King Lemuel’s Mother, Author of Proverbs 31

We tend to look at Proverbs 31 written by King Lemuel’s mother as this impossible to achieve perfection that we must all strive for. It is, in fact, a description of a virtuous woman provided by a mother to her son.

But this was not one woman that we’re all trying to imitate. This was actually an acrostic poem helping the king to understand what a godly woman looks like so that he would look for the traits of hardworking and thrifty, wise and thoughtful rather than just chasing after beauty. Because we all know that “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” Her worth is far above rubies.

Proverbs 31 is a wonderful message for every woman. For mothers of sons, it is a reminder that we need to actually teach our sons what to look for in girlfriends and in their choice of wife. For mothers of daughters, it’s a reminder that we need to train up our daughters so that they are equipped to do all that a Proverbs 31 woman does, making sure they know that they will not excel in all areas, but using it as a model to strive after. And for all of us, it is a reminder of who we were designed to me. Will we ever be the ideal Proverbs 31? No, but can we exhibit traits of her? Can we give it our best to focus on these qualities rather than those that the world says is most important? 

Thank you, King Lemuel, for passing on the words of your mother so that men and women forevermore might learn from them.

Read about King Lemuel’s mother:

Proverbs 31