A Competent Wife/Woman-2

A COMPETENT WIFE/Woman-II—Proverbs 31:10-31

Attention:

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!

Last Sunday we found that A competent wife/woman is...

1. Competently RARE & PRECIOUS(:10)

2—A competent wife/woman...

Competently COMMITS(:11-12)

Explanation:(:11-12)

:11—“The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain.”

The virtuous wife’s character has so taken the very depths of “her husband’s “heart” that he “trusts her” absolutely. Thus she likewise(as one body) trusts her husband.

“...he trusts in her good sense, her fidelity, & her industry”—NAC

The virtuous wife ensures that her husband will never experience a “lack of gain” as far as it is in her power. She will not fritter/trifle away the hard-earned income as it is intended for the welfare of their entire family(:13-31).

The word translated “gain” is rooted in the attainment of spoil/booty as from battle or conquering an enemy. A virtuous wife will guarantee that she & her husband will experience continual battles won & the spoils of such will come to him.

The godly man, who is worthy of respect, has a home that is filled with the spoils of his wife’s battles.

“...he needs not be griping & scraping abroad, as those must be whose wives are proud & wasteful at home. She manages his affairs so that he is always before-hand, has such plenty of his own that he is in no temptation to prey upon his neighbours.”—Matthew Henry

*The fact that her husband is here(& thruout) spoken of as leb(master/owner) rather than vya(husband/man) suggests his earned authority & as such, a deep respect on the part of the wife. Though she is a masterful & resourceful woman, she has no problem as her godly husband’s wife. His ‘authority’ over her is not oppressive but rather is serious, loving, encouraging & helpful. They are indeed one flesh & work together perfectly as if one unit—God’s intent!(See :23).

Our secular American society has so poisoned us that even God’s church wrestles with recognizing disdaining the distinctions that make us men & women. However, we are indeed different in vastly more ways than form alone & thus have different roles, being assigned by God Himself! “Heart”—bl leb—1) Inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding. Strong—The heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for--The feelings, the will & even the intellect; likewise for--The center of anything.

**“Husband”(See :23, 28)—leb bah'-al—1) Owner, husband, lord—1a) Owner, 1b) A husband, 1c) Citizens, inhabitants, 1d) Rulers, lords, 1e) (noun of relationship used to characterize - ie, Master of dreams), 1f) Lord(used of foreign gods). Strong—A master; hence--A husband, or figuratively--Owner(often used with another noun in modifications of this latter sense).

“Safely Trusts/Trusts in/Full confidence in”—xjb baw-takh’—Qal Perfect—1) To trust—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To trust, trust in, 1a2) To have confidence, be confident, 1a3) To be bold, 1a4) To be secure; 2) (TWOT) to feel safe, be careless. Strong—a primitive root; properly--To hie[go quickly] for refuge [but not so precipitately as hox]; figuratively--To trust, be confident or sure.

“Lack”—rox khaw-sar'—1) To lack, be without, decrease, be lacking, have a need—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To lack, 1a2) To be lacking, 1a3) To diminish, decrease. Strong—a primitive root; To lack; by implication--To fail, want, lessen. Used 21X.

**“Gain/Need of Spoil/Of Value”—llv shaw-lawl’—Noun Masc.—1) Prey, plunder, spoil, booty. From—llv—Verb—a primitive root; To drop or strip; by implication--To plunder.

:12—“She does him good & not evil All the days of her life.”

She is Entirely Trustworthy

There is no thought of bringing “evil” to her husband for all of her days. His wife’s every waking moment is to deal out/benefit/repay “good” to her husband & thus to their family.

“nor would she, no, not for the world, wilfully do any thing that might be a damage to his person, family, estate, or reputation.”—M. Henry

Thereby these two must be perfectly suited to one another & share the same goals & dreams. Their’s is more than a mere marriage of convenience, they are in love. They are committed ‘till death do us part.’

A personal drive(Holy Spirit) regardless of what she receives?

*“Does/Brings/Rewards”—lmg gaw-mal’—Qal Perfect—1) To deal fully with, recompense—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To deal out to, do to, 1a2) To deal bountifully with, 1a3) To recompense, repay, requite; 2) (Qal) To wean a child; 3) (Qal) To ripen, bear ripe(almonds). Strong—a primitive root; To treat a person(well or ill), i.e. Benefit or requite; by implication(of toil)--To ripen, i.e. specifically--To wean.