The Multi-faceted Woman of God - Proverbs 31:13-16

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.