G o d ’i M J W c ornan By Frances E. Siewert
G O where you will to church on Mother’s Day, you will very likely hear a sermon based on Proverbs 31. Ministers are apparently quite ob livious to the fact that many women writhe under their interpretation of that chapter; that they have learned to dread Mother’s Day, and many of them find excuses for being absent from the serv ice. The text? “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above ru bies.” The sermon’s implications? That said virtuous woman is a faithful wife, a slaving mother, a shrewd money maker and a kind neighbor. The listen ing women, who have had exalted dreams of being workers together with God as were Hannah of old and Susan nah Wesley, are suddenly deflated to the status of a jungle mother, doing only what it is her instinct and good policy to do. Could that be what the Holy Spirit intended to teach when He in cluded that chapter in the Word of God? The difficulty is. not with the well- meaning ministers. Doubtless their task is more difficult for them than is that of their listeners. A woman “ preached” that chapter in the first place—taught it to her young son, the new king, Lem uel. May it not then be reasonable that women can best interpret it? No studi ous mother in Israel would ever give it a literal interpretation primarily. She has lived through the experiences of every verse of that chapter too intense ly not to know the blessed spiritual in terpretation which it disguises. “Her price is fa r above rubies.” Many years ago, desiring to know the Bibli cal estimate of my own value as a wife and mother, I deliberately went to a jeweler’s shop and asked him what rubies were worth. He brought out a whole tray of them and said, “ These average $5.00 a piece. Some are a little better than others.” I assured him that I did not want any, and went home, crestfallen. Why, suppose that “ rubies” could be understood to mean a hundred of them, that would mean that this much-heralded “ virtuous woman” was worth only $500 to her husband and children! I was acutely aware that there were many animals standing in their pens in the stockyards that were worth far more than that. But that very fact made me know that the solution had not yet been reached. That night I sent a message to the famous jewelry firm of “ Tiffany’s” New York, explaining my problem. I still have their reply. It reads: “September 17, 1926 “ Dear Madam: “Replying to your inquiry, the value of rubies depends entirely on the qual ity and some years ago a nine-carat ruby was worth from $1,0,000.00 to
that untutored servants could at a few dollars a week and their board, plus a little ingenuity in helping to meet the family’s bills. The thirty-first chapter of Proverbs has a spiritual interpreta tion so rich, so stimulating, so challeng ing that one hesitates to put it into words lest it lose some of its precious ness. That chapter was written to young men, telling them what women to avoid and how to choose an ideal one. But if girls and boys alike were taken through their teens with its home ideas con stantly before them, divorce, broken homes, juvenile delinquency and spir itual poverty would cease to exist as far as they are concerned. For it teaches that God’s ideal woman is trust worthy; a blessing and a bringer of blessings. She seeks out each worth while possibility in her home life and
$50/100.00. Fine rubies are now worth from $1,000.00 to $2,000.00 per carat according to quality, but certain grades would not be worth more than $50.00 to $300.00 per carat, and there are im perfect stones that would not fetch more than $5.00 to $50.00 per carat. There are exceptional rubies that might have sold for $150,000 to $200,000. “Respectfully, “ Tiffany and Company” That much for one stone! Then a hundred of the exceptional ones might be valued at $15,000,000.00 to $20,000,- 000.00! And God places the value of His ideal women as “far above” rubies. That was something to work for with all the ambition of my being, and I in stantly knew positively that it could not be confined to one’s success at doing the menial tasks and friendly favors
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