The Accomplished Woman – #32
The “Accomplished Woman’s” duty was the “fear of The Lord”!
Proverbs 31:29-30
29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but you excel them all.
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
Can you imagine a woman who excels above all women?
We should remember that this woman is a composite of all the famous women of the Bible. The characteristics of this woman can be found in the lives of Sarah, Hannah, Esther, Ruth, Deborah, Abigail, Rachael, Rebecca and on and on we could go with the great women of the Old Testament.
Then we can stretch into the New Testament with Mary, Elizabeth, and the list of women who supported Jesus in Luke 8; Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and the “other women” spoken of there. There was Lois, Eunice, Lydia, Phoebe, Priscilla and another long list of women that we won’t take time to mention.
This scripture beautifully defines them:
Hebrews 11:38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
Of course this verse includes the men listed here too, but courageous women fought for the faith as much or more than anyone.
Many are spoken of for their great beauty. Their charm got two of them (Sarah and Rebekah) stolen into a Kings harems. One’s beauty (Esther) made her a Queen.
But there is a common thread we see through all of them: they all “feared God.”
The “fear of God” spoken of in this verse seems almost forgotten in our culture today, but this summarizes this whole proverb. It is the very essence that made the Proverbs 31 woman and all the other great women we have spoken of so great. It is the major characteristic that set them apart.
This was at her very core and essence! The very foundation of all greatness is to fear the Lord.
The “Accomplished Woman’s” duty was the “fear of The Lord!”
Proverbs 31:29-30
29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but you excel them all.
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
Maybe we could say that the fear of God is more emphasized in the Old Testament while the love of God is more emphasized in the New Testament dispensation in which we live today.
But that doesn’t mean the fear of the Lord is to be excused from our lives.
To fear God doesn’t mean we are afraid of God like you would be a snake or a spider. The fear of the Lord is speaking of respecting God above all else. The Old Testament clearly establishes the importance of fearing God. But fearing God didn’t pass away in this dispensation.
In fact, Acts 9:31 in the New Testament reminds us that the church grew in number, and it became stronger as they lived in the fear of The Lord. It was their hallmark!
In both Psalm 111:10 and Proverbs 9:10, it states very clearly that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Psalm 111:10 (NKJV) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.
Proverbs 9:10 (NKJV) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Job 28 :12 begins a dissertation about wisdom…
Vs.12 tells us where it can be found…
Vs.13 tells us man knows not the price…
Vs.15 declares it can’t be gotten with gold or silver…
Vs.18 says it’s price is above rubies…
Then verse 20 tells us where it comes from:
Job 28:28 And to man He (God) said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
I heard Pastor Tony Evans give one of the best definitions I’ve ever heard on what the fear of the Lord is. He said to fear the Lord meant “to take God seriously, and take his Word seriously.”
This really sums up all that we’ve studied about this “Accomplished Woman.” She could not have attained this high place of honor without this one thing, the most important behavior of her life. All the scriptures in Proverbs 31 build up to this one conclusion. This is the virtue that makes this woman what she is, and it is defined as…the fear of the Lord!
Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
The “Accomplished Woman’s” duty and priority, above all else in her life, was the fear of The Lord!