Monday, 3 June 2019

Ayshet Chayil

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Question of the day: How do we fully appreciate the wisdom of the Ayshet Chayil?

Answer: For most of you, I will have to first tell you what Ayshet Chayil is. It means "virtuous woman" and is the Hebrew title of the section of Scripture from Proverbs 31:10-31.

There is nothing as beautiful as a woman who praises the Lord. Proverbs 31:30 "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears Adonai will be praised."

God answered Solomon's prayer for wisdom by giving him understanding to write the Proverbs. Like the Psalms (mostly from Solomon's father, King David) the Proverbs build to a crescendo. The Psalms build to a crescendo of praise for God. The Proverbs build to a crescendo of wisdom of God. No surprise then, that the end of Proverbs is a treatise on the value of a woman who fears Adonai. That value is "far above rubies".

I'm going to close this with the next verse. Proverbs 31:11 "Her husband's heart trusts in her, and he lacks nothing valuable." All relationships are based on trust. Close relationships, like marriage, especially so. A close marriage relationship can put 10,000 to flight. (Deuteronomy 32:30)

I'm really really going to close with this ... A 3 strand cord is spoken of in Ecclesiastes 4:12 "Though a man might overpower one, two can stand against him. Moreover a threefold cord cannot be quickly broken." But a husband and a wife are only 2. Yes, and when you add Yeshua, the two become 3. And that's the last word today.