SHE was the Proverbs 31 Lady???!!

Out of all the things we have read and heard in our Theology of Biblical Womanhood class this semester, my biggest take-home is the fact that Bathsheba was the Proverbs 31 woman (she was the mother who taught Solomon what to look for in a woman as he recited her poems in Proverbs 31). This tiny nugget of info gives hope to any woman who is struggling in her attempts to be a Proverbs 31 woman. For me, it highlights redemption and healing! While the rest of my class is talking about what they learned that changes their views on Biblical Womanhood as far as marriage and submission go, I'm over here celebrating that Proverbs 31 isn't about perfection but rather transformation and I'm writing an entirely different essay answer:

Discovering that Bathsheba IS the Proverbs 31 woman and it is what she taught her son changes my view of Biblical womanhood. Biblical womanhood seems daunting especially when it feels like we are expected to be that Proverbs 31 woman. Proverbs 31 functions as a measuring stick for godliness in legalistic environments (as discovered by personal experience), but what do you do when everything inside of you feels like it's merely an act? When you are so tired of performing and striving and you can't keep up the act anymore? When you realize that no matter how hard you try, it never seems to change anything in your heart? Discovering it was Bathsheba that "wrote" Proverbs 31 leaves me speechless because Proverbs 31 isn't at all what I think of when I hear her name! I had to do some googling after I heard this mentioned in the lecture and have been in awe over this discovery!

Bathsheba committed adultery, she sinned, she had the Scarlet Letter upon her yet despite that, she repented of her part in the sin, she overcame it, and her words and example are shared with the world until eternity. It's total redemption!! There were so many things that could've happened. She could've become bitter (especially over losing her son), made different decisions, found another man, despaired, or lived trapped in her guilt and shame, but she didn't do any of that. The Bible isn't clear how or when or why the transformation in her life happened, but somewhere along the line, she chose not to let her past and her sin ruin her life and she chose to return to the God of her youth. She experienced His mercy and grace and because of that, she began following God with each step. The right steps lead us to the right pattern which leads us to becoming the women God wants us to be.

Therefore, becoming a Proverbs 31 woman is a byproduct of following God...not a measuring stick or to do list that we need to achieve in order to demonstrate that we are living the right Christian life. I feel like a new window of freedom and hope opened up to me with this discovery. Biblical womanhood isn't something we do and submission isn't something we "do"...true Biblical womanhood stems from who we are in Christ. Sure, we can "do" Biblical womanhood, but I wonder if it's the "doing" that makes us cringe and slightly turn our noses up to the concept. When we see the precision and desire of God's plan, design, and pattern, there is something natural in my heart that longs for that pattern more than a "to do" list. And when we see that God can take a woman who committed adultery and heal and transform her life in such a way that she becomes "the example" for every woman to follow, it becomes clear that God desires our hearts more than He desires our strivings. It goes back to Matthew 11:28-30 (Message translation): “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”