Still others, like seed thrown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
Mark 4:18-19
You don’t need to be rich to fall prey to the deceitfulness of riches. You don’t even need to want to be rich; you just have to be human.
So how do we break its power over our lives? The first step is to recognize it.
Here is an example of the deceitfulness of riches in action.
The Deceitfulness of Riches
A young couple, recently married, decided to buy themselves a home. They saved up their deposit, took out a mortgage and purchased their first home. It was a modest home but it was the best they could afford. However, over the next two years inflation drove prices up and money became tight. ‘If only we had a little more money…’ they said.
And so the husband put in extra hours at work and got a promotion, and his wife got a job with higher pay. Then they had their first child and found the house was too small. ‘If only we had a little more space…’ they said.
With their higher earnings, they could afford a better mortgage. So they sold their home and bought a bigger house. It was a modest house for a young family but it was the best they could afford. But as their child grew, so expenses increased and inflation eroded their surplus. ‘If only we had a little more money…’ they said.
… and so this cycle continued for forty-five years. They attended church most weeks and heard God’s word. Their hearts sought after God but they were too busy to devote their time and energy to his kingdom. At the end of their lives, they looked back and considered all that they had hoped to do for God in their lives. ‘If only we had a little more time…’ they said.
But they had allowed the deceitfulness of riches to choke the word of God in their hearts and realized that it had made them unfruitful.
How to Overcome
Overcoming the deceitfulness of riches is relatively straightforward to understand. Living out the principles is the hard part.
First, we need to recognize the deceit for what it is. Those moments occur when we say, ‘If only we had a little more money…’ The moment we act on that desire, we fall prey to the deceit. The truth is, we will never have enough. There will always be a bigger house, a newer car, a better holiday, on which we want to spend our money.
Having identified the deceitfulness of riches, we need to learn to be content with what we have rather than give into the temptation. When we learn contentment, we no longer need all those bright, shiny things that tempt us so easily. Consider the young couple in the story above. What if they had bought a slightly more modest home the first time around — and then saved the extra cash and invested it in an income-producing asset?
When inflation drove prices up, their asset would have increased in value and actually provided them with more income to help support them over time. Instead of needing more money to cover their expenses, they would be in a position to save for their next investment.
When the time came to move to a bigger house, this couple would have been better able to buy that home without incurring massive interest charges as they would have a nest-egg. This money saved could then be used to purchase additional assets which, in turn could provide more income.
The income from those assets would have created the freedom for this couple to live out God’s purposes for their lives from an early age rather than finding themselves crippled by debt and monthly bills.
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies…. She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.
Proverbs 31:10,15
I have heard many sermons preached about the Proverbs 31 Wife, or Wife of Noble Character over the years. There are numerous blogs and even entire ministries built around this particular passage of scripture. These messages generally focus on the woman’s character and duties as a wife and mother; I don’t want to diminish that focus in any way. It is both valid and important.
However, there is a major aspect of the Proverbs 31 Woman that is widely glossed over, and even totally ignored. This relates to the way she manages her finances, or the Proverbs 31 Business Woman. Here are the facts. Of the twenty-two verses in the passage, seven are comments for the reader’s benefit or general praise from her husband and children (E.g. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her – vs28). While these are interesting, they don’t actively describe her character. The remaining fifteen verses focus explicitly on her character and actions.
Of the fifteen verses that actively describe her character and actions, only two actually focus on how she acts toward her husband. Another three focus on how she cares for her children and household….
And no less than six verses focus on how she conducts her financial life. How can we, in good conscience, read this passage about the ‘Ideal Godly Woman’ and simply disregard 40% of what the Bible tells us about her!
The Proverbs 31 Business Woman Manages Her Staff
So, with that in mind, let’s look at verse 15
She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.
Proverbs 31:15
Technically, this verse focuses on how the Woman of Noble Character acts towards her family. This includes her children and her wider household like the servants in her charge. I erred on the side of caution and did not count this verse as one of the six verses that focus on how she conducts her financial life.
That said, it is still worth looking at this verse as it offers a quiet nod to her employee management skills on the tail-end of the verse.
So, let’s start with the fact that she gets up while it is still night. In other words, she rises before dawn. She does this to prepare for the day so that she will be ready to care for her family’s needs and those of her wider household. Her duties might include stoking the oven to bake bread for the household. As the verse says, she does this to provide food for her family.
The natural assumption is that she does the same for her servants. As the verse says, she provides portions for her female servants. Several of the commentaries on this verse agree that the word for ‘portions’ has a double meaning. It could mean portions of food and this would certainly be in keeping with what the passage already tells us about this woman’s character. However, several of the commentators point out that this word can equally mean ‘work’. They point out that this makes more sense in the context of the verse. In fact, many of the commentaries don’t even bother to explain their reasoning and simply assert that this tail-end of the verse means that she apportions responsibilities and daily tasks to her female servants.
