Today is our last day in Proverbs! As a result of this, I plan to start another book in the Bible soon, so please be watching for that to come! Thank you all for reading, participating and commenting! Let’s look at Proverbs 31 now and we will see what more we can learn together!
King Lemuel And Lessons From His Mother
Proverbs 31 begins by mentioning that these sayings are what King Lemuel’s mother taught him. Who is King Lemuel, we ask? The name “Lemuel” means “belonging to God”, in Hebrew. According to Jewish Legend, Lemuel is King Solomon. Lemuel is not found in any of the listings of Kings, but people believe that Lemuel is another name for Solomon. https://www.compellingtruth.org/king-Lemuel.html This means too, that Bathsheba was his mother. It seems that this is a good explanation for why Bathsheba wanted Solomon to find a ‘good, noble or virtuous woman.” She gave him the advice about wasting his time on women who will ruin him also, as well as teaching him that alcohol can damage him as King. Solomon did not listen to his mother, however. He had many wives and concubines and he did not continue following God.
Twenty-one verses describe the virtuous woman(woman of noble character). These verses start at Verse 10. In the first 9 verses, his mom tells Lemuel some additional things for which to be careful.
Lessons To Learn
- Don’t waste his time, energy and strength on women who will ruin him.
- Don’t guzzle wine, he should not crave alcohol.
- If he drinks, he might forget the law and won’t give justice to the oppressed.
- Alcohol is for those for dying
- Wine for those bitterly distressed
- Allow them to drink to forget their poverty and forget their troubles.
- Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed.
- Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.
As one who believes strongly in pro-life, verse eight really is meaningful to me. We are told to “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves and ensure justice for those being crushed. A baby or young child cannot speak for themselves. They need to be cared for and loved. Abortion is literally permanently “crushing” those who cannot speak for themselves. I believe that if a mother cannot care for her child, she needs to find someone who can adopt her boy/girl. The following verse(verse 9), also encourages us to speak for the poor and helpless and see that they get justice.
What is Her Value And Why?
She is valuable because she can be trusted. She won’t do her husband harm throughout her life and will enrich his life.
Verses 10-12
| Verse 10 | Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. |
| Verse 11 | Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. |
| Verse 12 | She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. |
She Is Busy In Her House And House Responsibilities
She works hard to make things in her home, brings her food from afar(cooks many things from different places). Before breakfast, she makes food for her family and prepares the work for the day for those at work in the home.
Verses 13-15
| Verse 13 | She finds wool and flax and busily spins it. |
| Verse 14 | She is like a merchant’s ship, bringing her food from afar. |
| Verse 15 | She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day’s work for her servant girls. |
She Is A Business Lady And Helps With The Household Finances
Business is important to her also. She is a hard worker, energetic, profitable and buys and sells quality products.
Verses 16-18
| Verse 16 | She goes to inspect a field and buys it; with her earnings she plants a vineyard. |
| Verse 17 | She is energetic and strong, a hard worker. |
| Verse 18 | She makes sure her dealings are profitable; her lamp burns late into the night. |
Her Hands Are Always Busy; She Looks Out For The Poor And Needy
She does stay very busy and looks for how she can minister to people. Her family does not fear because everyone is clothed appropriately for each season.
Verses 19-21
| Verse 19 | Her hands are busy spinning thread, her fingers twisting fiber. |
| Verse 20 | She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy. |
| Verse 21 | She has no fear of winter for her household, for everyone has warm clothes. |
She Makes And Wears Nice Clothing; Her Husband Is Well Known
As a classy lady, she makes and wears nice clothes. People know her husband well!
Verses 22-24
| Verse 22 | She makes her own bedspreads. She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns. |
| Verse 23 | Her husband is well known at the city gates, where he sits with the other civic leaders. |
| Verse 24 | She makes belted linen garments and sashes to sell to the merchants. |
Her Inner Qualities Are Great
Inside, she has great qualities like strength and dignity. Her speech is kind and uses wise words. Also, she is not lazy as she watches everything going on in her home.
Verses 25-27
| Verse 25 | She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. |
| Verse 26 | When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. |
| Verse 27 | She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness. |
Her Family Praises And Blesses Her; They Are Proud Of Her
She is blessed and praised greatly by her family. They believe that she is the greatest! That makes a mom and wife feel really good!
Verses 28-29
| Verse 28 | Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her |
| Verse 29 | There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!” |
Unlike Outside Beauty And Charm That Does Not Last: Inside Beauty Counts!
Outside beauty will not last forever, it is very temporary. What she displays through her heart and character really matters the most. She needs to be rewarded for all she has done. Let everyone else see who she is!
Verses 30-31
| Verse 30 | Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised. |
| Verse 31 | Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise |
Thank you for taking the time to break down this often overlooked book
Thank you for reading and commenting! I will be doing another book soon!
Yes, very good! I love Proverbs 31. The Lord is so good! Can’t wait to see what is next!
Thank you!
Rebecca, I have really enjoyed reading Proverbs with your blog this month. Your commentary was selective and clear, and we could have used a lot more of it, but what there was has been great!
Anita and I read a chapter each from the OT and NT each night before we pray together before going to sleep.
Thank you so much!!!
Thank you for your feedback! It was my first time doing this and I hope to do more in the future.
This is so good. I never made the connection of Lemuel=Solomon and in turn, Mom=Bathsheba. This is an eye-opening revelation for me. There is so much good stuff in Proverbs 31! God is amazing!
Yes, He is! I never had either(made the connection). It makes sense though that as a mom, she wanted her son to find a great wife and so gave him instructions and qualities to look for.