What Makes A Virtuous Woman?

First, I would like to wish  my daughter Boni a happy birthday.  Today she is fourteen years old!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BONI!

 

 

Who was the Virtuous Woman?

Have you ever read proverbs? In Proverbs 31:10-31,it describes a woman who hast has made every woman feel guilty since the book was written. This woman is affectionately known as the” virtuous woman”.

This woman is remarkable. The writer says that she worth more than rubies.

• Her husband trusts her and she is good to him every day. (v. 13)
• She spins wool and flax and works with her hands.
• She goes to the market and buys food from all over the world (v. 14)
• She gets up before daylight and gives her family and her servants breakfast (v. 15)
• She buys land, and plants a vineyard  ( v. 16)
• She is strong  in spirit and in body (v. 17)
• She carefully chooses what she feels her family needs to buy and she is honest in her dealings . (v. 18)
• Her candle does not go out (v. 18) some people takes this to mean that she never sleeps)
• She holds the spindle and her hands hold the distaff (19)
• She helps the poor (v. 20)
• She clothes her family with proper clothing, so she’s not afraid that they will be cold. She clothes them with scarlet  (v. 21)
• She makes herself coverings of tapestry
• She personally is clothed in silk and purple. In other words she is clothed like a queen and manages her home with dignity (v. 22)
• Her husband is an elder of the land (v. 23)
• She makes and sells fine linen and makes girdles to sell (v. 24)
• Strength and honor are her clothing and she always has a positive encouraging attitude (v 25)
• She is always kind when she gives good advice (v. 26)
• She is a good manager of her home
• She is always doing something (v. 27)
• Her children know that she is a blessing to them (v. 28)
• Her husband can’t say enough good things about her (v. 28)

The last few verses (verses: 29, 30, 31) sums up the character of this woman. “Favor is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord (in other words, puts God as the center of her life) shall be praised. Give her the Fruit of her hands, and let her own words praise her in the gates.”

She Makes Us Feel Guilty

This woman makes us feel guilty because most of us are not able to do all the wonderful things that this woman does. This woman is perfect. She is always busy. She gets up early and stays up late to make certain that everything is done. She handles money matters well.She is generous with her money and time. She keeps strong in all ways. She has wisdom and shares her knowledge without being critical. She works all the time, never seems to take time off. Her husband loves her because she is so perfect, and her children actually know that she is a blessing to them.

Many of the descriptions of the chapter are not meant to be literal. and, I really don’t think that she was one single woman. I think she was a snapshot of collection the virtues that good women portray.

The Key To Being Like This Woman

The key verses are those last three verses. This woman keeps God as the center of her life. In other parts of the proverbs it tells about other types of women, ones who tempt men away from God and from their wives. The virtuous woman, on the other hand, does not rely on her beauty nor does she rely on the fact that she is favored. She focuses on what is important in life. She draws her children and her husband toward Godliness and she is rewarded for her diligence. Therefore, if I make God the center of my life, if I study the word, and ask God to show me how to live my life, my life will reflect Christ. I will be more like this woman as I become more Christ-centered.

 

Donna Brown, an ordained minister, is  Author Cygnet Brown, she  has recently published her first nonfiction book: Simply Vegetable Gardening: Simple Organic Gardening Tips for the Beginning Gardener

She is also the author of historical fiction series The Locket Saga. which includes When God Turned His Head and Soldiers Don’t Cry, the Locket Saga Continues. Her upcoming book A Coward’s Solace will be available soon. Click here for more information about Cygnet Brown and her books.