Virtuous Woman or Virtual Slave?

By Patricia Backora
Worn out and frayed
She pays her own way
To prove her virtue to all
A virtuous maid
She slaves night and day
Until her juggled balls fall.
Though made of clay
She does more in a day
Than her husband does in a year
She never slows down
Wears her martyrs crown
Shes fueled on religious fear.
She slaves night and day
Shes paid with lame praise
Shes just a useful appliance
When beauty fades
Work compensates
To justify her eistence.
She suffers for others
!ut never looks flustered
"oull never see her fatigue
She acts like an angel
Though her nerves are mangled
She mustnt lose her mysti#ue.
She earns her own bread
$ike Solomon said
Though theres no time to eat it
%&ause '()*
She works to earn heaven
She doesnt seem to need it.
Sleep is forbidden
She wont feel forgiven
+f she should close her eyes
,er healths unimportant
This virtuous woman
Will be a doormat for life.
+ read a disturbing blog posted by some poor woman who seems to
be in bondage to the -irtuous Woman described in .roverbs /0.
Whenever you read any scripture1 ask 2od to help you rightly digest
it for proper application 3if any4 to your own life. + #ualify this
statement because some scriptures you wouldnt apply to your own
life1 like 56udas went out and hanged himself 37att.'*89b4.:. "ou
could even misapply scripture to try to build a case for copying this
eample by combining it with 52o and do thou likewise 3$uke
0;8/*b4.:
<idiculous1 but tragic. +ts possible for two scriptural concepts to
seem to clash with one another. =ample8 +n >eut.'/8? 2od
commands ,is chosen people to forever be at enmity with certain
ethnic groups and not to seek their good1 because those people
didnt treat them right 3>eut.'/8(4. !ut later you read in the @ew
Testament where 6esus teaches ,is people to love even their own
enemies and do good to those who hate them and dont treat them
right 3$uke ?8'*4. Taking the 2ospel to A$$ nations as 6esus
commanded +S doing good to them. Seemingly contradictory
concepts are found in Scripture1 but which has the final say in your
own lifeA Are you under $aw or under 2raceA
>id the -irtuous Woman of .roverbs /0 live under $aw or under
2raceA She lived under Law! 6ust like the .enteteuch1 or five
books of the $aw of 7oses1 .roverbs was also included in in the
canon of Bld &ovenant Scripture. This book was believed to have
been penned by Cing Solomon many centuries before the death of
&hrist ushered in the @ew &ovenant of 2race.
The -irtuous Woman 5ate not the bread of idleness:. This lady was
a nonstop workhorse1 scarcely even taking time off to sleep. She
felt that she had no right to eat unless she was constantly working
and producing things to earn her own eistence. Although her
husband praised her in the gates 3verse 'D41 it was all about her
BUT.UT1 period 3verse /04. This speaks of a relationship based on
works1 not grace. &an you spot the +@=EUA$+T" in this marriageA
The husband sits in the gates gossiping while his poor wife knocks
herself out cooking1 sewing1 embroidering1 haggling with merchants
and running a business on the side1 to provide for her household.
She doesnt seem to get much down time1 either. +nstead1 she gets
out of bed while its still dark1 before her husband doesF
Women >+> find time to rest1 even in the Bld Testament. +t was a
necessary 5health and safety: custom because of the hot sun.
<uth went out to glean grain to feed herself and her motherGinGlaw
@aomi. !ut she still took a rest break during the hottest part of the
day like the other workers 3<uth '8*4. She even sat down to eat
with !oaH men 3verse 0(4.
6esus body needed to be properly prepared for burial after ,is
brutal death. !ut the women did the bare minimum and rested
according to the commandment until after the Sabbath 3$uke
'/89?4. Unless it was necessary to preserve life1 all work had to
cease till after the Sabbath ended.
>id 6esus slave around the clock producing products to deliver to
the merchantA ,e left ,is carpentry business behind to go on the
road to fulfill ,is /G0)' year ministry. >uring that time ,e lived on
offerings 3$uke D8/4. +nstead of whittling wooden spoons while ,e
sailed across the lake with ,is disciples1 6esus took a nap during a
terrible storm which threatened to sink their boat 37ark (8/9G(04.
,e must have been utterly ehausted. "et was it 5virtuous: of
6esus to be napping when other peoples lives were in dangerA This
was no light catnap. The disciples had to shake 6esus awake. ,e
stilled the storm but rebuked them for being afraid.
