PROVERBS 31:10
Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
Who can find a virtuous woman?
The first question is, Who is looking for a virtuous woman? And in looking for them, will they find one? God is looking for them, even if man is not. A worldly woman is easy to find, but who will be the exception?
For some of us, we were already married before we were saved. For others, you are younger and unmarried, or you may be older and single or divorced. God wants our focus to be on Him, but, as married women, it is more difficult to do so than for single ladies. 1 Corinthians 7:34 The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband. In any case, however, God is interested in how we live as ladies.
Throughout the Bible, there are qualities of women mentioned, both positive and negative. Here are some examples:
1 Peter 3:4 (speaking to wives here) But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
Proverbs 19:14b ...and a prudent wife is from the Lord.
Proverbs 12:4 A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.
1 Timothy 3:11 Even so must their wives(speaking to bishops, or pastors, and deacons) be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
Titus 2:3-5 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
It seems that negative examples are easier to find than the positive.
Proverbs 7:10-11 And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart. (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:...)
Proverbs 9:13 A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing.
Proverbs 27:15, 16b A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike. Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind,
Proverbs 25:24 It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house.
[You can see I like the book of Proverbs. I figure, since Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived and wrote most of the Proverbs, reading them should give me wisdom. So every day, I try to read the corresponding Proverb for that day of the month, since there are 31 Proverbs. For example, today being the 7th of February, I would read Proverbs chapter 7.]
But back to our topic, it seems God has a preference as to how He wants us to be. I would think that a man who has godly principles and lives by the Word of God would desire those same qualities as well.
....for her price is far above rubies.
Whoever is looking for a ruby knows that it will be worth searching for, purchasing, and possessing. One with such great price is worth much to them. There is value in them and what they are. This is compared to the Virtuous Woman. She is worth much more than rubies!
The Ruby:
Rubies are even more rare than diamonds. The most rare ruby was 8.62 carats, at a record auction price of over $3.6 million. God says that a virtuous woman is worth far ABOVE rubies! He puts great value on them, and He must know that they are rare.
There are several properties used to determine the value of a gem. One of them is hardness. The hardness of a ruby is just under that of a diamond. Not that we, as ladies, are to be hard and tough, but spiritually enabled to endure hardness, and all to the glory of God.
2 Timothy 2:3-4 says, Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. There will be many hard knocks in the Christian life, and many hurts, even from fellow Christians. That is why God gave us spiritual armour (Ephesians 6:13-16). With His armour and help (Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.) we shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (Eph. 6:16).
Another property in determining gem value is durability. In 1 Peter 3:7, wives are referred to as the weaker vessel. That doesn't mean we are weak as a person, but weaker than the husband. We are supposed to be weaker than our husbands. Although we may be the weaker vessel, we can still be strong in the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God. How durable are we? God can use us to be a help to our husbands, a good example to our children and other women, and in leading others to Christ. All of these things have an eternal effect in others' lives.
Lustre is also a property used to determine the value of a gem. The lustre refers to its transparency. To possess gem value it must be TRANSPARENT, which is what the lustre of the ruby is. In the Christian life, it is critical that we be transparent to others, and not act or be a fake. We need to be who God wants us to be, and not try to hide our faults and mistakes to make ourselves look better than we truly are. Matthew 23:28, Christ says, Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Or in 2 Timothy 3:5 it says, Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. It is because of this type of hypocrisy that many people stay away from church. They see people that claim to be Christians acting totally different away from church.
Transparency can also be purity, and chaste. The word chaste means innocent, pure, undefiled, self-denying, virtuous(voluntary obedience to truth). The opposite of this is promiscuous, immoral. Sometimes the things she does may go unnoticed and she may be unappreciated. Seemingly, there is not much of a reward(income). Colossians 3:23-24 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. There are great eternal rewards of the selfless life of such a woman.
As I've said before, no one can attain the Virtuous Woman completely, but with God's help, we can be what He wants us to be, but we must be willing. His Word should be our guide for every aspect of life. Is there a desire and willingness in your heart?
GOD'S WORD WORKS!!
