The Worthy Woman

It is sad that the only time Proverbs 31 is studied is either on Mother’s day or one of the first lessons in a ladies Bible study. This section is not only a call for women to fulfill their God-given roles as wives and mothers; it is a challenge to men. Am I being the man I need to be so that my wife can be the woman she needs to be? Or does she have to fill my role as husband and father too?


With some application out of the way, I want to share with you something that made me respect this “worthy woman” all the more. Verse 17 reads, “she girds herself with strength and makes her arms strong.” This is usually noted by commending her ability to work from sun up to sun down. She had to be physically strong to complete her day’s work. But I want you to notice something about verse 19, “She stretches out her hand to the distaff and her hands grasp the spindle.” The distaff is the wooden staff that the wool is on before it is spun as thread. The spindle is the flywheel used to collect the thread. You may wonder what this has to do with her being strong because this is a reference to her making clothes – or is it?



According to mythology, Anat, the warrior goddess of Ugarit, used the distaff and spindle as a weapon. So while, this woman is busy providing for her family, she may also be ready to protect them. While I would not want to push this point too hard, it is interesting that she is concerned with her level of strength, she holds onto the spindle (she does not simply use it), she is not afraid, and she is able to smile at the future. According to Tremper Longman, “warrior imagery” is woven in to the entire section on the worthy woman. It seems that the only thing this woman fears is God.

The next time you think about the worthy woman, do not just think of some docile little lady. This woman fulfills her God-given role as a wife and mother by loving her husband, providing for her family, and protecting her children. This is not the woman to cross at the supermarket!

Ecclesiastes by Tremper Longman III

For information on this author see post below.

I just finished a Bible class on Ecclesiastes and this was an indispensable source. This is in the NICOT series (New International Commentary on the Old Testament) – a quality series published by Eerdmans.

This is one of the few commentaries that you could from cover to cover. Longman is not dogmatic concerning various interpretations of some of the more difficult passages (which add up to more than I assumed). Longman is also very conversant with many of the “standard scholars” on Ecclesiastes – Blenkinsopp, Crenshaw, Fox, Ginsberg, and Whybray. This is an added benefit to this book because he frequently includes their views and provides pros and cons for each and then presents his personal opinion.

For the class I had also picked up Provan’s work on Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon in the NIVAC series (The NIV Application Commentary). I was in the habit of reading through Longman first and felt as if Provan added little.

If you need an aid for Ecclesiastes, go with Longman. He is brilliant and his strength is Old Testament Poetry.

God is a Warrior

I picked this book up a couple of weeks ago and was very impressed. The title is God is a Warrior. It was written by Tremper Longman III and Daniel G. Reid. It was published by Zondervan.

When it comes to commentaries and discussion concerning the Old Testament, Tremper Longman III is one of the first scholars to whom I look. Longman is a professor of Old Testament at Wesminster Seminary and has written numerous books dealing with Old Testament poetry and well as other areas of the Old Testament. He also has a survey he writes on the current commentaries on the Old Testament – a very helpful tool when purchasing study aids.

I know little about Daniel Reid, but if this book speaks of his knowledge and study, he is a quality Bible student.

One of my professors in college told our class once that if you read “LORD of hosts” or if you see God with a sword – DUCK! The book God is a Warrior traces the warrior motif throughout the Old and New Testaments. Without a doubt, the Old Testament lends itself more readily to this discussion. The authors look at some of the more obvious passages and then bring in some Ancient Near Eastern traditions to show some of the similarities with Israel’s surrounding cultures.

The back half of the book is dedicated to the New Testament and traces Jesus as a warrior (obviously against Satan, his demons, and death) and the New Exodus. The book also considers Paul as a Holy Warrior of Christ and it looks at the divine war within the Revelation (Longman takes an a-millennial view). The section on the New Testament was very enlightening because it provides a perspective that is rarely considered.

The first half of the book provides for easier reading but the second half of the book creates a very different and challenging perspective for Bible students. I found myself amazed in 2 Kings when Elisha prays that the eyes of the servant be opened and when they are he sees that the mountain is full of horses and chariots of fire. God revealed to this servant that God is, in fact, a warrior. If passages like that or the comments on “the LORD of hosts” in Isaiah amaze you, then this book is for you.