did not go to college she went to work for an established household and there she learned the skills she needed to one day run her own household. In the home I stayed there were three young women fulfilling this role. One was in charge of cooking, one cleaning, and the third laundry.

Assistance with children would be another function if the home required it. They received their meals and a modest income. The woman of the house was then a manager of the home and not expected to do all things. If she had an education she might go to her profession or if she did not she may pursue various entrepreneurial activities.

In this country we have babysitters. This is much the same principle applied but to a much lesser degree. Through this experience the mother is freed to run errands or have an evening away. The teenager has the responsibility of taking care of the children knowing that the mother is close by if assistance is required.

One of the biggest complaints I have heard among young people is boredom. Because of this they often get involved with hanging out with the crowd, talking for hours on the phone, and entering motherhood much earlier than expected and without any skills to run a home.

What an opportunity it is to have these young women stop after school and help out with running the home. A small financial consideration may be appropriate based on need and ability but in my experience there are people out there that are happy to stop by if given the chance and invitation.

A young woman used to come over and help me clean stalls. I offered her money on a couple of occasions and she refused. Finally I insisted that she take something because I felt it was due. Soon she just stopped coming over. What she was offering was affection and companionship and I had tried to place a monetary value on it.

This thirteen year old taught me a valuable lesson much to my regret.
Proverbs 31:16

She considereth a field, and buyeth it… I have written this out specifically so that you would not think I was exaggerating. Men, what would you do if you came home from work and your wife said, “Honey, I bought a rental home today and I plan to manage it”. Or, “Honey, I think I could make an income growing blueberries so I just went out and bought 5 acres”. You would probably be shocked and hit the roof.

You might be hurt, surprised, or outraged that she had made the decision without telling you. I know this because of the reaction I got the first time I bought property .
Proverbs 31:17

Says that she girdeth her loins with strength. I’m not sure if this is for the work to be done or in response to her husband’s reaction .
Proverbs 31:18-19

She is making something to sell. It is merchandise. Verse 19 speaks specifically about using a weaving machine. She has a small business. Verse 24 expands on this subject.
Proverbs 31:20

She works with the poor. There are so many ways this could apply, whether it is involvement with churches, organizations, or individually by being aware of the needs within her community.

The remainder of the chapter speaks of her household management, spiritual life, and personal character; and that is where we will pick up tomorrow with the second half of this study.

This is a guest post from Carol Schultz, the author of In The Trenches: Financial Survival During Times of Hardship . Carol is a former manager and procedural analyst in banking. Her career came to an abrupt end when she resigned to care for a terminally ill parent. As the family finances plummeted, the single-parent family ultimately moved to the rural town of her forefathers where they fixed up a 100 year old homestead, raised animals, planted vegetables, chopped wood, home schooled, and embraced the self-sufficiency lifestyle. She wrote a book about her experiences and financial survival tactics to help others who might end up In The Trenches. Carol maintains a blog at inthetrenches2009.blogspot.com.

She endeavors to write and instruct others to return to sound Biblical financial principles and live a financial lifestyle that is more independent from the world system that we might retain our freedom as long as possible.

© 2010, KNS Financial, LLC. All rights reserved.
http://knsfinancial.com/the-proverbs-31-woman-are-we-ready-for-her-pt-1/



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Yesterday we took a look at Proverbs 31:11-20. In that study, Carol Schultz went through some of the specifics of how this virtuous woman functions in her home, and the marketplace. Today we continue that study with a look at Proverbs 31:21-31, and what it says about her character and spiritual life.

The following is a guest post by Carol Schultz (read her full bio below):

[Khaleef here: Please read the first article in order to fully understand what follows]
A woman who reaches her full potential in Christ:

How many of us allow ourselves or our spouses to reach this level of achievement? How many are secure enough in themselves and their spouse to allow them this much freedom? To encourage it and brag about it? The New Testament speaks much about a husband loving their wives like Christ loved the church.

