She seeks wool and flax, and willingly works with her hands. (Prov. 31:13, NKJV now and throughout.)
This woman stays busy with her hands. She is always working on a project. She is industrious. Pursuing sources that have wool and flax, animal and plant fibers that comprise clothing, drapery, household linens, tapestries, and more, the virtuous woman is productive.
It could be that she will be the one processing the wool or flax to make into a yarn or string for weaving cloth. She searches out quality fibers that she will clean, card and spin. All these activities take time and energy, effort and diligence.
She is like the merchant ships, she brings her food from afar. (Prov. 31:14)
She is so industrious that she is compared to merchants’ ships. Business merchants are always on the look-out for the best deal, a way to make a sale, to advertise their goods, to serve their customers. They handle every part of their business from the very beginning to the final sale, and customer-satisfaction.
The Virtuous Woman is no different. She knows every aspect of her business, from the quality of her food to the tastes of her customers.
She also rises while it is yet night, and provides food for her household, and a portion for her maidservants. (Prov. 31:15)
Sleep is a necessity, but not something she considers to indulge in. The VW makes sure her household is in order for the day. She leads and supervises her house with structure and provision. She is up before the sun is up and gets started. The household is not abandoned; they receive the first and foremost nourishment for the day.
She gardens, grows her food, or buys it and keeps it well stored. No one is neglected, not even the maid servants. Everyone needs to eat and she makes sure everyone is fed.
31:16, She considers a field and buys it; from her profits she plants a vineyard. (Prov. 31:16)
She is capable of doing business and managing the financial end of things. She knows how to use her profits for future investments.
Examples of VW in Scripture That Came to Mind
Dorcas (Tabitha) in Acts 9:36-41, she made coats for those in need. She made them by hand and from scratch, each and every time.
Lydia was a seller of purple. This business woman used her assets for the ministry. She was a female trade of purple dyed cloth. Acts 16:14-15
Interesting Clues I Found
The VW is attentive to detail. She knows how long things take. She is aware of the timelines in projects, the time in schedules and routines. Take the wool and flax in v. 13 as an example. I have read the process involved with preparing wool for spinning into yarn. It is a long, intense effort of preparation. Yet, the VW works willingly. She knows how long it takes to do the tasks necessary.
This dawned on me recently. Having a day off is a rare treat, but when it comes, I stuff it with all sorts of things I want to do. Of course, I never have enough time because when I start one project another idea spins off and I’m in the flow of working, so it’s easy to add it in. The problem is that it’s not on my list and becomes a distraction. Before I know it, the day is over and my list is barely checked off.
On the other hand, household chores are also needed to be completed and they take time, time away from other things. If there is one thing I have learned, it’s that timing is everything. I may have a day off, but the actually free time is not equal to that. After scheduling in household chores and responsibilities, my free time dwindles down to a couple of hours instead of an entire day.
Key Takeaway
I noticed that the VW flows from one task to another. She has synchronized her work into one seamless flow. She may have understood the precious limited time and used it effectively in the extra free minutes between activities. I think she incorporated her free time into her schedule as if it was another chore or task. There would be no interruption or “break time!” involved, just the smooth continuous flow of work. Maybe that’s where the saying comes from, you know, “a woman’s work is never done,” but in reality, she has learned to weave in her free time as though it was another task. Brilliant!
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