Aishet Chayil

Today's Through the Bible Reading: Proverbs 31; 1 Kings 10:14-29; 2 Chronicles 9:13-28

Abbreviated Reading: Proverbs 31

“Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.” Proverbs 31:10

Every Friday evening, as the Jews enter Shabbat, their feast of rest, they sing a special song over their women. Husbands praise their wives, sons rejoice over their mothers, grandsons honor the matriarch, and brothers show respect to their sisters. It’s a beautiful scene. And it happens the world over – even still. The song they sing is titled Aishet Chayil, translated “a woman of valor”. The song is Proverbs 31.

As originally penned, this chapter was a poem sung over a beloved woman from the perspective of an adoring son - a potent picture of beauty being in the eye of the beholder. 

As Christians, we’ve taken this chapter and written volumes, books, and series on it - all materials with good intentions, geared toward helping us to be more virtuous women. I’m glad for those materials, but permit me to challenge you today with this thought: you are the bride of Christ and isn’t it proper to perceive this as the song He sings over you, His bride, as you rest in Him, as you enter into His Shabbat? And rest in this dear sister: it’s not because you possess all of these attributes, but because beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This is how Christ sees you and me because we are clothed in His righteousness and credited with all of His gloriousness.

All Scripture points to Jesus Christ and the purpose of the entire Bible is to point our gaze upward. If we fail to find Him here in Proverbs 31, then we are focusing on the wrong person. Proverbs 31 is not about us. Like the rest of the Scriptures, it’s all about Him! It’s His grace to see you and me as the virtuous woman you see.

So consider each attribute highlighted in this grand and glorious chapter of God’s amazing grace and look to Jesus – the Person who possesses them all. He is virtuous and clothes us in strength and honor and it’s Him who considered our value to be far beyond rubies (Prov. 31:25; Matt. 13:45, 46; 1 Peter 1:18, 19).

Dear sister, know this: there is no virtue outside of Jesus Christ. But in Him we are clothed in strength and honor. May you read this poem today and hear it as the song sung over you by your bridegroom. Aishet Chayil! You are virtuous because of Jesus!

by Sharon Kaselonis / All rights reserved ©