A Wife of Noble Character Who Can Find?

A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her 

and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm,

all the days of her life.

(Proverbs 31:10-12)

This can be such an intimidating verse to read but don't give up and walk away just yet! We are going to break this verse down into some original Hebrew for you while taking a look at an example of such a woman in the Bible. And if you make it to the end, you will learn that noble character is attainable in Christ.

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The word “wife” in this passage DOESN’T just apply to women who are married:

“wife” (Hebrew issa) = “woman,” “mother”

 Alight, then who is the husband to the woman who isn’t married?

“husband”(Hebrew ba’al) = “lord,” “master” 
AND God often describes himself as a husband to his people:

•  “'…they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,’ declares the Lord.” (Jer. 31:32)
•  “'Return, faithless people,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I am your husband…’” (Jer. 3:14)
• “For your Maker is your husband—the Lord Almighty is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer…the God of all the earth.” (Is. 54:5) 

“noble character” – (one word in Hebrew hayil) strength, capability, skill, valor; also used to describe a troop, warrior; experienced, brave, power, valiant, able-bodied, champion, armed force, fighting, courageous, victory, strongest defenders, very capable (WOW!!! If you have been following along with us in Lioness Arising, you will see it echoed here.)

• hayil is used to describe Ruth:“…my daughter, don’t be afraid…All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character.” (Ruth 3:11)

What do you picture of when you think of Ruth?

Ruth's history (via The Women Of Faith Study Bible): 

• She was a Moabite 
• Moab was one of Lot’s offspring out of incest (see Genesis 19:30-38)
• Moabites were not welcome in Israelite communities because the Moabites tried to unsuccessfully curse them through Balaam (see Numbers 22) then oppressed & attacked the Israelites who settled in Canan; Israelite hatred for the Moabites ran deep
• Her husband died leaving her a widow with no children

widows (unless they had sons) had no means of earning a living; had to work (unless elderly and unable, like Naomi) so Ruth went to glean in the fields for the both of them, hoping to find favor with God’s help (Ruth 2:2)

Ruth’s character sketch

• refused to leave her mother-in-law and return to her family’s home and her people after her husband died; she chose to stay with her Israelite mother-in-law, and her God (not the god of the Moabites)
• she and her mother-in-law were poor so Ruth went behind the reapers in the field and gathered the grain that was left behind (this was backed by the law of Moses regarding the poor: see Leviticus 19:9; 23:22, Deuteronomy 24:19-21)
• Ruth could’ve lived as a victim (dead husband + no sons = poverty with a bitter mother-in-law who lost her own husband and 2 sons: Ruth 1:13, 15) but instead focused on providing for herself and her mother-in-law thus winning her enemies good opinions
• (Ruth 3:10) She gave up her preferences for Naomi’s sake, counted her 1^st son as Naoimi’s to carry on her son’s legacy; her generosity impacts generations to come (King David, Solomon, King Josiah, AND King Jesus—all a part of her lineage, even mentioned by name in Matthew 1:5 “…Obed, whose mother was Ruth”!)

 What can we learn from Ruth? We can refuse to accept the rejection that the world uses to keep us from following God.

DID YOU KNOW that Proverbs 31 regarding the "wife of noble character" is a Hebrew acrostic poem coinciding with the Hebrew alphabet? Each verse is an attribute to a wife of noble character. Let's take a look at some words in verse 11 and 12: 

“has full confidence” – (two words put together as one in Hebrew batah) to trust, rely on, put confidence in, feel secure, unsuspecting, bold, safe, dependable. (and leb) heart by extension: the inner person, seat of thought & emotion: conscience, courage, mind, understanding, judgement, himself, attention

“good” – (Hebrew tob) to be good, well, pleasing; do good, prosper; quality or moral goodness---pleases, in high spirits, beautiful, gracious, alluring, attractive

This is the same word used when God said, “It was good” about his creation in Genesis!

(and not) “harm” – (Hebrew ra’a) bad, disaster, trouble, ethical evil (what is “bad” to God), wickedness

SO...how do we get this kind of noble character (reflected in our example of Ruth) that inspires full confidence, bringing good and not harm? If you are anything like me being human and all, THIS DOESN’T COME NATURALLY and can quite literally be an intimidating image to aspire to.

Read Romans 5:1-5 and reflect on Ruth:

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

• Ruth was justified by her faith in God; she trusted Him with her life
• She had glory in her suffering
• She persevered
• She won the favor of those around her--her enemies; her character had developed
• She had hope in a brighter future beyond what she could ever have imagined
• She was noble, not shamed, all because of the God she trusted.

The Message is another version of the Bible that says it so beautifully! Reflect on Romans 5:1-5 in this version as well: 

By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.

There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!

Jesus poured Himself out for us by dying on the cross (Romans 5:8) so that we can persevere and in doing so, strengthen our character and bring glory to God. He is making you into a treasure worth far more than rubies! Hold on!