Proverbs 18:22

October 28, 2023

“He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord.”

This verse of Scripture out of the book of proverbs was written by King Solomon, one of the wisest kings to ever live in his time. To truly put this passage into context we need to go back to the beginning. Genesis chapter 2 verse 18 states, “And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

The Lord never wanted a man to be alone so He created Eve for Adam as his helper. The same goes for us today; God’s will for us is not to be alone but to have a God fearing union that helps one another in every aspect of life particularly glorifying the Lord. The man is the head of the household but the woman plays such a significant role as well.

One important role is that she radiates the attributes of Jesus Christ. A God fearing woman should be a wife of noble character: a virtuous wife, a prudent wife, and a faithful wife. A wise woman will want to bring peace and love into their relationship creating a long lasting and happy marriage without turmoil and chaos. The Word of God gives so many verses of Scripture on the importance of being with the right person.

The Holy Bible also gives passages of Scripture on what can happen when a woman brings strife and division into her marriage. Proverbs 21:9 out of God’s Word gives us a perfect example when Solomon states, “Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.” In other words a man that has a wife that is argumentative and difficult would rather stay outside on the roof than to deal with her attitude.

Another verse of Scripture that describes what can occur when a woman refuses to live by the general truths given by the Lord is found in Proverbs 14:1. It states “The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands.” A virtuous woman will build her household up in a way that is pleasing to God. They will want the approval of the Lord. A thoughtless woman will tear her house down without even thinking twice about it.

God’s Words are so revealing when it comes to a married man having a good virtuous woman. Proverbs 31:10-12 breaks it down seamlessly when it states, “Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.”

The primary passage of Scripture coincides with these Bible verses perfectly. Let’s take a closer look so that we can have an idea of the message that Solomon is trying to convey. The word “finds” used is the Hebrew word “māṣā’” which means: to find, secure, acquire, get (thing sought). The words “a good” used is the Hebrew word “ṭôḇ” which means: a good thing, benefit, welfare, prosperity, and happiness.

When we dissect this first part of this verse of Scripture we can conclude that Solomon through the leading of the Holy Spirit is making it clear that a man’s greatest treasure is a good virtuous woman. Not just any woman but one that is seen as a good thing bringing happiness to her husband wanting to strive to be an excellent wife. It is the kind of woman that he has been seeking and praying to the Lord for.

A good woman that puts God before everything else is honorable. The heart of her husband trusts her all the days of her life because she is faithful. God’s blessings and God’s favor is on their relationship because it is centered around the Lord. A Godly marriage will not only strive to bring others to Jesus Christ but they are also the example of what a healthy marriage looks like.

The last part of this passage of Scripture is very revealing, it states “…and obtains favor from the Lord.” The words “and obtains” used is the Hebrew word “pûq” which means: to bring out, elicit, obtain, and cause to come out from. The word “favor” used is the Hebrew word “rāṣôn” which means: pleasure, delight, favour, goodwill, acceptance, and will.

So when we piece this last part of this verse together we can determine that a man that takes his time to find his wife should expect a life filled with delight, happiness, and favor. A man that realizes the most important things to look for in an excellent wife is her relationship with the Lord. He understands the important spiritual principles that are needed for a successful marriage.

The best thing that a man or a woman can do when searching for their lifetime partner is to wait on the Lord. It is not wise to rush into relationships because that is how you make wrong decisions choosing the wrong person as your lifetime partner. One thing to keep in mind is that good wives are hard to find; they are rare and are described as rubies, a beautiful stone that takes effort to discover.

When you take your time to find that precious gem it makes a significant difference. The fact is a person’s life can be filled with the favor of the Lord or it can be filled with strife, division, conflict, and discord. It really boils down to the man making the right decision on the woman that he chooses to be his helpmeet.

Also, don’t forget to check out my other blogs:

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