When I first got a vision for this blog, I felt strongly that I would be able to get the wisdom and direction for how to run my home by studying the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31. On the topic of finances in particular, I feel there is much we can glean from this chapter. There are three verses in Proverbs 31 that directly discuss financial matters in the home (16,18, & 24), and several others that indirectly refer to the topic (13, 14, 20, 21, 22, & 27). Today we’ll take a general look at a few of these topics, including financial vision, saving, planning for emergencies, and generosity.
Financial Vision
Our Proverbs 31 lady is not one to fly by the seat of her pants when it comes to finances. She does not act impulsively, but thoughtfully makes decisions with the family’s needs in mind. How do I know this? First let’s look at Proverbs 31:16, which says “She considers a field and buys it.”
Purchasing a field would be an investment that would serve her family’s own food needs and hopefully provide an extra source of income. I find it interesting that this verse doesn’t even mention the husband. But should I be surprised that he appears to trust her with such a big responsibility? No, because “Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.” (Prov 31:11). This tells me two things about their finances. First, she and her husband are on the same page when it comes to family financial goals; he doesn’t have to worry that she is going to go blow a large chunk of money on something they don’t need. They have some kind of budget or plan that they both are committed to. Second, she has an established track record of making the right decisions (perhaps with her husband’s input, at least initially), and the result is that he lacks nothing of value. Or, to put it simply, she has been faithful with what he’s entrusted to her so far and it’s turned out well for them as a family.
If we are married, have we had many discussions about financial goals and established our family “best practices”? Doing so is not just a good idea for the sake of our bank accounts, but for the sake of our relationship as well. Did you know that money is one of the things that married people fight about the most? It sure is worth talking about. A good resource to get you started is Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. It helps you work out a plan to pay off debt and get set with an emergency fund, savings, etc. It even provides great talking points for engaged couples to discuss.
Saving
Our role model set an example for us on saving, too. In Prov 31:16, Solomon writes, “out of her earnings she plants a vineyard”. The Proverb 31 woman knows how to save up for big purchases. I’d bet, even if debt were as common then as it is today, this smart lady would avoid it like the plague! With hard work, a balanced budget, and a little bit of patience and planning ahead, we too can have the satisfaction of earning something without going into debt over it. Can you imagine how she must have felt when, after putting away penny after penny, she had finally saved enough to purchase the supplies to plant her own vineyard? When she was enjoying its fruit in the fall harvest, she would have literally tasted the sweet success of her savings.
Emergency Fund and Planning Ahead
This wise woman is known for planning ahead and saving for a rainy day. She anticipates the upcoming needs of her family and herself. In Prov 31:18 we read that “her lamp does not go out at night”. Then in verse 21 it goes on to say, “when it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet”. Both of these verses are examples of her looking ahead to the events to come and planning for them. To paraphrase something Dave Ramsey said, when you plan ahead for an emergency, nothing is an emergency. This lady made sure she had oil enough in her lamp to make it through the night. And winter didn’t catch her by surprise either, as we see that she was prepared with the winter gear for the whole family. When we take reasonable steps to plan for what we can, and trust God with the rest, we can enjoy some amazing peace and rest.
Generosity
One of the things I love about this “virtuous and capable wife” is that, not only does she take care of her own family, but she finds the time/resources/money to help others in need. Verse 20 of Prov 31 states, “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.” We get this picture of her welcoming into her life the needy people around her, rather than allowing their problems to overwhelm her and paralyze her from doing anything to help. How would we be serving others with our finances if we had our own needs met and could truly be free to think about others? Would we be giving to a cause or buying someone a meal “just because”? The possibilities are endless!
These are just a few verses relating to finances in Proverbs 31, and maybe you’ve read them before and never thought of them in this way. We have an important role to play in stewarding our family finances, and I hope you are catching on to that as I am!
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