Not all the proverbs originated from King Solomon but were rather collected over a long time. It is interesting that Wisdom is always depicted as feminine. In Die Bybel: 2020-vertaling, the message of Proverbs as translated personally is “to equip readers with wisdom and insight to help them to lead a meaningful life, “and that is exactly what we find in the book of Proverbs.

 

The proverbs in chapter 31 are instructions from a mother to help her son, King Lemuel, about how to become a wise person. Part of it is a song of praise to the capable wife. It begins with the words: “How hard is it to find a capable wife! She is worth far more than jewels.” God did not find it hard to find capable women to further his kingdom. Some women might not be prominent, but they played a decisive role in the history of God’s people.

 

In this month, we have already looked at women like Rahab, Naomi and Esther, but there are many more. In Judges chapter 4, we read about Deborah. She was a very prominent person and her advice about matters of the law and other subjects was sought by all. In the time when Deborah was a judge, God’s people suffered a lot under the king of Canaan and his commander Sisera. Deborah was the spiritual power behind Barak, commander of the Israelite forces. He was not even willing to engage the Canaanite army if Deborah would not accompany him. We also read about Jael. When the Canaanite army was defeated, Sisera fled on foot and tried to find refuge in Jael’s tent, but she only waited until he fell asleep before killing him.

 

Think about Sarah, the wife of Abraham, and Miriam, the sister of Moses, who was a prophetess herself and played a big role in the exodus from Egypt. There was Hannah who pleaded for a son and when Samuel was born dedicated him to the Lord in whose service he did such good work. And so we can go on and list the many other women who were instrumental in the service of God. It is not for nothing that Wisdom is depicted as a woman. God is still using the wisdom of women in his kingdom.

 

Prayer: We thank you, Lord, that you are using the wisdom of many women in our churches and our society to bring about your kingdom in this world. Amen