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| Far greater is her value |
10 Who
can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. 11 The heart
of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of
spoil. 12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. 13 She
seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. 14 She is
like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. 15 She riseth
also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to
her maidens. 16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of
her hands she planteth a vineyard. 17 She girdeth her loins with strength,
and strengtheneth her arms. 18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good:
her candle goeth not out by night. 19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and
her hands hold the distaff (Proverbs
31:10-19)
If a virtuous woman was easily found, the question in verse 10 would not have
been asked. Those things that are most valuable are those things that are
most rare. But rarity is not, in itself, a measure of worth. Four-leaf clovers
are rare, but they are of little worth. Virtue adds worth to anything. But it
is virtue that is most valuable upon this earth and most rare at the same time.
Virtue is the stardust of Heaven. Virtue cannot be purchased, therefore,
it is invaluable. When combined in the heart of the fairer of the sexes,
it takes on a most charming and powerful nature. “Who can find a
virtuous woman?” Who, indeed, can find a virtuous woman? It
is not likely that the village idiot, or the philanderer, will find such a
woman because his tastes are too crass and vulgar to appreciate virtue. As
mentioned in the previous devotion, it is more than coincidence that the Book
of Proverbs begins with an introduction on the value and importance of Wisdom
(in the feminine gender) and ends with the virtuous woman and her benefit to
both husband and family. The mother, having warned her son against the
promiscuous woman, now counsels him on the benefits of a virtuous woman. When
we are warned of what to avoid, we are ready to fully understand what we should
seek.
Virtue comes as a benefit of
wisdom – the two are inseparable. Wisdom is just as rare as a ‘Virtuous Woman’.
“But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of
understanding?” (Job 28:12) “The depth saith, It is not in me:
and the sea saith, It is not with me. It cannot be gotten for gold,
neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. It cannot be
valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. The
gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for
jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price
of wisdom is above rubies.” (Job 28:14-18) You will observe that
Job uses precisely the same comparative language to describe Wisdom as Solomon
uses to describe a virtuous woman - the comparison is to rubies, but of greater
value. Why does Solomon use the gem, Ruby, to describe the character of a
virtuous woman? First of all, a ruby is rare. It is not commonly found among
the other gravel of the rock pile. It must be sought after, and whoever seeks
it, must know rubies.
Many years ago, Gustaf
Gillman, a Chicago lapidary was at work in his shop when John Mihok of Omaha,
entered and removed from his pocket a rough red stone which his father had
found in Hungary some fifty years earlier. His father had thought it a pretty
pebble and later gave it to his son who was going to America. Mihok showed the
stone to Gillman requesting that he 'polish' it. It was a pigeon blood ruby!
The stone cut out flawlessly to a 24 Kt. Ruby - the largest in the United
States and, of course, invaluable. But for fifty years, the owner never recognized
its merits. How many virtuous women are locked in marriage to a boorish fellow
that never recognizes her merits?
So why, again, is the ruby
compared to a virtuous woman - why not a diamond or an emerald? The beauty of a
diamond is extrinsic - it comes from an outside light source being refracted
back to the viewer in intricate colors of radiant beauty. But the ruby
has a beauty that is intrinsic - that is, its beauty radiates from deep within
the heart of the ruby. Moreover, the ruby is red - the color of love and
sacrifice. A virtuous woman never ceases to shower love upon her family, and to
sacrifice herself for their welfare. But SHE is worth even MORE than rubies
(more than one). The comparison to Wisdom, too, is striking in the
context of the beginning, and ending, of Proverbs. Wisdom, too, is invaluable.
"Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth
understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of
silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than
rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. Length
of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. Her
ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of
life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.”
(Prov 3:13-18) For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that
may be desired are not to be compared to it."
(Prov 8:11)
An entire volume of work could
be done on this 10th verse of Proverbs 31, but I will leave that task to a more
able writer. Let us proceed to examine the rare qualities and benefits of a
virtuous woman. On a rare happenstance, a human swine might run across a
ruby, but never appreciate its value or beauty; but most often, a ruby is
discovered by a man who has an appreciation for virtue and beauty, knows what
virtue is, and will benefit from his rare find.
11 "The
heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of
spoil." We may trust the blood-red heart of the ruby to
reveal its beauty and quality just as a righteous man may trust the heart of
his virtuous wife. The ruby cannot lie about its nature, and neither can a
virtuous woman. She is sincere, honest, and full of love and concern for her
husband and for her family. It matters not so much what fathers we have in
America, if only every child could have a virtuous mother. Such a mother would
be a balm of faith and righteousness to convince her husband of the same.
