The Proverbs 31 Woman Was a Career Woman?

The Proverbs 31 Woman Was a Career Woman?

Yes, this is what many want you to believe. They want you to believe that the Proverbs 31 woman was a career woman. They believe she sewed things and was often away from her home to sell them. They want to make you believe she was a realtor who bought and sold property. They also want you to believe she was an agriculturist. I have even heard more than these but these are the main ones.

Let’s look at all of these arguments. Women, always go to the Word of God when someone claims something. A woman recently wrote me, “Sure women can preach. Look at the woman at the well and how she went back to the men in her town and preached the Good News!” Now, google “woman at the well” and see what the Bible actually states. It’s in John 4:28, 29. “The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?”

First of all, she didn’t preach to the men. She told them she had seen a man and asked if he was the Christ. This doesn’t sound like preaching to me! Often the Bible will refer to men “preaching” but it sure didn’t in this place nor any place when referring to a woman. The men went to Jesus and then probably heard Jesus preach to them. It’s easy for women to make things up from the Bible to support their positions. Don’t fall for it! Be a Berean (Acts 17:11) and search out the scriptures to see if what they are telling you is true.

Now, back to the Proverbs 31 woman. Was she a career woman? “She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands…She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard…She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff…She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.” These are the verses that people use to argue that she was a career woman.

We must remember what kind of a culture it was back then. There were no sewing machines nor factories. This woman worked hard with her hands. Almost everything back then had to be made with one’s hands and from scratch. She bought ONE field and then she planted on it, most likely with her children and others helping her since she was a queen and had servants. This does not make her a realtor, no, not even close.

With the spindle and the distaff, she worked with the wool and flax. She made fine linen. This requires a lot of time and energy. There is no way she could have made enough fine linen and garments by hand and left her home each day to sell them. She may have left her home once a month or even less often to have enough to deliver to the merchants. No, she didn’t go someplace to work away from home. She simply delivered the girdles to those who bought them.

Her daughters were probably at her side helping her weave the linen and making the girdles. Running a home back then created a ton of work and left little time for women to be away from it. It’s only our modern technology and daycare/public schools that allow women to leave their homes for hours every day, leave their children with strangers, and work for a boss. Remember, she was known for “looking well to the ways of her household” (Proverbs 31:27), not having a career and making money.

God wants women to be keepers at home because He doesn’t want them to go from house to house and gossiping (1 Timothy 5:13) or being involved as a whore (Proverbs 7:11). I am positive He saw the day when women would be leaving their homes and their children in the care of others to go into the workforce, so He knew that the command to be keepers at home was relevant for this day and age. He knows that women become restless and discontent doing what He has called them to do, therefore, He gave us the commands to be keepers at home, learn contentment, and do everything for the glory of Him.

Remember, women, God is good and His plan for you is good. Home is where you belong. Keep reminding yourself of the Gospel and what the Lord has done for you! When you remember that you were nothing without Him but now have everything you need for life and godliness, you are reminding yourself of His grace and mercy freely bestowed upon you! Don’t allow anything or anyone to steal your joy or keep you from what He has called you to do. As you lovingly care for your husband, children, and home, you are storing your treasures in heaven.

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Matthew 6:19-21

24 thoughts on “The Proverbs 31 Woman Was a Career Woman?

  1. Those women were industrious and hard working keepers of their home. But they did not work outside their family, they did not preach to men or seek authority over them, they did not spend unchaperoned time away from home. They lived under the protection and authority of their husband and cared for their own children as their first priority.

  2. I would bet also that they had saved themselves for marriage, had always dressed modestly as women / girls not men and that as married women they expected to be mothers and surrendered their womb to the Lord ! Sorry feminists.

  3. Lori, what are single, God-honoring women to do if they have no parents and must provide for themselves? I would love your thoughts on this as unfortunately I fall into this category. Blessings.

    -Rachel

  4. Why would the Proverbs 31 woman be earning money if she was a queen? This question has troubled me and I wondered if you could answer it.

  5. Hi Lori 🙂

    What about women who do extra “work” without leaving home or sending their children off? I teach another homeschool family’s children once a week for pay. Their kids are precious to us and we cherish their relationships.

    Also, a couple times a month my kids and I participate in market research studies. They come with me to the studies, and sometimes they are the ones trying the new products for pay.

