Day 1: The Character of a Virtuous woman
Rediscovering the Proverbs 31 woman
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You might wonder, where did this woman come from? How did the woman of Proverbs 31 become a standard for godly beauty? Believe it or not, she began with a real flesh and blood woman!
Once upon a time, there was a young prince who would someday be a king, but he had many lessons to learn before then.
So his mother sat down with him beside the hearth at home and taught him not only how to be a godly king, but also how to find an outstanding wife.
Most scholars agree that Proverbs 31 reflects that wise mother’s instruction to her young son. Verse 1 says, “The words of king Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him.”
In verse 1-9 she covers the basics of leadership, and then she describes in verse 10-31 the kind of wife he should seek, one who is indeed a rare treasure. Perhaps due to her son’s young, this wise mother organises the list of qualities he is to look for in a wife according to the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Understanding God’s kind of beauty was step one for the young prince and its step one for you and me as well.
So first, we have to grasp the meaning of the word Virtuous: “Who can find a virtuous woman?” Proverbs 31:10. The meaning of the word virtuous can be linked to the two sides of a coin.
The power of the mind (moral principles and attitudes) makes up the image on one side, and power of body (potency and effectiveness) makes up the other. Neither of these powerful traits seems to be very beautiful, but consider how God addresses them in His Proverbs 31 picture of beauty.
