Proverbs 31 Verse 10. No Wait, Verse 1?

A Wife of Noble Character:

The title above the verse in my bible really does say it all. A wife of noble character. What is noble character anyway? Let's discuss.

From Dictionary.com:

What is Noble?

1.
distinguished by rank or title.
2.
pertaining to persons so distinguished.
3.
of, belonging to, or constituting a hereditary class that has special social or political status in a country or state; of or pertaining to the aristocracy.
4.
of an exalted moral or mental character or excellence; lofty: a noble thought.
5.
admirable in dignity of conception, manner of expression, execution, or composition: a noble poem.

What is Character-

1.
the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing.
2.
one such feature or trait; characteristic.
3.
moral or ethical quality: a man of fine, honorable character.
4.
qualities of honesty, courage, or the like; integrity: It takes character to face up to a bully.
5.
reputation: a stain on one's character.
6.
good repute.
7.
an account of the qualities or peculiarities of a person or thing.
8.
a person, esp. with reference to behavior or personality: a suspicious character.
9.
Informal. an odd, eccentric, or unusual person.

In order to understand King Lemuel's mother and why she said all this to her son, we have to of course know what she was trying to make him understand. A wife of noble character or a wife who is of excellent moral and ethical quality is the summation of the verses from 10-31. Wait...did I say that Proverbs 31 was in fact...said by a woman to her son?! You bet your bible I did!

Whew, that is a lot to take in and we haven't even gotten to the first verse yet. Let's consider this. Why would King Lemuel's mom even say this? Why would it be so important for her to pass on in such detail. Why not just run down the list with him on the day of his wedding and let sleeping dogs lie? She starts off her conversation with "Oh my son, O son of my womb, O son of my vows".

Oh my son -If you are a mom you get this gal. If you don't, let me explain it. Children are especially prized by their moms. Moms by birth, adoption, and "other". God has placed in the heart of mothers a desperation that yearns for their children. Mothers lament and rejoice in their children. When a child's heart is broken whether over a lost security blanket or a first break-up as a teenager, a mother's heart is broken for their child. Their pain is her pain. When my daughter has lost her "taggie" blanket, finding it is my #1 priority. I'd drive out in the middle of snow storm after it if I had to. Ponder for a moment, how much more the Father is desperate for us. He loves us perfectly. There isn't a mother on the face of the earth that loves her child more than our Heavenly Father loves us. He wants the very, very best for us. King Lemuel's mother wanted the very best for her son. The best wife he could find. Simply because, she loved him the way a mother was divinely designed to love. It was important to her for him to find someone who would make his married life exceedingly happy. Who could blame her?

Oh son of my womb -She acknowledges that he is a part of her. Let me say that again, a part of her. A part of her body. She expresses here especially that he is of her flesh. Like her finger, like her leg. He was born of her. She loves him as herself.

Son of my vows -King Lemuel's mom acknowledges that he was born of a covenant with her husband and her God. She vowed to be faithful and true to her husband and God and she lets her son know that he is as important to her as that covenant. She obviously kept her marriage in the highest regard or she wouldn't have bothered to equate him with it knowing how much she loved him.

She was trying to say, "Look, I love you with all my heart and you know that. Please then, listen to what I tell you because it is one of the most important things I will ever say to you". She wanted to get through to him. Maybe she had experience in this area with her own relationship or her own mother, we don't know. Whatever the reason, she knew the following statements were of the utmost of importance and King Lemuel had to know.

Okay, so now we may have an understanding of the importance that King Lemuel's mom was trying to express. Moms with children of marrying age or soon-to-be may appreciate this importance a little more than me. Carli will be "Bride Ready" in about 20 years so there really isn't any point in bringing this up now, this wife of excellent moral and ethical reputation is there? Of course there is. I can teach her now, I can teach her by my actions. She will be a much better student of my actions than my words. Go read that again. She will be a much better student of my actions than my words. Ladies, your children are watching you. How you act, no matter who is in the room, how you speak to others, talk about your boss especially and how you treat your husband and your own parents are speaking volumes to your children. No matter what you say or what you read, if you are not living it out what you might as well say to them is "this really isn't that important". After all, that is exactly what you are displaying.

If we want our children to grow to be excellent in their marriages and their workplaces then we need to display the behavior and make it look attractive to attain. Proverbs 31 and every other syllable in the bible for that matter, was written for our instruction.

See 2 Timothy 4:1-5 NIV copied from Biblegateway.com

1In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

Next week, verse 10.