She looks for wool and flax And works with her hands in delight.  She is like merchant ships; She brings her food from afar.  She rises also while it is still night And gives food to her household And portions to her maidens.  She considers a field and buys it; From her earnings she plants a vineyard. Proverbs 31:13-16

The godly woman as represented here in Proverbs 31 is a lady who enjoys working with her hands, with her mind, and with her physical strength in order to bless her household.  In verse 13 we see where she enjoys working with her hands.  She is skilled enough to discover the kind of wool and flax that will make good clothing for her family - and even possibly items that she could sell to others.  When she discovers these things, she then delights in doing busy work - working hard with her hands as she makes things for others.  This evidences both a willingness to work hard - and a willingness to make things for others rather than focus all her time upon herself.  This she does "willingly" which is what the word "delight" means in this passage.  It speaks of her as being a worker who does what she does not because of complusion or by being forced - but simply because she desires to do these things.

This blessed lady also delights in providing meals for her loved ones.  These meals are not just the normal fare of everyday life - although I am sure that these are included in what she does for her family.  Verses 14 reveals that she delights in "bringing her food from afar" like a merchant would do so.  This paints a picture for us of how she delights to cook and provide meals for her family.  She works hard at making things more exciting and varied for her husband and children.  She is not focused on just the "ready-made" stuff that she can pick up in a box (although that was not the case in this day) - but she brings her food from even far off for the benefit of those she loves.

Verse 15 shows us that she uses her head as she manages a household not just with her family, but also her servants.  She rises before dawn to make sure that all those in her care are blessed.  This means not just her children, but even her servants.  She is there to give sustenance to her family - but also to her maidens who work for her in the household. 

Verse 16 shows us that this lady is also financially savvy.  Here we see that she takes the time to consider a field in which she desires to plant a vineyard.  Here she is making decisions that involve knowledge of agriculture and of real estate.  What land would be best for the purpose of planting, tending, and therefore profiting from a vineyard.  As she does this, we can see that from the earnings that she has already gained from previous wise financial decisions, she purchases land for a new venture.  She is wanting to continue to prosper her family and is working toward that end.  She is doing this with money "she" has earned - thus we see that her husband trusts her fully with financial means - and however she started these ventures - now she has earned sufficiently enough to pursue them solely on the basis of money she has earned doing other things.

What we come away with in all these verses about the godly woman is that she is not at all one-dimensional.  Some would teach Proverbs 31 as if a godly woman is all about "God-stuff" like Bible study, prayer, etc.  But such a division in an understanding of godliness and especially the godliness of this godly woman is a false dichotomy.  Her life is more than just "church" activity.  She is wise in every respect - religiously, financially, managerially, and even with a wonderful business sense.  Thus we see that godliness covers far more than just the usual categorizations.  This lady is wise in every respect.  But then again maybe that is why she is praised so highly - because her benefit to the family covers a multitude of blessings that come to them from her. 

Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise, which, having no chief, Officer or ruler, prepares her food in the summer And gathers her provision in the harvest. Proverbs 6:6-8

Ants are good teachers for us when it comes to avoiding laziness and a lack of discipline in our lives.  The father here uses ants to teach his son a lesson about avoiding the sin of laziness. 

Having told his son to go to the ant and observe her ways - he says that wisdom is with these little creatures.  Their great wisdom is how they work hard without having to be supervised.  They have no chief, officer, or ruler watching over all that they do - making them work.  The ant knows that there is a time when gathering won't be possible - so he works hard when he can.  He also knows to store things up - to prepare for the times when there will be no food. 

The lessons for us are numerous.  First, we need to have a self-driven work ethic.  This is an ability to work hard - even when no one is looking.  It means that when we know what to do - we do it.  We don't need someone looking over our shoulders - or standing over us making sure that we work hard.  We are motivated from within to do that.  When I talk to the businessmen in my congregation my heart aches for them.  They say that it is so difficult to find people who want to work.  They tell me that most of the people they interview have great expectations for what they will be paid and how they will be treated - but almost no work ethic to do what they should do.  What is even more sad to me is that they tell me that this is the case whether they are non-christians or christians.  That is an indictment that we should not have laid at the feet of the church.  We should have a work ethic driven by a desire to honor God. 

The second lesson is also important for us to grasp.  We need to be wise in how we deal with our money - setting aside funds for times when things are lean.  History warns us that these time will come.  Over and over again there have been lean times for humanity.  The wise who store up for those times are ready, while those who simply spend all that they get - are unprepared for such times.  I am not saying that we should be like the foolish farmer who stored up an abundance - and was not rich toward God.  But I am saying that just like there are those examples, there are also others where God wanted His people to be wise in setting aside things for a lean time.  Joseph was such an example - and his wisdom in setting aside the blessings of God - kept an entire region of the world from starvation and devastation. 

A wise man knows the value of hard work - and of frugality.  Both are character traits that God encourages us to embrace.  Even though such things are mocked by the world around us, we should continue to speak in praise of them - and more importantly practice them to our future preparation and blessing.