Proverbs 31:10 – Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.
In Proverbs 31:1-9, King Lemuel is receiving instruction from his Mother on how to conduct himself as a king. She warns him to stay away from drunkenness and immoral women, for these are the women who have the power to destroy kings.
Then in verse 10, she begins to describe a different kind of woman….a virtuous woman.
King Lemuel’s mother was very wise because she knew that instructing her son to pursue a woman with virtue would be far more valuable to him than any gold or silver he could ever obtain.
So what’s so special about a Virtuous woman? In order for us to find out we first need to look at how God created woman in the beginning.
Genesis 2:21-22(NIV)
21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[g] and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[h] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
Every other living creature, from the animals to Adam, was created from the dust of the ground. But the woman was especially hand-crafted by God from the rib of Adam.
She knew no sin, so she was perfect. She was made to reflect the image of God so she possessed his qualities: kindness, temperance, innocence, excellence, she was flawless.
This was God’s design for all women, but when sin entered the world, the pure nature of the woman would be corrupted by evil (Genesis 3:6-7).
Because of Adam and Eve’s choices, we are all born with a nature to sin (Romans 5:12). We can either choose to pursue the excellence that is found in God through Christ or we can choose our way, which is what the world promotes.
So here are a few differences between a Common woman and a virtuous woman:
A Common woman does not seek the wisdom of God to help her overcome evil but instead, she is consumed by her lustful desires.
A virtuous woman recognizes that God has given her power through Jesus Christ, to not only overcome evil thoughts, behaviors, and habits, but to maintain a good life.
The Common woman will decide that she knows what’s best for her life, she will follow the trends of her culture, and do what everyone else is doing so that she fits in.
A virtuous woman recognizes that everything she has or will become will be by the grace of God and so she seeks his wisdom daily for everything in her life.
The Common woman is self-centered, and a virtuous woman is God-centered.
King Lemuel’s mother realized then, just like now, that a virtuous woman is priceless.
The good news is that we all have the power to be virtuous women; it’s just a matter of seeking the wisdom of the one in whose image we are created. The more we submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit, the more we will produce Godly character in our lives.
Will you choose the common path of the average woman or walk the road less traveled, the more excellent way? You decide.