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What is a Proverbs 31 Woman? Week 2 of 7
Alicia Curry • Jan 16, 2023
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Hi Friend!!
I am so glad you are joining us again today for this deep dive into what it means to be a Proverbs 31 woman. If this is your first time joining in you can read the first post
here: Proverbs 31:10-12
We were able to define what a Virtuous woman was and the cost of modern-day rubies. It was quite fascinating!
This, my friends, was yet another personally challenging week for me, filled with a lot of emotion and scripture. If you are following along on my Instagram, you might have seen my reel about when scripture just hits you in the face. I feel like that is EXACTLY what happened to me.
God laid this blog on my heart and I am committed to finishing it. There is definitely, something for me to learn here as well!
This week we are looking at Proverbs 31:13-15.
Proverbs 31:13-15 King James Version (KJV)
(13) She seeketh wool, and flax, and worth willingly with her hands. (14)She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar. (15) She risers also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
These verses pack a lot of information regarding the character of this Proverbs 31 woman King Lemuel’s mother is advising him of. Some of these items were already technologically advanced for this era. For instance, merchant ships were a newer concept of bringing goods from afar. So, in a modern world, how can this all even apply to us?
Wool and Flax
We see that she goes and gathers wool and flax and works with her hands. This is all great information once you break it down to see what the author is implying. Most of us know where we find wool: from sheep. Did she go and sheer the sheep? Or was it already sheered and she just gathered from the Shepard? It’s a question I still have and was unable to answer. That is the beauty of this Living Word!
But what about the flax? This was an interesting discovery because when I first read this in many different versions. I am envisioning flax seeds. They are a trendy food that some may even call a “superfood”. The seeds are NOT what this author is talking about. It is the plant itself. Did you know that flax is used to spit into linen? As the flax plant grows taller it becomes less dense and becomes a tall, thinner plant. There is quite an extensive process to cultivate this plant! The wooden stem of flax contains long fibers that are spun and woven into a linen fabric. So the next time you drop a scoop of flax seed in your smoothie, remember those cozy linen fabrics all came from the same plant!
Okay, Alicia, this is all fun and informative, but people don’t have flocks of sheep or fields of flax. Correct. That’s why the key piece is she works willingly with her hands. She is gathering the wool and flax to spin into a thread and/or fabric her family can use. This could be used for just about anything and everything. From their physical clothing, rugs, tapestries, blankets, and any cloth-like item you can think of for this generation. I think it is important to point out it is not JUST the wool and flax. Linen was and still is very luxurious. She wanted the VERY BEST for her family, and she was going to make sure that happened.
So as a wife, what are you creating with your hands for your family? There are quite a few things I can think of myself my teen has created a list she titles “Random things my mother makes for absolutely no reason” Why do I make these things? Well, because I desire my family to have high-quality items, and sometimes the budget doesn’t allow for such, I just create them myself. However, I also enjoy creating things for my family. It just fuels my soul. Now, I am not here to say you need to make everything and not purchase a single thing. I am here to encourage you. Is there a new trade you may have picked up? Bread making? Maybe you make dairy items, yogurt, cheese, and butter? Or maybe you just make dinner and that, my friend, is OKAY!
I just want to remind you that the purpose of this study is to learn and grow ourselves and to crush these cultural views of what women, mothers, and wives should be doing. God has given His Word to us, as a template. He also created us all very uniquely. I am just here to encourage you and would love to chat unique ways we all use our hands to help our family thrive in what they need every day!
The Merchants Ship
As I mentioned above, the merchants' ship was their technology for this era. I know this sounds almost unbelievable, but think about it: Commercial relations were just beginning between Tyre and Israel. There is a lot of research on how King Hiram sent many items to King David to have his palace built. We read about this briefly in 1 Kings 10:22 The king had a fleet of trading ships at sea, along with the ship of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying Gold, Silver, and ivory, apes and baboons.
When I read that she is like a merchant ship bringing her food from afar, I am envisioning this woman bringing the BEST of the BEST. These ships brought these rare items to their area once every three years. Now my,husband referenced from King Solomon that I found interesting. “ Solomon told us we are supposed to enjoy the food of this world, while we are under the sun. So a woman who is like a merchant ship bringing food is ideal.”
This brought up a new thought: Maybe it isn’t the best, but it is that she is working hard to help her family ENJOY this life, through beautiful fabrics she is creating and food she is finding from afar!
Rising before the Sun
Confession time…. Proverbs 31:15 is one of my favorites! I just feel so much conviction! This first is packed with some very powerful character traits of this Proverbs 31 Woman. There are two words I want to look at within this verse: Meat and Maiden.
Transliteration of Meat : ṭerep̄
There are a few strong definitions of this Hebrew word ṭerep̄. Meat is translated to a fresh leaf, prey, or food. And Food breaks down too: leaf, meat, prey, spoil.
Transliteration of Maiden : naʿărâ
Naʿărâ is the Hebrew word used for a maiden. This is defined as:
a girl, damsel, female servant.
Girl, damsel, little girl
Of young woman, marriageable young woman, concubine, prostitute
Maid, female attendant, female servant.
Conviction Time
This is where I find STRONG convictions myself. We see that she wakes up before the sun. She gives her household meat and a portion to her maidens. Now I have read this so many different ways in different versions. This is a reminder of WHY I always revert to the KJV and reference the actual Hebrew translations.
Now that we have defined meat and maiden, here is a solid question: Would you purposefully arise BEFORE the sun to make and prepare a meal not only for your family but your servants as well? Your servants could be your maid, attendant, servant, or even your husbands' concubine. Just let that sink in. We live in such a “self-love” society. Do you see what this woman is doing? She is loving on ALL people regardless of their social status or even ranking in her home in general. She creates this meat for her family and breaks some off for those who are SERVING HER.
Y’all, this just gives me the chills. I just think, what if we as a society did this? What if we broke out of the normal and did sometimes outstanding for those who are of service to us? Since the pandemic, one thing I started to do was thank each person for working that day. No, I don’t have employees. But when I would go to the grocery store, even a drive-through or same-day order pick-up, I thanked the employees for working that day. Even our waitress, the doctor, the nurses, or whoever happens to be serving me or my family. This always catches them off guard. Why would I thank them? They were just doing their job, right? No, they are important. If we didn’t have grocery store employees, or people working the drive-through, we wouldn’t get those things. It makes me so sad to see all these self-checkouts today. We need to stop replacing people with robots. We need people.
Again, I am not saying that I am perfect, or even the best example. This is one of MANY ideas on how we can love all people. Not just our family, but those serving us as well. It can be a simple thank you, an extra tip, or even just a smile. I want to break cultural standards because all I see anymore are people just tearing down others. We are all people. We are all worthy of God’s grace. We are all worthy of forgiveness; that is in fact why Jesus died for you and me so that whoever believes in him will not PERISH but have eternal life. Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice for every sinner.
-Alicia
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Welcome to Curry Family Favorites! This is our first offical Curry family favorites corner post! We absoulty love Abby from BobbinBay! She makes the most beautiful, durable and
We live in a world that is quick to take scripture out of context. Slapping verses on signs, mugs, and clothing. But what does it TRULY mean to be a Proverbs 31 woman? A wife of noble character? This is just the first of seven blog in this series studying original translation of scripture and definitions of words found throughout scripture. Just an insight on how I personally study the Bible.
