Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 556 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

A Mother’s Faithful Instructions – Proverbs 31:1-31

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 556 of our trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday along life’s trails we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs. Today we will explore the 31^st and final chapter in Proverbs.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We had a great weekend in Charlotte. We had an important meeting on Friday and were able to assist our younger daughter Janet and her husband Rowan complete their tax returns.

On Saturday I was able to invest most of the day with our grandson Kip playing with his safari animal and remote control race car and coloring several pages of animals. We then had an early dinner with my sister Rebecca before heading to watch Janet play in her first roller derby bout. There were two bouts in which Charlotte’s “A” team won a decisive victory over a team from Florida, while the “B” team played against a very tough team from the Carolinas. Janet was lead jammer for the “B” team, and although the final score was not in our favor, Janet played a really tough game and was named MVP of her team. It was great to be there and cheer her on.

As with all of our children and their spouses, we are very proud of her. We are blessed to have a very close relationship with all of our children. This brings us to our topic for today in Proverbs 31. The first 9 verses are instructions from a mother to her grown son who is king. Verses 10-31 describe all the attributes of a wise, virtuous, and capable woman who is more precious than rubies. So let’s explore the nuggets of wisdom from…

A Mother’s Faithful Instructions

First, let’s dig into the advice King Lemuel’s mother shared with him in verses 1-9.

¹ The sayings of King Lemuel contain this message, which his mother taught him.

² O my son, O son of my womb,

O son of my vows,

³ do not waste your strength on women,

on those who ruin kings.

⁴ It is not for kings, O Lemuel, to guzzle wine.

Rulers should not crave alcohol.

⁵ For if they drink, they may forget the law

and not give justice to the oppressed.

⁶ Alcohol is for the dying,

and wine for those in bitter distress.

⁷ Let them drink to forget their poverty

and remember their troubles no more.

⁸ Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves;

ensure justice for those being crushed.

⁹ Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless,

and see that they get justice.

Anytime we allow a person or substance to take over and control our rational and emotional mind, it leaves us open to making unwise decisions. This is especially true of a person who is in a position of authority. King Lemuel’s mother warns him of the dangers of women and wine. In different ways, both have brought down great leaders. Both are certainly distractions to a king’s true work—defending the poor.

Rulers need to be of clear mind and heart so that they can administer justice fairly. The only appropriate reason to allow our mind to be dulled is when we are suffering from some great emotional or physical pain. With today’s advanced medicines, we do have choices other than alcohol to lessen pain.

A Wife of Noble Character

An interesting note as we read through verses 10-31 now is that in the original Hebrew language this section was a poem. The subject of a twenty-two-line poem found in the last chapter of the book of Proverbs, the “woman of noble character” is meant to be a tangible expression of the book’s celebrated virtue of wisdom. The author is essentially showing us what wisdom looks like in action. There is a direct connection between the Proverbs 31 Woman and “Woman Wisdom,” found in earlier chapters of Proverbs.

This section is packed with very rich imagery. The poem is also an acrostic, so the first word of each verse in the original Hebrew begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet in order.

This communicates a sense of totality as the poet praises the everyday achievements of an upper-class Jewish wife, a woman who keeps her household functioning day and night by buying, trading, investing, planting, sewing, spindling, managing servants, extending charity, providing food for the family, and preparing for each season. Like any good poem, the purpose of this one is to draw attention to the often-overlooked glory of the mundane everyday tasks.

As a poem, Proverbs 31 should not be interpreted prescriptively as a job description for all women. Its purpose is to celebrate wisdom-in-action, not to instruct women everywhere to get married, have children, and take up the loom.

¹⁰ Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?

She is more precious than rubies.

¹¹ Her husband can trust her,

and she will greatly enrich his life.

¹² She brings him good, not harm,

all the days of her life.

¹³ She finds wool and flax

and busily spins it.

¹⁴ She is like a merchant’s ship,

bringing her food from afar.

¹⁵ She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household

and plan the day’s work for her servant girls.

¹⁶ She goes to inspect a field and buys it;

with her earnings she plants a vineyard.

¹⁷ She is energetic and strong,

a hard worker.

¹⁸ She makes sure her dealings are profitable;

her lamp burns late into the night.

¹⁹ Her hands are busy spinning thread,

her fingers twisting fiber.

²⁰ She extends a helping hand to the poor

and opens her arms to the needy.

²¹ She has no fear of winter for her household,

for everyone has warm^[c] clothes.

²² She makes her own bedspreads.

She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns.

²³ Her husband is well known at the city gates,

where he sits with the other civic leaders.

²⁴ She makes belted linen garments

and sashes to sell to the merchants.

²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity,

and she laughs without fear of the future.

²⁶ When she speaks, her words are wise,

and she gives instructions with kindness.

²⁷ She carefully watches everything in her household

and suffers nothing from laziness.

²⁸ Her children stand and bless her.

Her husband praises her:

²⁹ “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world,

but you surpass them all!”

³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;

but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.

³¹ Reward her for all she has done.

Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.

It would do us all well to look throughout the Bible for examples of strong and capable women. As we study the Scriptures, we need to be careful of focusing only on marriage, motherhood, and domesticity, which are admirable roles but they don’t necessarily define a Godly woman. Instead, it is holiness, with integrity and bravery, that we should all seek, regardless of our gender.

Proverbs 31 is not the only place where we find women of valor in the Bible. You can turn to Sarah, Deborah, Esther, Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, Mary of Nazareth, Martha, the Apostle Junia, Priscilla, Phoebe, and Tabitha too. You can also turn to the women of valor in your life, possibly your mother or grandmother, and many others around the world who are bringing their unique gifts, insights, passions, and callings to bring hope and healing to the world. That is what it really means to honor a woman as described in Proverbs 31. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.

Today on our Wisdom Trail we received some sound motherly advice, and also an example of some of the attributes that a woman who is wise will possess. All of the proverbs provide us with rich wisdom, insight, and understanding on a myriad of life issues. Regardless of where you are in your faith walk, if the precepts in Proverbs are followed, your life will be rich and satisfying. Take them and plant them in your heart so that you will reap a harvest of wisdom. I would challenge you to take just one precept that we learn today in Proverbs and commit yourself to applying it to your life.

Tomorrow we will hike another short trail of Wisdom Unplugged as we discover an inspirational wisdom quote. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
2. Love Unconditionally
3. Listen Intentionally
4. Learn Continuously
5. Lend to others Generously
6. Lead with Integrity
7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!