Pray the Word with David Platt is a resource from radical.net.

Proverbs chapter 31 verse 30.

Near the end of this incredible portrait of the Proverbs 31 woman, we see this verse.

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be

praised. How can you say that any better? Charm deceitful. Like we can be so deceived by charm in this world, and particularly when it comes to

attraction for women to think that charm is what matters most, or for men to look for charm.

It's deceptive.

It's deceitful.

And beauty is vain. Obviously, we know this is not talking about the kind of beauty we see in other places in Scripture. Think about a place in the New Testament where we see the unfading beauty of a gentle, quiet spirit. So beauty is a good thing, a good gift from God. At the same time, just looking at

physical beauty and thinking that's what matters most. That's vain. For women to think that,

for men to think that about women, it's vain. So see the deceit and the vanity here. But then this phrase, a woman who fears the Lord is to be

praised. Now, this is what matters. And we know we've seen all throughout the proverbs that the fear of

the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. So it makes sense.

Like we have a wise picture of a woman here.

And this is what is worthy of honor.

A woman who fears the Lord who walks in wisdom, who walks in his way.

This is what matters.

So I encourage women who are listening to this. May this be

your priority, the fear of the Lord, far more than charm or beauty, that you would fear God.

And men, that we would honor and encourage women to fear God that we would look for when

we think about a wife to look for a woman who fears God to put the priority and focus there

help us we pray to see that real beauty is found in fearing you,

...