Theme Scripture
“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies…” (Proverbs 31:10-29).
Introduction
The theme Scripture above describes who virtuous women are. This text can be assigned to three groups of people; to wives so as to know the kind of wives they ought to be in their marriages; to women preparing for marriage so as to know the kind of women they ought to be even as they prepare; and to men preparing for marriage so as to know the kind of women they ought to choose as wives.
Identifying Virtuous Women
Virtuous women in the first place are scarce and need to be found. One way of finding them is through the word of God, for the word describes their character. In this study we shall consider some six characteristics of virtuous women which can help us to easily identity them. Let us begin.
Virtuous Women Are Hard Working
“She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks” (Verses 13 & 17). Laziness in marriage is a gateway for poverty, and poverty can robe marriage of its happiness and peace. Like Rebecca, virtuous women are supportive and hardworking.
Research shows that one camel can drink over 20 gallons of water, because camels can travel over desert for about eight days without water. The number of gallons Rebecca fetched for the ten camels were not recorded in the Bible, but obviously it would require a hard working woman to water ten camels. It wasn’t easy but she did it and from that she got her rich husband Isaac (Gen 24:1-67). This is a mark of virtuous women; they are not lazy, but work with eager hands and set about their works vigorously.
Virtuous Women Know How To Manage The Home
“She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness” (Verses 15 & 27). Virtuous women are good cooks who know how to prepare good and healthy foods for their household. They are also able to create peaceful home by uniting family members together, making the home sweet and a place one loves to be.
Virtuous Women Plan For The Future
“She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come” (Verses 16 & 25). Another mark of virtuous women is planning for the days ahead. Virtuous women don’t waste money on temporal things. They don’t waste their financial resources on fashion, parties and other things that are temporal but invest in things that last; things like lands, houses, education of their children among others. They are therefore not afraid of the future of their families, for they have invested into the future.
Now it should be noted that wastefulness itself is something the Lord detests. In John 6:12 Bible says; “When they had all had enough to eat, He said to His disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” A virtuous woman may not have much but she knows how to gather pieces together and save for the future. Happy is the man who finds such as a wife.
Virtuous Women Are Trustworthy
“Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value” (Verse 11). Another mark of virtuous women is they are faithful and can be trusted; they don’t cheat or betray their men like Delilah did to Samson. Their hearts are safe to keep the private treasures of their families, and so their husbands have full confidence in them.
They Are Generous And Caring
“She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy” (Verse 20). Scripture says “it is more blessed to give than to receive”‘(Acts 20:35). If giving brings blessing, then generous women are gateways of blessing for their families. Women who lack generosity usually create in-law conflicts, for they themselves will not give and will also find problem with their husbands giving to their in-laws and other people.
This can limit the blessings that should flow into their marriages. Virtuous women are not like that; they are generous to the poor and open their hands to the needy.
Virtuous Women Are Wise
“She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue” (Verse 26). Being godly and wise is also a characteristic of virtuous women. Two women can suggest the same thing to their husbands and the suggestion of one may not be accepted; knowledge knows what to say but wisdom knows how to say it. Virtuous women are wise, they know the right way of doing things and doing them in a better way.
They know what to do when their men are angry. With their wisdom they preserve the lives of their husbands and protect their families from ‘parasites’.
Virtuous women protect the reputation of their husbands and will not expose the weakness of their husband to others. They are matured and will not publicize what should be secret about their marriage. Happy is he who finds a virtuous woman, for her price is far above rubies.
