Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of Biochemistry at Boston University. Authoring or editing over 500 books, he observed, “The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” On another occasion he wrote, “Even as a youngster . . . I could not bring myself to believe that if knowledge presented danger, the solution was ignorance. To me, it always seemed that the solution had to be wisdom. You did not refuse to look at danger, rather you learned how to handle it safely.”
What Asimov observed, we have lived. Who among us hasn’t seen the pain brought by thoughtlessly speaking the truth without humility, love, or wisdom? Who can estimate the costs of living in an age of science and technology without wisdom?
It seems noteworthy, therefore, that an institution, as prestigious as The University of Chicago, has initiated what it calls the Wisdom Research Project. An introduction of the effort explains, “Wisdom was once regarded as a subject worthy of rigorous scholarly inquiry in order to understand its nature and benefits; however until recently wisdom has been relatively overlooked as a topic for serious scholarly and scientific investigation. It is difficult to imagine a subject more central to the highest aspirations of being human.”
In this lofty tribute to an ancient virtue, readers of the Bible might hear echoes of Solomon. “Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding; for her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her” (PROV. 3:13-15 NKJV).
In our day, Solomon is synonymous not only with wisdom . . . but also with reckless self-absorption. Yet we do not dismiss his pursuit of wisdom, the first love of his life, as foolishness. Rather we long for the wisdom to end better than we have begun, to leave our world better than we found it, and to bring a smile to the face of others in the process.
Wisdom offers joy and satisfaction. According to the Bible, it was in wisdom that our Creator made the world, and then sacrificed himself to rescue it from the mess of our foolishness.
Such thoughts have given us a deep appreciation for the insights of Alice Mathews on last chapter of the Bible’s most well-known book of wisdom. As we listen to her, we find fresh insight in the lauded and loathed “virtuous woman” of Proverbs 31. As Alice will explain in the pages that follow, this section of Scripture has been misunderstood, undervalued, and overlooked in what it contributes to our overall understanding of wisdom.
By the time Alice is done, we may also understand why Solomon wasn’t the one to write the last chapter on wisdom. It is probably for good reason that this description was not written by a king who gave wisdom a bad name by collecting 700 wives and 300 concubines. As Alice shows, the wisdom of King Lemuel, by contrast, describes Lady Wisdom in a way that will ennoble the life of any man or woman who honors her.
Alice does more than renew the vision of our need for wisdom. She gives us reason to remember that the wise sayings Solomon collected and spoke are neither a beginning nor an end in themselves.
In a day when secular academia is remembering the lost art and treasure of wisdom, what could be more important than to rediscover wisdom’s true source and how the book God inspired takes us beyond knowledge for knowledge’s sake.
Mart DeHaan
C ertain passages in the Bible remind me of comedian Rodney Dangerfield’s line: they “just don’t get no respect.” One of those texts is Proverbs 31:10-31. Many men slide over this text because they’re sure it’s written only for women. Many women slide over it because they’re sure it says something they don’t want to hear. While most Christians know something about the passage, many choose to ignore it. But all of us—both men and women—need this important passage for three reasons. First and most basically, we need it because, under the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit, it is included in the Bible. The apostle Paul reminded Timothy that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable to us for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. And that includes Proverbs 31.
Second, this passage lays out a summary of the wisdom of the people of God. The book of Proverbs opens talking about the fear of the Lord as the beginning of knowledge (1:7), and it closes with praise for the person who fears the Lord (31:30). Chapter 1 introduces us to Lady Wisdom crying out in the streets of the city, calling young men to rethink their lives and their choices, and telling them to choose the fear of the Lord. Chapter 31 puts Lady Wisdom in street clothes, showing us what someone looks like who has wisely chosen to fear the Lord.
Chapter 31 puts Lady Wisdom in street clothes, showing us what someone looks like who has wisely chosen to fear the Lord.
The third reason we need this important passage is the structure of the last twenty-two verses of the chapter itself. Proverbs 31:10-31 is an acrostic poem. Each verse of that section starts with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet (aleph, beth, gimel, daleth, he, waw, etc.). What’s the point of that? In the ancient world, acrostics were used as memory devices. If you knew the letters of the alphabet, you could recall a series of ideas simply by recalling the next letter of the alphabet. We use this today, but it was even more important in the ancient world, in oral cultures in which the wisdom of a people was passed down from one generation to the next from mouth to ear. Children learned orally what they needed to know. An acrostic poem was one way to help them remember. Proverbs 31:10-31 was written as an acrostic poem so that it could be memorized easily. It was meant to be learned by heart.