Does this mean that women are always to be pampered and filling their time with trivialities because of boredom? By no means, Christ loved the church enough to not only lay down his own life but to allow them to achieve their highest potential.

Why should the ungodly say that the Christian women do not have the fulfillment that comes from achieving their potential and fully utilizing their talents? Was it God that told us to act like that?

This is no way is intended to minimize or set aside the role of motherhood by giving it back seat to career aspirations. The role of motherhood is the greatest privilege and responsibility that any woman can have. Many women aspire that as their greatest work and goal.

This was true of me and I reveled in being able to love and train my children in all aspects of life to the best of my ability. I have never heard anyone ever ask what Mary the mother of Jesus’ career was as she had the greatest role all cut out for her by God himself.
A woman who is liberated:

As I think of many of the women in the Bible I consider Jael, Deborah, Ruth, Esther, and many more. In many ways these were the true “Liberated Woman” for they were liberated from chasing materialism, sin and deceit, and idle activity and gossip.

In our Christian liberation of being free from sin we are now able to achieve the highest level of our skills and talents to the glory of God the Father. How much interest and influence can this have in our homes, churches, communities, businesses, and the world?
A woman who is unique:

Each of us has unique goals, talents, dreams and aspirations. Each of us are as individual as a snowflake. It is in the finding of that uniqueness that we fulfill our purpose. Imagine the testimony we would have to the world if we were able to embrace this.

We read about the deplorable treatment of women in other countries and know in our hearts that this is not what God intended. It is easy to think that we are far superior after all, women have excelled at home, in business, and in politics. Closer yet to home maybe is the question of not how much we do but how much are we capable of doing? I’m not speaking so much about the big public displays so much as the more personal challenges we face each day like dirty socks on the floor, or who’s taking out the trash.

Of course all things require a division of responsibility but is it always done with consideration, respect, and appreciation? Anything less is less than our calling and I know that readers of Faithful With a Few desire to be challenged to seek the highest levels.
A woman who is supported:

So tonight or when a quiet moment comes up if you have not done so lately how about asking your wives, daughters, and sisters of the family and of Christ, “Honey, what are your dreams, what are your ambitions, what would give you great satisfaction?” Their answers might surprise you and if it doesn’t and those things are already in motion then pat yourself on the back. You’re doing a great job.
A woman who is praised:

Proverbs 31:28 and Proverbs31:31 speak of the praise this woman shall receive from her husband, children, and community. Be generous in praise to one another and don’t take things for granted. This is often the encouragement needed to motivate us to continue to strive for excellence.

Fan the sparks of purpose so that they will become a brighter and glowing light. Ultimate fulfillment does not apply to any predetermined course. It comes from the freedom for people to seek God’s will within their purpose and living it to the fullest, whether that is as a stay-at-home homeschooling mom, a career, or volunteering for a worthy cause.

The first praise bestowed on the Proverbs 31 woman comes from her family so that is where it begins.
A final word:

This passage of scripture is so meaningful to me that one post cannot contain all the phases and changes that it has made in my own life. What I most would like to convey is best summarized in the scripture Matthew 5:14-16 : “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.“



This is a guest post from Carol Schultz, the author of In The Trenches: Financial Survival During Times of Hardship . Carol is a former manager and procedural analyst in banking. Her career came to an abrupt end when she resigned to care for a terminally ill parent. As the family finances plummeted, the single-parent family ultimately moved to the rural town of her forefathers where they fixed up a 100 year old homestead, raised animals, planted vegetables, chopped wood, home schooled, and embraced the self-sufficiency lifestyle. She wrote a book about her experiences and financial survival tactics to help others who might end up In The Trenches. Carol maintains a blog at inthetrenches2009.blogspot.com.

She endeavors to write and instruct others to return to sound Biblical financial principles and live a financial lifestyle that is more independent from the world system that we might retain our freedom as long as possible.

© 2010, KNS Financial, LLC. All rights reserved.

http://knsfinancial.com/the-proverbs-31-woman-–-are-we-ready-for-her-pt-2/