The Elusive Proverbs 31 Woman: A Woman of Virtue

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. (Proverbs 31:10)

Many women are described in the book of Proverbs. There is the "stubborn woman", the "rebellious woman", the "adulterous woman", the "foolish woman", and even the "quarrelsome woman". In Proverbs 31, however, we see the "eishet chayil", Hebrew for "woman of valor", or as we know her...the virtuous woman. She is the epitome of what godly men should seek and what godly women should aspire to be. As we read the chapter, it is quite simple to make a mental "checklist" of what she can do. However, this series on the virtuous woman is not about what you can or should do...it is about what God wants to do through you.

To understand how to become a virtuous woman, we must first define the word 'virtuous'. Webster's 1828 Dictionary states 'virtuous' as "morally good; acting in conformity to the moral law; practicing the moral duties, and abstaining from vice; as a virtuous man." Yet, in the same definition, he includes this statement: "The mere performance of virtuous actions does not denominate an agent virtuous." What a statement of profound truth that is! Let's take a look at some factors which contribute to virtue in a woman's life.

A virtuous woman abstains from sin. She habitually identifies it in her life by looking through the scope of Scripture. Once identified, she removes it from her daily goings, repenting or turning away from it, no matter how painful or difficult it may be. This prepares her heart for her ministries in and through her home.

A virtuous woman dwells in godliness. Philippians 4:8 states, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." For example, if you surround yourself with strawberries- their sweet odor, bright color, and pungent taste- but tell yourself you will NOT eat them...chances are, you will fail. However, if you never purchase them from the grocery store or pick them on a warm spring day, you will probably succeed. Surrounding yourself with sin (or the opportunity to sin) only increases the difficulty to NOT do so.

A virtuous woman has a heart for God. All of her good works and desire to be like Christ flow forth from a heart full of love for her Savior. There is nothing shallow or petty about her faith. It is genuine, sincere, and perpetually dominates her thinking, her living, and her witness to others around her.

Some practical ways to seek and develop virtue in your life could include:

• Reading your Bible daily
• Giving your heart to an attitude of prayer at all times
• Surrounding yourself with godly, peaceful music
• Developing friendships with ladies whom you spiritually admire
• Reading Bible commentaries and books by reputable Christian authors
• Journaling your thoughts and prayers

The ultimate blessing and consequence of being a virtuous woman? You are priceless. Not commonplace. There are none that compare. All of the "beautiful people" in the world cannot compare to the worth of one virtuous woman in the sight of God. You are a jewel of highest worth- even above rubies. What an incredible privilege to be seen to our Lord as something so intrinsically precious! :o)

This is just an small introduction to Proverbs 31:10-31. The next 2 weeks we will be looking at 6 roles that the virtuous woman fulfills:  the excellent wife, the devoted homekeeper, the kind teacher, the helpful neighbor, the loving mother, and the dedicated believer. I hope you will join us- feel free to leave comments! :o)

Promenade Sur l'Etang, Charles Courtney Curran
Graphic Courtesy of Allposters

Comments

[Mrs. Burrows]

God is so very good; I'm grateful for what He is doing in and through you for His glory and our good with this study. :-)

[Emma]

Oh, Mrs. Wilt!

What a lovely post! This is so well written that I think you could take the whole series and put together another e-book! It is very inspiring!

Emma

[Kelly]

Wow, how timely this post is as I just started rereading and studying "The Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace. Thank you, Mrs. Wilt, for your wise counsel and knowledge.

[Lady Why]

Quite an excellent post, Mrs. Wilt! Thank you for this series! I am going to have my teenage daughters read and study it along with me. Very well done!

[Charmin]

I do so want to have a heart for God. Your suggestions on how to develop virtue are excellent. I want to encourage those ladies who are not reading their Bible daily and faithfully spending time in prayer to tackle those areas first. It should go without saying, but I'm the type that needs to hear very often the things that go without saying. : ) When I see a list like this, I get very excited and want to do it all and quickly find myself spending far more time on the last four than the first two, the two which are by far the most important. Thanks to my sister's Book Review Friday challenge, I am reading the Bible more often and in larger chunks than ever. How exciting! When we are grounding ourselves in God's Word first, He will work through us and help us to make wise choices in the other areas.