Why? Because it summarizes the wisdom of God’s people that is found throughout the book of Proverbs. It is for all of us to help us know how to live life wisely.
The original Hebrew text of Scripture was written without vowels . Reading and understanding of the words was based on hearing and knowing the vowel sounds.
The poem opens in verse 10 with a question and a statement: “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.” That is how the New International Version of the Bible translates the Hebrew text. If you’re reading in a New American Standard Bible, you’ll find, “Who can find an excellent wife?” But if you’re reading in the New King James Version, it asks, “Who can find a virtuous wife?” When we see different translations of a Hebrew word that don’t seem to mean exactly the same thing, we have to go back and ask how that Hebrew word was used in other parts of the Old Testament. This highly desirable woman, whose worth is far above rubies, is a chayil woman in Hebrew. In a sense, none of our translations—noble character, excellent, or virtuous—captures the feel of this Hebrew word. Chapter 31 has already used that Hebrew word in verses 2-3: “O my son, O son of my womb, O son of my vows, do not spend your strength (chayil) on women, your vigor on those who ruin kings.”
Strength and valor are not just masculine traits in the Bible . Many assert that the Bible teaches a man’s identity is found in his strength and a woman’s is found in her beauty . While this is true to a point, women as well as men are instructed to use their God-given strength for His purposes.
When we look at the usage of this Hebrew word throughout the Old Testament, we see that verse 3 more accurately translates it as strength. It’s a common word in the Bible, used 246 times. Three times it is used of a woman (RUTH 3:11, PROVERBS 12:4, and here in PROVERBS 31:10), but most often it describes soldiers or armies. The basic meaning of the word is strength or power, and in the majority of cases it refers to military prowess. David’s mighty men are chayil men.
[Proverbs 31] summarizes the wisdom of God’s people that is found throughout the book of Proverbs. It is for all of us to help us know how to live life wisely.
The word is often translated as valiant, referring to a quality of valor needed in combat. A soldier stands firm in battle, refusing to desert his post or run away from duty. So a person who is chayil (like David’s mighty men) has an inner strength to carry through on responsibilities and to overcome obstacles. Proverbs 31:10 is about this kind of person—strong, valiant, a person with inner strength who can overcome obstacles.
“David summoned all the officials of Israel to assemble at Jerusalem: the officers over the tribes, the commanders of the divisions in the service of the king, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the mighty men and all the (chayil) brave warriors” (1 CHRONICLES 28:1).
A person who is CHAYIL (like David’s mighty men) has an inner strength to carry through on responsibilities and to overcome obstacles.
Some translations of verse 10 ask, “Who can find a virtuous wife?” The word translated wife is the same as for woman. Some translators have probably chosen the word wife because the next two verses talk about her husband. But this doesn’t let single people off the hook! This strong, valiant person has wisdom or a skill for living, and in Proverbs 31 we see it personified in a wise woman. As we look at her, we see what wisdom looks like in daily life. The qualities of this woman are qualities that summarize the wisdom of the people of God. They are qualities for singles as well as married, for men as well as for women.
The use of the same word for woman or wife is common in both the Greek and Hebrew texts of Scripture. context determines meaning of the word in a given passage.
S o what characterizes a person of strength? The first characteristic of a wise woman is that she is trustworthy. In verses 11 and 12 we read: “Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.” It is clear that this woman’s husband can trust her, knowing that she won’t blow the budget or run off with the mailman. She is trustworthy.
� The strong and wise woman is trustworthy, not just trusted . Her husband’s trust is well placed because of her character . By implication, all who deal with this strong, wise woman can also trust her because she is worthy of their confidence just as she is worthy of her husband’s.
Are you a trustworthy person? Can you be trusted to do good, not harm, all the days of your life? If so, you are on your way to being a full-fledged Proverbs 31 wise person of strength.
In verses 13 through 18 we discover that this valiant, strong, committed, wise person is also shrewd. Most of us don’t like the sound of that word, but the dictionary tells us that it simply means someone who is intelligent or clever. A shrewd person is not someone who takes advantage of other people, but who takes advantage of opportunities. This is what shrewdness looks like in verses 13-18: Verse 13 states that this wise, strong woman “selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.” She doesn’t grab just anything that is handy but chooses her tasks and her materials with care.
Verses 14 and 15 liken this wise strong woman to “merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.” This wise woman looks ahead and prepares for the future, not just for the present. She goes about her work so that everyone in her household has what they need.
A shrewd person is not someone who takes advantage of other PEOPLE, but who takes advantage of OPPORTUNITIES.
