Re:Verse passage – Proverbs 31:10-31 (day four)
Solomon ends this book of wisdom with a poem. In Hebrew, it would read as an acrostic poem, each line beginning with a successive letter of the alphabet. He uses this poetry to perfectly sum up the godly wisdom he has given throughout the book, and offers us a picture of this wisdom put into action. The short and sweet, pithy sayings we’ve studied now become embodied.
We met Lady Wisdom in chapter 1 and have followed her closely, but in this summary it’s difficult to discern where Lady Wisdom ends and where the real life “excellent wife” begins. But I think that’s the point. This chapter isn’t meant to be an impossible to-do list for women, or a how-to for domestic life, it’s meant to show us a picture of wisdom in action.
When someone reads Proverbs 1:7 and takes it seriously, this is the kind of life that becomes possible for them. Godly wisdom allows us to live like the “woman of valor” – working hard, moving in holy confidence, helping those around us to flourish, teaching truth in love. Through the power of the Spirit, wisdom takes hold in our lives and changes the way we live. As we end this study, may we consider how wisdom can grow from the seeds of thought into the fruit of action.