6esus said ,e came to give rest to ,is people and that ,is yoke is
easy and ,is burden is light 37att.008'DG/;4. ,owever much
preachers try to limit &hrists promise of rest only to S.+<+TUA$ rest
in order to get their people to work around the clock to bring in
etra donations1 perpetual tiredness and ill health resulting from it
is still a heavy burden to bear. .roverbs /0 must be given lower
priority than the teachings of &hrist and the teachings of the @ew
Testament epistles to the &hurch.
Iar from being a virtue1 it is vain 3useless4 for you to rise up early1
stay up late and eat the bread of sorrows 3toil4. 2od gives ,is
beloved sleep 3.salms 0'*8'4. Are women included among 2ods
belovedA +f so1 this scripture surely applies to them1 whether
married or not.
The blogger bemoaned the fact that she A$WA"S had to work1 every
minute of every waking hour of every day of every week. Such an
assertion begs a #uestion8 +f .roverbs /0 is a law she feels bound to
live by1 then why isnt 2ods Sabbath >ay law e#ually binding on
herA +f youre going to be legalistic1 at least be consistent about it
and apply A$$ the Bld Testament the same way.
The blogger found no time to rest or study1 or even to rela and
enjoy her own husband once in awhile. Up before dawn1 this dear
lady kept toiling way past her familys bedtime until she dropped
from sheer ehaustion. She even felt guilty about taking time off to
eatF She actually thought it was 5eating the bread of idleness: to sit
down at the table with her own family and benefit her own tired1
depleted body with food prepared by her own handsF
Well1 + have news for her. =ven the government re#uires rest and
meal breaks for minimum wage workers and restricts the hours
they can be forced to work at any given workplace in a week. =ven
under the Bld $aw of 7oses1 7A+>S=<-A@TS were among those
who were re#uired to rest on the Sabbath >ay 3>eut.980(4. Was a
mans wife to be denied the same rest breaks his female slaves
were entitled toA
+ confess + have problems with the -irtuous Woman being epected
to toil late into the night1 while at the same time being epected to
get up before everybody else. =ven farm animals would be led to
their stall at the end of each working day1 where they would be
watered by the people they serve and allowed to rest and eat. +s a
woman less valuable in the sight of 2od than a beast of burdenA
There may be times when women sit up way past their bedtime to
finish making a gift for someones &hristmas or birthday 3+ve done
this myself4. !ut that doesnt mean youre obligated to live that way
each and every nightF &ould it be that the -irtuous Woman had a
deadline to finish her consignment of sashes to take to the
merchant the net day at a certain time1 so on B@= occasion she
sat up most of the night sewingA
&hrists Spirit is a Spirit of liberty1 not a spirit of fearful1 cringing
slavery 3' &or./80*4. +f you feel !BU@> A@> I=A<IU$1 even on
account of some scripture1 the devil is putting on a religious hat and
dabbling in your devotional lifeF >id you know satan can use
twisted Scripture to turn you into a fearful1 miedGup religious
slaveA When &hrist fasted in the Wilderness1 satan tempted ,im to
jump off the top of the Temple by appealing to .salms J0800G0'1
which promises that 2od will send ,is angels to keep us from falling
and getting hurt. 6esus fended off this spiritual deception with a
scripture of ,is own. Satan used .roverbs /08'* to bind this lady
blogger with fear. +t praises women who dont eat 5the bread of
idleness.: +n modern terminology this would mean 5+f you dont
work1 you dont eat:1 or 5=arn your keep.:
Some readers of .rov./0 might imagine the -irtuous Womans
husband with an indulgent smile on his face as he watches his wifes
frantic efforts to make an economic contribution. ,e knows hes
rich enough to buy the market place where she haggles and makes
her deals to get a good profit for the sashes she makes to sell. The
husband thinks it makes her feel fulfilled to have this outlet in her
restrictive1 maleGdominated world1 so humor her and let her do it.
That would be similar to the way high society ladies would feel
useful by working for various charities1 or serving soup to poor
people in missions. Such privileged women wouldnt need to work
for moneyK they just feel better doing their bit to make the world a
nicer place.
So is it possible the -irtuous Woman wanted to feel better about
herself1 not just supplement the familys income 3even if her
husband was rich4A <emember1 this Bld Testament wifes virtue1 or
5praiseworthiness:1 consists solely of the outward WB<CS S,=
>B=S1 not her inherent worth as a being made in 2ods image.
Taking it a step further1 The more good works the woman did1 the
more righteousness she possessed.
