A CHOICE TO MAKE
Kendra Intihar
Today’s Scripture: “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30, ESV
Theme: The woman in Proverbs 31 is an example to the Church of God of the blessings God’s people see when we choose wisdom over foolishness.
A MARRIAGE DECISION
Much of the book of Proverbs was written by the wise King Solomon. In chapters 1-9, he tells his son (and us) about our two choices in life: Wisdom and Foolishness. Wisdom is a “woman” of virtue, and Foolishness is a “woman” who will bring you to ruin. In chapter 10, Solomon lays the choice out for his son – will he choose to wed himself to Wisdom? Or will he choose to cozy up with Foolishness? Of course, we learn in the well-known passage of chapter 31 what a gift it is when we choose to “marry” Wisdom.
NOT A CHECKLIST
I remember, as a young wife, being absolutely crushed by the weight of “The Proverbs 31 Woman.” As hard as I tried, I could never be like her. She was beyond exceptional in everything she undertook. All my women’s Bible study materials and all the books I was reading beckoned me to be more like the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31:
She was good at choosing materials to work with her hands.
She got up in the wee hours to provide food for her family.
She was a real estate investor.
She was a farmer.
She was an entrepreneur who worked through the night (and still got up before dawn?!).
She made clothing to sell.
She cared for the poor.
She earned an income that could provide for the needs of her family.
I knew that the yoke of Jesus was supposed to be easy, and His burden was supposed to be light (Matthew 11:30), but it didn’t feel that way when I used Proverbs 31 as my personal measuring stick.
When I learned that Proverbs 31 was not a checklist of things I needed to accomplish as a woman, I felt the lightness of the yoke of Jesus. I don’t have to check tasks off a list in order to earn favor with Him. In Christ, there is rest.
It took me until my 30s to hear this Good News. I want you to hear it, too: God has uniquely created you, dear reader. He does not expect you to be an entrepreneur, weaver of flax and wool, real estate investor, or purveyor of linens. While all of those things are good and admirable, our call is not to bind ourselves to the checklist of things the Proverbs 31 woman (“Wisdom”) did. Instead, our call is to choose to marry ourselves to Wisdom – instead of Foolishness – so we can reap the many Proverbs 31 blessings that choosing Wisdom provides.
THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM
At the end of Proverbs 31, we read that “… a woman who fears the LORD will be praised” (Proverbs 31:30b, CSB). Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10a, NIV). When we humbly submit ourselves to the Lord and give Him room to fill our lives, we are choosing to marry Wisdom instead of Foolishness. And when we choose to marry Wisdom, the virtuous “woman” of Proverbs 31 will be the manifestation of God’s blessings in our lives.
Make it Personal: 1 Corinthians 1:30 tells us that Jesus is the wisdom of God for us! Pursuing Jesus with our whole hearts is the pursuit of wisdom and the eschewing of foolishness. Just like King Solomon’s son, we have a choice to make. Will we chase after the things of this world that are vain and fleeting? Or will we purse the Lord and be married to the wisdom that blesses our lives and the lives of those we love?
Pray: Lord, help me to choose the path of wisdom. Show me where I am failing to pursue you in favor of the pursuit of worldly things. Give me the wisdom to course-correct. Today, I choose to chase after You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Read: 1 Corinthians 1:30; James 1:5; James 3:13-18; Psalm 111:10
Weekly Memory Verse:
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10, NIV