Unfading
     Beauty

She seeks wool and flax,

and works with willing hands.

    She is like the ships of the merchant;

        she brings her food from afar.

She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household

and portions for her maidens.

    She considers a field and buys it;

        with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

    She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.

        Her lamp does not go out at night.

She makes linen garments and sells them;

she delivers sashes to the merchant.

She looks well to the ways of her household

and does not eat the bread of idleness.

                                    —PROV 31:13-16,18,24,27

Being energetic suggests that strength or power is efficiently exerted.  A worthy woman knows her assets and liabilities, develops her talents, exhibits the attributes of being alert and aware, and is a worker, not a shirker.  She works willingly with her hands (the word hands is used 10 times in the 22 verses of  Prov 31:10-31). 

This worthy woman sets an example for her children by her personal and physical involvement in the management of her home.  In the context of Proverbs 31, she trained her servants and then supervised the tasks they performed. She was actively involved in her well-managed household (31:27), fabric and garment construction (31:13-24), trading in the marketplace (31:24), and ministry to others (31:19-20).  Application to the twenty-first century would find the worthy woman training her children and then supervising them to efficiently use today’s many “electrical servants.” Concurrently, she is involved in Christian services that complement those of her children, rather than neglecting them to perform “her ministries.”  Her role model is Christ (Phil 2:5-11), who cares much more about those under Him than they care about Him.

Most twenty-first century women can identify with their “lamp not going out at night” because of the intense schedules they maintain.  However, this verse does not suggest that the worthy woman deprives herself of sleep.  Just as exercise contributes to a physically fit body, so sleep is necessary to an energetic woman’s mental, spiritual, and physical well being.

Next week’s posting is focused on Being Physically Fit.

"Portraying Christian Femininity" by Patricia E. Ennis is from the book Think Biblically edited by John MacArthur with the Master's College Faculty, copyright 2003.  Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org.

The heart of her husband trusts in her,

and he will have no lack of gain.

She does him good, and not harm,

all the days of her life.

    Her husband is known in the gates

        when he sits among the elders of the land.

                                                —PROV 31:11-12, 23

The principle of being trustworthy is demonstrated by behaviors that lead to confidence in the honesty, integrity, reliability, justice, and loyalty of an individual.  Integrity, i.e. the quality or state of being complete (Col 2:10), is demonstrated through how one handles abundance, because prosperity tends to reveal our value system (1 Cor 10:1-10).

The character of the worthy woman motivates her husband to respond with trust (Prov 31:11).  This trustworthy lifestyle includes the nurturing of security, love, service, limits, freedom, enjoyment, faith, and encouragement. Her husband and those under her leadership are challenged to reach their full potential (Prov 18:22; 19:14).  She understands that she has the ability to feed or starve their character and thus handles this privilege through the strength of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:16-26).

            The worthy woman can live in today’s world with or without a husband.  As she 1) implements

Psalms 37:3-4, Proverbs 3:5-6, and Jeremiah 29:11-13, 2) trusts in her Heavenly Father, and 3) affirms that

He is a sun and shield; He gives her grace and glory, and there is no good thing that He withholds from those

who walk uprightly (Ps 84:11).   If married, her husband’s response to her character is trust. If unmarried,

trustworthiness is the evaluation of those closest to her.

The fruit of trustworthiness is an understanding, encouraging, sympathetic, and tactful spirit.  A trustworthy woman has the ability to retain another’s confidence (Prov 10:19), and possesses stability in her life, based upon a growing relationship with the Lord rather than circumstances (Jas 1:5-6).  She also has the ability to resist temptation and exhibits dependability  (1 Cor 10:12-13).

Next week’s posting is focused on Being Energetic.

"Portraying Christian Femininity" by Patricia E. Ennis is from the book Think Biblically edited by John MacArthur with the Master's College Faculty, copyright 2003.  Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org

An excellent wife who can find?

She is far more precious than jewels.

                                        —PROV   31:10

Moral excellence, right actions, and thinking that is true, worthy, just, pure, lovely, of good report, possessing virtue, and praiseworthy  (Phil 4:8-9) characterize the principle of being virtuous.  Virtue is an effective power and force that should permeate all thoughts, actions, and relationships of the worthy woman.  When integrated into her life, the principle generates power and demands respect.

