Proverbs 31: It’s So Much More Than We Think

The more I study Proverbs 31, the more I discover and the more I realise how little I had known before. It is truly a chapter filled with hidden treasures that we miss when we take this scripture at surface level. “Surface level”, meaning that the majority of women – myself included – first read it from a perspective of insecurity and comparison, which causes us to feel inferior because we think we do not measure up to what we are reading. Daughter of God, my prayer is that after reading this article; you would begin to see Proverbs 31 in a different light and also see yourself as God sees you: fearfully and wonderfully made.

The popular assumption in the Christian world, is that Proverbs 31 applies only to wives; and understandably so. The chapter was indeed written as a guideline to help young men choose a wife {more about that here}; however, that does not mean that only married women “qualify ” to become Proverbs 31 Women. The characteristics highlighted are important in the life of any Christian woman and as daughters of God, we ought to bear these fruit daily.

Proverbs 31 paints a holistic picture of what a woman can be, and is not limited to the titles of wife and mother. Those are simply two of the many roles a woman has the potential to fulfill. Many read this chapter as limiting women to being wives and mothers, but that would exclude women who may not have a desire to be wives and mothers. Even worse, that belief alienates women who are: a) single trusting the Lord to be married; b) called to live a single life; c) widowed; d) struggling to have children. Society places limits on women, but God does not.

Here God is saying that a woman can fulfill (but she is not limited to) the following roles:

1. She is first and foremost His daughter (verse 1). She has accepted His offer of salvation, which means that her worth is now far above rubies (the price Jesus paid for her on the Cross). She is now covered by His priceless blood.
2. Wife
3. Mother
4. A participant in the marketplace (business woman)
5. Provider
6. Manager (she runs her household)
7. Creator (she designs and makes clothing)
8. Leader (she works in her community and gives counsel to others; her works are known at the city gate)

So, we can see that Proverbs 31 is not putting women in a box, but rather, I believe God is trying to show us that there is so much more to women than what society prescribes for us. The Lord is showing us that all of these things are already present in every woman; it simply needs to be cultivated. It is not about fulfilling a specific role, but about the fact that if a woman cultivates what is inside of her, she becomes a manifestation of what we read in Proverbs 31. Proverbs 31 is a representation of what a woman was created to be in her fullness; it is a representation of God’s intent for womanhood.