8. “She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.” Proverbs 31:16

Someone actually wrote once that this verse proves that the Proverbs woman was a Real Estate Agent. I'll buy that, if you can show me how grocery shopping would make me a farmer.

She wasn't a Real Estate Agent, but a Real Estate Customer.

I have also heard the accusation that the Bible teaches that women should be little more than slaves, that they are less intelligent, less human than men. I believe this to also be miss-interpretation of scripture as a whole. This verse demonstrates a different idea about women.

The Bible does teach that the man is to be the head of the household, but it teaches that the woman is to be the help-meet. It takes a great deal of intelligence and intuition to be a good help-meet, (Think of the stereotypical businessman and his Secretary/ Personal Assistant. She is always the one that really runs the place and he would be lost without her).

God put men in charge of the household because someone needs to be in charge or else you have chaos. Men, by their nature, are generally more analytical, able to see the big picture better than women.

Does this mean women are less intelligent?

No. Their intelligence is just different.

It used to amaze my teenage nephew when he would visit me and a baby would cry. He would be standing there wondering what to do, how do you know what the child needs? Arghhhh!

I could glance at the child and tell him exactly what was going on and what needed to be done to fix the problem. I could do this by using a combination of previous experience, the baby's body language, what I knew had happened in the house over the last hour or so, and the pitch of the cry. These combined are what is called "woman's intuition."

God gave this gift to women so children wouldn't starve to death before they could make their own sandwiches.

Someone needs to be detail oriented enough to nurture the children, to notice when the floor needs vacuuming, and all the other three thousand and twelve little things that are absolutely essential to the running of a family.

I have met men that could do this also, but they then didn't have the energy to devote to the larger issues (I mean larger in size not importance. One million pennies is worth just as much as a ten thousand-dollar bill). The reason single parenthood is so difficult for both men and women is because you have one person trying to do two jobs. It is just too much for one person to handle efficiently.

So God made two kinds of people, one kind that is not easily overwhelmed by the magnitude of a job, and one that is not overwhelmed by the details. This way everything gets done.

There is no mention of the husband in this verse. I assume this woman discussed the purchase of this land with her husband as part of her considering the field. I certainly would, even if the decision were entirely mine to make. My husband is my best friend and a wise man. I trust his advice.

I have been known, in the busyness of everyday life, to forget to seek his opinion. I find myself agonizing over a decision that I am responsible to make and nearly pulling my hair out because I just can't see the answer. When I smack myself upside the head and say "Discuss it with your husband," he usually has the solution immediately, whether it is telling me what I should do, or more often, asking one intelligent question that puts it all into a better perspective and makes the answer obvious.

Proverbs says that with a multitude of counselors there is wisdom.(Proverbs 11:14) Whether we are male or female, starting with our spouse's council- the companion God gave us- is only logical.

This obviously was an intelligent and competent woman who could handle this transaction by herself. Not only that, after making her purchase she set about improving the land to get the most value for her family out of it. She was capable enough to handle this major part of the family.

I believe we should constantly strive to improve ourselves, to become or even surpass this level of competency. Our education should not end with a walk down the school aisle in cap and gown, but should be an ongoing, everyday endeavor. There is always room to grow and improve. We should aim to be as competent and capable as we can be in every area of our lives, whether it is washing dishes, raising children or planting vineyards.

God, our Loving Father, wants us to be the best we can be. In fact, we might say we are the piece of land, and God is planting us. He is seeking to make each of us the best we can be in every area of our lives; much like this woman improved her land.

I believe this field was not necessary for the support of the family, but was purchased to enhance their standard of living. It would be much the same as if I took in sewing or sold one of my cows to pay for the family vacation or buy a new TV.

This vineyard would have added the luxury of wine, grape juice, grapes and raisins to this household. These things were not necessary to survival, but would increase the pleasure factor of their day-to-day lives. This is very appropriate to a woman's role, ("Let the older women teach them to ... love their husbands, love their children and be keepers at home.") Let the men worry about the mundane survival stuff;

"But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." 1 Timothy 5:8

I want to take care of the "quality of life" issues. Just feeding the body isn't enough. We must feed the soul also.

This doesn't have to mean spending money either. It can be as simple as setting a beautiful table for dinner (The better food looks, the better it tastes), singing silly songs, or going to the park for lunch occasionally.

Sometimes remembering "soul food's" importance is easier said than done. The pressures of everyday life can cause me to forget to care for the little extras that make life worth living.

I am so thankful that God never forgets these. Even with wars and famine going on in the world, He remembers to paint a beautiful sunset, and make a delicate flower grow; to make a master sculpture in the clouds and paint the hills with shadows and light.

He doubly blessed me by giving me a husband who frequently helps me in the soul-feeding department. You see, he helps me to be his help-meet. And I help him in his job leading the family. Though we each have our "jobs" to do, you can't really separate me and my calling from him and his calling. I believe this is what God meant when He said. "They twain shall become one."

Marriage is God's object lesson for the relationship between Him and the church.

As Andy and I are two beings, and yet one, so God is the Husband and the church is the wife.

As the husband is called to love his wife so much he would be willing to die for her; God loved us, the church, so much He went to Calvary for us.

As the wife is called to submit to her own husband, so the church is called to submit to God.

We, the church, are to help God in His purpose in this world. We are to reflect His love, and bring the most important soul food- the salvation story- to the world.

He cares for the world and keeps it running and saves the lost souls.
We nurture the "new babes" in Christ and each other.

When you really ponder the beauty of this object lesson many of us live every day, it can become overwhelming. This really is how much God loves me- even more then my husband does. He wants to be even closer to me.

What did I do to deserve this?

Nothing.

God loves me because He chooses to.