How many of you ever felt overwhelmed when reading the
famous Proverbs 31 passage on the description of a godly woman? How many of you
lost confidence in your abilities and felt ashamed of your heart? How many of
you just suddenly felt very sinful?
Well, let me argue that Proverbs 31:10-31 is not really about you
and me.
Who can find a
virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies…Favor is deceitful, and
beauty is vain: but a woman that fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her
of the fruit of her hands: and let her own works praise her in the gates (Prov.
31: 10, 30-31).
Virtue is the true measure of a woman. A virtuous woman is
priceless and timeless. Her impact lasts and reaches into eternity, and her
goals and her heart live for and rest in the unseen, motivated by Christ, His
love, and the pursuit of His truth and its spreading. But a woman cannot be
virtuous on her own: it is impossible and goes against her very own sin nature.
Romans 3:9-18 is pretty strong about this: NO ONE is righteous –not one.
Ecclesiastes 7:20 and Isaiah 64:6 point that anything “good” we attempt is
still flawed, imperfect, and of no eternal worth.
So where is a woman’s hope if she desires to be truly
virtuous, eternally impacting the lives of others?
IN JESUS CHRIST ALONE
Jesus Christ makes her virtuous. Even the famous “Proverbs
31” passage points us directly to the heart of the Gospel: humanity’s depravity
and Jesus Christ’ reconciliation and transformation of us. All Scripture points
to the Gospel, even a woman’s desire for virtue and eternal impact –and even a
woman’s lack of ability and accomplishment in this department.
NO ONE can find a virtuous woman apart from Christ.
But without faith it
is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is,
and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
It can be easy to be overwhelmed by this “Proverbs 31 list”…because
it IS impossible to be this woman without faith in Jesus Christ. But
as we let Him renew our minds (Romans 12:2), we can become her. In fact, we can
become more: we can become like Christ.
If the life of a “Proverbs 31 woman” could be summarized, I
would say one accurate way would be that she lives for the unseen. While other
people may see her work and its immediate fruit at times, her heart and its
goals lie in the unseen. Rather than focusing on wordly favor and beauty so much,
she
pursues the Lord, and she is motivated by this relationship she has
with Him. He transforms her mind so that she works with this in ambition: her
true treasure is in heaven…and this is what she will be known and praised for,
if not here on earth, definitely in heaven. Even when everything seems to be
crumbling around her, she has hope, joy, and strength because she is focused on
the unseen (II Cor. 4:8-18). While we
look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen:
for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen
are eternal (II Cor. 4:18).
Therefore we are always confident (II Cor. 5:6).
And this throws us right back to faith in Jesus Christ (Heb. 11:11). Matthew 6:19-34 only reinforces this: our treasure should be in heaven, and the secret to accomplishing that goal is to seek God first (v. 33). He has now become our number one priority –in everything. That is the secret to a “Proverbs 31 woman,” who really is just the sanctification work of Christ in her life as she responds to His daily call to follow and pursue Him. John Piper puts it this way: “Keep your hearts in heaven.” This is how Proverbs 31:25 can go so far to say in some translations: she laughs without fear of the future –not in carelessness but in full confidence in the Lord of her heart –and of her eternity.
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