PROVERBS 31:30

Proverbs 31:30 serves as part of the conclusion of a long passage that started in verse 10 of the same chapter. The successive verses proceeded to list the qualities of a woman who fears the LORD— she is diligent in her business, not lazy or idle, contributes to the upkeep of her home, gives to the poor, takes care of her household, strong in character, honourable, wise, kind and so much more. 

But the Scriptures had to point out something major in verse 30. It says “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised” (KJV). The Holman Christian Standard Bible puts it this way, “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD will be praised”. This has 2 implications. The first is the more obvious implication and which is that what matters more is what is within a person and not outward beauty. Although these verses seem to be addressed only to women, it is in fact necessary for all, both men and women. 

Now, outward beauty isn’t bad. However, no amount of beauty can cover or make up for a person who is lacking in character. A person’s character is the real quality of a person. If the inside isn’t nice, the outside wouldn’t mean much no matter how nice it looks. Imagine you want to buy a house to live in and your realtor takes you to a house, no matter how beautifully painted and decorated the house is on the outside, you wouldn’t decide to buy it based on that. You would still want to go into the house and find out how it looks inside and if what you see isn’t palatable, I bet you wouldn’t even remember how beautiful the outer paint is before rejecting the house. The beautiful exterior wouldn’t factor in your decision if you don’t like the interior.

The fact is that outward beauty fades away fast if the inside is nothing to write home about. A person who has redeeming qualities is attractive to all that come in contact with him/her. Even if that person's looks may not seem amazing at first, once these qualities are displayed, looks are quickly forgotten. The moment you see or think of that person, what would cross your mind wouldn’t be the person’s average looks, what would immediately cross your mind would be the good qualities he/she has. And that person will always be pleasing in your sight.

The second and even more important aspect is the need for the fear of God. The fear of God is to be desired over and above all other good qualities. This means it is possible for a person to have seemingly good qualities without having the fear of God. A person may be hardworking, nice, kind and so on but all these come to naught if the fear of God is missing. Note that the qualities listed in Proverbs 31 aren’t hanging on their own. The beginning, the foundation upon which those qualities are built, is the fear of God. The opening words of verse 10 read, “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies” (KJV). The word “virtuous” in that context means living according to the principles set by God. All the other qualities listed after the verse were just further descriptions of a person who lives according to God’s principles, in other words, a person who fears the LORD. All those qualities are therefore meant to serve as evidence of the presence of the fear of God in a person.

It will be surprising to know that a person who appears to possess these qualities without having the fear of God is still displaying “outward beauty and charm”. Because those qualities lack the proper foundation and when push comes to shove, they can so quickly disappear. Just like the parable of two houses that was given in the Bible (Matthew 7:24-27; Luke 6:46-49), one was built on a rock, a solid foundation while the other was built on sand, a poor foundation. When the rains fell and the winds blew, it was the house with the solid foundation that remained. If the foundation is poor, no matter how good the building is, it is bound to fall. 

Many are quick to list out all the qualities listed from verses 11 downward but they neglect what actually started it all. The reason why those qualities came into play. The reason for their presence in her life. And so they have it backward. These qualities do not bring about the fear of the LORD in a person, rather, the fear of the LORD enables these qualities to be inculcated. A person who fears the LORD will be all about pleasing Him in all areas of life and the qualities listed are pleasing to God. A person who fears the LORD will be diligent because God expects us to be diligent (Ecclesiastes 9:10a). A person who fears the LORD will not be lazy or idle because God detests laziness and idleness (Proverbs 19:15; 18:9; 6:6-11). A person who fears the LORD will be a giver because God commands us to give and He loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). Such a person will definitely be wise because the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10a), a person who fears the LORD will look after his/her own household which God has given unto him/her. It’s that simple.

So really, the fear of the LORD is to be the number one priority for everyone. Once it is present in a person, everything good that is built on it will have an enduring quality. For the fear of the LORD will naturally birth and sustain them. And regardless of the ferocity of the rains and winds and storms, that person will stand. Those qualities shall remain.

In a nutshell, regardless of your gender, you must lay the proper foundation. The fear of the LORD is the only sure sustenance of everything good.