Spirited Womanhood: Living Out God's Design for Womanhood with the Help of the Holy Spirit by Joy Hardin

Author:Joy Hardin [Hardin, Joy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-06-22T07:00:00+00:00

Week 5

Day 1 - Strong Woman

Today we are going to look at what Proverbs 31 says about her strength.

Proverbs 31:17 She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.

Proverbs 31:25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.

In both of these verses we see that she is clothed in strength. Strength could be either physical or psychological or both. It is not clear which one it refers to. Even after reading through several commentaries, I didn’t find a clear answer.

The Hebrew definition for “dresses” in verse 17 means to gird, or to put on a belt. In biblical times people would “gird up their loins” which means to tie up their clothing to prepare for some physical activity. The acts of “putting on strength” and “making her arms strong” were deliberate actions. Since the verse makes reference to her arms being strong, I assume it is speaking of physical strength. So the question I have is, why would she make an effort to put on strength and make her arms strong?

It’s no secret that our culture is obsessed with beauty and physical fitness, and the culture may not have been much different in biblical times. The Bible includes many passages about beautiful people such as Sarah, Rachel, Tamar, Bathsheba, Abigail, Vashti, Esther, Job’s daughters, King Saul, David, King of Tyre, Joseph, and Absalom. Beauty was admired and often an advantage in societal position.

What about the Proverbs 31 woman? Why would she want to make sure her arms were strong? Was it to help maintain her figure and youthful beauty? Was her motivation to stay active and healthy so that she could perform her daily tasks? We can get a better understanding of her motive if we examine her habits and character. Let’s look at what we know about her so far.

1. Review verses 10-16. What characteristics describe her?

2. Take a peak at verse 30. We will discuss in more detail later, but what does this verse say is in vain?

3. What do you think was her motivation?

What we have learned so far about her character makes me think her motivation wasn’t only to maintain her physical appearance. She was a disciplined, hard working woman. By staying active and taking care of her body she was able to accomplish the many tasks required each day.

4. Read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. What does it say about our bodies?

This verse is talking about refraining from sexual immorality, but there are many other ways that we can honor God with our bodies. We live in a culture of abundance and self-gratification and the temptation to overindulge is constant. Taking care of our bodies through nutrition and exercise is one way that we can honor God.

The Bible warns against gluttony and instead tells us to practice self-control. When we lack self-control, we are not allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us. Instead we are allowing our stomach to control.

Proverbs 23:2 And put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite.

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