Many Daughters Have Done Virtuously

“Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.”

There are some who believe that the Proverb 31 woman is unrealistic; that there is no way to be that woman and we should stop beating ourselves up for not meeting her standard. If that were true, why would God put this in His word? What purpose would it serve if not to spur us on to good works? Maybe we will never spin or weave, but we can still make clothing for our families. Maybe we will never make girdles to sell, but we can sell what we do make. The point is not to copy every action listed in this chapter, the point is to copy her attitude; I will do what it takes to serve and bless my family, no matter what. That is why Proverbs 31 is in the Bible. We need a standard to live up to. We have to have a road map, a guide to lead us where we need to go, because without it, we will fail (Proverbs 29:18).

This chapter gives us a vision of what Godly womanhood looks like. Is it exhaustive? No, there are things we should be doing too that are not mentioned here but they are in the rest of the Bible. Titus 2 is another great place to find what a Godly woman should be doing with her day and after this study, that will our next project, Lord willing.

But back to our verse for today: it says many daughters have worked well and efficiently but this woman has increased or overcome. She goes beyond the status quo. And it is not that she is the only one trying. Many women have done well, but she is over and above them. The idea here is not that she looked around and took one step beyond the rest. Christians today are too often pleased with themselves for being just one step better than the world. The attitude of this verse is that she is way above them, that there is no comparison. She is superior and without a rival. That is how we should be living our Christian life; so there is no comparison with the world. We are not just one step ahead so that when we have a misstep, they are right where we are, but that we should be so far ahead, there is no catching up. We do not this so we can say we are better anyone. We must do all things in humility and submission to the Lord, so we can follow His will and His wishes at all times. But we must do it. We need to step up and live virtuously so as to overcome them also we can bless our families, our churches and glorify the name of the Lord.