"Who can find a virtuous woman?
For her price is far above rubies" Proverbs 31:10 KJV
Beautiful? Virtuous? Excellent? Who are these woman, where do they come from and where are they hiding?
Out of interest I turned to google to see what they had to say and this is what I found:
"(CBS) Who is the most beautiful woman in the world? Half a century ago, Hollywood would have presented her to us. Grace Kelly, Ingrid Bergman or perhaps Elizabeth Taylor. But today? Correspondent Bob Simon reports the woman who currently holds the title, at least according to thousands of Web sites, Internet polls and even Julia Roberts, is someone you've probably never heard of. Her name is Aishwarya Rai, and she is an actress living and working in Bombay, India. "
Angelina Jolie, Elizabeth Taylor, Maria Carey were more names mentioned and the list goes on. For each poll that is conducted there is a different woman that is voted in as more beautiful. Why is there always a different woman? The answer is simple. Every one has their own 'standard' of beauty and nobodies 'standard' can be the 'correct' and defining standard as taste in beauty differ.
The world judges beauty first by physical beauty and sometimes personality is taken into account. The problem with this is that physical beauty will fade. Lets face it, we do not look like we did when we were in our early teens, our bodies change after child bearing and we will most certainly look a lot different in 20 years time.
Ultimately, we need to decide in who's eyes we need to look beautiful in and find out what we can do to attain to it.
We are studying Proverbs 31 and the author of the scriptures is God, so our logical conclusion is to discover what God would see as beautiful and pleasing.
Lets go right back to the first people on earth and then to our individual beginnings. Gods Word shows in Genesis 3:3-8 that both Adam and Eve sinned against God. (Sin is the transgression of the law of God.) The curse of death was passed onto Adam and Eve. The covenant being made with Adam and with all mankind descending from him. This brought the whole of mankind into an estate of sin and misery.
Read and write out:
* 1 John 3:4
* Romans 5:12
* 1 Corinthians 15:21-22
Then came the day when you were born. What does the bible say about our state before God at our birth?
"Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." Psalms 51:5
BUT we say that God is a forgiving God.... it is true, BUT God is also JUST. He can not contradict who he is and so must be just in punishing the wicked who sin against Him. The wages of sin is death, so the punishment is eternal death, experiencing Gods wrath for all eternity in the lake of fire.
So my question to you. Does God find a sinner beautiful. From studying ever so briefly how serious God views sin, how much He hates sin and those who sin against Him, we have to conclude that a sinner in Gods eyes is not beautiful!
Where does that place you and I since we were born sinners and have sinned against God in our thoughts and actions? This is where the good news comes in.
God demands that the wages of sin in death. All sin must be punished. God can not just waver somebody's sin and just forgive them. No, someone MUST pay the price. This person is the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He is the one who has paid the price / wage of sin of those who will repent. This is the most amazing truth. Jesus Christ has paid the price for sin on the cross. It was there, that God poured out His eternal wrath on Jesus for sin committed by those who will repent.
What does all of this mean? It means that you and I have sinned against God. If we repent, turn away from our sin, trust and believe in Jesus Christ as our Saviour and live each day, until our dying day, fighting sin with the desire to please and Glorify God. Then God will have mercy on you and I. He will forgive us on the basis that Jesus Christ has paid for our sin, not on how good we are in this life or how pretty we can believe ourselves to be and certainly not based on works.
At the moment of realization of your desperate need of a saviour, Jesus Christ, due to your life of sin against God and His heaped wrath upon your head, you cry out to Him to save you and forgive you. When forgiveness is granted and God has mercy on you, you are made a new creature, adopted by God, born again (your spirit made alive). You are from that moment beautiful in Gods eyes because of Jesus Christ and His complete work done on the cross.
BUT this does not mean that we can now live life as we please! We are now to grow in the Grace and the Knowledge of God. This is part of our prescribed journey here on earth. As we learn more of Proverbs 31 woman, be encouraged to cry out for Grace in the throne room of God to grow and to be virtuous and excellent woman. As you grow in your knowledge of God's Word and in His grace, you WILL grow in your love for the Lord.
"The Hebrew word for virtuous is used 200 plus times in the Bible to describe an army. This Old Testament word refers to a force and is used to mean able, capable, mighty, strong, valiant, powerful, efficient, wealthy and worthy. The word is also used in reference to a man of war, men of war, and men prepared for war. Change this definition to the feminine case and you begin to grasp the power at the core of this woman! Just as mental toughness and physical energy are the primary traits of an army, they also mark God's beautiful woman." Beautiful in God's Eyes, pg 15
God has found us, He has redeemed us, through the work on the cross by Jesus Christ which was perfect. We need not be discouraged but encouraged that God has also equipped us with all that we need, we must learn to walk correctly in his ways, be obedient to God's Word and in submission to Him. He will change us according to His will as we live on this earth for His Glory. It is not by our own works that we can attain and become virtuous woman but by God working in us!
"The bible is the best mirror by which most accurately to know what you are, and to become what you should be; before which you may adjust all the moral habiliments of the soul, and from which you may go forth adorned with all the beauties of holiness, clothed with the garment of purity, and decorated with the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit." John Angell James
Heart Probing Time (question 1&2 from Elizabeth George study book)
*1. As we begin our study of Proverbs 31, we meet what many believe to be the woman behind the picture of this ideal woman, the mother of King Lemuel. She must have exhibited many of the qualities she is about to describe. How else could she teach so intelligently about them? And now turning from her to you, are there any areas of your life that you need to work on before you can instruct others in those same areas?
2. What also stands out about the mother of King Lemuel is that she saw the teaching of her son about life, leadership, and marriage as a mandate, as one of her responsibilities. Do you see yourself as a teacher of good things (Titus 2:3)? Whom has God brought into your life that you can and should teach? Are you faithfully teaching your own precious children (Proverbs 1:8 and 6:20) Why or why not?
3. Do you have full assurance of your personal salvation before God? Why?
A heart in the pursuit of Excellence by Elizabeth George
Life is a cycle of being taught bad ten teaching, of being mentored and then modeling. Don't fail to take every opportunity to pursue godliness and to learn from older, wiser women. And don't fail to take every opportunity to teach others, beginning with your own children, about God's standards for life and godly living.
And, my fellow student of God's Word, don't fail to allow the woman of Proverbs 31 to teach you the excellent qualities God desires in His women! Let her godliness model for you and mold your heart and life into one of virtue, strength, and beauty.
Wont you bow your head now and offer thanksgiving to God for His godly woman? She is indeed one of His beautiful gifts to you, a treasure! She is here in Proverbs 31 to inspire, instruct, and encourage you when you fail, when you find your vision dimming, or when you sense your priorities shifting. A fresh visit with the woman who is beautiful in God's eyes will renew your vision, restore your strength, and rekindle your love for God and your commitment to His magnificent plan for your life!
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Sources:
Westminster Shorter Catechism (1647)
Beautiful in God's Eyes by Elizabeth George, pg 15 (Quote)
Female Piety, A young woman's friend and guide by John Angell James, pg 49
Discovering the Treasures of a Godly Woman, Proverbs 31, by Elizabeth George pg 18 -20
Written by:
Natalie Rogers
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