I have decided lately, that if I want to be set apart... and truly live as a Proverbs 31 woman I need to start now. Becoming a wife of virtue and mother whose children rise up to call her blessed doesn't begin once I attain these things (husband and children), it begins now. A Proverbs 31 woman is way more than a wife and mother... it is a woman whole heartedly seeking the Lord and being a reflection of Him in everything she says and does. So I am going to begin this journey. I am writing it all out so I thought, why not share what I learned? It may be interesting and beneficial to someone else! So here we go... this post will be solely about verse 10!
In the King James version, verse 10 is written “Who can
find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.” After doing some
research on certain words and meanings of this, I found out that the expression
"virtuous" is from a noun meaning strength, efficiency,
ability. Here it refers to strength of character. I also found that this word virtuous, when
referring to women, is found in a couple other places in the bible. In the same
book of Proverbs (12:4) it says “A virtuous woman is a crown to her
husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.” Also, in
Ruth it says “And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou
requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.”
Goodness… that speech is hard to follow sometimes isn’t it? But even through
that, you can see the meaning. Virtue… in this case meaning strength… is rare.
Remember, I don’t mean physical strength (I feel like you can find that
anywhere you look—the gym, the TV, the parking lot of the mall where two guys
are about to go at it over the little teenage girl who could care less but
feels important). I mean moral strength. As a 26 year old woman, I notice more
and more how rare that really is. When a woman of moral strength and character
(or virtue), is seeking and fearing God, going against the gain, believing and
freely living in gospel centered truth and despising sin, then she will be set
apart. Also, others will take notice. It will be so completely obvious, because
it is so completely unusual to this world.
Then when looking at the second
part of this verse it says “For her price is far above rubies.” When I began
looking into rubies, I found out that back then, when this was written, rubies
were actually a Hebrew term for a pink pearl or a type of red coral. Pink pearls, found in mollusks from the
Red Sea, were of great value due to their rareness. So when applied to this
verse it makes it more meaningful to me. These were precious to people that found
them because they were rare. Something that is rare and precious is costly
because it is not ordinary. If you could drive down to Walmart and buy a bunch
of rubies or pink pearls there would be nothing special about that gem.
Everyone could have it. If you wanted another one… you could buy two. And think
about all the rocks you have in your backyard. Are they beautiful? Exquisite?
Eye catching? Probably not. The Lord made rare stones elegant, luminous and lustrous.
So in referring to this, not only is this woman a gem… but a beautiful, rare
gem.
So how can I obtain these things? How can I strive and successfully become a woman of virtue? Well, first I have to take that "I" out of it because it is impossible to do by myself. I am such a ridiculous screw up that this is not something I can do at all. It has to be Jesus. It has to be Jesus doing a great work in me. My eyes must stay fixated on the author and perfecter of my faith and He has to give me abundant grace over and over again. I have to work at obtaining that moral character. This means that I must die to myself daily and take up my cross and follow my Beloved. In the good and the bad. The hills and the plains. The rain and the shine. If I desire to be described as rare, beautiful, virtuous, luminous or exquisite I must remember that I am none of these things... it is JESUS in me!
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