Looking Inward || Proverbs 31:30 || Weekend Wind-Down #2

Welcome to the second week of “Weekend Wind-Down.” This series is where we take the verse of the day, look at the face value interpretation, check the background and context of the verse, do a deeper dive on the focus scripture, and figure out what we can walk away with. 

Today’s verse is Proverbs 31:30, which says this: 

30  Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised. 

Face Value

This verse sounds like the old saying: “It’s not about what’s on the outside, but the inside that matters.” The beauty and charm of a woman is the wrong thing to focus on as a man. Men should look at how a woman fears, or respects, God. For that is something to celebrate. 

Background

The authors wrote the book of Proverbs to teach people how to gain wisdom, discipline, and a prudent life and do what’s right and fair. 

Proverbs 31 opens up with an introduction of King Lemuel. We know very little about King Lemuel. One of the main things we know is that Lemuel received his wisdom from his mother and that his name means “devoted to God.” We can find this explanation in verses 1 thru 3.  

Lemuel then gives his audience a warning about drunkenness. For someone in pain, Lemuel understands why they would get drunk. For those in leadership anywhere, that’s not okay. Alcohol can cloud the mind and lead to injustice and wrong decisions. Those in leadership that numb themself with alcohol will eventually compromise their principles. We can find this information in verses 4 thru 7. 

Lemuel ends this chapter by giving his audience characteristics of what a noble wife is like. This woman has a strong character, wisdom, personal strength, many skills, and compassion. Today’s culture values physical appearance over all those traits. Yet nowhere in verses 10 thru 31 does Lemuel physically describe this woman. 

The attractiveness came from her character and actions. Lemuel describes this woman as a way for every human, not just women, to strive. We don’t have to fit the exact description, but we can strive toward this woman’s goals.

Deep-Dive

There are no study notes about this verse, but there is an associated verse. Read what Proverbs 22:4 says: 

4 True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor, and long life. 

Please read the bigger context of this verse because the more significant meaning gets missed when we choose it. This verse is a piece of wisdom given directly from Solomon, which begins in Proverbs 10. We can cherry-pick these verses by themself, but common themes show up in the group of Proverbs. 

For this verse, we get the challenge to be cautious about who we choose to be friends with. We should spend time with people with qualities we want to replicate and develop in our lives. We spend time with fools, and we’ll act foolish. We spend time with wise people, and we’ll act wisely.  

Another verse connects with Proverbs 22:4, which I want to share. It’s Proverbs 29:22, and it says this: 

22 Any angry person starts fights; a hot-tempered person commits all kinds of sin.

Again, read the bigger context of this verse from Proverbs 29. The focus is on our anger and our reaction to that anger. What are you like when you’re angry? Are you a yeller or seether? Are you a fighter, or do you isolate yourself? How we react in our anger shows others who we indeed are. 

Okay, what does anything of this have to do with a noble wife? Here are your take-home points. 

Take-Home Point

It was interesting to learn that Proverbs 31 wasn’t supposed to get interpreted literally, but it is an inspiration to work towards. For me, it continued God’s teaching to Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7:

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

If we take this teaching and look at the three verses from Proverbs through its lens, they all share the same sentiment. How we can act outwardly typically ends with a negative consequence. How we can act inwardly typically ends with a positive consequence. 

Charm, beauty, and anger all come from outward reactions. We often use our charm to impress someone or escape a sticky situation. We use our beauty to attract someone to us or to gain social notoriety. We use our anger to seek revenge and release our tension against someone intentionally or unintentionally. These three things specified in our verses today typically refer to with a harsh connotation.

What about the other side? How do we look at humility and respect? Lemuel says that a woman who fears God should receive praise. Solomon states that humility is the fear of the Lord. We should be humble. We should not be egotistical. Our partners should be humble. Our partner should respect God. Our partner should treat us as Jesus treated us, and vice versa. Humility is a sign of respect, honoring God with who he created us to be. This humility is a sign of respect, honoring God with who he created us to be. Our humility also be extended to each other. Our humility also honors God, who he created our partner to be, loving them for all their quirks and hardships. It matters not what we wear or how much makeup we have on or how expensive of a get-up we can get. It matters more about our heart posture and humility.

Prayer

Thank you for joining me on the second week of our Weekend Wind-Down series. We looked at Proverbs 31:30 and other spots of Proverbs to remind us that it matters not our outward appearance but that what matters is our heart posture. Let’s close out in prayer. 

Glorious Creator,

Thank you for creating all of us in your image. 

Please help us to remain humble. Please help us to remember to respect you for who we are and how we treat our partners and all of creation. 

Amen.