What this essentially means is this8 +n the BT1 good works didnt
just prove your righteousness1 they W=<= your righteousnessF This
is substantiated by a remark &hrist made as ,e ministered U@>=<
T,= $AW !=IB<= T,= &<BSS. +n 7att.?80 6esus warns ,is 6=W+S,
listeners to not do their alms to be seen of men. A note in the
margin of the C6- renders 5alms: as <+2,T=BUS@=SSF !efore the
2ospel of righteousness by grace through faith was revealed to
2ods people1 righteousness consisted of W,AT "BU >+>1 not
resting in what 2od had A$<=A>" done to save you. 6ews under
the Bld &ovenant 3which includes the period of 6esus ministry
before the cross4 performed good religious deeds in order to earn a
righteous standing before 2od. This could help eplain the selfG
sacrificing Heal of the -irtuous Woman. +t mattered not if she
dropped dead from ehaustion if doing so would earn 2ods favor1
as well as her husbands1 evidently a man of double standards who
epected his wife to work triple shifts while he sat chatting with his
buddies in the gates.
There could be an even darker reason she worked that hard8 that
fourGletter word8 I=A<F .roverbs /08 /; contrasts a woman who
fears the $ord with the vanity of beauty. That verse seems to be
saying that even if youre not dropGdead gorgeous1 personal
holiness more than makes up for it.

7ost women who get a bit older stop looking like teenage !arbie
>oll eye candy. .erhaps this woman started pulling her weight like
a plow horse as she looked more and more like an old gray mare1
just so her adoring husband wouldnt strayF She wanted to make
herself so indispensable to him hed never dream of trading her in
for a fresh new filly to bring home the bacon. She 5ecelled them
all: 3verse 'J4 to make herself secure in her husbands love. +f that
man spent all day 5sitting in the gates:1 somebody had to get up
off their duff and slave away. Br1 he would have starved to deathF
+n olden days1 stage coach horses would pull their heavy load for so
many miles1 then theyd be swapped for 5fresh horses: at some
point along the route. Unless the -irtuous Womans hubby was rich
as !ill 2ates1 he must have depended on her to pull his weight as
well as her own. She must have worried that ehaustion1 sickness1
or the wear and tear of age might would rob her of the ability to
finance his laHy lifestyle1 and hed swap her for a 5fresh horse:.
=ven domestic beasts of burden have1 historically1 been treated with
far more consideration than eploited wivesF
+n the days before the nuclear family 3' parents L their kids41 inG
laws often lived with their married sons1 especially the widowed
motherGinGlaw. &ould the untiring Heal of the -irtuous Woman have
been at least partially motivated by the emotional abuse of such a
woman1 who insinuated she wasnt good enough for her sonA
+n many households of the ancient world1 it wasnt the wife who was
#ueen of her own home1 but the cross1 overbearing 7B@ST=<G+@G
$AW who made sure her drudging daughterGlnGlaw never forgot her
place.
As a rule1 women never did feel totally secure in their husbands
love back in !ible days. Such seemed to be the case when &hrist
walked the earth. Thats why ,e had to attack the problem of
6ewish men trading in wives like old cars. +f a woman lost her
looks or even burned her husbands bagel1 she knew she could be
thrown out in the street with no severance pay in the wink of an
eye. Women in that ancient culture were on lifelong probation1
never sure about whether theyd still be married to the same guy
the net day. 6esus made it clear that 2od joined couples together1
and marriage was sacred and indissoluble 5until death do us part:.
6esus allowed divorce and remarriage B@$" for marital
unfaithfulness 37att.0J8J4. &hrist taught that marriage makes a
man and a woman 5one flesh:1 and ,e forbids human judges to
divorce what ,es joined together 37att.0J89G0;4. 6esus teaching
on divorce and remarriage was revolutionary for ,is time. 6esus
fairness toward women made ,is male chauvinist disciples grumble.
!ecause of this 5one flesh: relationship between husband and wife1
the husband should be genuinely concerned if the wife is unfairly
overburdened with work and worries. This 5one flesh: spiritual
aspect of marriage didnt used to be acknowledged by people of
!iblcal times1 especially under the Bld $aw. .aul speaks of married
people being yoked together1 which would further substantiate the
one flesh doctrine. When one o pulls the plow1 so does the other
one. !ut in .roverbs /0 all the burden of the work is carried by
only one o1 the wife. The husband is blissfully free of any
responsibility ecept to sit in the gates and visit his friends.
+n !ible days Women were considered une#ual in all ways to men1
barely human. >id you know there was a time every respectable
6ewish man would offer up this 5prayer: first thing in the morning8
52od1 + thank thee that thou hast not made me either a beast1 a
2entile1 or a woman:A
6ohn $ennon sang8 Woman is the 3racial epletive4 of the world.
