A WOMAN WHO FEARS THE LORDPRIVATE 

Proverbs 31:1-31

Key Verse 31:30

1. Read v. 1.  One of the meanings of the word "oracle" is prophecy. What does this meaning suggest about the significance of the message described in this chapter?

2. Read v. 2 and consider the ways the mother describes her son who later became a king.  What does “O son of my vows” indicate to us about the mother’s motive in sharing this oracle with her son?  (Lev 27:2; Num 6:2, 30:2; Judges 13:7)  

3. Read v. 3.  What does it mean to spend one’s strength on women?  Why should he not do so?

4. Read vs. 4-9.  This passage inhibits the king from becoming a party animal.  Why should he stay away from drinking wine or craving beer?  

5. Read v. 10.  What does the question “who can find” reveal about the practice of many brothers in looking for a wife?  The expression “noble character” seems more than sufficient in describing the desired value of a wife.  So why do you think the passage goes on to say, “She is worth far more than rubies”? 

6. Read vs. 11-29.  What kind of image do you think the woman in this passage portrays?  How are all the things she does surpassingly “noble”?

7. Read vs. 30-31.  Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting. Yet why do many people (brothers in particular) go after these superficial qualities?  Why is it that a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised?