While chatting to my wife over the weekend about Bible verses that explicitly deal with how Christians should manage their money, she asked me, ‘Have you looked at the passage on the Proverbs 31 Woman?’
My immediate response was, ‘Wait — what?‘
Of course I know the passage. Or, at least, I thought I did. I have heard it taught many times in church. This lady is often referred to as the Proverbs 31 Wife. There are several blogs and even ministries built around, or named after, this passage. It is a well-known scripture and one that I have often heard touted as the standard to which all Godly women (and especially, Godly wives) should aspire.
My wife smiled, ‘Read it again.’
So I did… and my eyes were opened! What struck me first and foremost was how inappropriate the title Proverbs 31 Wife is for this passage. Of the fifteen verses in this passage that actively describe the Proverbs 31 Woman, only two offer any insight into how she acts toward her husband.
A further two verses deal specifically with her character and one extolls her generosity toward the poor.
But the clear winner is…
A whopping six verses that specifically showcase how the Proverbs 31 Woman manages her finances! In other words, roughly 40% of the passage is dedicated to this single aspect of the woman’s life and character.
The Proverbs 31 Woman is a Financial Power-House
Who knew? Well, my wife did, for a start. In fact, as I read this passage again, I came to realize that the Proverbs 31 Woman is a financial power-house. The Bible tells us much about this lady and her financial prowess.
She generates her own income and leads by example before her employees and servants. She is a woman of industry, who buys wool and flax, manufactures garments and sells her produce to merchants in the local markets. She is not only a shrewd manager but also a skilled laborer. She neither shies away from hard work nor from menial tasks; In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers (Proverbs 31:19).
She travels widely and trades carefully, negotiating the best prices and thus keeps her expenses low. She works hard to manage her business and ensures that it turns a profit; She sees that her trading is profitable (Proverbs 31:18).
She is an investor who uses the proceeds of her income to acquire assets; She considers a field and buys it. Furthermore, she manages those assets and adds value to them; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard (Proverbs 31:16)
The message in this passage is all the more powerful when considered in the context of the patriarchal society in which it was written; she came from a time and culture in which women were widely thought of as little more than the property of their husbands.
This is a woman who loves her husband. She respects him and supports him as her partner in marriage; but she is not reliant on him for her financial support. She is more than capable of supporting herself. She generates her own income and manages her own business and investments — all while running her household and caring for her family.
The passage in question, Proverbs 31:10-31, offers immense wisdom on how we should approach our work, industry and investment. Both men and women, in the church today, can learn from the Proverbs 31 Woman and would do well to follow her example in financial conduct.
I plan to delve deeper into individual verses in this passage over the next few weeks to gain a greater understanding of God’s word as it pertains to his remarkable person and what we can learn from this scripture.
Watch this space…