$ennon1 a nonG&hristian1 wrote music to comment on what was
wrong with the world. Anyone who watches the news knows that in
many societies women are marginaliHed and eploited as inferior
beings. A disproportionate share of the worlds menial work is done
by women1 who are still paid less than men for doing the same job.
@ow + dont believe in women laying around all day munching
>oritos and watching T-. We should all 5redeem the time: and make
the best possible use of it. !ut the -irtuous Woman passage in
.rov./08 0;G/0 also speaks of works1 not grace. This scripture
stands alone in all of scripture in teaching women that theyre
epected to sacrifice necessary rest and nourishment to #ualify for
being virtuous. Written from the pen of a pampered king who didnt
punch a time clock or clip coupons to save on his grocery bill.
@otice verse 0*. After all her endless WB<CS1 the -irtuous Woman
is still epected to make herself physically fit1 even though shes
undernourished1 sleepGdeprived and overworked. !ut shes bound
to have a whistleGbait figure because she barely ever eatsF 6ust
imagine working as a harried waitress all day long1 then
moonlighting at 7c>onalds1 then sitting up all night to sew1
skipping your nights sleep1 feeding everybody else breakfast1 then
rushing to the gym to bench press a few hundred pounds. 7an1
that woman would turn into such a sweaty gym rat her husband
would <U@ to those city gates to get away from herF
+ believe in the divine inspiration of Scripture1 but one scripture
passage must be kept in right balance with other scriptures. We
read the Word from the perspective of a @ew &ovenant &hristian1
not from the perspective of a 6ew under 7osaic $aw. Where there
seems to be a conflict between Bld Testament and @ew1 @ew
Testament scriptures must always take priority and settle the issue
in the life of a &hristian.
,usbands are commanded to love their wives and nourish and
cherish them 3=ph.98'9G'J4. @othing is said about the husband
withholding his love and support if the wife doesnt always act like a
superwoman. =ven in =odus '080;1 an Bld Testament scripture1
2od ,imself states that a wife has the right to food and clothes
which are provided !" T,= ,US!A@>1 who is not allowed to
diminish their #uantity even if he marries a second wife 3no mention
of the wife having to work herself to death to earn these blessings1
or even to work for money so the husband can afford to take the
second wife4. "et in .roverbs /0 the wife is epected to earn her
own money1 provide her own clothes1 do without sufficient sleep1
and eat nothing she hasnt first earned through her own toil.
Where is her husbands contribution toward her upkeepA She goes
to bed with the guy every night 3for at least two hours41 caters to
his every desire1 disregards her own personal needs. +t appears the
husband is the only one whos getting all the benefits out of this
virtuous marriage relationship. The icing on the cake is he doesnt
have to fork out a penny in tips 3even a hooker would be treated
better4. @o wonder he praises his wife 3.rov./08'D4.
+f youve got a good robot who costs you nothing1 does all the work
around the house1 and epects nothing in return but an occasional
pat on the head1 of course youll praise that thing that saves you
from epending your own energy to make life nice. Any old plow
mule has to be fed and watered and bedded down in the barn for
the night. !ut the -irtuous Woman not only works round the clock
at a punishing pace1 she also pays for her own stingy ration of hay.
=ven a vacuum cleaner isnt epected to provide its own electricityF
Sorry1 + just cant see how its fair to call such etreme eploitation
of workers a virtue1 but maybe +m missing something. !ut + cant
help but think what a romanceGkiller it must be1 that the -irtuous
Womans husband would work her to death1 then begrudge her the
food in her belly and the clothes on her backF Thats the epitome of
stinginess. Ior those who take1 take1 take and never worry about
the welfare of the giver1 costGfree love is wonderful. =verybody loves
a bargainF
What factory owner wouldnt sell his right arm to get a worker like
the -irtuous WomanA Shell &,==<IU$$" work nonstop 0DG';
hours a day1 unpaid1 @B rest breaks1 @B meal breaks1 and all she
asks for is an occasional word of praise 3words are cheap4. Thats
all. As long as she doesnt catch this disease the 6apanese call
5Caroshi: 3death from overwork4 she makes the ideal employee.
&heaper than a robot to run1 because she re#uires no electricity.
