A Godly Woman Receives Her Praise
Proverbs 31:28 (ESV) … “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her…”
She has devoted herself to her family. The greatest earthly blessing she seeks is her children’s respect and her husband’s praise. These she receives in full: her children bless her; her husband appreciates her worth, envying no man. This passage reminds children and husbands of their duty to offer the encouragement such a woman deserves. Because some husbands fall short, not every godly wife receives this kind of praise. Such a wife can take comfort that her praise is from God.[1]
If someone had congratulated the Shulamite’s husband for a decision made in the gate, or commented on his fine new coat, or thanked him for a generous contribution to the temple fund or a magnanimous gift to help the poor, he would have said, “You’ll have to thank my wife. It was all her idea.”
If someone had said to one of her sons, “Congratulations on that new house you have just built. Your business must be prospering,” he would have said, “You should congratulate my mother. I have been successful in business only because I’ve followed her advice. Besides, she gave me the property!”
If someone had said to one of her daughters, “Congratulations on your marriage,” the daughter would have responded, “Joseph said he wanted to marry me because I am so much like my mom. Mom picked him out, you know. She is so wise, so loving, so kind. She never interfered, but she made sure that Joseph was the right one for me. Bless her! Now I have a husband just like my dear dad.”
We can imagine Solomon’s ideal woman growing old. Her husband has nothing but praise for her. Her children rise up and bless her. When she is called to her last rest, the family gather in the old home and the neighbors drop in to share their memories. The poor of the city gather at the gate and talk about what a blessing she has been to them. Unknown to everyone, the king has written down her story and the Holy Spirit will include it in His Book. Succeeding generations will read that this woman was called “blessed” and will wonder who she was. Many women will say, “I’m going to be like her.” Surely one of them will be a young virgin who will live a thousand years later in a despised Galilean town called Nazareth; to her an angel will say, “Blessed art thou” (Luke 1:28).[2]
[1] Newheiser, J. (2008). Opening up Proverbs (pp. 179–180). Leominster: Day One Publications. [2] Phillips, J. (2009). Exploring Proverbs 19–31: An Expository Commentary (Vol. 2, Pr 31:28). Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp.