Lioness

An excellent wife who can find?  She is far more precious than jewels.  Proverbs 31:10 ESV

Excellent – Maybe we stumble around the real meaning of eshet-hayil because we don’t like the cultural implications, but “excellent wife” or “woman of virtue” or “wife of noble character” just doesn’t cut it.  Eshet-hayil is a warrior!  This is Joan of Arc poetry.  This woman fights for what is right, upholds God’s standard, makes a difference, and demonstrates responsible, representational authority as God’s hands and feet.  Our translation attempts to describe her in terms of inner character completely overlook the public, active aspects of Hebrew thought.  The assertion of her “excellence” depends on an unnamed standard – again pushing the idea toward some inner evaluation.  But Hebrew warrior poetry is in your face, up front assessment of her behavior!  She acts like God would act.  It’s visible to all who look.  She stands for something good.  She is (as Waltke says) a “valiant woman.”

I know one such woman in particular.  Her name is Rosanne.  I am married to her.  She is a warrior.  Today is her birthday.  I just though you might like to know. 🙂

Rosanne and I have conflicts.  What would you expect from a warrior?  We don’t always see eye-to-eye.  But we are committed to each other. Oops!  That last statement isn’t quite biblical.  I am committed to her (much better, Genesis 2:24) and as a result she is dedicated to me.  She blesses me with her insightful advice and forceful acts.  Most of the time I try to listen (but I often find my yetzer ha’ra interfering with what I know is the biblical perspective).  When I do, I discover Proverbs 31:11 applies to me.  When I don’t, I usually regret the mistake.

She is God’s gift to me.  How that gift impacts my life is entirely up to me.  She is His gift even if I don’t avail myself of His generosity, but as I learn to accept God in her blessings, I discover what I was missing most of my life – me at peace with myself!

As you know by now, one of the things I love most about South Africa is the chance to spend time with lions.  You will not understand the power and beauty of these creatures until you encounter them up close in the wild.  You may not know this, but the lioness runs the pride.  There may be more than one female, but the dominant female actually has the real power, and is capable of killing the male if he does not perform as expected.  Lions are very social animals.  Even when they have the opportunity to escape from captivity, they will stay close at hand because they are first and foremost family oriented.  They protect each other, stick to each other, enjoy each other in ways that many of the other big cats don’t.  When the pride is functioning as it should, the male is at peace.  The dominant female watches over the pride.  Things are right in the world.  It seems I have a lot to learn from lionesses and Rosanne.  I am glad to have a warrior-protector-teacher in my life.  Things are right in my world.  Happy birthday, sweetheart.

Topical Index:  eshet-hayil, warrior, lioness, Proverbs 31:10-11