Favour is deceitful,
and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
Proverbs 31:30 KJV
As I’ve read Proverbs 31 over the
years, I can say that 99% of the time, I walked away from it with a sense of my
own inadequacies as a female. I heard it said years ago that a young man was
overheard saying, “I’m praying God will give me a Proverbs 31 woman to be my
wife!” To which a young woman nearby said, “Yes, and I’m praying God will give me a Proverbs 1-30 man!” There is so much written on this
particular Proverb, and it seems to be a favorite for pastors to pull out on
Mother’s Day. Nice. The one day out of 365 that a woman is supposed to feel
blessed, and she walks out of her church with a cloak of guilt and shame hanging on
her shoulders because she was, once again, reminded of how she doesn’t toe the
line.
I don’t think pastors mean to do
this, but it happens way too often! You can almost feel the tension in the
sanctuary when he says, “Today, we’ll honor all the moms by reminding them all
of the things they’re supposed to be doing, but aren’t. Maybe this year they’ll
get it together!” Does he say that? No, of course he doesn’t. But for most
women, this is what they (we) hear.
So, let’s get to today’s devotion.
As you read the beginning verse, we are told that this particular Proverb comes
from, of all people, a woman. Interesting, isn’t it? Secondly, we see that this
was advice given by a mom. Most scholars agree that King Lemuel was Solomon, so
his mother was none other than Bathsheba, aka the wife of Uriah the Hittite.
Bathsheba was the woman David stole from another man, impregnated, and then had
her husband killed. Solomon was the second child born to them, after their
firstborn, conceived through their affair, died.
The fact that Bathsheba is credited
with this advice is significant. To see that God would give such grace and
wisdom and dignity to a woman who had been to the depths of brokenness is
another proof of God’s mercy and love. No matter where you’ve been, or what has
been done to you, God has a good plan and purpose for your life. You can begin
today to allow Him to begin unveiling that purpose to you—throwing off your
shoulders and guilt and condemnation for whatever past may still be haunting
you. I heard Beth Moore say one time
that you will never be able to divorce your past from your destiny. Wise words
from a woman who has experienced a heaping helping of brokenness herself,
wouldn’t you agree?
The other thing I want to point out
is this: in the first few verses, Bathsheba describes to her son the importance
of being a person of integrity and godliness himself before she describes to him what kind of person to look for in
relationship. This advice can go for all of us, no matter our age or marital
status. We can receive this wonderful counsel on the importance of allowing
Christ to change us, mature us, and teach us before we choose those people who
will be allowed up close to us in our inner circles of friendship and even
marriage.
- Wisdom can take the realities of my past (the good, the bad, and the ugly) and by God’s grace, ensure of positive and purposeful future. What does this mean for you personally?
In our key
verse, we see that a woman’s charm which can include her looks, her youth, her
personality, etc. can be deceitful. As a 40 year old woman, I am beginning to
see how quickly the “beauty” of youth begins its downhill decline! What is
lasting and permanent, though, is a woman who fears the Lord = a woman of
WISDOM. That is what remains when all else fades. WISDOM remains even when the
wrinkles come, the dog dies, the husband is unfaithful, the friend betrays, the
bills come, the kids move out, the bathing suit gets bigger. Wisdom remains, so
get wisdom!
Finally, the verse ends with “…she
shall be praised.” By whom? Those under her influence. A woman of wisdom will
shine above the others who have made priorities out of passing, fleeting,
external things. A woman of wisdom can face her uncertain future knowing it is
held by a certain God who deeply loves her. A God who sees her, the real her,
when no one else seems to see past her external self. A God who holds her tears
in a bottle and remembers all her cries to Him. A God who delights to see her
living out of her true self.
For the guys who read this, I want
to encourage you to “praise” your wives, your moms, your sisters. Take the time
to express how much you value the women God has sovereignly placed in your
life. Be a “wise guy!” and affirm the women in your life, knowing that this is
a culture that battles her heart every day.
May God
bless each and every one who reads this devotional guide, and may He bless you
as you make wisdom a high priority in your life. Diamonds are not girl’s best
friend! Wisdom is!
This blog post is an excerpt from "Wisdom: A Girl's Best Friend ~ 31 Days with Proverbs" available for purchase at www.church4chicks.com
The older I get the more secure I am with myself, wrinkles and tummy are growing but I am finally mature enough to realize all I need in life is growing old with the Lord. God's riches beats all material items I once thought mattered carlareaumeBTG@gmail.com
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