Verse 16 shows us this woman’s acumen: “She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.” She is shrewd about purchasing property, and then sets about making it produce a profit. She thinks through her projects carefully and plans how to carry them out successfully.
Verse 17 tells us that “she sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.” The Hebrew actually means that she makes her arms strong for her tasks so that she can do her work with vigor. The shrewd person improves her knowledge and skills in order to work smarter, not harder.
Sometimes christians think following the Holy Spirit means functioning apart from a plan or well thought out process . The strong and wise person is attuned to the Spirit’s prompting in the moment, but also listens to the Spirit during planning and preparation stages .
Verse 18 is clear that “she sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.” This wise woman makes quality products that she can sell to the merchants without shame or fear.
In short, a chayil person is shrewd. So ask yourself: How shrewd am I in my daily activities? Do I think through my projects so that I can carry them out successfully? Do I plan ahead? Do I commit myself to do good work? If you can answer yes to these questions, you have the second characteristic of wisdom in the book of Proverbs. You are shrewd or intelligent or wise.
Shrewdness must always be tempered by generosity. Otherwise it becomes greed.
In verses 19 and 20 we move to the third characteristic of a chayil person: “In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.” The third characteristic of a wise person is generosity. That may not be immediately obvious in the text because our English translations do not catch the link between verse 19 and verse 20. But in Hebrew the two verses cannot be separated for this reason: the first half of verse 19 and the last half of verse 20 have the same grammatical structure and the same verb; the same is true for the last half of verse 19 and the first part of verse 20—the same structure and the same verb. When that happens, we have what is called a chiasm (which looks like a big X). This wise woman spun thread and wove sashes and made garments to sell to merchants so that she could be generous to the poor and needy. Shrewdness must always be tempered by generosity. Otherwise it becomes greed. And the Bible doesn’t say nice things about greedy people. So a shrewd person takes advantage of opportunities in order to have something to give to those in need.
The wise and strong person has learned to hold what they have with open hands. They are thankful for it but they are not defined by it.
The fourth characteristic of a chayil person is found in the next five verses (21-25), showing us that a wise person is also diligent: Verse 21 states that “when it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.” How often does it snow in the Middle East? Not that often. But when it does snow, this diligent wise person has made provision for her household. The translation of the final word in that verse is a bit amusing. Apparently the Hebrew word translated scarlet can also be translated lined garments. If it’s snowing outside, I am more interested in wearing clothing with linings that keep me warm than something that is merely red in color.
Verse 22 tells us that “she makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.” “Fine linen and purple” attests to the fact that this woman is diligent in caring for her own needs as well as the needs of others. She dresses well.
Verse 23 connects her diligence to her husband’s position in the community: “Her husband is respected at the city gate [the community center], where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.” This wise woman’s handling of life earns respect for her husband from the leaders of the community.
A shrewd person takes advantage of opportunities in order to have something to give to those in need.
Verse 24 explains some specifics of this wise woman’s earning power: “She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.” Her work with distaff and spindle isn’t merely a hobby; it is a means of producing income for her family in order to help those who are in need.
As a result, verse 25 concludes that “she is clothed (not just in fine linen and purple but) with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.” Some people dismiss diligence as workaholism or obsessive-compulsiveness. But diligence is a necessary part of wisdom.
Verse 26 gives us the fifth characteristic of a wise person: “She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.” The strong, wise person always speaks wisely and kindly. A wise person not only walks the walk, but she also talks the talk.
The Hebrew word for strength in verse 25 is oz. It means strength, might, and power . It is often used to describe fortresses
A t this point you may be thinking that being wise or strong or valiant is too much work. It’s too demanding! Does it really matter that I’m dependable and thoughtful about my work? Or that I’m generous and diligent in all that I do? Or that I watch my tongue and use it wisely? Wisdom, as described throughout the book of Proverbs, is about making wise decisions in the thick of life. And in Proverbs 8:35-36 Lady Wisdom tells us that those who love her will live, but those who sin against her will wrong their own souls. Wisdom is the stuff of everyday life, but it is also the stuff of life and death.
But the chapter doesn’t end with verse 26. If it did, we would have a moral code but no resource beyond our own determination to make it work. What makes us wise isn’t found in verses 11 through 26. It is found in verse 30: “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Here’s the bottom line: the wise person, the strong, committed person, knows the difference between what passes and what lasts. The wise person chooses to live for what is eternal. Verse 30 tells us that charm is deceitful and beauty is fleeting. Beauty is good, but it doesn’t last. What lasts forever is our relationship with God.
Wisdom, as described throughout the book of Proverbs, is about making wise decisions in the thick of life. Wisdom is the stuff of everyday life, but it is also the stuff of life and death.
