Proverbs 31:31 Commentary and Bible Study

This mother in Israel will receive a reward, both from God and from man. Give her a reward, Scripture commands, for those who know her and are aware of the great good that she has done to them and to all around her, should not withhold a reward from her. It is the fruit of her many sacrifices for others and her diligence in following her course in this life with all her heart to the very end. She did not do it to get a reward; she did it out of duty, yes, but she also did it out of love for those to whom she could give, and whose lives she could enrich. She is a great giver who does not look for a reward from man but from God. But the Lord, who does not forget even a cup of cold water given in his name, will not forget a life time of gracious gifts given in from a true heart. The fruit she will receive from acts done in this passing world will bear fruit in a better world which cannot pass away. How wonderful that the believer can turn the fading things of time into the everlasting things of eternity – this is the great translation and redemption of everything that the Christian touches in this life; it turns to something better than gold.It is the will of heaven that she should be praised, and praised in the gates where her husband is known. He has no reason to be ashamed of her, but he leads the way in praising her, and her transparent charity to all causes ungrudging praise to come forth from all who know her. It is a wonderful thing to give thanks for a life which has done so much good in a world so full of evil. How better can she overcome the world than by helping all around her? But in truth, this is the work of the Holy Spirit and of Christ, for he is preparing his treasure, and he will present to himself his glorious church, ‘not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish’. He is preparing his church, his bride, out of the unpromising raw material of fallen men and women, and the virtuous woman is one of their number, redeemed by grace.