Foxey Lady!

Proverbs 31:10-31

What does the Bible say about finding a good lady? Well, read Proverbs 31, it will tell you about the perfect, virtuous wife, it says so in the heading! A good wife knows God, and is very spiritual.

The verse that really spoke to me was verse 25:
      She is clothed with strength and dignity,
      and she laughs without fear of the future.

Why does she laugh with no fear of the future? Because she trusts God right? She throws all her cares to the wind because God is on her side. She knows that Jesus is coming and will say that the lilies of the field have clothes without toiling or spinning, so we shouldn't work hard and just trust God. Right?

Wrong. She laughs with no fear because she has already worked her tail off ensuring that her family is provided for. The virtuous (or noble) woman is not a walking gospel message, she is a walking clothes maker, food bringer, day planner, and crop planter. She is a diligent person who works for her family.

This fact struck me over the head like a 2x4, God is not even mentioned in this passage until the end. Even then, it almost seems like an afterthought. This passage is filled with domesticity. Take care of the household, that's what a good wife does. She doesn't talk your ear off about God and pleasing God. She makes sure you are well taken care of. That's how women did it in the day. Though while times have changed, the principle of domesticity is the same. What should be number 1 in life? The family. There should be no higher occupation.

I said that God was almost an afterthought here for this reason: it's not quite an afterthought. While she is not a traveling preacher, her motivation for her material duties is not carnal, it is divine. She fears the Lord, so she has no room to fear the future. She is focused on the present.