Tuesday, July 12, 2011

The Proverbs 31 Quest || pt 1

We have all read about her. We all envy her. We all LONG to be like her. She is the ultimate role model for any Christian wife and mother.

For myself personally, she is the one who inspires me like no other.....and intimidates me beyond all reason.

For quite a while now, I have been studying Miss 31, as I will call her. As I read and reread every verse, I keep finding myself both in awe AND skeptical.

"She can't be perfect. She wasn't perfect!"

"She had to have snapped at her children or gave her husband the cold shoulder every now and then. Surely!"

"Up before dawn every day? Why right now, that would be close to 5:30 a.m.! Isn't 7 a.m. early enough?"

"She sewed too? I can't sew. I mean, I'm trying but let's face it...I don't see myself selling self-made clothes any time soon."

I have caught myself making some ridiculous remarks on how "unrealistic" such a lifestyle is. Forgetting that not so long ago, people made the same statements on my personal convictions and commitments, particularly how I chose to save my first kiss for my wedding day. Hmmm. That wasn't unrealistic. It was quite real. Could it be that THIS lifestyle - the life of Miss 31 - is attainable?? That it's real??

Yes. It's real. Yes, it is attainable. I say that NOT because I have reached the end of the rainbow. Far from it! I say it because I believe the Bible. And I believe in a God who makes the impossible....well...possible.

So I am about to embark on a quest; a Proverbs 31 study. I will go through each verse and dive as deep into it as I can. Then I will... *gulp* ...try to apply it to my life. Why? Because as much as Miss 31 intimidates me, I so desire to be like her!!

So, let's begin, shall we?


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




That first question stands out to me.
    
"Who can find a virtuous woman?"
 
Who CAN find her, anyway? Is she lost in history? Is she hiding some place? And what does virtuous really mean?
  
* Virtuous - valiant, mighty in battle, strength, valour
  
Now, that's interesting. I used to think that virtuous meant pure and holy and modest. In most cases, it does mean just that. But here....valiant?? Mighty in battle? Strength? Valour?

This is a time when most feminists would jump up and begin to rally about girl power. But not so fast! Being a valiant woman does not mean that we are feministic in our beliefs. It does not mean that we can do everything on our own. Applying this spiritually we can see that this is how a woman of God should be: A woman of the most high God should be courageous and noble. She should not be cowardly or afraid because SHE is an ambassador of the King of Kings. She serves God as a soldier in the army of the Lord being God-fearing and reverent. As a wife, she is her husband's support and a tower of strength that he can lean on. As a mother, she oversees and carries her children's affairs. As a friend and neighbour, she is an extended hand. And yet her strength does not compromise any area of her femininity. She is strong but she is in every way a woman. In the battle of life, she should be mighty and strong. Not sitting on the sidelines, but boldly, with a spiritual backbone, fighting Satan our enemy. WOW! What a woman! Who CAN find a woman like that? A rarity she is, in these days.

Usually, we see extremes of womanhood. We either see a silent woman who keeps her head down and challenges nothing. Or we see a loud, obnoxious woman who pushes her opinions and her agenda on everyone she is around. Neither is a picture of a virtuous woman. Miss 31 is a passionate, noble woman who is a lady-warrior with honor, internal strength, and stamina.

"for her price is far above rubies."

What does price mean?

* Price - value, worth

The most precious stones have to be dug deep to be found. Reading the above description of a virtuous woman, I think I can speak for all of us when I say - it's hard to find a woman like that! It's rare. The rarity of a virtuous woman adds more value to her! Here we see that the woman described above has a worth that is above the value of rubies! What lady doesn't love jewels? And rubies? Did you know that a ruby is the most valuable member of the corundum family? Large gem quality rubies are rarer than comparably sized diamonds and are often more valuable. Did you know that rubies are a symbol of riches?

Did you know that rubies are a picture of the blood shed on the cross?
So, here we see that a virtuous woman is worth great riches and great wealth. She is rare. She is valuable. And her value is the blood of Jesus in the sight of God. What a beautiful picture!
   
1 Peter 1:18-19
"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:"


Jesus had no fault. He was perfect....like a perfectly cut gem. Clear. A "carat" if you will. His blood was the perfect atonement, the perfect payment for our sin. And we, as His redeemed, have that same value!

2 Chronicles 16:9 says "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him."

The Lord is searching for the righteous. Might I say that He is searching for the virtuous women; the valiant women who are worth far more than the most rare and precious jewels? In the beginning, He asked, "Who can find...?"  Meaning..."Where are they?!"

As women of God, we should be found! No more sitting silently in the corner. No more hiding in the shadows, full of fear and trepidation. It is time to rise up, as noble and honorable woman, and be His mouthpiece. It is time to fight and to defend our Savior. As ladies, yes. But as ladies of the King. As women of God, we should embrace our value. We mustn't hide under clothing that displays the wrong message. We are not a piece of cheap costume jewelry – but priceless, precious rubies. And Jesus - God the Son - came and shed His perfect, saving blood on the cross....for us! We should run to His feet, thank Him, and cling to such an honor with all humility and gratitude.

I don't know about you, but I want to be a strong, valiant, virtuous woman who glories in her identity as a redeemed gem.

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




3 comments:

Grant Lee said...

I have found a virtous woman! Awesome post darling.

Lisa Hensley said...

I love this post! You did an excellent job expressing a woman's worth in God's eyes. I have studied and studied Proverbs 31 and it is my desire to be like her! It's so encouraging to find other ladies who are doing the same!

Lisa said...

Love this post, Kris! Thank you for the encouraging thoughts. Been thinking a lot about Proverbs 31, myself! :)

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