Welcome to The Femina Podcast. This is Nancy Wilson. Thanks for joining me today.

The topic today is Proverbs 31-10. Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far

above rubies. And then 12-4, Proverbs 12-4 is a parallel verse. An excellent wife is the

crown of her husband. Being a virtuous wife is a central calling for women. It's hard to find a

virtuous wife as implied in the question, who can find one? Her worth is beyond counting. It is far

above the worth of rubies. And rubies are rare and they are expensive. They are right up there with

diamonds. You don't just find them lying around. You might think, well, I don't want to be worth

a bunch of rubies. That seems like you're putting a price tag on my character. But remember,

this is a metaphor and this is God's word. It's hard to put into words the great value and worth

of a virtuous woman. And so she's compared to something that is very precious and beautiful. And

notice, she is worth far more than rubies. Or you might think, well, I'm not worth much at all,

surely not more than rubies. And this is also wrong. Remember, this is how a husband who has

found a priceless wife feels. This is not the way the wife feels about herself thinking,

I am amazing. No. But we should adopt this view of a virtuous wife because this is God's view.

And we need to make it our own target. We want to be worth more than rubies. Virtue is obviously

about character. Virtue is an internal jewel that works its way out in our behavior.

But how can we possibly attain to such heights? Obviously, this is something we have to pursue

by faith. We pursue virtue because God values it. And if we are growing in virtue, God is pleased

with us. And of course, a husband who has found himself such a wife is a blessed man. She is going

to be invaluable to him. So does this mean that wives are to pursue virtue in a way that is

distinct from unmarried women? No. All women, young and old, are to walk worthy,

each is to pursue virtuous living, each is called to walk worthy of the Lord. And as we pursue

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