Chapter 22 ~ A Crowning Glory ~ Her Praise

Proverbs 31:28-29 "Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all."

Have you ever been blessed by your husband's compliment to you ~ I mean, he really complimented you? I'm so thankful to have a kind, considerate husband! He tries to be understanding when I struggle with inadequacy or when I feel completely overwhelmed or frustrated. I've kept several of the little notes he's left me on the kitchen table to read after he's left for work.
Here's a little bit of one: "Thanks for helping keep the house clean and the clothes washed. I understand it's hard and tiresome. You will receive rewards in Heaven for all you hard work and the results will be seen in the success of our children, by God's grace and help."
Like I stated in an earlier post, the hubs isn't one to give flowery sentiments, but when he does give a compliment, it's like I'm a flower drinking in the water of his praise ~ I bloom!
In these verses, we see the gratitude and appreciation that the Proverbs 31 woman's husband has for her. She most certainly is a crown to her husband! (Proverbs 12:4)

An Excellent Wife:
Not only is our Lady a wonderful homemaker, manager, business woman, financial wizard, and mother, but also ~ not surprisingly ~ an excellent wife as well. "In our poem of virtues, the man who has first place in her heart has the last specific word of praise for his beautiful-in-God's-eyes wife."
This husband "proudly and publicly.. lauds the woman who helps bear the burden of his every care; she is his comforter in every distress, his faithful adviser, his best friend, his unceasing joy, and his brightest crown! He who is the companion of her youth (Proverbs 2:17) has shared much of life's journey with her. And here, long after the children have "risen up" and gone out into the world, she continues has his faithful wife, doing him good all the days of her life (vs. 12)."

An Army of Virtuous Women:
This man knows his wife well, and he begins his compliment with these words: "Many daughters have done virtuously". In this phrase, he's saying that many women are noble like his wife. After all, he sits in the gate with the elders and knows the happenings of his town. There is an army of women who live in a worthy manner! Wait, an ~ army? Yes, an army! Remember, the word "virtuous" means "power of mind and power of body". Mrs. George writes, "Here the husband of the Proverbs 31 woman picks up that military image in the word virtuous. Many have done excellently. Many have done valiantly. Many have proven their worth. Many have gained riches and wealth. Many have shown great force and power."
I don't know about you, sisters, but that little word, "many" gives me great aspiration!
I've heard ~ and for a while thought ~ that this chapter of Proverbs described a culmination of many women. After all, I surmised, there's no way one woman could do all of that! But then I thought of the not-so-distant past of the American frontier. Allow me to indulge a bit.
As a child, I loved the "Little House" books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Laura and Nellie's disputes ~ the blizzards and locusts ~ Pa's stories ~ the traveling in the wagon and setting up a new home ~ I loved it! However, as a mom reading those books to my daughters, I gained a new appreciation for Ma ~ Caroline Ingalls! Leaving family and friends behind, she willingly followed her husband into unknown territory not once, but many times! (If memory serves me correctly, they left the Big Woods in Wisconsin and eventually ended up in South Dakota!) And even though she lived in a wagon for weeks/months at a time, she did her best to help her husband, make the camp attractive, do her work joyfully, and be a loving mother to her daughters.
Read this excerpt from "Little House on the Prairie": "Ma was folding the dry clothes... [and] laid them in the wagon, and took the flowers. She admired equally the flowers that Laura gave her and the flowers that Mary gave her, and she put them together in a tin cup of water. She set them on the wagon-step to make the camp pretty." Also, Laura writes that "Ma hummed softly to herself while the iron smoothed all the wrinkles out of the little dresses. All around them, to the very edges of the world, there was nothing but grasses waving in the wind." This resilient woman helped Charles build their log cabin, (Remember how the log landed on her foot?) beat out prairie fires and packed up their home when the government told them to move out of Kansas Territory. She wasn't the only pioneer woman who did so. Many did. Many were virtuous. That means that I can be, too!

The Best of All:
Out lady's husband doesn't stop there, does he? Aren't you glad? I am! This proud and grateful husband continues with "but thou excellest them all." His precious wife is beautiful in his eyes as well! "His chorus of praise resounds as he declares: 'You surpass them all! You transcend them all! You far outdo them all! You are better than all of them!' Comparing her to the complete army of the other virtuous women in God's army, he confidently claims that she is the noblest of women."
Mrs. George states, "The OT Hebrew proclaims, 'You ascend over all [of] them.' This Hebrew wording suggests that the husband gives his blessing in genuine appreciation of his wife's actual accomplishments and activities ~ not as an act of graciousness, obligation, or well-meaning politeness. God's beautiful woman truly merits this honest praise because she is indeed the best of all!"

