The Virtuous Woman: According to Proverbs 31

By Gwen Brown

This brief but powerful book offers inspiration for women who want to live a virtuous life as prescribed in the Bible.
 
“The virtuous woman is a woman who has her foundation in the Lord and everything she does is done in careful consideration of the will of the Lord and with an attitude of being a godly mother, wife, and manager of her household.” —Gwen Brown, from the introduction
 
This book offers hope and insight for young wives and mothers who struggle to maintain vision and faith as they encounter the growing pains of life. In a deep reading of the Bible verse Proverbs 31, The Virtuous Woman expounds on the ideals that we as Christian women must strive for if we are to find true happiness in Him. Though we all fall short, true virtue is not a matter of being perfect, but of how dedicated we are to living the example He set forth for us.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: May 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781630472306

Book preview

1

The words Lemuel king of Massa, which his mother taught him: ‘what my sen? what sen of my womb? what shall I advise you son of my vows and dedication to god?’

(Proverbs 31:1–2 (Amplified)

First, I don’t know if many people realize that Proverbs 31 wasn’t something written to women, but spoken to a man. The young man was Lemuel and he was (or was soon to be) king, and he was dearly loved by his mother. She wanted to give him some really useful and wise advice, and so she spoke to him from her heart and gave him these words of wisdom. Lemuel must have shared these words with others, because they were later recorded (apparently by Solomon) into the Proverbs. Since I’m not a Bible history scholar, I don’t know exactly why Lemuel’s mother’s words were recorded. But I would assume that Lemuel was like most of us who, at some point in our life, look back at the things our parents taught us and see how their wisdom has helped us, and we want to pass those things on to our children. This king must have wanted to pass these words on to generations of God’s children.

Among the things that Lemuel’s mother taught him were instructions for how to be a good king or leader (vs 4–9). But she also spoke to him extensively about women. She told him not to waste his strength (his youth) on loose women (vs 3). Then, a few verses later, she begins to describe the virtuous woman. Those verses are the text for this entire book. But, before we go on to that description, let’s go back to Proverbs 7 where a loose woman is described, because, as we go through the description of the Proverbs 31 woman, I will use the description of this other loose woman in Proverbs 7 to compare the characteristics of the two. Verses 5–21 (amplified) say, "… the loose woman, the adventuress who flatters with and makes smooth her words… a woman dressed as a harlot and sly and cunning of heart. She is turbulent and willful; her feet stay not in her house; now in the streets, now in the marketplaces, she sets her ambush at every corner… with impudent face she says" (to a man)… ‘I have spread my couch with rugs and cushions of tapestry, with striped sheets of fine linen of Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until morning; let us console and delight ourselves with love.’ With much justifying and enticing argument she persuades him, with the allurements of her lips she leads him [to overcome his conscience and his fears] and forces him along."

Maybe those words sound a lot like some people you know, or maybe they remind you of some uncomfortable situations you have been in. But, I want to use them to describe a principle of spiritual life and death; or of sowing and reaping. As we will see, our first and primary motive must always be to be rightly related to our God, to seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness, and to find out what pleases Him. From that standpoint, the rest of our lives will flow.

I have written this book specifically to women, especially wives, who want to understand virtue and to see more clearly what the true virtue of this Proverbs 31 woman is; and, of course, understand how to be more like her. I hope some of these words will help you. But, I just want to make this statement before we go on. The virtuous woman is a woman who has her foundation in the Lord and everything she does is done in careful consideration of the will of the Lord and with an attitude of being a godly mother, wife, and manager of her household. The loose woman does not have the Lord as her foundation and everything she does is to make herself feel good, even if at the expense of others. I think you will see this as we go along through these scriptures. Most likely, you will find likenesses in you of both the virtuous woman and the loose woman. But, the purpose of this little book is to challenge you to strengthen those things that remain (of virtue) before the cares of this world and the wickedness of this generation choke it all out. It is my desire to provoke you to love and good deeds as you see that the virtuous woman is a woman that you can be.

He who gains wisdom loves his own life; he who keeps understanding shall prosper and find good. (Prov. 19:8)

2

Who can find a virtuous? For her price is for above rubies.

(Proverbs 31:10)

The above scripture is from the King James Version. I usually read the Amplified because I like the detailed translation. It reads: "A capable, intelligent, and virtuous woman — who is he who can find her? She is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls."

Let’s first look at the characteristics of virtuous. My dictionary says virtue is "a particular moral excellence, and points out that the 7 virtues — which include the 4 natural virtues of justice (fair judgement), temperance (self control, moderation), prudence (wisdom in practical matters), and fortitude (strength to endure); and the 3 supernatural virtues" of faith, hope, and love — are specifically opposed to the seven deadly sins! Some synonyms (words that mean almost the same) of virtuous are: "blameless, dutiful, good, honest, righteous, worthy. The antonyms (opposites) are criminal, and sinful." Since it is more than apparent that God does not want us to be criminal or sinful, we should be able to see that He does want

Reviews for The Virtuous Woman

[Melissa Akongo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I can't thank you enough. May the Lord
bless the works of your hand and impart the wisdom that continues to transform lives and change Marital destiny of thousands of women. You are blessed. Your works have done me well.