Thank you for taking the time to study this with us, Mrs. Wilt. Looking forward to the next post!

[Leah]

I am so glad that a friend of mine directed me to your blog! Thank you for sharing!

[mrs.b]

I'm so excited about this series! And I agree with Emma, I bet it would make a wonderful e-book. (o:

Blessings,
~Mrs.B

[Trixie]

Hi Mrs. Wilt,

What a lovely idea for a post series. I've enjoyed the first one; it gave me a lot to think about. Each day I'm planning to include Proverbs 31 in my daily reading, it would be so helpful to memorize it.

Looking forward to the rest of your posts on this topic,

Trixie

[Kristen]

Mrs. Wilt- do you have any suggestions for Godly music? I would love to have something to listen to in my home and the radio is not an option!

[Mrs. Wilt]

Thanks, girls, for all your sweet words! This is a topic that I definitely find interesting as I have plenty of room to grow in this area! :o)

Kristen,
Mr. Wilt and I particularly enjoy the music of The Wilds. You can order several of their CDs at Biblical Womanhood (http://www.biblicalwomanhood.com). The songs are beautifully done and are taken directly from Scripture. We are saving up to purchase more for our home. :o)
We also find instrumental hymn CDs (our favorite is a cello one) to be wonderful for listening to during dinner or during "down time". Hope this helps! :o)

[Mrs. Burrows]

Hoping to be of help to Kristen that asked about music and said the radio isn't an option, it may be via the computer. Searching google or a search engine of choice for "Christian internet radio" will give many sites; one I'm familiar with(doesn't play music 24/7) is Rejoice Radio online at http://www.rejoice.org and broadcasting from Pensacola, FL.

[Mrs. Wilt]

I didn't even think of that, Mrs. Burrows! What a great idea! :o)

[Becky]

What a great study, Mrs. Wilt. I am really looking forward to more.

As far a Christian music goes, if you have iTunes, you can have free access to online radio stations. My husband is a big fan of the acapella Christian station.

[Jenny]

Mrs Wilt, may I please have your permission to save these devotionals and use them for my mothers bible-study group? Judging from this one, it's going to be wonderful and insightful and deeply instructive. Thankyou so much for doing this with us now.

[Mrs. Wilt]

Jenny,
Absolutely! Thank you so much! :o)

[Pam]

What a blessing! I am so excited for the next installment. It isn't that I haven't heard all this before, it is just that I need much reminding and your post is so well written, I found it a real joy to be reminded! (convicted)

[Another Heather]

You can type in Old Fashioned Christian Music and get another online radio station with God honoring music. I just came over from Biblical Womanhood. I am looking forward to these posts. Thanks

[tami lewis]

excellent post! i look forward to more.

[Courtney]

Mrs. Wilt,

While I think that the Proverbs 31 woman is a wonderful role model for Christian ladies, I think we should also look to the Virgin Mary for guidance as well. While all Christians may not agree on all points regarding the Mother of God, I don't think we can find a more perfect example of a woman who has said "Yes" to God "Let it be done to me according to your will." Though the Bible does not list in detail all of her daily activities, we can certainly find in her a woman who possesses these same virtues: abstains from sin, dwells in godliness, and has a heart for God. She is a beautiful example of what a Christian lady and mother should be. That said, I am still looking forward to more of your serious of Proverbs 31. :)

[Sarah]

What a lovely post Mrs Wilt. Very well written.

I loved this bit lots:

"A virtuous woman has a heart for God. All of her good works and desire to be like Christ flow forth from a heart full of love for her Savior. There is nothing shallow or petty about her faith. It is genuine, sincere, and perpetually dominates her thinking, her living, and her witness to others around her."

Amen to that.
Blessings.