The Proverbs 31 woman was generously compassionate

In these last weeks, we have been discovering the portrait of the Proverbs 31 woman.  The first week we discovered the Proverbs 31 woman is not the Perfect 31 woman.  She is the Prayerful 31 woman.  She is not a portrait of one single woman but a composite or aggregate of many capable women.  Her portrait does not focus on her acquired abilities, given talents, all her accomplishments, or even her marital status... the focus is on her relationship with the Lord.  Proverbs 31:30 “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”  Proverbs 31 woman is a woman who has a heart after God’s own heart.

We learned that one of her top priorities is feeding her family...”she provides food for her family...” Proverbs 31:15  She raises children that rise to call her blessed as we saw in Proverbs 31:28.  

She is financially savvy, an astute business woman who even invested in real estate.  She is so successful that she expanded her business venture to include a vineyard and even traded for a profit.  She is a responsible and wise steward which also includes the fact that she is compassionate toward the poor and needy.  And she demonstrates her compassion with concrete acts of mercy not just by word and tongue but through action and deed.

She is a wise steward who also knows the importance of giving back to God.  She and her house give back to God.  She most likely tithes.  Tithing literally means a tenth and many scholars believe in 10% of the gross as “first fruits” refer to the gross of your earnings.  In Malachi, God says, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  Test me in this, “says the Lord Almighty and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”  It’s almost saying that God challenges you to dare Him to bless you... Come one, see that I won’t bless you because I have just the mind to do it!

She is a multi-faceted, capable, virtuous and noble woman of great strength and valor.  Wisdom and faithful instruction are on her tongue Proverbs 31:26.  How and where does she obtain wisdom?  

“Turn your ear to wisdom and apply your heart to understanding and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding... then you will understand the fear of the Lord and then find the knowledge of God.”  For the Lord gives wisdom and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.  

Remember wisdom is not from our own thoughts and mind, our gut, our own feelings and emotions.  For that type of wisdom leans on our own understanding and is not trustworthy.  But instead trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.   

Proverbs 31 woman is many things and one of the things she is... is that she is clothed with strength and dignity, she can laugh at the days to come.”  Proverbs 31:25  That she is clothed with a strength and dignity or valor is saying that she is clothed with a strength that does not come from herself but from the strength of God’s might.  With Christ and His might, she faces trials and testing with confidence... almost to say “Bring it!”  Because she trusts in the Lord completely, she can laugh at the days to come.