The Proverbs 31 Family

 

We have a tendency to teach Proverbs 31 to women only. But it has been written by a woman to a man, a mother to her son! This beautiful piece of poetry was penned by the mother of King Lemuel. Scholars say that this could be Bathsheba, the mother of king Solomon.  Therefore, it would be good to see this beautiful portion of Scripture in the perspective of a family. The mother basically wrote to her son what to look for in a woman of his choice and how orderly a family of her son would be if he can find the woman that she describes.

Witnessing Family

Firstly, the mother describes how her son should be as a king. Lemuel should be a man of chastity and temperance (v.1-5). He should also comfort the afflicted and should be a voice of the voiceless (v.6-9). The family her son is going to build would be one that would witness beyond the boundaries of their house. There is also a mention of such a witness in the woman her son would look for: she opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hands to the needy (v.20).

Working Family

A strong work culture is seen in the family unit that the mother prescribes (v.13-27). An independent working woman is the highlight here! The Proverbs 31 woman was a hard worker to the extent that she would consider buying a field and out of her earnings she would plant a vineyard (v.16). She is a successful entrepreneur and her trading is profitable (v.18). Work is a mandatory blessing that God gave Adam (Genesis 2:15), before he and Eve fell in sin. Work is a blessing because the fruit of labour makes a person to be independent at any given situation. That is why the woman mentioned here can laugh at the days to come (v.25). Also it is the work of her hands that earns her honour and praise (v.31).

Worshipping Family

The hardworking woman is a woman who fears God (v.30). No wonder she is a woman of noble character, rarer than rubies (v.10). She is a wise woman (v.26) because wisdom is a derivative of fearing God (Proverbs 9:10 and Psalm 111:10).  Together the couple make a family of great values (v.11-12, 28-29). The woman earns the praise of her husband and her children and the husband earns the respect of the society they live in (v.23, 28-29).

A worshipping family of God would be a working and witnessing family. Worship, Work and Witness go together, hand in hand. The fear of the Lord leads us to a tangible blessing of work and witness. God bless our family to be one like the Proverbs 31-family! God Bless.