12 "She will do him good and not evil all the days of her
life." Amazingly true! Even with her last breath, a virtuous
woman will give evidence of her love. Her strength can become ghostly in
protecting her young. Walking in the still smoldering charred ruins of the
slopes of Mt. St. Helens, park rangers came across a mother partridge black and
burned with the fir4es of the volcanic ash. She was obviously quite dead. One
of the rangers said, "What a pitiful sight. He kicked the bird over and out
came several babies which she had hidden, with her last strength, under her
spread wings. In the aftermath of the recent earthquake and tsunami that
resulted in the deaths of thousands in Tohoku, Honshu Island of Japan, workers
were going through the initial damage and rubble of the quake seeking
survivors. One rescue worker looked through the floor boards of a fallen house
to see a Japanese lady on her knees in an awkward position. Presuming her to be
dead, he moved on, but a still, small voice inside told him to return and check
on the lady. He did so. Lowering his arms through the cracks in the flooring,
he touched the woman and she fell over revealing that she was, in fact, dead;
but underneath was a six month old baby - sleeping. When the medical team was called
to check out this healthy baby, a cell phone fell from the blanket. On it, was
a text message which read, "If you can survive, always remember, 'Mother
love you.'" What profound evidences in these two accounts of the strength
of a virtuous mother's love!
13 "She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with
her hands." Her hands and mind are full of industry. She is
never lazy or tired because her love is her fuel and food. She does not sit
idle and wait for the means of production to come to her door. She goes out
seeking the materials with which she may produce useful and profitable
merchandise for her family and for others.
14 "She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food
from afar." Do you not love and admire this figurative
language? Truly, like a merchant ship sailing the high seas, the virtuous woman
travels smoothly and in a direct route to gather and deliver the food for her
family. Like a merchant ship, she stops at no ports for entertainment and rest,
but plies the high seas until her voyage has accomplished its purpose. She
relies upon the winds of her faith to bear her up to her destination.
15 "She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat
to her household, and a portion to her maidens." The one thing
that is not said here screams more loudly than that which is written in ink.
There is no virtue apart from faith in God. This woman rises before daylight,
early, to greet her God and her family. She rises to seek God in His sanctuary as
well as her family in her home. "O God, thou art my God; early will
I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and
thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have
seen thee in the sanctuary." (Psalms 63:1-2) She does not
discriminate between servant and child in giving meat and provision to all who
live under her roof.
16 "She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit
of her hands she planteth a vineyard." An unwise woman is
worse than a stupid man. It is the good woman that keeps the watch fires
burning at a home furnished with good meets and love. The virtuous woman
thinks, not only for herself, but for her family. She has a business mind
that is dedicated to providing the needs of her household. She knows the value
of real estate, and the proper employment of that real estate to produce a
profit. She not only buys the field, but labors to grow fruit thereon. The
question arises, "Where is Adam" in all of this? With such a wife,
the man's life must be multiplied in joy and comfort.
17 "She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth
her arms." Because she uses her talents in gainful employment,
she is strengthened in body and soul. Such a woman of righteousness bares
reckoning with. She will not cheaply sell her wares, for she knows the market
value of all things of her venue.
18 "She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle
goeth not out by night." Because she is intelligent and
resourceful, she knows that her hands produce the highest quality of
merchandise. She will demand the same in price. Not only does such a woman not
tire out in the dark hours of the night, but her spirit of love, compassion,
and care also remains a bright candle in the window of her home.
19 "She layeth her hands to the
spindle, and her hands hold the distaff." She is always at work to
make warm and comfortable raiment for her family. The spinning wheel is only one
of her tools. She takes hold of the distaff spindle to untangle and straighten
the fibers just as she uses her wisdom to untangle and keep straight the
children of her bosom.
Our next devotion will conclude this long study in Proverbs, but though
lengthy, has it not been a privilege and a pleasure to read the wisdom of God
herein? Please remember this: Even though these are the Proverbs of Solomon,
they were only composed and complied by him by direction and dictation of the
Holy Spirit. All that is spoken of Wisdom and of the Virtuous Woman herein are
the Words and description of God for these two subjects. This lesson, I
will conclude with the following (in case the lesser Creation should feel
offended at only the mention of the virtuous woman:
25 Husbands,
love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle,
or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men
to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself."
(Eph 5:25-28)