She eateth not the bread of idleness. ,mmm. +s Solomon our
guide1 or 6esusA 6esus ,imself used the word 5idle: only three
times. Two of them appeared in the same passage1 7att. ';8/G?1
the parable of the agreed wages of the vineyard workers. These
workers were probably male. &hrists other usage of 5idle: refers to
idle 3useless4 words. Another place where a synonym of 5idle:1
slothful1 appears is B@&= in the .arable of the Talents in
7att.'98'?. Again1 &hrist does not aim this adjective at wives or
women. +n fact1 @BW,=<= does 6esus order women to work harder
than men1 or do without sufficient sleep or food in order to
transform themselves into a 5-irtuous Woman:.
+m sure there were women out there in the crowd eating when
&hrist passed out the loaves and the fishes 37att.0(8'0K 098/D4. To
all appearances1 people who sit and listen to preaching are acting
+>$= because their hands arent busy doing things and making
things. The women who ate &hrists free 3unearned4 bread and fish
were eating a gift of grace1 not a reward for works.
+f a woman comes under bondage to the WB<CS of .roverbs /0 she
forgets what <omans (8( says. "ou epect a reward 3all the
-irtuous Woman epects is praise4 for works which make others
indebted to you. !ut 2ods I<== 2+IT BI <+2,T=BUS@=SS comes
from grace1 not works. +f your relationship with 2od 3or others4 is
based on grace1 its a whole different scenario than if you echange
so much work for so many smiles of favor. ,ow does coming under
the law of .roverbs /0 affect your own relationship with 2od and
,is WordA That woman whos afraid to go to bed at night1 or even
stop for a meal break1 evidently feels 2od is a harsh taskmaster
who doesnt want her to =@6B" her life1 and that ,e isnt pleased
with her unless shes being 5productive: like one of Simon $egrees
plantation slaves.
Iunny how in !iblical days1 wives were loved only for what the
husband could get out of them in offspring and free labor while a
son was loved just for being a sonF ,ow would your own son or
daughter feel toward you if you were constantly threatening to
punish them 3or disown them1 as in divorce4 if they didnt fulfill their
work #uota for the dayA >oesnt it grieve our dear ,eavenly Iather
that some women 3and men4 associate ,im with pain and toil
instead of joy and happinessA
The poor ehausted blogger wrote that she couldnt wait for the
<apture to come to end the whole miserable cycle of ehaustion she
was subjected to. Iar from being a delight1 her married life was
unmitigated1 miserable slaveryF +t makes me wonder why her
husband doesnt pitch in with the dishes if shes got too much to do1
or epress more concern for his own wifes health and wellGbeing.
&ould this man1 even if hes a &hristian1 be using her as an energyG
saving appliance to make his own life nicerA +f so1 + marvel that
shes been patient with such selfishness for so longF +f a man loves
his wife1 hell nourish and cherish her1 not eploit her 3=ph.98'J4. +f
2od has made the two of them one1 why doesnt it bother the
husband that his wife feels unworthy to go to bed when he doesA
Whatever is good and righteous on earth is also good and righteous
in heaven 37att.?80;4. Bn that basis1 the lady blogger should
realiHe that if its 2ods will for her to kill herself with overwork here
on earth1 then why wouldnt that also apply after the <apture1 when
shes up in heavenA +f its a sin for a woman to rest and sit down to
eat with her loved ones here on earth1 surely that would also be the
case in heaven. +f what this dear lady believed about the -irtuous
Woman doctrine were 2ods truth1 then there would be a
perpetuation of that same lifestyle up in heaven. +nstead of her
resting at the 7arriage Supper of the $amb with 6esus and the rest
of the saints1 &hrists ban#ueting table would only have men seated
at it. All female saints would be scampering around cooking1
cleaning1 carrying food platters1 taking orders and tackling a
mountain of dishes in 2ods kitchen.
Bld Testament Scripture is just as inspired as the @ew Testament.
!ut not all scripture is e#ually applicable to believers of our
dispensation. Ior eample1 we dont keep the ancient food laws or
literally obey 2ods commandment to ancient +srael to stone
disrespectful children to death 3=odus '080*4. Also1 consider who
penned .roverbs /0. Cing Solomon1 the biggest womaniHer of all
time1 a man who kept /;; wives and *;; concubines 3+ Cings
008/4. A man who built demonic idols for these women and got
spiritually ruined by their influence 3+ Cings 0089GJ4.
