VIRTUES OF THE VIRTUOUS WIFE
Proverbs 31:10-31 sets
for the beautiful description of a virtuous woman, wife and mother in an
acrostic poem. The term “virtuous” used means strength of
character, valour, efficiency, ability and firmness.
The woman described in
Proverbs 31 shines as a bright beacon and an example. She is a lovely picture
of womanhood; one who embodies the qualities which every woman should pursue in
her personal life and appearance, in her family life, and in her daily duties.
10 Virtues of the Virtuous Wife
1. She is Rare, Pricey and Beautiful
A ruby is a gemstone, considered one of the four precious stones,
together with the sapphire, the emerald, and the diamond. Among the natural
gems, only moissonite and diamond are harder. Sure, “ruby” is
a very valuable, precious and rare gem (Job 28:18 and Proverbs 20:15). You couldn’t
go out along the streets and collect hundreds of them anytime you wanted to.
Who can find a virtuous
woman? She is worth more than rubies. The virtuous woman is not only a rare gem, valuable and
very hard to find, but a beautiful gem. She is a beautiful
woman, not necessarily outwardly, but certainly inwardly, with a strength of
character and a moral firmness that is lacking in the vast majority of women.
2. She is Trustworthy
The husband of a virtuous
wife has “full confidence” in her in every area of life; he trusts in her good
sense, fidelity, and industry.
Being able to fully trust
your marriage partner is one of the fundamentals of a lovely marriage. Can you
imagine how burdened and stressful a husband who cannot trust his wife with
household, family, or financial decisions will be? The more trust we have in
each other’s ability in the relationship, the easier it will be for a family to
operate smoothly.
Sadly, most wives cannot
be trusted by their husbands; for they say “Come, let us take our fill of love
until morning; Let us delight ourselves with love. For my husband is not at
home; He has gone on a long journey” (Prov. 7:18, 19).
3. She is a Helper Who Makes Her Husband Proud
“He who finds a wife
finds a good thing . . .” (Prov.18:22). Of course, a man must find an excellent wife
to be "a crown on his head", not a shameful wife to be
"rottenness in his bones" (Prov. 12:4).
The woman, purposefully
was made by God as a helpmate; and the virtuous woman cannot be anything less. The
virtuous wife is a tremendous benefit to the family. She is not a spendthrift
who wrecks her husband financially. She is altogether an asset and not a
liability.
The virtuous woman does
her husband good and not evil – consistently – “all the days of her life”. “Her
good is unadulterated: She serves not him that which is good one day and that
which is evil the next day.
For the help of the
virtuous woman, her husband is well respected in the home and workplace. Her
help urges him on to do and achieve more, and to become a prominent successful
man in the land.
Often a man’s public
image depends upon how well his wife “dresses” him. One of the best reputations
a man can have is to be known as the husband of a good wife.
4. She is Hardworking and Industrious
The virtuous wife is a
worker, strong, willing, and confident. Unfortunately, most men dislike this
kind of woman. If your wife is strong, willing, and confident, be grateful that
God has given you such an exceptional wife.
The virtuous wife doesn’t
eat the bread of idleness. She is up before the sun, showing that idleness and
laziness have no place in her life. The sluggard should not only go to the ant,
but should also go to the virtuous woman to learn a lesson on diligence.
The virtuous woman is a
business savvy and very enterprising; she considers a profitable business and
operates it profitably. And from what we know about her, she respectfully
consults her husband in the running of her business.
5. She is Generous and Kind
The virtuous woman works
for her family but she does not forget the poor and needy. She is compassionate
towards those who lack basic necessities such as food and clothing, and she
shows her compassion with concrete deeds of mercy. She loves the poor, not only
in word, but also in deed and in truth.
Sure, she knows, “Blessed
is the hand that giveth than the one that taketh”.
6. She is a Homemaker
The virtuous woman is
enterprising but that does not prevent her from the thorough care of her
household. She makes sure all her house chores are done.
She is alert to every
need of her home. She seeks to provide food and clothing for her family. She
rises early to cook a good meal for the family. All her household is clothed
with scarlet. She dresses in royal clothing to match her royal and godly
character, and her inner beauty.
The same cannot be said
of most women of today who place much emphasis and thought on external adorning
and decoration.
She watches over the ways
of her household and so she knows what her children do and where they go. She looks
well to their upbringing – moral habits, training and instruction.
Who can have the claim to
be a virtuous woman, and does not feel this weight of family responsibility?
7. She is Visionary and Wise
The virtuous woman has no fear of the future; she does
not fear the cold because she prepares ahead by providing scarlet
clothes.
She “laughs” at “time to
come”. She envisions
and makes
provision for the future to the best of her ability, and so she is not
overburdened with its cares.
She thinks about
posterity. She knows that the future cannot hurt her. She faces the future with
great confidence.
The virtuous woman knows
the import of words, and so she speaks with wisdom. Her tongue is full of
kindness. A virtuous woman knows when to talk and when to be silent.
8. She is Well-timed
A virtuous woman uses her
time wisely and spend her time on what is good. She rises up timely and
diligently works to complete her daily activities.
She doesn’t spend her
time unprofitably. The virtuous woman is very purposeful with her time, and you
can count on her for her appointed time.
9. She is Dignified, Illustrious and Praiseworthy
When a woman has strength
of character, others easily recognize it – because it is so unusual. Many are
usually so morally weak in character, that when someone of strength shows up,
it is quite obvious and evident to all.
Her children rise up and call her blessed; and her
husband praises her in his own words: “Many daughters have
done well, but you excel them all”. Surely a man who has found his wife to be a
rare gem will always say "My wife is the best in the world; there's no
other woman in the whole world like her!"
And what would excite a
woman more than a praise from her husband?
Not only does her
children and husband praise her, she earns her reward and respect for the good
work she has done in the community.
10. She is God-fearing
The virtuous woman excels
all other women; but her God-fearing virtue surpasses all her virtues. The virtuous
woman is godly. She loves and serves God with all her heart, soul and mind. She
does things to please God.
Truly, the virtuous woman
is charming and beautiful; but she knows it’s the woman who fears the Lord who shall
be praised.
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