Proverbs 14:1 “The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands.”
A wise woman is not flawless, she has been forgiven; she is not perfect, she has been purified. The word of God says, ‘a wise woman builds her house’. It does not say a prudent and frugal man builds his house. The man is the provider of the home even in the time and age when women have equal earning potential. However, this verse does not talk about economic thriftiness. A wise woman does not build a house with bricks, she builds it with benevolence.
There are many veterans in the Bible who are a perfect epitome of a virtuous woman, however, the most imperfect, blemished and stained woman who stands out as God’s ideal choice is Rehab, the prostitute! By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies (Hebrews 11:31). Many theologians try to hide the true identity of Rehab as a scarlet cloth merchant or a motel mistress. She had ..hidden them under the stalks of flax..on the roof. (Joshua 2:6). Flax were spun into garments and dyed in scarlet. However, Rahab’s portfolio throughout the Bible has been ‘The redeemed prostitute’. It is not God’s intention to stigmatize or marginalize her but to prove the power of the blood that can make the promiscuous, pure. If the blood of goats and bulls could make ‘a hooker’, holy how much more will the blood of Jesus rinse us clean?
A virtuous woman has her painful wounds and tainted past covered by the blood stained scarlet robe of Jesus.
Three basic qualities of a virtuous woman:
1. Fence: The scarlet rope was the fence of fire for Rehab and her family. You have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down (Joshua 2:17). Rehab built the wall of salvation around her home. A wise woman protects her home, husband and her household. She will never bicker about her in-laws or complain about her husband to her neighbour. She will deal with her problems with fasting and prayer. Fence your home.
2. Foundation: The scarlet cloth was the foundation of her salvation. The same chord that the spies escaped was the same chord that saved Rehab’s family. Any foundation other than the blood of Jesus will make the home instable. The same blood that forgives us is the same blood that will save our children, spouse, in-laws and out-laws. “Once a woman has forgiven her man, she must not reheat his sins for breakfast” – Marlene Dietrich. The foundation is forgiveness.
- Fertile: The scarlet chord turned the dreadful life of the ‘call girl’ into a queen. Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth (Matthew 1:5). Rahab was the great, great, great, great grandmother of King David and she appears in the genealogy of Jesus. The purifying blood turned her infidelity into fertility. Rehab nursed royalty! The blood turns impurity into fertility.
Let Christ be the foundation of your home. Fence your home with salvation and fertilize it with forgiveness.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Isaiah 60:18b You shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.
Prayer: Divine Daddy, I am your daughter, saved and redeemed by your blood. May I build my home on virtue, love and forgiveness. Amen.
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