Proverbs 31:30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
We see in these last two verses that doing favors can be good and to have a wife that is nice to look at is nice, but both of these can be deceitful. The very best that a man can have is a wife who fears God and keeps His commandments and she will have everything else as an extra . She is to be praised because she chooses salvation through the Lord. Then lastly her works speak for themselves and she has earned her praise. The lord is pleased with her because she has done His will in her life. The things she has done for her family to bring them praise is all the praise she needs.
This is the end of the book of proverbs and my hope is that everyone that read these posts has received some wisdom and knowledge from the Lord. This is a book of the Bible that could be used over and over again to find answers to different situations. Haven’t decided where I am going from here if anyone has a suggestion let me know.
Proverbs 31:28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
In these two verses we see that her children and her husband recognize her unselfishness, love and care for the family. She is praised with great respect for being a good mother and wife. There can be no greater joy for a woman than to see her children grow up to praise her as the source of the wisdom that made them righteous. Also we see that there are many women who have been faithful to there husbands but fall short in some other areas and this woman has done the best toward God and her family.
Proverbs 31:25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
The characteristics we see hear are that she is upright in all her ways and she is proud of all she has made and knows it is the best. So she rejoices in what it brings. She is a very intelligent woman and when she speaks her teaching is tempered wit mercy. Her speech conveys her wisdom and kindness. When she speaks it is to help and to instruct her children. She is an excellent example of a meek and quiet spirit. We have already talked about her good work habits but she takes it step further in teaching her children to be good in all they do with their chores and how they treat other people.
Proverbs 31:20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
These five verses show some admirable characteristics of a good wife. First she is charitable in giving to those in need. She again makes sure her household is taken care of in all kinds of weather. She also likes to make sure her appearance is acceptable to all she comes in contact with. Her husband has great respect for her because she has made significant contributions to his position in the community. Again we she she is very industrious in selling her goods to the merchants. All of these characteristics are driven by a desire of hers to make make sure her family is provided for.
Proverbs 31:16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
These verses show us a woman that could venture out in the world and be a business woman. She takes the initiative to buy land and plants a vineyard with what she has acquired. She does not leave it up to just the husband to make money for the family. Because she is so resourceful it builds up her strength with the rigorous work she does. She sees that what she makes is good and profitable for the family. We already know she rose early in the morning to take care of the needs of the family and now we see she works on into the night making cloths for the family. She rose early, planted a vineyard in the day, and wove late at knight. She appreciates her husband and her family and looks for useful work to do to keep them. She is not lazy like we said before.
Proverbs 31:13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
14 She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
In these verse we see that an excellent woman helps to produce for the family, she is not lazy, and she works willingly because she wants to help. She gathers what she needs to make clothes. She also goes wherever she needs to to get food for her family and goes as far as she needs to for the best food and brings it home. She also rise early in morning to prepare the a meal for not only her family but for the servants also. She is not a sleepy head she has to rise early each day. She also does not mind and does this gladly because her first concern is for her family.
Proverbs 31:10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
This last part of Proverbs deals with a description of an excellent wife and mother. First it talks of a virtuous or excellent woman with high morals and is upright in all her ways. She cannot be measured by the the earthy riches of this world. She does exist but is hard to find. She is totally faithful to her husband and he has total confidence in her because she will not let him down. She gives him no reason to withhold any of his valuables so she can use of them because of her loyalty to him and she is thrifty in her dealings which will add to his wealth. She is always on his side and helps to pick him up when he is down. She is beside him in everything he does and loves to please him.
Proverbs 31:8 Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.
9 Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy
These two verses are simply saying we need to speak up for those who are unable to speak for themselves. We are not to let the helpless just stand there and be punished because they cannot defend themselves. We need to be aware of their situation so we will be able to help them because of their conditions of weakness. The king was to righteously uphold the case of the helpless in physical and material crisis. The king thus meditates on the the compassion of God. We are to be ready in whatever case we find someone in to help them with the guidance and leadership of God, using the wisdom and knowledge we have gained.
Proverbs 31:4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:
5 Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.
6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.
In these four verse we seethe effects alcohol can have on people. For leaders to be drunk is not a good option because they can make a bad decision that could hurt a lot of people. It can cause them to forget the law they are suppose to be enforcing. It goes on to tell us that people who think they have no reason to live will turn to drink and those that think they they have lost everything they care about also turn to strong drink. Finally we see that some people will waste what money they have on drink because they think they have nothing else and they feel it takes them out of there misery when actually it only increases it. These verse actually show us it is unwise to consume too much strong drink because it only creates problems rather than sol
Proverbs 31:1 The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.
2 What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows?
3 Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.
This last chapter deals with two different people , a wise king, and an excellent wife. It first talks of the king. Kin Lemuel, who some believe to be Solomon. Lemuel means “unto God.” The three questions asked makes the person listening more attentive and indicates the serious passion of a mother’s heart. Verse 3 through 9 are filled with warnings against vices. Verses three begins by saying not to let his strength and power be overtaken by a woman. He will someday be king and must retain his power for the throne.Also having multiple wives like Solomon did destroys a king. As we go through the other verse we will see that this could not only apply to a king but also to the head of the household.
"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." I John 5:7
