The Investing Woman

Proverbs 31:16 

 She goes to inspect a field and buys it;

with her earnings she plants a vineyard.

Photo credit: www.shecapital.com

Now, let's talk about the Investing Woman!

One commentator explains that the wife’s considering and buying a field have caused some to question the validity of this poem because women, it is argued, were not permitted to do that in those days. However, in this wealthy household she apparently had money to invest. Then out of her earnings from various investments (cf. “trading,” v. 18, and “sells,” v. 24) she plants a vineyard. She has a business mind and she works hard.[1]

She is industrious, for sure! This doesn’t mean that all women need to go into sales or real estate or even farming. However, it does mean that she is using her gifts & talents to help her family. She uses her mind and thinks logically about her decisions. She weighs her choices & chooses wisely what to do with her earnings. She is thinking long term when she buys a field and with that field chooses to plant a vineyard. We don’t know if her vineyard will be for selling produce, making/selling wine, or maybe it will be to help provide more food for her family. We don’t have to know what she’s going to do with the vineyard. However, we can know that she was wise enough to have her own earnings and re-invest those earnings into something that would be of further blessing & benefit to her family, in some way.

I think it’s necessary to note that she is royalty, so any earnings she has is extra. Maybe in your home the earnings aren’t extra so therefore you couldn’t necessarily save up to buy something as large as a vineyard to help provide for your family. 

In today's world and practically within our tightly budgeted homes of today here are some ways that I think we can invest into our homes and family life:

Prayer is one way we can invest into our families. Prayer changes lives! We strive to do a family prayer time together each night. Our children look forward to praying together. We thank God for our blessings. We pray for each other and others in our community.

Cooking meals and doing family meal time. This invests into the hearts and minds of our children. It feeds them spiritually and emotionally as well as physically.

I took my kids to get library cards as soon as they were old enough, because I want to invest into them a love for reading. This has been a real benefit to them academically!

Going to church together is investing in the spiritual health of your children while also investing into the family unit. It shows our children the importance of serving & being with fellow believers. It strengthens marriages and creates a family bond.

I think something as simple as investing in a few good pieces of clothing. It may cost more on the front end, but if it lasts 10 years then it was a good investment for your budget and your wardrobe. I must admit, I am the Queen of clearance racks at high end stores! You can find designer shirts for as low as $5 on clearance racks sometimes! Therefore, you’re also saving money & investing back into your budget.

For men, having basic tools can be an investment, and those tools can sometimes be passed down for generations. My husband has some tools that belonged to his grandfather. Not only are they helpful, but they're sentimental to him too!

These are just a few examples at how making wise choices can be an investment and a blessing into our family. It doesn’t have to be a piece of real estate. It can be many different things that we devote ourselves to in order to be a benefit and blessing to our household.

What are some beneficial ways you choose to invest into the heritage of your family?

Study these verses 

from the beginning: Proverbs 31:10

The Helpful Woman

---

^[1] Walvoord, J. F., & Zuck, R. B., Dallas Theological Seminary. (1985). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 972). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.