A Virtuous Wife

Proverbs 31: 10-31 describes a virtuous wife by the standards of King Lemuel based on what his mother taught him.

10 Who can find a virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good and not evil,
All the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
And willingly works with her hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
She brings her food from afar.
15 She also rises while it is yet night,
And provides food for her household,
And a portion for her maidservants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
From her profits she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.
19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.
20 She extends her hand to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes tapestry for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies sashes for the merchants.
25 Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “ Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.

I have heard some say that Sarah Palin, as a Christian woman, should not be working and should be staying at home with her children. Those who said this weren’t even believers. Yes, a woman must manage her household but that does not mean that her husband and others cannot be a part of her management plan! Many would have us believe that the women of the Bible are little more than domestic servants. This passage tells us the virtuous wife is a very busy and influential woman. She is an excellent wife and mother but she is also a manufacturer, farmer, importer, realtor, seamstress, merchant, and manager.

She makes sure that what she does is profitable. She works late into the night and arises early in the morning. She is strong and industrious but has the time to be concerned about the poor and less fortunate. She is self-assured and does not fear for the future.

Her strength and dignity come from her reverence for God! A footnote in my Bible says, “In our society, where physical appearance counts for so much, it may surprise us to realize that her appearance is never mentioned. Her attractiveness comes entirely from her character.”
The woman described in this passage is obviously in a position of high social standing and has many extraordinary gifts. It is likely that this is not one woman being described but the composite of an ideal woman. None of us will have all the attributes of this ideal woman but the skills and strengths that we do have will be strengthened and enhanced by our devotion to God so that we can each be the woman that He made us to be.

I find it sad that people have made vicious attacks on Sarah for her faith, her choices to do the right thing and they assume that she is ignorant because she is from a small town in a remote area of our country. God raised her up for this moment in history and whether she makes it to D.C. or not, she will have made an impact on godly women everywhere by the choices she has made and her willingness to fight the system for what is right and her belief that this country belongs to its people and not the greedy and self-serving “good ol’ boys” and girls, in Washington.

In my book, Sarah Palin fits the profile of a virtuous wife!