Once again, this verse demonstrates her diligence and work ethic. She is the first person on the job, rising long before her husband or children — and even before her servants. Thus she ensures that everything is ready for her family when the day begins and, as her servants arrive for work, she has tasks ready for each of them in turn.
In this way, she manages her team of employees and leads by example. Not one of her employees could accuse her of enjoying a lie-in while they are hard at work. However, it is equally important to note that she does not try to accomplish everything on her own. She has a team of people ready to assist. They are being paid to do a job and the Proverbs 31 Business Woman understands that part of her role is to ensure that her staff members know what they have to do — and do it.
The Proverbs 31 Business Woman wakes up early to ensure that every one of her employees is assigned a task and that the work is fairly and evenly distributed when they show up for work. She is a hard worker, yes, but she is not someone who buys a dog and then barks herself, so to speak.
I know I have focused on this aspect of the verse, possibly to the detriment of the first half that focuses on her family. As I have said elsewhere in this series, it is not my intention to diminish the value of those themes and messages. However, I believe that many other pastors and teachers have addressed those aspects of this passage quite well. As such, I have chosen to focus on the aspects of this passage that have been largely ignored in other forums.
This verse shows how the Woman of Noble Character is not only the exemplary Proverbs 31 Wife but also the exemplary Proverbs 31 Business Woman. While the verse offers little information on exactly how she manages her employees what it reveals is her diligence and care as she prepares to manage those employees. She proves the old adage that says success is 90% preparation and 10% perspiration. Or, as Louis Pasteur once asserted; chance favors the prepared mind.
Interesting that God saw fit to include a verse like this in his word. On the face of it, this verse has lots of practical value but little eternal value. However, on reflection, it occurs to me; these character traits that serve her so well in her business activities are the same character traits that will lead her in the paths of righteousness and forge her relationship with the Lord on a daily basis.
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies… She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.
Proverbs 31:10,14
I have heard many sermons preached about the Proverbs 31 Wife, or Wife of Noble Character over the years. There are numerous blogs and even entire ministries built around this particular passage of scripture. These messages generally focus on the woman’s character and duties as a wife and mother; I don’t want to diminish that focus in any way. It is both valid and important.
However, there is a major aspect of the Proverbs 31 Woman that is widely glossed over, and even totally ignored. This relates to her business acumen and the way she manages her finances. Here are the facts. Of the twenty-two verses in the passage, seven are comments for the reader’s benefit or general praise from her husband and children (E.g. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her – vs28). While these are interesting, they don’t actively describe her character. The remaining fifteen verses focus explicitly on her character and actions.
Of the fifteen verses that actively describe her character and actions, only two actually focus on how she acts toward her husband. Another three focus on how she cares for her children and household….
And no less than six verses focus on how she conducts her financial life. How can we, in good conscience, read this passage about the ‘Ideal Godly Woman’ and simply disregard 40% of what the Bible tells us about her!
Like the Merchant Ships
So with that in mind, let’s look at verse 14…
She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.
Proverbs 31:14
This verse offers insight into how the Proverbs 31 Woman trades and acquires the materials she needs for both her household and her business interests. It could refer to the wool and flax purchases described in the previous verse. However, this verse alludes to her wider trading activities, including food purchases, that expand beyond those transactions alone.
What this verse is really saying is that she actively seeks opportunities to buy cheaply and get more value for her money. While the verse does not explicitly state this, the Bible commentaries agree that this is what the verse is driving at. She seeks better trade prices by travelling further afield, and hunting for bargains that many of her contemporaries will miss because they favor convenience and buy closer to home. In business terms, she expands her operations beyond her immediate neighborhood.
Using the merchant ships as a simile, this verse aims to demonstrate how she applies the principles of profitable exchange and international trade, in the narrower sphere of her personal economy. In fact, the verse does not liken her to a single merchant ship but, rather, a whole fleet of merchant ships! You might even call this lady a force of nature.
She goes the extra mile — both figuratively and literally — to reduce costs when buying food or materials for her household and her business. In this, she displays her shrewd business acumen.
In a modern context, this is the type of lady who spots an item she really likes or needs in the local mall but, instead of buying it there and then, she first checks on both Amazon and eBay to see if she can get it at a better price. Or when she looks for flights and holiday accommodation, she may first use the big brand booking engines. However, when she spots suitable flight tickets or accommodation she first picks up the phone and calls the supplier directly to see if they offer a better price than the one they advertise through online channels.
I am reminded of the landlord at a hotel I ran a few years back. He had run his own business for many years and then he and his wife had built up a large property investment portfolio. This retired couple had a vested interest in my success as they liked me as a tenant. They were tough but highly ethical business people and it was a pleasure to do business with them. However, he would call me regularly, and at random times, to let me know that a local supermarket was running a special on certain items that were selling at lower prices than the wholesalers who were my usual suppliers.
