Part VI
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies…. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
Proverbs 31:10,19
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!
In Her Hand She Holds the Distaff
In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
Proverbs 31:19
The distaff is used to produce spools of neatly wound yarn from a piece of wool. It is this process that makes raw wool usable. Only then can it be used to create coverings or items of clothing.
The wool is first attached to the distaff, which is held in one hand. With the other hand, one pulls out sections of the wool. Each section of wool must be carefully twisted and pulled down to attach it to the spindle. The weight of the spindle then pulls the fibers out of the compacted wool. The fibers then begin to spin around the spindle.
During this process, the distaff must be held with one hand, while the other hand keeps the fibers from tangling. The process requires skill, care and attention. It is a laborious and time-consuming task. The job requires nothing less than complete attention.
Despite the skill, concentration, and attention to detail, it was considered a fairly menial task. A wealthy woman could be forgiven for delegating this responsibility to her employees. However, once again, this verse shows that the Proverbs 31 Woman does not shy away from work because it is difficult. Nor does she consider this work to be beneath her. Instead, in her hand she holds the distaff. In other words, she rolls up her sleeves and leads from the front.
Spinning the yarn is an integral process in her business, and a crucial one that will determine the final quality of her produce. She must ensure that her employees get it right and she is right there on the factory floor with them. In this way, she leads by example.
Anyone who has run their own business knows that the owner has a multitude of other responsibilities. These include dealing with suppliers, doing the Accounting, Human Resources (staff problems), Marketing, Paying Bills and a whole raft of admin tasks. Of course, the passage has already shown us that this lady rises early, long before her household is awake and before her employees show up for work. She also does not let her lamp go out at night, and continues working long after sunset. It is in this time that she completes many of those tasks.
But, during the day, when her employees are on site and working, she is on the factory floor working alongside them; in her hand she holds the distaff. From this position, she is able to lead and mentor her employees. She is able to show them how to use the distaff and the spindle to produce the quality that her clients expect; quality that will fetch the highest prices in the market and make her business profitable.
It is interesting to note that, in the 1990’s and early 2000’s, Toyota implemented its Lean Manufacturing Methodology. This was a set of principles and practices designed to improve quality and efficiency in the manufacturing process. Other companies and industries quickly latched onto this methodology and the Lean Methodology took the business world by storm.
One of the driving philosophies within the Lean Methodology is Go to Gemba — or doing the Gemba Walk.
The word Gemba is a Japanese term that means ‘the real place’. In Lean management, Gemba is the most important place for a team as it is where the real work happens. In short, it is a principle and practice that insists managers get out of their offices and down on the factory floor where the real work happens. Only then can they truly understand their how their business truly operates.
By doing this, managers are better informed because they understand the challenges their employees face, the constraints in which they operate and why they often work the way they do. This enables managers to make better decisions about how they run their business and what they can reasonably expect from their employees.
The Lean methodology and the principles on which it was built were ground-breaking and many companies still work hard at implementing Lean within their organizations today. Interesting that the Proverbs 31 Woman appears to have had a firm grasp of these core principles several thousand years before companies like Toyota ever existed.