>id wise Cing Solomon follow the same godly advice he wrote down
for othersA ,ow did his own wives liveA Were T,=" up before the
dawn1 grinding grain1 knitting socks1 sewing tapestries1 weaving
wool1 cooking1 cleaning1 etc.A >id T,=" stay up all night toiling like
donkeys1 or did they lounge around their luurious harem painting
their eyes and being waited on by slavesA What about Solomon
himselfA ,ow hard did ,= workA Bh1 + know he did lots of mental
work and study1 but who actually did the physical toil of
constructing his building projects and caring for his fruit orchardsA
,is poor slaves did. Ior all Solomons ehortations about not eating
the bread of idleness1 Solomon dined richly while these slaves
subsisted on poorer food. Solomon probably never even washed out
a pair of his own so. 7aybe he even had his a special servant
assigned to put toothpaste on his brush for him 3like todays royalty
does4. >o as + say1 not as + do.
+n her aniety about measuring up to the -irtuous Woman1 the
overworked lady forgot that the -irtuous Woman had maidservants
3.rov./08094. + doubt that this poor blogger has a maid to pitch in
with the chores. >oes she think shes greater than Almighty 2od1
Who rested from all ,is own works on the Seventh >ay 32en.'8/4A
>oes 2od re#uire more endurance from ,is creatures than from
,imselfA Surely not.
The slave masters of the Bld South varied greatly in how they
treated their poor black slaves. Some 3like the fictional Simon
$egree4 provided the bare minimum in food1 clothing and shelter to
keep their cotton pickers alive. When they died1 other slaves were
available to replace them. The wisest of slave masters treated their
slaves humanely enough to let them rest on Sundays and go on an
occasional picnic to keep their morale up. Slaves could never be
truly happy as slaves. !ut the most fortunate of them could at least
have a few fun times to lighten the burden of their dreary days.
>oes the @ew Testament command women to work like dogsA +n
the @ew Testament all believers are commanded to do their part to
help their poor relatives1 but + believe .aul primarily addressed 7=@
as being responsible to work with their own hands to provide for
their families 3note .auls use of the male pronoun %his in +
Tim.98D4. .aul worked with his own hands to provide his own living
instead of soliciting offerings. =ven under the Bld &ovenant it was
the ,US!A@> who was held responsible by 2od for providing the
necessities of life for his wife 3=.'080;4. .aul said a loving husband
will nourish 3feed4 and cherish his wife just as he would his own
body 3=ph.9K'J4. .aul emphasiHed =EUA$+T" of wellGbeing in the
!ody of &hrist. ,e urged that no one be burdened while others
have it easy at the epense of those who contributed more 3'
&or.D80/G0(4. Cing >avid fed his estranged concubines instead of
making them run a rug factory to earn their own grocery money 3'
Sam.';8/4.
Some might object that the word 5any: in + Tim.98D refers to
women also as being responsible to go out to work to support their
households. Bften this is necessary. !ut if this verse means .aul
was ordering women to go out to work as the primary breadwinners
of their families 3especially married women with kids to take care
of41 where would women in .auls world have gone to find a job in
order to avoid being classed as 5an infidel who has denied the
faith:A @ursing careers were noneistent in .auls day. Iew women
could read or write1 so they couldnt have landed an +.T. job.
7c>onalds ,amburgers and CI& hadnt come to town yet. Women
couldnt teach school1 because only boys usually went1 and only
male teachers were allowed to teach them. .rostitution was one of
the few professions available to women back then1 and even if the
money earned from being one fed the womans family1 that income
wouldnt have prevented that woman from apostatiHing from the
faith. Ancient husbands usually frowned on their wives working for
other men1 although women could run home workshops1 like
.riscilla1 who helped A#uila make tents. $ydia1 the wealthy seller of
purple1 was a rare eception to the rule that women didnt generally
go into business back in .auls day.
Significantly1 .aul writes that widows under the age of ?; should
remarry and fulfill their duties at home1 not go toil in some eterior
workplace run by strangers 3+ Tim.980(4. Sometimes1 especially
when the husbands health fails or economic times are terribly
tough1 the woman 7UST work1 at least partGtime. +t is then life
becomes a juggling act and 2ods help is needed to ensure that
husband and children 3if any4 arent neglected while the wife
concentrates on supplementing the family income.
The long1 long list of duties performed by the -irtuous Woman
makes intimidating reading to most modern women. She spins1
weaves1 sews1 embroiders1 makes winter coats1 engages in
agricultural tasks1 haggles with merchants. She goes to the ends of
the earth to source foods her family loves. !ut does it necessarily
mean this woman did each and every task each and every day of
the weekA +m reminded of a description + read of 7a +ngalls week
in the Little House on the Prairie books. Shed wash on 7onday1 iron
on Tuesday1 mend on Wednesday1 sew on Thursday1 churn butter on
Iriday1 bake on Saturday1 and rest on Sunday. 7a didnt do
everything possible for a woman to do each and every day of the
week. According to another source1 7a also knew how to make
hats. That doesnt mean 7a made hats on a daily basis1 only when
they were needed. This busy woman insisted on getting reasonable
rest on Sundays.
