“Rejoice in the wife of your youth…” (Proverbs 5:18)
The ‘Proverbs 31 woman’ has become synonymous with the ideal wife: industrious, hard-working, and entrepreneurial. She’s not your stereotypical housewife! But the ideal woman, and her negative counterpart, the adulteress, keep cropping up in Proverbs.
Before we accuse Solomon of misogyny and sexism in his mention of sexual enjoyment within marriage, we need to reflect on whether we’re being prudish. The Bible has no such qualms, secure in the knowledge that God designed sex for man and wife to enjoy for their married lives.
Once the honeymoon is over, and the ‘seven-year-itch’ might start, Solomon would urge us not to make his mistake and go after some other woman, against God’s plan and purpose. If we’re sexually tempted, like many of us are, the Bible doesn’t just command against adultery, but demands lifetime faithfulness within marriage between husband and wife.
Of course, as Solomon himself attests, marriages aren’t always successful! I agree with the conventional wisdom that Ecclesiastes represents Solomon’s penitent farewell to the Lord following his wives’ betrayal of him. Solomon may have eventually discovered serenity and peace with God because his writings are preserved in the Bible. After all, the Bible teaches us that God is loving and dependable even in the face of our disobedience. Ladies: Which type of lady are you? In what way would you go about finding a husband? What qualities in a wife do men search for? Are you prudent in avoiding detrimental influences?
