A Wise Woman (Part 2 of 2)

Ladies, are you destroying or building your home?

May 15, 2021

"Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands."

Proverbs 14:1

Part 2

Yesterday:  “The Wise Godly Woman”
“Every wise woman.”
“Buildeth her house.”

 

Today:  “The Unwise Ungodly Woman”

“But the foolish.”
In contrast to the wise, godly woman is the foolish woman.  This woman is pretty much the opposite of the wise woman in her ways.  She is given to sin (Proverbs 9:13-17), and is often “mouthy” and definitely does not have a “meek and quiet spirit” (1 Peter 3:1-4).  She might even be called the “strange woman,” for she does not have a personal relationship with Israel’s God.[1]  She is a stranger to Him.

“By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted:  But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked” (Proverbs 11:11).[2]

 

“Plucketh it down with her hands.”

“Plucketh”

The ancient word used here means “to tear down, break down, overthrow, beat down, break, breakthrough, destroy, pluck down, pull down, throw down, ruined, destroyer, utterly” (BDB).  What a picture of what the foolish woman does to her home!

Instead of building up her home, the foolish woman destroys hers.  As we have seen,

Builds may not refer to constructing a physical house but caring for a household and causing it to flourish.… a woman of folly lives in such a way that her household is neglected.[3]

She does not know or is not concerned that her carelessness in not tending to her family will be a great contributor to their downfall.  She has her own sinful interests that she loves to pamper herself with.  She puts herself first before her family responsibilities.

“The thriftless wife acts differently, and the opposite is the result.  Household furniture, far from being increased, is dilapidated; and her household are ill-fed, ill-clothed, and worse educated”[4] (Clarke).

“With her hands.”

“her hands, her own hands … ‘with her hands plucketh it down.’” [5]

“Her hands – By her idleness or sin”[6] (Wesley).

Believers, we need to be teaching our families how to care for our families and homes.  Thank the Lord for “wise women!”

 

Quote:  “A woman who has no fear of God, who is wilful and wasteful, and indulges her ease, will as certainly ruin her family as if she plucked her house down” (Henry).[7]

 

 

[1] The “strange woman”: Proverbs 2:16; 5:3; 5:20; 6:24; 7:5; 20:16; 23:27; 27:13.  She is to be avoided at all costs by men who desire to be godly.
[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version.  (2009).  (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Pr 11:11).  Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[3] Buzzell, S. S. (1985).  Proverbs.  In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 934).  Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.  The emphasis is theirs.
[4] Adam Clarke, Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.  Proverbs 14:1.
[5] Cambridge Bible, the electronic version in eSword.  The emphasis theirs.
[6] John Wesley.  John Wesley’s Notes on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.  Proverbs 14:1.
[7] Henry, M., & Scott, T. (1997).  Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Pr 14:1).  Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems.