Proverbs 31:30

"Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." (Proverbs 31:30 NAS)

We have reached Proverbs 31, the very last chapter on the very last day of August. It has been enjoyable and challenging. There were a few days earlier in the month where I slipped up when our PC fell ill, and proved to be a convenient excuse to miss a few days. To be honest, I thought of throwing in the towel, but I remembered my commitment to Steve and Frank. As they stayed the course, I was encouraged to begin again, and I am glad to say I was able to complete the remainder of the month. This really is a milestone for me. I give praise unto the Lord of Lords for His great wisdom that He has chosen to share with us in the Book of Proverbs. I've been greatly blessed by this experience and I trust my fellow "Proverbers" and readers have also.

The final twenty-one verses of Proverbs 31 deal with the blessedness of a wife who is a wise woman. The words are not Solomon's, but King Lemuel's. Perhaps it is fitting since Solomon had so many wives- and concubines also.

In Proverbs 31:30, we find some excellent things to consider. A woman who is charming and beautiful would seem to be most desireable. These qualities are very appealing, but also very superficial. Indeed, charm is deceitful and one who is unwise can really be taken by a woman who seems to say all the right things, has an enticing smile and so forth. Likewise, beauty can also be misleading if we are using it as the very highest of criteria in determining what makes a great wife. As the old addage goes, beauty is only skin deep. Sure, physical beauty and attraction are significant, but not nearly so as having reverence for the Lord.

Such a woman is praised because she walks uprightly. She loves and honors her husband, respecting his authority as ordained by Almighty God. Likewise, she loves and therefore tends to the needs of her children. She is a woman who is productive with her time and has a heart to reach out to those in need. Proverbs 31:10-29 reveal to us the character of a woman who "fears the Lord". The final verse of the chapter calls for her to be praised, and of course, rightfully so!

I am thankful to "have found a good thing" in my wife, Denise, who embodies so very many of the qualities mentioned in this passage. I really feel like I married "up", as they say. May I give her the loving praise she truly deserves, and may all of you husbands do the same for your wives. True, none of us have it all together, and it does take work to make a marriage strong and fruitful. Let us men do our parts to love and honor our wives in the way in which the Apostle Paul, and therefore the Lord Himself, says we should (Ephesians 5:25, 28-33).