    I’d never considered that this work might be outside of biblical mandates and wonder what your thoughts are. My husband is happy for the occasional extra money as long as it doesn’t interfere with my homekeeping duties.

  6. I am not sure but the main point of the advice given to this young men in looking for a wife was to find a woman who loves the Lord and His ways, who works hard and is not lazy, and who deeply loves her family. Maybe she was helping the merchants by sewing some things that they needed. In those days, they couldn’t just go to stores and buy what they needed.

  7. There are no exceptions in the Bible. God has set certain standards in place, and those standards are supported throughout Scripture. It’s not up to us, His creation, to find loopholes and caveats in the Bible to support what we think we ought to do. Obedience is the key. My husband brought up Lydia, the seller of purple, the other day. It doesn’t say where she sold purple (from her home or from a place of business?) or what kind of purple (the dye or actual clothing?), only that she sold purple. The real takeaway here is that she believed in the Lord, loved Him and used her home to bless Paul and the other saints, showing hospitality. What God had given to her, she used for His glory.

  8. We know there were no factories back then so she made the purple (most likely fabric) in her home on a spindle and distaff as the Pr. 31 woman did. But yes, women want to use her as an example of a career women. There were no career women back then as we know them today!

  9. Lori,

    I welcome your godly advice and anyone else’s on what to do about my current situation.

    My husband works in the gas/oil industry, and I have been able to stay home since we married almost 6 years ago. But with that industry comes lay offs sometimes.

    2 years ago, my husband got laid off and he asked me to get a job while he was laid off just to keep us afloat (we had plenty of money saved so afloat means so we don’t have to live off our savings). So I got a waitressing job and worked for almost 4 months.

    During that time life was completely miserable. My husband sat home all day everyday doing as little as possible, and I would come home and do all the chores and take care of myself. There was no dinner waiting for me, no laundry done, no floors vacuumed like I have for him when I’m home doing what I’m called to do.

    So fast forward, my husband is supposedly getting laid off next month, and he asked me once again to get a job just for the lay off.

    I talked with him about it, shared my concerns about what happened last time, how this isn’t my responsibility, etc. Not to mention, I’ve been homeschooling my son for the past year and 1/2 so he is home now too.

    My husband basically said that if I don’t do this for him, it means I don’t care about him at all and that I’m basically the biggest mooch ever off him because I won’t “be a woman” and do my share so he can take a break and not have to work outside during the winter this year.

    I of course feel totally repulsed by his attitude towards me and how he views me. He often “jokes” that I’m on a permanent vacation because he’s been the provider our whole marriage.

    There were times when he got laid off in the past that I did not work and everything was fine.
    But for some reason, he like wants to see me go “suffer” out in the workforce and out in the world. He makes comments along these lines.

    I feel like if I don’t do this, he will be convinced forever that I’m just “using” him in life to not have to work and live a vacation lifestyle (which is so completely off and not true it appalls me that he feels this way).

    Do I just refuse and oh well how he feels and what he thinks?

    Thanks for your help!

    Amanda

  10. The last paragraph you wrote was so touching to me. We must always be heavenly minded and not forget who we were created to be.

    I am at home full time. I have one child left at home. He is 17. I get lots of time with my grandchildren and I know I am truly blessed. But I find I am trying to find new value with not having my kids to care for around the clock. Being a mother is the greatest blessing to me and I absolutely loved everything about it. I’ve been tempted to go back to work, but never feel quite right about it. This message reminded me who I was created to be. Great word at a much needed time. Thank you Lori

  11. Sorry about your situation but you must submit to your husband on this. You shouldn’t be working but not following your husband on this is even worst. Pray hard that the Holy Spirit convicts him to change his mind. Is he a believer? I can’t imagine.

  12. How do you know that submission trumps being a keeper of the home? There is no Scripture for that.

  13. Because the relationship of the husband to a wife is repeated about twelve times in Scripture. God must have thought it very important to say it this many times. A wife is even told to win her disobedient husband by living in subjection to him with godly behavior.

  14. I agree..I think people are trying to make the proverbs 31 into a modern woman ….but nothing was modern back then.. Also it is a Acrostic poem…..So working in the home was a full time job.. The bible needs to be read with Hebrew eyes instead of westernized ones.. and not let the enemy twist the words to fit modern day ideology…

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