Grace to Fulfill our Roles

A wife’s relationship with her husband. 10-13

This virtuous woman, that Lemuel is going to describe, represents one of the most valuable treasures on the earth.

The phrase, “who can find” may apply to scarcity.

It can also apply to willingness to look for these things.

The woman of these verses is an invaluable asset to her family.

A weak or insecure man is not deserving of the virtuous woman.

She is strong, smart, and capable.

She is not locked in the house waiting to serve her husband, she is busy advancing the prospects of her family.

Her husband is confident in her and her abilities.

He trusts her that she is on his side and by his side for the good of the family.

She is not a detractor, nor is she a liability.

Because of her resourcefulness, he doesn’t have to try and gain spoils for them to do well.

He doesn’t have to go after filthy lucre.

A godly woman will display this type of teamwork and virtue on a consistent basis.

She is a safe individual to live your life with.

She will do right by her all the days of her life.

A wife’s role in business. 14-29

Lemuel details the virtuous woman’s business role in an ascending manner.

He starts with small and simple tasks.

He ends with the large and complex successes.

Big success comes from consistency in the small.

Notice, that she starts out working alone with common items.

She looks for Wool and flax.

She has no servants.

Any produce that will come, must come from the labor of her own hands.

This she does, according to the verse, willingly.

She is not coerced or forced into service.

Her industriousness springs from within herself and a desire to better her family.

Because of her hard work, we see her widening her horizons.

She begins to feed her family better than the rest of the local families.

We take for granted the availability of foods from around the world.

In their society, if it was grown locally or in your own backyard, you didn’t get to eat it.

But not this lady.

She, of course, seeks to sell the things that she had made, and she begins to make contacts with vendors that open doors for her.

Now, her family benefits by the access she has acquired to more sources of food.

This kind of success and increase in resources and income takes hard work.

There is no room for laziness in the life of a virtuous woman.

She rises early.

The Bible shares that she has two responsibilities to attend.

Her household

And her own employees.

You see, her business is growing and now she has maidens that work for her.

(Ruth’s Chris)

That doesn’t mean she isn’t willing to still work with her hands.

She sees a field that she would like to buy.

If she owns the field, she can grow her own flax and raise her own sheep for wool.

She will no longer have to search for it.

She is cunning in controlling her own supply chain.

She plants the vineyard and manages through the increase of her own work.

All that we are reading her was uncommon in the wider culture of their day.

Do not believe anyone who tells you the Bible is anti-female-empowerment.

This is a picture of what God sees as virtuous womanhood.

Christianity does not weaken womanhood.

Instead verse 17 says that the virtuous woman girds her loins with strength and strengthens her arms.

This is why I said, the virtuous woman is not a good fit for a weak or insecure man.

He will be intimidated by her success.

She is not successful at the expense of her family.

She is successful for the advancement of her family.

She recognizes her success.

She understands where her strengths lie, and she leans into those areas.

Whether it’s her ability to work longer than others or the skills that she possesses in her craftsmanship, she is aware of what she does well, and she owns it.

All of this success, though, is not just for her own comfort or advancement.

She is active in charity.

She shares what she has earned with the poor.

She leverages her economic power to give others a leg up.

She uses her increase to protect her family.

I like how it says she is not afraid of the snow.

You know kids will run out in the snow with shorts on.

She’s not afraid of the snow because she has her family properly equipped for the cold.

She, herself, values her own appearance and clothes herself in silk and purple.

This isn’t the picture of a man dressing his wife like a doll.

This is a successful woman that is not ashamed to look the part.

Speaking of her husband, he also benefits from his wife’s success.

He is know in the city gates.

This is where the leaders of the people gather.

The husband of the virtuous woman is known by his connection to his wife.

Not the other way around.

Finally, we see the grand success and advancement of the virtuous woman.

She has graduated from simple garments of flax and wool.

Now she produces fine linen.

She makes a hefty profit from her work.

Her items are exported and sold around the world.

Far removed from the secondary, slavish status of other women of her day.

The virtuous woman is characterized as strong and honorable.

People come to her for counsel.

Out of her mouth comes wisdom and counsel.

She is known fro her kindness.

She is successful at home, but she is also busy at home. (which men should be as well)

She has the respect of her children.

She has the respect and praise of her husband.

Many other women are doing well, but she has exceeded them all.

A wife’s relationship with God. 30-31

Favor and success can be misleading.

Beauty is a poor standard by which to judge a person.

A woman that fears the Lord will never lack for praise.

Give praise to the woman that fear God.

Let them reap the benefits of their hard work.