Proverbs 31 Meets Song of Solomon

In my estimation, the term "Proverbs 31" has become cliché. Even now, you might have conjured up a mental image to fit the phrase.  So when we recently heard yet another husband introduce his wife as a "Proverbs 31 woman," my orneriness kicked in, and I said to Joel, "I dare you to introduce me sometime as your "Song of Solomon wife."  Wouldn't that raise some eyebrows?  

Don't get me wrong.  Proverbs 31 is a beautiful, God-inspired chapter of the Bible, delineating many characteristics of a virtuous wife.  But did you ever notice the first verse in the chapter: "The words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him"?  The advice in the chapter was given to the king by his mother.   I couldn't help but think of the famous marriage proposal scene from Pride and Prejudice, when Mr. Collins shares with Elizabeth the advice he received from Lady Catherine De Bourgh:  

"Mr. Collins, you must marry. A clergyman like you must marry. Choose properly, choose a gentlewoman for my sake; and for your own, let her be an active, useful sort of person, not brought up high, but able to make a small income go a good way. This is my advice. Find such a woman as soon as you can, bring her to Hunsford, and I will visit her."

Mothers, or mother-figure in the case of Mr. Collins, seem to pay considerable attention to matters of practicality.  And that's exactly what Proverbs 31 covers.  Wives are to aspire to godly practical wisdom as they manage their households, engage in commerce, invest in and manage business enterprises, and extend charity to the poor and needy. No doubt that women of this domestic and economic prowess receive the praise of their husbands and children.  But it occurred to me that all the activities mentioned in Proverbs 31 could very well be accomplished by a trusted housekeeper and business manager. There is more to the story, so to speak. Our aspirations as godly wives have to extend beyond the practical duties of daily life.  

Which brings me to Song of Solomon.  

This beautiful poem is an expression of the depth of love between the Shulamite girl and the shepherd, her beloved spouse.  The Song is described as a rhapsody of love, as it reveals these aspects of the marriage relationship:  romantic desire, mutual rejoicing and delight in the other, the yearning for each other's companionship, and the commitment to forsake all others.  It is the model of self-giving and self-sacrificing love, which was most perfectly demonstrated by Christ's love for his bride, the church.  

So, yes, I want to love Joel by being a virtuous wife and doing him "good and not evil all the days of [my] life" (Proverbs 31:12).  But I also delight in knowing that "I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me" (Song of Solomon 7:10).