Sermons I’ve heard on Proverbs 31 have tended to focus on the woman’s skills, her busyness. These are evidences of her wisdom, but they are not the point of the passage. True wisdom starts with God and our relationship to Him. It starts with “the fear of the Lord.” What is this “fear” of God? Is it terror in God’s presence? No, it is a reverent understanding of who God is and where we stand in relationship to Him. The single most important thing that you and I can know is who God is. We must know Him as our Creator, our Redeemer, and our Sustainer.
We must know that God is our Creator. The psalmist captured this:
You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body (PSALM 139:13-15).
We do not draw our next breath unless God our Creator enables us. The apostle Paul told the Athenians that it is in God that we live and move and have our being (ACTS 17:25-28).
We must know that God is our Redeemer. Again David the psalmist gave voice to this for us:
Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s (PSALM 103:2-5).
Through faith in Jesus Christ our Redeemer we have new life. He has taken the punishment for our sins and has redeemed us (or bought us back) from Satan for God. We must know that God is our Redeemer.
We must know that God is our redeemer. In the routine of daily life or in the crises that overtake us, God is our sustainer.
We also must know that God is our Sustainer. Old Testament prophet Isaiah put it this way:
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk, and not be faint (ISAIAH 40:28-31).
In the routine of daily life or in the crises that overtake us, God is our Sustainer.
At 4:30 one Saturday morning in 1994 our phone rang, waking us. Such a call is most likely bad news, a prank call, or a drunk calling a wrong number. For us it was bad news. On the other end of the line was our oldest daughter, Susan, calling from the south of France where she and her family lived. She had just received a call from the ministry in the north of France where Kent, our only son, worked with profoundly disabled adults. Kent, on his way to a meeting on his bicycle, had been struck and killed by a drunk driver. At a time like that people ask all kinds of questions: Is God sovereign—could He have kept it from happening? Is God love? Does God care? Is God there? It is in the face of a tragedy and in the midst of sorrow that somehow we must grasp the cord of truth about God revealed in Scripture: God is sovereign and in some way works through tragedy. God is love in ways that we may not grasp in this life but that one day will be plain to us. God does care and will use this for good in our lives. God is there. He is with us. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews reminds us that God never leaves us nor forsakes us in the worst of times when our fears and tears threaten to overwhelm us (HEBREWS 13:5, QUOTING DEUTERONOMY 31:6).
It is in the face of a tragedy and in the midst of sorrow that somehow we must grasp the cord of truth about God revealed in scripture: God is sovereign and in some way works through tragedy.
This awareness of God at work even in tragedy gives us a different way to see life and see pain. Knowing God sustains us in our darkest moments and teaches us the difference between what passes and what lasts. But knowing God also sustains us in daily life. It’s not easy to be trustworthy, but God is there and sees that we can be trusted. It’s not convenient to be shrewd, but God sees our work and is honored by it. It’s not easy to be generous, but God cares about our generosity. It’s not fun to be diligent, but we work to glorify God our Maker. It’s not easy to speak wisely and kindly all the time, but God hears what we say. Our relationship with God gives us a different perspective on life. We know what matters. We know what lasts and what passes away, and we choose what lasts eternally. And we bring that perspective to every choice we make—whether or not to be trustworthy, whether or not to plan ahead and work with care, whether or not to show compassion, whether or not to pursue our goals with diligence, whether or not to control our tongues. What we believe about God determines how wisely we live life. The fear or reverent awe of God motivates us to manage our time wisely in the light of eternal values. The fear of the Lord motivates us to use our resources wisely to benefit others. The fear of the Lord helps us evaluate every choice we make each day.
In times of trouble, we find that our only fortress is the lord . “O LORD, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress, to you the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, ‘our fathers possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good’ “ (JEREMIAH 16:19)
What we believe about God determines how wisely we live life.
A hundred years ago Ella Wheeler Wilcox published a short poem whose lines are as true today as they were a century ago when she wrote them:
One ship sails East, And another West,
By the self-same winds that blow; ’Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales
That tells the way we go.
It’s the set of the sail and not the gale. It’s your choice. Men and women, singles and marrieds, learn from Proverbs 31. Choose to live your life wisely, in the light of what lasts forever. If you do, you will be characterized by a strong commitment, by trustworthiness, by shrewdness, by generosity, by diligence, and by a controlled tongue. Even more, you’ll know the difference between what passes and what lasts—and you’ll give yourself to what lasts for eternity. That’s God’s formula for living life with skill. Be wise. Be a person of strength. It’s your choice.
