The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him: … An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. (Proverbs 31:1,10)
This is a king. A king reciting what his mother told him. There’s stuff about wine and strong drink. There’s stuff about defending the rights of the afflicted and needy And then we get to the Proverbs 31 woman. She makes all of us feel uncomfortable—even guilty.
But this isn’t just something a mother told a son because God made sure that it became part of his Word. His Word can make us uncomfortable sure, but it does more than that. It encourages and it shows us another way to live.
So, what does this passage say?
An excellent wife. That word excellent carries with it the meaning of strength, majestic (like mountains) and efficiency—but also army. That’s right—if this word was used for a man it might be translated differently.
What makes an army excellent? And how does that apply to a wife?
Lets begin to find out …