             The worthy woman establishes godly guidelines for living according to the Scriptures and purposes,

through the strength of the Holy Spirit, to abide by them (Phil 4:13).  The Old Testament book of Ruth

describes such a woman.  Ruth 3:11 is the only scriptural reference to a “virtuous” woman (KJV, NKJV,  NIV;

ESV “worthy”) and explains that Boaz knew of Ruth because of her reputation for excellence.   In contrast,

Rahab’s reputation as a harlot followed her throughout the Scriptures (Josh 2:1; 6:17; Heb 11:31; Jas 2:25).

Though God saved Rahab and by His grace allowed her to be included in the Messianic line (Matt 1:5),

her reputation as a harlot lingered.

The worthy woman is a crown to her husband. A woman lacking in virtue causes him shame and produces suffering that is like a painful, incurable condition (Prov 12:4).  A woman’s character prior to marriage will determine her quality as a marital spouse—thus underscoring the importance for every Christian woman to embrace virtue at an early age.  To live a life characterized by virtue should be the ambition of every Christian woman (Matt 5:8).

Next week’s posting is focused on Being Trustworthy.

"Portraying Christian Femininity" by Patricia E. Ennis is from the book Think Biblically edited by John MacArthur with the Master's College Faculty, copyright 2003.  Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org

           Biblical wisdom “is both religious and practical.  Stemming from the fear of the Lord (Jb 28:28; Ps 111:10; Prv 1:7; 9:10) it branches out to touch all of life, as the extended commentary on wisdom in Proverbs indicates.  Wisdom takes insights gleaned from the knowledge of God’s way and applies them in the daily walk.”¹

Scripture provides the basis for wise instruction (2 Tim 3:16-17).  Paul, in 1 Corinthians 10:6, reminds believers “now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.”  Titus 2:4-5 instructs the older women to “train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.”  

The MacArthur Study Bible introduces the book of “Proverbs” by stating,

The proverbs are short, pithy sayings which express timeless truth and wisdom.  They arrest one’s thoughts, causing the reader to reflect on how one might apply divine principles to life situations . . . To the Hebrew mind, wisdom was not knowledge alone, but the skill of living a godly life as God intended man to live.² 

Essential to becoming a worthy woman is the personal appropriation of biblical principles that motivate one’s decisions and actions. Principle can be described as “an accepted or professed rule of action or conduct.”³  Reflecting upon the question, “What are my specific abilities, heritage, and talents that make me unique and determine my professed rules of action or conduct?” can motivate the manner in which the principles are obeyed.  Their implementation ultimately determines the character of a woman and whether she is considered wise or foolish; thus, the worthy woman possesses an open heart to learning from the experience and wisdom of others, including the woman of Proverbs 31, who exhibits at least eleven principles by which to live a godly life.

 ³ Random House, s.v. “principle.”

Next week’s posting is focused on Being Virtuous.

"Portraying Christian Femininity" by Patricia E. Ennis is from the book Think Biblically edited by John MacArthur with the Master's College Faculty, copyright 2003.  Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org.

Virtuous, trustworthy, energetic, physically fit, economical, unselfish, honorable, lovable, prepared, prudent, and God-fearing encompass eleven features highlighting the character of the worthy woman in Proverbs 31:10-31.¹  While many believe that the woman described in this passage is simply a fictional rather than a real woman whose life Christian women are challenged to emulate in principle, the divinely intended truth application cannot be doubted (2 Tim 3:16-17).  The immutability (unalterableness) of God demands that Proverbs 31:10-31 timelessly relevant in principle.  If we think that God changed His mind about one the chief application of one passage of Scripture, how then can we be sure that He has not changed His mind about others?  J.I. Packer in Knowing God lists six attributes of God that are helpful to be reminded of prior to studying the eleven characteristics presented in the Proverbs 31 passage.²

1. God’s life does not change.

2. God’s character does not change.

3. God’s truth does not change.

4. God’s ways do not change.

5. God’s purposes do not change.

6. God’s Son does not change.

            Since God does not change, then fellowship with Him, trust in His Word, living by faith, and embracing His principles are the same for twenty-first century believers as they were for those in Old and New Testament times.  The description of the godly woman in Proverbs 31:10-31 is not designed to develop an inferiority complex.  Rather, it provides a biblical foundation for the development of principles by which Christian femininity can be portrayed.  While the outward historical context and practice have changed since King Lemuel wrote Proverbs, the character principles have not.

Next week’s posting is focused on Learning from the Wisdom of Others.

"Portraying Christian Femininity" by Patricia E. Ennis is from the book Think Biblically edited by John MacArthur with the Master's College Faculty, copyright 2003.  Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crosswaybooks.org.