A Competent Wife/Woman-1 Series

A COMPETENT WIFE/Woman-part 1—Proverbs 31:10-31

Attention:

Reading—‘A Godly Mother—A Mother’s Call’

"A godly mother is worthy of the highest praise. But to a world caught up in career & gender equality issues it takes on minimal importance, should be handled by others, is thankless, & is a job to be shunned.

A godly mother charges herself with the domestic flow & workings of an entire household. She is on call 24/7, as if it could be measured in units like we punch a time clock, which it cannot! It is not something that we can't wait to get home from, watching the clock & biding time till we're free. Mothers love their families & because of that love, they love what they do. They have a wildly diverse skill-set, which can & is called upon at any given moment in unanticipated ways. Such a constant shifting of gears will, at some point, eventually wear Momma down. Mother's definitely need break-time!

A mother's work never ends. She may experience moments of respite, particularly if she has a godly husband who gives himself to the care of their family. She may get to escape for a while disappearing into the bathroom for a soak in the tub to ‘recharge her batteries’ as it were. But tub baths don't last that long. Even while in the tub she continues to plan the remainder of her evening or the next day's duties or both.

Regardless of the fact of her plans, they are all centered around her family. She considers how to best involve her children in every waking & sleeping activity to their betterment.

If she is so blessed as to be a stay-at-home mom then that 'job' consumes her. In fact, that all-consuming focus is upon her family even if she must work outside their home. Particularly if momma has young children at home, she finds it difficult to focus her attention upon anything but her children's welfare. Day-care, for her, is only a dire reminder of the seemingly unfair pressures placed upon her by a society given to wanton ignorance of God's perfect design for her family.

Her children never cease to be her children.

Her husband is her partner in family ministry & she must tend to his needs, as he does to hers.

For mothers there is....

Meal prep—learning new recipes—experimenting

Diapers, Laundry, Sweeping, vacuuming, scouring, sanitizing, washing, bathing, scrubbing, mopping, delivering(sports events/dance/cheerleading, etc.), sleep overs, conferences, tutoring, watching, baby-sitting, refereeing, herding, explaining, teaching, showing, kissing, hugging, complimenting, praising, encouraging, loving, etc...

Concern(for her child’s spouse, welfare, choices, etc.), prayer, direction, heartache, joy, thanksgiving, pride, etc..."

The writer of Proverbs detailed a successful marriage from the standpoint of a competent wife.

A wife’s competence completes a successful marriage.

Who is a competent wife?

What makes/characterizes a competent wife?

Competent—1)“Having the necessary ability, knowledge, or skill to do something successfully; 2)Efficient & capable.”

M-W—“having the necessary ability or skills : able to do something well or well enough to meet a standard”; “having requisite or adequate ability or qualities.”

*There is no higher calling for a wife/woman than to be ‘competent’ in Christ Jesus!

1—A competent wife/woman is...

Competently RARE & PRECIOUS(:10)

Explanation:(:10)

:10-31 is an acrostic chiastic poem. Each line begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet beginning with Aleph & ending with Tav. The chiasmus is centered at :23—where the husband’s public respect in the city gate is exemplified.—NAC

This poem, as with the whole of Proverbs, is aimed at an audience of young men, whose individual success hinges upon his obtaining a competent wife.

:10—“Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.”

“Virtuous” “wives/Women” are by no means ‘a-dime-a-dozen.’ She “is not easily found.”—EBC Thus he is a very blessed husband who is able to “find” one among all in the land. A husband/man cannot hope to be complete apart from such a “wife/woman.”

She is NOT easily found.

The meaning of “rubies” is dubious but it obviously refers to something obtainable that is very precious & costly.

Though men may seek “rubies” or other precious stones/jewels, these pale into insignificance in relation to his “finding” a “wife” of excellence, being of strong & virtuous character & ability.

She is worth more than you can possibly have or hold onto.

She is the ‘exception to the rule.’

“Find”—aum maw-tsaw’—Qal Imperfect—1) To find, attain to. Strong—a primitive root; properly--To come forth to, i.e. Appear or exist; transitively--To attain, i.e. Find or acquire; figuratively--To occur, meet or be present.

“Virtuous/Excellent/Of noble character/Capable”—lyx khah’-yil—Noun Masc.—1) Strength, might, efficiency, wealth, army. Here, that is, Moral courage. Strong—probably A force, whether of men, means or other resources; an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength.

“Wife/Woman”(See :30—“Woman”)—hva ish-shaw'—1) Woman, wife, female—1a) Woman(opposite of man), 1b) Wife(woman married to a man), 1c) Female(of animals), 1d) Each, every(pronoun). Strong—irregular plural, Myvn naw-sheeym'; A woman(used in the same wide sense as vwna en-owsh').