Those who take .roverbs /0 so literally that they insist each and
every day must be packed with all the chores its possible for a
woman to perform1 forget that when 6esus left the &arpenters shop
to go perform ,is preaching ministry1 ,e was still strong and
capable enough to hammer and saw1 like ,ed always done since ,e
was old enough to help 6oseph in the carpenters shop. !ut
something else was far more important at that particular time in ,is
life. Are we women stronger 3or more virtuous4 than &hrist ,imselfA
Those same men who criticiHe women for not staying supernaturally
busy like the -irtuous Woman usually do only B@= job per day to
earn their living 3unless they moonlight at 7c>onalds41 and theyre
done. +n !ible times1 as now1 there were innumerable ways a man
could earn a living8 as a ship builder1 a blacksmith1 a tentGmaker1 a
shepherd1 a farmer1 a merchant1 a carpenter1 a potter. 7ost men
settled for only one livelihood. .eter didnt make tents on the side.
When .eter got done skinning his catch1 hed go home1 eat and hit
the sack. .eter wouldnt sit up all night making pillow slips to sell in
the marketplace.
+ prefer to interpret that long list of jobs in .roverbs /0 as a poetic
celebration of the talents and abilities possessed by good women in
general. An eposition of all the wonderful creative things women
all over the world are capable of doing to bless others. 2et out your
fiddle and play a sweet tune as you sing the praises of female
enterprise and ingenuity8
What is woman in this world of oursA
A high achiever who aims for the stars
She votes in the Senate1 the bill gets passed
She sits on a jury1 she weighs all the facts
She studies rat cells in a laboratory
7akes plastic parts in a factory
She weaves silky threads to make a bed spread
She cooks so divine1 keeps her angels fed
She nurses the sick from the edge of death
She bakes cakes so light they melt in your mouth
When tears need drying1 shes always around
She puts on a badge1 enforces the law
She dabbles with data at home and abroad
She paints pretty pictures and writes a book
She shops in town till its time to cook
She drives a massive delivery truck
She teaches math1 helps kids who get stuck
She tackles the dishes and scrubs the walls
Woman1 how does she do it allA
Would the -irtuous Woman have been epected to earn the money
for her own birthday or anniversary presentA Would she have had
to do all the work at her own birthday party while everybody else
kicked back and relaedA ,er husband could have spent more of his
own resources to lighten her load instead of working that woman to
death. +t wasnt a case of economic hardship. The -irtuous
Womans husband may very well have been loaded1 because he sat
in the city gates conversing with other eminent men1 with an air of
5somebodyGness: about him. .oor men just didnt act that way.
+nstead of rewarding his virtuous wife only with verbal praise1 why
didnt that laHy cheapskate take her to a nice restaurant and let
others wait on her for a changeA
Why didnt Solomon1 to appear unbiased and fair1 write a job
description for the -+<TUBUS ,US!A@>A @ow1 that would have
gotten a response from the male 5amen corner:F
+ts usually 7A$= preachers who romanticiHe the role of the -irtuous
Woman. Irankly1 any husband who loafs while his wife toils to earn
her own room and board doesnt sound like hed be much of a priHe
in the marriage market once his wife dropped dead from overworkF
&an you hear the birds go 5cheep1 cheep:A
About the only way the -irtuous Womans cheapskate husband
could be any meaner would be if he dug her up when shes dead1 to
make her work some more to reimburse him for funeral costsF
Ancient 6ewish misogyny often brought une#ual treatment under
the Bld $aw1 but in &hrist there is neither male nor female
32al./8'D4. All believers are to look out for each others welfare on
an e#ual basis as being members together of &hrists own !ody 3+
&or.0'8'94. Under the @ew &ovenant1 no provision is made for the
unfair eploitation or convenient divorce of women. +f this blogger
would rightly divide the Word of 2od 3' Tim.'8094 she would realiHe
that even the best of Bld Testament teachings are superseded by
the liberating truths of the @ew &ovenant.
The biggest harm that poor blogger is doing to herself is spiritual.
+f shes worried that 2od wont count her as righteous unless she
emulates the -irtuous Woman1 shes pinning her hopes of heaven
on works1 not the grace of 2od in &hrist. 52race: means
5unmerited favor:. +f you have to work to earn 2ods favor1 its no
longer a free gift of grace1 but wages for works 3<om.008?4. There
is a danger of falling from the grace of 2od 3and all that brings us4
if we do A@" type of good work to earn or keep 2ods favor
32al.98(4.
