Singing the Praises of Strong Women—Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost 18B (Proverbs 31)

Proverbs 31:10-31 New Revised Standard Version UpdatedEdition

¹⁰ A woman of strength who can find?
    She is far more precious than jewels.
¹¹ The heart of her husband trusts in her,
    and he will have no lack of gain.
¹² She does him good and not harm
    all the days of her life.
¹³ She seeks wool and flax
    and works with willing hands.
¹⁴ She is like the ships of the merchant;
    she brings her food from far away.
¹⁵ She rises while it is still night
    and provides food for her household
    and tasks for her female servants.
¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
    with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She girds herself with strength
    and makes her arms strong.
¹⁸ She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
    Her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹ She puts her hands to the distaff,
    and her hands hold the spindle.
²⁰ She opens her hand to the poor
    and reaches out her hands to the needy.
²¹ She is not afraid for her household when it snows,
    for all her household are clothed in crimson.
²² She makes herself coverings;
    her clothing is fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is known in the city gates,
    taking his seat among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them;
    she supplies the merchant with sashes.
²⁵ Strength and dignity are her clothing,
    and she laughs at the time to come.
²⁶ She opens her mouth with wisdom,
    and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
²⁷ She looks well to the ways of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children rise up and call her happy;
    her husband, too, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women have done excellently,
    but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
³¹ Give her a share in the fruit of her hands,
    and let her works praise her in the city gates.

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                In the Book of Proverbs Wisdom is personified by a woman. Wisdom is contrasted with another woman, the foolish woman. The audience for this book appears to be young men faced with choices in life. Will they follow Lady Wisdom or the Foolish woman? One path leads to success and the other to destruction. If you are a young man, the choice is yours. Will you, to quote the knight in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, “choose wisely?”

                The Book of Proverbs closes with a passage that wise preachers may want to avoid using on Mother’s Day. That’s because it may suggest to the women in the church that they don’t measure up to expectations. That’s because the author of this passage asks how to find a woman of strength. Of course, the translation offered in the New Revised Standard Updated Version is an improvement on the earlier NRSV translation that read “A capable wife, who can find?” That was an improvement on the Revised Standard Version that read: “A good wife, who can find?” The NIV asks about a “wife of noble character.” However the line is rendered, it raises major issues. That’s because it almost seems that a good or capable wife or even a virtuous woman is rare, so rare that such a person is valued above precious jewels. The preacher can suggest that all the wives and all the women in the church measure up, but according to Proverbs, such women are rare. So, preachers beware. This is a passage full of traps.

                The NRSVUE translation does seem to fit with the larger theme of Proverbs. That is, Wisdom’s personification as a woman, and as such, Lady Wisdom is strong. Perhaps, even warrior-like. Since young men are encouraged to follow Lady Wisdom, then when it comes to marriage, having a partner you can trust would be wise. It would be wise to choose a partner who does a person good and not harm. From there the passage begins to describe certain qualities possessed by a “woman of strength.” She is, by all accounts, industrious. She seeks wool and flax and then weaves them into something that can shipped and sold. She is like a merchant or trader who sends off her handiwork in exchange for food brought from afar. Not only that, but she gets up early, while it’s still dark, to provide food for her household and lays out duties for the servant girls. So, this is a woman of strength who manufactures items to be traded for food that is then shared with her household, which she then manages. Not only that, but she also takes care of the fields that she buys, planting vineyards.  By now the reader has to be exhausted. How can a woman do all this? It is no wonder that a husband considers such a wife very precious. She does everything and does it well, for she is strong.

                The poet is not finished yet. There are more qualities applied to this woman of strength. Her merchandise is profitable. She never puts her lamp out at night, even as she holds the spindle. She helps out the poor and needy. She takes care of her household when it snows, though I’m not sure why clothing them in crimson helps. Maybe they don’t get lost in the snow that way. She makes clothes from fine linen that is purple. In other words, this good and capable woman of strength whose value is far above precious jewelry, never seems to rest.