A Kaleidoscope of Virtues:
Mrs. George likens the Proverbs 31 woman to a kaleidoscope. She writes, "God allows you and me to view the many rich colors and glorious patterns of her multifaceted life. As we've moved from verse to verse, from virtue to virtue, as we've lifted the character of God's beautiful woman up to the light of His Holy Spirit, He has illumined the brilliance of her virtues. They have burst into an exquisite pattern and then, with a slight change of angle as we've moved to another verse, we've seen yet another splendid display of breathtaking beauty."
1. She adds honor to her husband's name and reputation. (vs. 10)
2. She contributes to his financial well-being and manages his money. (vs.11)
3. She eases his mind by doing good. (vs.11-12)
4. She provides for his needs at home. (vs. 15)
5. She increases his assets, expands his property, and plants a vineyard. (vs. 16)
6. She counsels and encourages him with her wise, kind words. (vs. 26)
7. She frees him up from worries at home so that he can serve his community. (vs. 27)
8. She raises his children in a godly manner and they serve the Lord. (vs. 28)

A Beautiful Crown:
Our Lady is "her husband's brightest ornament, and she draws all eyes to him, as one who is eminently honored and blessed. A crown is a mark of dignity and a virtuous woman brings respectability, credit, and reputation not to herself, but to her husband. Adorning and beautifying his life she is an honor to him." And she is pleased to be his crown. She "gladly gives her life behind the scenes so that her husband may be noticed and honored."
This image also offers one more message ~ she is a crown of joy. Back in OT/NT times, the bridegroom ~ if he could afford it ~ wore a gold crown. If not, he word a garland of fresh flowers. In any case, he was crowned. Mrs. George writes, "For that one glorious day, even a peasant seemed a prince as the people paid him the respect called for by the exalted rank which his crown symbolized." Fast-forward 20 years or so. The festivities are just a memory and life's ordinary. This man's wife becomes his crown. She "supplies him with the dignity due a king." She has become the symbol of honor for him ~ a crown to her husband who richly adorns his life and makes his every day a celebration! I so desire to be that beautiful crown of dignity and joy my hubs can wear daily!

Yeah, But What If...?
Maybe your husband isn't the provider, husband, father or spiritual leader God calls him to be. Look to these wise ladies as an example.
1. Hannah ~ Her husband wasn't the leader he should've been, or he would've taken care of the problem with his wives. (According to God's law, he shouldn't have had 2 wives, anyway!) There's nothing in Scripture that says anything negative about Hannah. She didn't let life's circumstances keep her from striving to be beautiful in God's eyes.
2. Abigail ~ Her husband was a mean-spirited drunk, yet Abigail was the best wife, home manager and supervisor of the servants that she could be. We recognize this because the servants came to her when the household was in danger. She saved everyone in her household from David's wrath.
3. Esther ~ Yes, she was a queen, but her husband was godless, full of rage, and an alcoholic. She still shone as a "star" ~ that's what Esther means ~ an example of humility, courage, and wisdom.
Mrs. George writes, "In light of these examples, I urge you to please look beyond your circumstances, far beyond your present difficulties, and even beyond your husband. Instead, as you gaze outward, put God's kaleidoscope of virtues up to the light of His bright hope and His shining Word and give it a turn!" He has you in mind and is "maturing you in the midst of your challenging circumstances." Remember:
1. God's grace is sufficient. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
2. God is faithful. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
3. God has His good purposes for your life. (Romans 8:28)
4. God is making you more like His Son, Jesus. (Romans 8:29)

A Checklist of Beauty:
1. As a woman ~ Do you put the power of your mind and body to work on behalf of your husband, family, and home? At the same time, is it your deepest purpose to not only do worthily, but to be a worthy woman, consistently exemplary in character?
2. As a homemaker ~ Do your provide for the needs at home? Do you carefully and attentively look over the ways of your household?
3. As a mother ~ Are you raising your husband's children to love and serve the Lord, thereby giving your husband peace of mind and strengthening his reputation in the community?
4. As a wife ~ Do you posses the "kaleidoscope of virtues" to your husband? In your honest opinion, has your husband found a virtuous woman in you, a woman who is beautiful in God's eyes? Pray that he has ~ and keep pursuing the heights of excellence!