!efore &hrist came to set women free1 they were usually valued
B@$" as bearers of children1 objects of male desire and laborers. +t
was even debated whether or not a woman had a soul. &onsider
7ary and 7artha1 a study in contrasts. 7artha was the dominant1
energetic sister. Scripture plainly states it was ,=< house 6esus
came to 3$uke 0;8/D4. 7artha had a brother1 $aHarus1 who was
probably too weak and sickly to take charge as head of the
household. So it was 7artha who had to do most everything. ,er
sister 7ary sat at 6esus feet with the male disciples1 something
unheardGof back then. 7artha had a huge feast to prepare. There
was far too much work for just two hands. She was overstressed
and overworked. 7artha came to &hrist and demanded that ,e
banish 7ary back to the kitchen where she belonged. 6esus
refused. +nstead ,e said that 7ary had chosen the good part which
would not be taken away from her 3$uke 0;8('4.
+nstead of commending 7artha for being highly productive1 6esus
said she was 5troubled and careful 3anietyGfilled4 about many
things:3verse (04. !ut only B@= thing was needful1 to allow ,im to
feed her spiritually. +m sure they could have managed well enough
with a much simpler meal1 like a pot of stew and a bit of bread. !ut
7artha probably realiHed that 6esus didnt get a decent meal very
often and she wanted ,is dinner to be etra special. >own through
the ages elaborate meals might consist of many courses1 all of them
very timeGconsuming to prepare. =ven with all the modern kitchen
gadgets + own + find that it sometimes takes whole days to pull off a
special meal for birthdays or other celebrations. 7artha didnt have
a pressure cooker. She was oneF Think of that worried1 wornGout
woman1 who had to draw water from the well1 build cooking fires
and create everything from scratch.
Who better fits the profile of the -irtuous Woman1 7artha or 7aryA
7artha1 the gal who never slowed down. The flying workhorse who
barely took time to eat and @=-=< took time to sit at 6esus feet.
@othing is written in .roverbs /0 about the -irtuous Woman sitting
#uietly beside a brook to meditate and pray. Shes always churning
out products and denying herself rest in order to meet the material
needs of others. We cant always sit #uietly and pray. Sometimes
we 7UST go to the kitchen to tackle that big pile of dishes.
Sometimes were so busy even important tasks have to 5take a
number: because theres only one of us and too many of them. !ut
which eample would the $ord have us1 as women1 followA That of
the -irtuous Woman 3and busy 7artha41 or 7ary1 who sat at the
feet of 6esus to hear ,is WordA
Who is $ord in our lifeA SolomonA The -irtuous WomanA Br 6esusA
The three disciples who accompanied &hrist to ,is Transfiguration
on the 7ountain were 6ewish. They had their 7A$= historical
heroes to look up to.
7att.0*8(8 And1 behold1 there appeared unto them 7oses and =lias
talking with him.
( Then answered .eter1 and said unto 6esus1 $ord1 it is good for us
to be here8 if thou wilt1 let us make here three tabernaclesK one for
thee1 and one for 7oses1 and one for =lias.
9 While he yet spake1 behold1 a bright cloud overshadowed them8
and behold a voice out of the cloud1 which said1 This is my beloved
Son1 in whom + am well pleasedK hear ye him.
+n verse ( .eter seems to put 7oses and =lijah on the same level as
&hrist1 for he wants to build a tabernacle for each of them1 there on
that mountain. !ut 2od the Iather bypasses any mention of 7oses
and =lijah. 2od says it is 6=SUS ,e is well pleased with1 and the
disciples should listen to what ,= has to say.
The -irtuous Woman never took any 5down time: to recharge her
batteries. She worked her fingers to a nub. !ut roundGtheGclock
busywork cant save either man or woman. Bnly &hrists I+@+S,=>
work on &alvary can do that.
M M M M M M
2al.(8*8 Wherefore thou art no more a servant 3slave41 but a sonK
and if a son1 then an heir of 2od through &hrist.
+ .et./8*8 $ikewise1 ye husbands1 dwell with them according to
knowledge1 giving honour unto the wife1 as unto the weaker vessel1
and as being heirs together of the grace of lifeK that your prayers be
not hindered.
,eb.(80;8 Ior he that is entered into his rest1 he also hath ceased
from his own works1 as 2od did from his.
M M M M M M
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