We close out our reading of Proverbs. If you’re following the Bible Reading Schedule, you’ll see that we’re back in the Psalms (Book III, Psalm 73) today! But we won’t leave Proverbs without a look at the last chapter, Proverbs 31. It begins with a warning to leaders about drinking wine (Proverbs 31.1 – 9). The chapter concludes with the well-known section on the virtuous woman (Proverbs 31.10 – 31).

It’s a lovely passage, a tribute to hardworking, resourceful women, ending with…

Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: “Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all.” Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates. (Proverbs 31.28 – 31, NKJV)

“Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.” Good stuff.

There are those who emphasize other scriptures. A well-known Bible expositor…

…taught on Titus 2 and the apostle Paul’s instructions that women “be busy at home” and “subject to their husbands” (v. 5). He said that women should not work outside the home and families should not require two incomes. The leaders of the church decided the staff, not just the leadership, needed to be all male. – Christianity Today, July 14, 2025

It’s hard to reconcile such teaching with the Proverbs 31 woman:

She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard. (Proverbs 31.16, NKJV)

She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes for the merchants. (Proverbs 31.24, NKJV)

The Proverbs 31 woman may have worked from home, but she certainly didn’t stay home. And her contributions were a significant part of the family’s income.

God clearly honors such industrious women. The first convert in Europe was a female merchant:

Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us. (Acts 16.14, 15, NKJV)

We like to talk about Paul’s tentmaking as a means to support himself, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone comment that it was a husband-wife tentmaking operation that he joined:

After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them. So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers. (Acts 18.1 – 3, NKJV)

“By occupation, THEY were tentmakers.”

In our family, June’s piano teaching studio helped put our last kid through college and later helped us pay off our house.

Kudos to all of God’s women out there making important contributions inside and outside the home, as I wrote in this year’s Mother’s Day tribute.

Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil All the days of her life. (Proverbs 31.10 – 12, NKJV)