This couple are fabulously wealthy but they cannot resist a bargain, and they have a knack of finding them. When I needed to replace equipment at the hotel, if I found a replacement item for $499, you could almost guarantee that they would find the same, or a similar, item for $299. I am a pretty tech-savvy person and I know for a fact that my landlord and his wife are not, having helped them many a time to get their email sorted. However, this is one area in which I could not compete. They know how to find bargain prices on the internet that leave me shaking my head in admiration and disbelief.
One thing I noted about this couple; despite their massive wealth, they always paid attention to the small stuff. If they could save ten percent on a five dollar purchase, they took it. Initially, it astounded me that a couple with this much money could care so much about a one or two dollar saving. Then it occurred to me that, just maybe, they became wealthy because they cared so deeply about each one or two dollar saving. It wasn’t that they cared about the individual transaction. It was a lifestyle for them. It was the position from which they approached every purchase they made. They were frugal, and careful, with each and every transaction. And because they were able to keep their costs low in every sphere of life, they had, in turn, made both their business and household profitable.
Their attention to detail was also significant. If we were in a conversation and needed to refer to correspondence or an invoice from several months earlier, they would pop off to their home-office and arrive back after a few minutes with the document in hand.
I feel it is important to point this out. They never cheated anyone. Nor did they ever attempt to profit at another person’s expense. They simply ensured that they never paid ten dollars for an item if they could get it elsewhere at nine. What they saved in money usually cost them in time, effort and convenience — but for them the saving was always worth the pain.
So it is with the Proverbs 31 Woman. She is frugal and wise when it comes to her spending — and she never overpays. This is not something she switches on for the big transactions. Rather, it is a lifestyle, born of a habit that she has formed over time. As such, she lives out this value in every transaction. Strangely, it is this character trait for which the Bible commends her.
Admittedly, sniffing out Bargain-Basement prices is not a character trait that we generally aspire to in our Christian walk. We prefer to focus on faith, love and holiness. Nothing wrong with that. But Proverbs 31:14 is just as much a part of the Bible.
I’m sure we all want this verse to be more spiritual, or to offer some deep, eternal meaning but this is what it says; she is a smart entrepreneur who works hard to reduce her business and household costs. And the Bible applauds her for it! Should we ignore, or write off, this verse just because it does not deal with one of Christianity’s central themes? There is still wisdom to be gleaned from verses like this and we would do well to follow the Proverbs 31 Woman’s example in our own business dealings, or when managing our household budgets, in the modern economy.
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies….She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
Proverbs 31:10,13
I have heard many sermons preached about the Proverbs 31 Wife, or Wife of Noble Character, over the years. There are numerous blogs and even entire ministries built around this particular passage of scripture. These messages generally focus on the woman’s character and duties as a wife and mother; I don’t want to diminish that focus in any way. It is both valid and important.
However, there is a major aspect of the Proverbs 31 Woman that is widely glossed over, and even totally ignored. This relates to her business acumen and the way she manages her finances. Here are the facts. Of the twenty-two verses in the passage, seven are comments for the reader’s benefit or general praise from her husband and children (E.g. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her – vs28). While these are interesting, they don’t actively describe her character. The remaining fifteen verses focus explicitly on her character and actions.
Of the fifteen verses that actively describe her character and actions, only two actually focus on how she acts toward her husband. Another three focus on how she cares for her children and household….
And no less than six verses focus on how she conducts her financial life. How can we, in good conscience, read this passage about the ‘Ideal Godly Woman’ and simply disregard 40% of what the Bible tells us about her!
Works With Eager Hands
So with that in mind, I will focus on verse 13…
She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
Proverbs 31:13
This verse shows a woman who is not afraid of hard work. Nor does she scorn menial work that others of her station might feel is beneath them. The manufacture of garments for one’s own household was a common task for women at this time in Jewish history. However, as we see in other verses in this passage, this lady did not work out of necessity because she had no help; she was a wealthy woman and had servants who could perform these duties for her.
However, instead of resting on her laurels, she worked both willingly, and gladly — with eager hands. Rather than delegating all the work to her servants, this woman takes an active role in selecting the raw materials (wool and flax) from which to make garments.
It is worth noting that the manufacture of household garments for the family was a common task for women in Old Testament times. However, as the other verses in this passage show all too clearly, this woman took that responsibility to another level. She went way beyond the task of merely making garments for her own family. As such, we can take this verse to show that, when she went out to select wool and flax, she did this in order to find the right suppliers and source the raw materials she needed to run her business.
Flax and wool were her stock in trade. As such, she needed to be sure of the quality and took that task upon herself.
Overall, though, this verse focuses on the Proverbs 31 Woman’s attitude toward work. In fact, this is a resounding theme throughout this passage. She was a wealthy women to be sure. But based on what we read in Proverbs 31:13, you would be far more likely to find her negotiating prices in the boardroom or on the factory floor than enjoying cocktails at the country club.
Every believer in the modern economy — both men and women — would do well to follow this lady’s example.
