More Proverbs 31

  “She is like a merchant ship, bringing her food from afar.” Proverbs 31:14

  The first image that popped into my head was that of a rather buxom woman, broad of keel, and determined to stay the course. (Smile.) Being compared to a merchant ship isn’t the most complimentary of metaphors particularly for a woman who tends to resemble one…a bit. (Now I am downright laughing!)

  Silliness aside, I have bananas ripening on my counter and fresh pineapple in the fridge. Foods from afar are easy to obtain in this day of massive container ships and airplanes. Spices come in bulk packages that can be liberally used because buying more is simply a matter of going to any number of grocery stores.

  There are a variety of restaurants in my small town: Tai, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Greek, Italian and British. Exotic has become normal and affordable. Now it’s simply a matter of choosing which one to dine at.

  In Jesus’ day, being able to lay a table where hints of cinnamon would transport guests to places they may never have heard of or seen would have been a mark of status and wealth. Now it's cheap enough I can throw it on a slice of toast without a second thought.

  I just realized something. This entire chapter defines a valuable woman by the things she does or has. Her behavior places a higher value upon her head. How she handles finances are a measure of her worth. Her ability to provide is also a measure of her worth. As long as she does, does, does and does some more, she is valuable. Oh, in the doing, it is implicit that the not doing or not having decreases her value.

  So how many modern women are still measured according to this part of the Old Testament? And it’s not just others measuring, we do it to ourselves!

  How many of us continue to define our worth by our achievements? What our homes look like? The job we have? How many of us feel less than worthy because we don’t have letters after our name? I am going to add being divorced to this list because it is something I am continually wrestling with.

  All of this has been written through the lens of a middle class woman. Can you tell? But all of Proverbs is also written from a perspective of wealth isn’t it?

  Jesus reminds me of my sisters trapped in the sex trade or caught up in addictions. Slavery is alive and well even in this “age of enlightenment”. I have sisters who may be trapped by the cycle of violence who have nowhere to run, who are afraid for their very lives. I think of my sisters who live in countries where women have no rights. And you know something? Wealth comes with its own set of chains specifically designed for women. 

  I am going to add that all of this can apply to men as well. Oppression isn't gender specific.

  Yet, in Mark 12:1-4, a widow gave two small coins as an offering. Jesus proclaimed to His disciples that her gift was far better than the offering of the wealthy. They had only given a portion of their excess wealth. She had given everything she had.

  So maybe that’s a better measure of our worth; where our sense of value comes from small things because, in the end, it’s the small things that matter. So perhaps being the type of person Jesus asks us to be is what it means to be priceless. It's even better knowing that even if we fall short, we are still priceless in God's eyes.

  I am going to see this exploration of Proverbs 31 through to the end in spite of today’s revelation. Lord, I trust there will be much more to learn. AMEN!