A Woman Who Fears The Lord, She Shall Be Praised

The identity of King Lemuel is not certain but the proverb below is attributed to his mother. Some believe that Lemuel is another name for Solomon, which means the mother is Bathsheba. The first part is like advice from the king mother to his son. It was warning against succumbing to women, which we know Solomon had a weakness in. It also warns against wine as that may impair the king's judgement in making just decision. We know Solomon was quite serious in being a just king, but these could also apply to other kings.

The rest of the proverb describes the virtuous woman who is also the ideal wife. Here are some of her qualities:
- she is virtuous and trustworthy
- she is hard working and organises to provide for her household including her servants
- she cares for the poor and needy
- she takes cares of the household to the degree that her husband can perform his job without worrying about the household
- she is strong, honourable, wise and kind
- her husband and children praises her
- she is a woman who fears God

This can be the qualities to look for in a wife. In this context, it seems like the king mother is advising his son on the qualities of a wife who is fit to be queen. Again, this could apply to various kings, but Solomon may be in need the most out of this advise given his weakness with women.





Proverbs 31
The Words of King Lemuel’s Mother

1 The words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him:

2 What, my son?
And what, son of my womb?
And what, son of my vows?

3 Do not give your strength to women,
Nor your ways to that which destroys kings.

4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
It is not for kings to drink wine,
Nor for princes intoxicating drink;

5 Lest they drink and forget the law,
And pervert the justice of all the afflicted.

6 Give strong drink to him who is perishing,
And wine to those who are bitter of heart.

7 Let him drink and forget his poverty,
And remember his misery no more.

8 Open your mouth for the speechless,
In the cause of all who are appointed to die.[a]

9 Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And plead the cause of the poor and needy.

The Virtuous Wife

10 Who[b] can find a virtuous[c] wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.

11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.

12 She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.

13 She seeks wool and flax,
And willingly works with her hands.

14 She is like the merchant ships,
She brings her food from afar.

15 She also rises while it is yet night,
And provides food for her household,
And a portion for her maidservants.

16 She considers a field and buys it;
From her profits she plants a vineyard.

17 She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.

18 She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.

19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.

20 She extends her hand to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.

21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet.

22 She makes tapestry for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies sashes for the merchants.

25 Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.

26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.

27 She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:

29 “Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”

30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.

Ruth’s Redemption Assured

Upon the encouragement of Naomi, Ruth went to Boaz at night and got close to him. The details of this seemed questionable at first. However, Ruth knew exactly what she planned to do, while Boaz responded also in an upright manner. Ruth revealed that she was a close relative and according to Israelite customs, Boaz had a right to redeem her.

Boaz was keen to redeem Ruth but honestly revealed that there was an even closer relative to Ruth than himself, so that other relative had higher priority over Ruth. Hence both Ruth and Boaz chose to do what is right and trusted God to work out the circumstances for their good.



Ruth 3

Ruth’s Redemption Assured

 1 Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security for you, that it may be well with you? 2 Now Boaz, whose young women you were with, is he not our relative? In fact, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 Therefore wash yourself and anoint yourself, put on your best garment and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 Then it shall be, when he lies down, that you shall notice the place where he lies; and you shall go in, uncover his feet, and lie down; and he will tell you what you should do.”
5 And she said to her, “All that you say to me I will do.”
6 So she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law instructed her. 7 And after Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was cheerful, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain; and she came softly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.
8 Now it happened at midnight that the man was startled, and turned himself; and there, a woman was lying at his feet. 9 And he said, “Who are you?”
So she answered, “I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing,[a] for you are a close relative.”
10 Then he said, “Blessed are you of the LORD, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich. 11 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman. 12 Now it is true that I am a close relative; however, there is a relative closer than I. 13 Stay this night, and in the morning it shall be that if he will perform the duty of a close relative for you—good; let him do it. But if he does not want to perform the duty for you, then I will perform the duty for you, as the LORD lives! Lie down until morning.”
14 So she lay at his feet until morning, and she arose before one could recognize another. Then he said, “Do not let it be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” 15 Also he said, “Bring the shawl that is on you and hold it.” And when she held it, he measured six ephahs of barley, and laid it on her. Then she[b] went into the city.
16 When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “Is that you, my daughter?”
Then she told her all that the man had done for her. 17 And she said, “These six ephahs of barley he gave me; for he said to me, ‘Do not go empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’”
18 Then she said, “Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day.”