The heart of her husband confideth in her, and he shall have no lack of spoil.
The closing poem of Proverbs paints a wife worth more than jewels, and the first thing said of her is her husband's trust. Commentators read the verse on two levels: a real marriage, and a picture of Christ and the people He left in charge of His interests.
The verse does not say his money is safe with her, or his reputation. It names the organ of affection as the place where the trust sits.
Notice that it is His heart that trusts in her — the seat of the affections. It is not so much His goods and her care for them that He is most concerned about, but her love; this is what He prizes above all. For what would be the industry, the thrift, and all else, without this first good and basic spring of all the rest?
The word "safely" in the older wording carries weight. A husband may trust and still be ruined. Proverbs has already shown the opposite kind of wife.
This loyal wife's opposite is the woman with the bold face in chapter 7. Her husband was away too: she tells her yielding victim that he has gone on a long journey, has taken a bag of money with him, and will come home on the day he set. Her husband, too, trusted her, perhaps, but he did not safely trust. She shamefully deceived him and proved herself untrue.
Older translations end the verse with "no need of spoil," which the ESV puts as "no lack of gain." One writer asks what price could ever repay such a wife.
No material price can ever repay her. The precious red ruby, or many of them together, cannot compare with her worth. But are we not given a veiled hint here? Her value is measured only by the precious blood of Christ, the price of her redemption. It is He Himself who has placed this value upon her. His heart safely trusts in her, and He will have no lack of spoil — no lack of gain through her.
Where does a woman like this come from? Commentators trace her to God, not to luck.
If house and wealth are an inheritance of fathers, as it generally was in Israel, a prudent wife was from Jehovah. What would all the rest be worth, however fine or plentiful, if the meekness of wisdom were missing in the woman who shared it all? If everything else were lacking, what comfort and happiness to have one given by Jehovah, with His light within her and around her!
Another writer traces the character itself to the same source.
How refreshing to see these qualities in a woman in any good measure. But it is impossible apart from the grace of God having worked in her heart.
In this picture the husband is away from home, and one writer sees the Lord Himself in that absence.
We say absent husband, because he is clearly away from home here. What a fitting picture this is of our Lord while He is away from earth now. Like the nobleman in the parable, He has gone to a far country to receive a kingdom for Himself and then to return. While He is away, His heart can safely trust the one He has left to look after His interests till He comes again.
Does the church as a whole match this picture? One writer says no, and turns instead to each believer.
The church, as a responsible witness to Christ, has proved a sad failure; she has neglected His affairs. Yet despite this collective failure, Christ looks to each one of us to be faithful to Him. His heart safely trusts that we will seek only what concerns Him.
- Priced. No price matches her. One writer hears a hint of the true measure: the blood of Christ, the price of her redemption.
- Trusted. What rests on her is her husband's heart — his affection, not just his goods. Her love is the spring of all her industry and thrift.
- Safe. The woman of chapter 7 had a trusting husband too, and she deceived him. This wife never betrays that trust.
- Given. Wealth may come from parents. A prudent wife comes from the Lord, and grace alone works such a heart.
- Gaining. The absent Husband will have no lack of gain. The church as a whole has failed Him, yet He looks to each believer to seek only what concerns Him.
She doeth him good, and not evil, all the days of her life.
One line sums up the whole portrait: her effect on her husband is good, never harmful, and it lasts for life. Commentators read it on two levels: a real marriage, and the care of Christ's interests while He is away.
The verse says two things, not one. Avoiding damage is only half of it.
She will not only keep away from harmful things; she "will do Him good," like the good servant who reports to his master that his pound has gained ten pounds. She is too busy with good to have time even for worthless things, let alone evil ones. And this goes on "all the days of her life": she never grows weary of diligent devotion.
Why is her good so valuable? Because of her position. No one else stands close enough to help him the way she can. If she is faithful, she can say things he would not take from anyone else.
Certainly no one else has such a chance to know him closely and to help him. She can help as no one else can. And if she is for God, what a treasure she is to her husband, who might resent faithfulness in anyone else! What a favour from Jehovah!
Her help does not depend on her being the lesser partner. Kelly points to this chapter as the full portrait of such a woman. Even where her gifts run past her husband's, she uses them to back him up.
If you want a full-length portrait of a woman of worth, you will find it in the last chapter of this book. Such a woman is not only a blessing but "a crown" to her husband. Even if she is ahead of him in natural gift or in spiritual life, she will still keep herself behind him. She gives real help under him as her head, and this brings good order among children and servants, and in the circle of their friends or foes too.
Kelly sets the other kind of wife beside her, and the harm he describes reaches into the man himself.
On the other hand, what a curse is the wife who brings shame, whatever the cause! It is an evil that always feels hopeless in itself. How truly it is described as "rottenness in his bones"!
Scripture gives a name to such a wife. It also says where a good wife comes from.
There are exceptions, as we well know. Sometimes wives become traps to their husbands. Jezebel, for instance, stirred up her husband Ahab to do evil (1 Kings 21:25). But Proverbs 31:10-31 gives a lovely contrast to that example of evil, and shows the great blessing of finding a virtuous woman. It is not a man's good character that earns him a virtuous wife. It is the favour (or grace) of the Lord that brings her to him.
Sometimes the good a wife does is a refusal. David was set on a course that would have dishonoured God. Abigail stepped in, and he blessed her for it.
Happy David! He has found a wife after his own heart. He blesses her, and he blesses her wisdom (1 Samuel 25:33). She is a true helper in the difficulties of his career. He blesses her for stopping him from doing evil that would have dishonoured his God.
Several writers read the whole passage as a picture of Christ and those who belong to Him while He is away. On that reading, doing Him good means caring about what He cares about. The honest question is how much of our time goes elsewhere.
Even early in the history of the church, the Apostle Paul wrote: "They all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 2:21). How much of our own interests fill our minds and take up our time! And how little we seek what is good and profitable for His interests. And are we not sometimes tied to things that bring loss to His interests and to ourselves rather than gain? It was not so with the virtuous woman.
That standard raises an obvious question: who lives up to it now?
But where, it may be asked, can this lovely quality of faithfulness to Christ be seen today? And a question it must remain! Taken as a whole, the picture is an ideal. There is no assembly or body of Christians anywhere on earth that would not have to say honestly: It is not in me.
- Close — no one else stands where she stands. Her nearness gives her a chance to help that no one else has.
- Good — she is not just harmless. She works for her husband's gain, too busy with good to have room for what is worthless.
- Not harm — Jezebel pushed her husband into evil. Doing good can mean holding a husband back, as Abigail held David back from dishonouring God.
- All the days — this is not a phase. Commentators stress there is no growing weary of steady devotion.
- For Him — many read the wife as a picture of Christ's people while He is away. Then the question is simple: do His interests fill our time, or do ours?