                Now comes the good word for the men in the church. This woman is so efficient and prodigious, that her husband can sit at the city gates and take his place among the elders of the land. Once we’re told how the husband gets along in life because his productive wife makes it possible, we get right back to the list of qualities this woman of strength possesses. She makes linen garments and sells them while supplying sashes to the merchants. She is clothed with strength and dignity and laughs at the future. Yes, she is a woman of wisdom, so that when she does speak, she utters words of wisdom. She teaches kindness and doesn’t eat the bread of idleness (how could she since she seems to be working 24/7?).

                Moving forward in the song of praise to the woman of strength, we get to the verse that preachers might draw upon for Mother’s Day. This woman’s “children rise up and call her happy; her husband, too, and he praises her.” Yes, “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all” (Prov. 31:28-29). Hopefully, they treat her to a fine dinner to celebrate her contributions to the family. Just a word of wisdom for preachers, if you use this passage for a Mother’s Day sermon, be careful because the message that is conveyed might suggest that a good wife and mother must be a Superwoman. As a husband and father, I wouldn’t appreciate a similar message on Father’s Day!  What we have here is an ideal that no woman or man for that matter could possibly live up to. As Ashley Wilcox points out: “It is interesting to see what is not included in the picture of the perfect woman: there is no comment on her physical attractiveness, and although she is a mother, the poem does not describe the work of mothering as one of her many tasks” [The Women’s Lectionary, p. 240].

                What is interesting about this passage and the way it describes the woman of strength, which is a much better translation than “a capable wife,” is that despite the patriarchal context out of which it emerges it celebrates the abilities possessed by women. The list of virtues might seem overwhelming and yet contextually it does speak of women being capable of leadership. Whether one decides to vote for Kamala Harris in the Presidential election, the people of the United States need to get with it and recognize that one need not be a man to lead a nation. Besides women have already served as Prime Ministers and Presidents of the United Kingdom, Germany, India, Israel, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Then there is Queen Elizabeth I who was a powerful ruler back in the sixteenth century. That was a few years back. So, perhaps the United States is ready, whether it thinks it is or not, for a woman to lead the country. That isn’t a political endorsement, it’s simply a recognition of what is possible and has been possible for a very long time.

                Of course, as we read this passage, we need to remember that it is an ode to Lady Wisdom. So, as Kathleen O’Connor writes, “her behavior summarizes the virtues of wise living promulgated by the book and enjoyed by anyone who follows her call” [Feasting on the Word, p. 75]. In other words, this woman of strength isn’t just a model for capable mothers and wives. It serves as a call to all of us to embrace the teachings of Lady Wisdom, whose value is greater than any riches.

                Although it is possible to read this poem as a reflection on the value that Wisdom provides, it remains a problematic text. That is because it offers a rather unrealistic vision of marriage, especially when read in a patriarchal context where women don’t generally go out and purchase property and manage it. That is because, in that patriarchal society, women were quite often understood to be property themselves. So, to engage with this intriguing passage requires a great deal of caution. If done with caution and one does not raise unrealistic expectations for marriages, it does celebrate such characteristics too often applied only to men. That is, they have strength. They are industrious. They are capable of much more than society often expects of them. Therefore, it can be read in a way that counters the tale often told in Christian circles that women are in some way inferior to men, such that they can’t engage in business or serve as leaders. That the author could conceive of women operating in these roles should be the final nail in the coffin that limits women’s place in church and society. We need not expect anyone, male or female or non-binary, to embody all of these qualities. We simply need to acknowledge that women are just as capable and competent to embody a life of wisdom.  As Kenneth Carter notes: “In scripture wisdom is a way of life that includes justice, righteousness, humility, compassion and fairness” [Feasting on the Word, p. 76]. The woman portrayed here embodies these traits, and we are encouraged to follow her lead, even if what we have here is more aspirational than descriptive.