Article by Lixiao
How’s your harvest going so far Need some pruning Or maybe some watering and care from the Vinedresser If you are not satisfied with your “fruit” harvest, go back to the chapter on The Beatitudes and the chapter on the second half of the Sermon on the Mount and see if you canfind where you need to adopt or strengthen the values.
Remember that the fruit are the result of living the life according to the Spirit (as defined in the Sermon on the Mount) and should not be sought as fruit alone. Rather, it is best if you look at the soil, the fertilizer, the water, the sun, the temperature, etc., and adjust as necessary so the right fruit will develop.
As a leader, would you like to move above the level of mediocrity and stretch toward perfectionin your work life If so, this chapter is must reading for you. In it you will find advice from acollection of 22 verses that tell you how to behave and how to work so you might move closer toperfection as a leader.
Proverbs 31:10-32 contains 22 verses, each beginning in the Hebrew with a successive letter in the Hebrew alphabet (an acrostic). Although Cohen (1946) ascribes the author’s name, Lemuelas a code name for Solomon, translating Lemuel as meaning: “towards God,” mostwriters, including Gibson (1986), Farmer (1991), and Ironside (1908) believe that the writerwas a king named Lemuel.
Verses 10 through 32 are words of advice from the mother of a king, or perhaps a youngprince, who is looking for a wife. Throughout the Book of Proverbs we see authors talking about thedangers of evil women. This passage of Proverbs is refreshing in its positive approach towomen. Its placement in the passage is important since Hebrew teachings always ended with an important lesson.
Cohen (1946) points out that these 22 verses were recited from memory in the Jewish home onthe Sabbath eve, thus setting a high standard for the Jewish wife and the young women of thehousehold who aspired to attain this level of perfection. It also set a standard for the youngmen of the household who received constant instruction about the type of wife they were to seek. Now let me show you how this has bearing on the workplace. Consider the impact onUnited States organizations if the human resource departments, all leaders, and all hiring supervisors, repeated the qualities of a perfect leader for the firm once each week. Would we not strive to live up to these high ideals and strive to hire new leaders that fit our concept of perfection?
Although the acrostic form of writing makes it easier to memorize the verses, it causes a literaryproblem of message construction because the first letter of the first word of each versemust fit the acrostic structure. Thus, we find the author of these 22 verses skipping fromsubject to subject. I encourage you to read the whole of Proverbs 31:10-21 and then focuson how the messages are grouped into the following categories: (a) an introduction to thepassage; (b) relation to the workplace; (c) relation to self in the workplace; (d) relation toemployees in the workplace; (e) relation to superiors in the workplace; and (f) relation torewards in the workplace.
n case you’re wondering, here’s why you should study a passage on the ideal wife tounderstand the perfect leader. Several authors on Proverbs refer to the wife as a leader and a caretaker ofthe home (Toy, 1904; Aitken, 1986; & Cohen, 1946). Rylaarsdam (1964) adds to thisunderstanding by pointing out that the wife, like many leaders, did not have ownership rightsin the household, thus her labors could not increase her wealth. If you want a soliddefinition of a hard working overseer, this is what you’re looking for. I think you’ll bepleasantly surprised at the clear and powerful correlations. Proverbs 31:10, “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.”
The first verse of this passage implies that the senior leader of the organization recognizes thata leader of virtue and skill is invaluable. Note that virtue, from the Hebrew word chayil, has abroader depiction than just being morally righteous. The word also refers to ability, efficiency,and wealth (Hamel, 1992). It is rare to find a leader who not only has integrity, butalso has the skills to perform the job, and a track record of efficient leadership that produces wealthfor the organization. Knowing this helps to further justify the value in finding a perfectleader (wife).
This collection of 22 verses does not address the feminine characteristics of a wife, thus theyhave a greater interpretation for the area of leadership in general. The writer of this passagemay not have downplayed the feminine characteristics on purpose, but rather simplyemphasized other characteristics.
12-14 “She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax andworks with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.” 16 “She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.” 18 “She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.” 19 “She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle” 21 “When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet, …”
How’s your harvest going so far Need some pruning Or maybe some watering and care from the Vinedresser If you are not satisfied with your “fruit” harvest, go back to the chapter on The Beatitudes and the chapter on the second half of the Sermon on the Mount and see if you canfind where you need to adopt or strengthen the values.
Remember that the fruit are the result of living the life according to the Spirit (as defined in the Sermon on the Mount) and should not be sought as fruit alone. Rather, it is best if you look at the soil, the fertilizer, the water, the sun, the temperature, etc., and adjust as necessary so the right fruit will develop.
As a leader, would you like to move above the level of mediocrity and stretch toward perfectionin your work life If so, this chapter is must reading for you. In it you will find advice from acollection of 22 verses that tell you how to behave and how to work so you might move closer toperfection as a leader.
Proverbs 31:10-32 contains 22 verses, each beginning in the Hebrew with a successive letter in the Hebrew alphabet (an acrostic). Although Cohen (1946) ascribes the author’s name, Lemuelas a code name for Solomon, translating Lemuel as meaning: “towards God,” mostwriters, including Gibson (1986), Farmer (1991), and Ironside (1908) believe that the writerwas a king named Lemuel.
Verses 10 through 32 are words of advice from the mother of a king, or perhaps a youngprince, who is looking for a wife. Throughout the Book of Proverbs we see authors talking about thedangers of evil women. This passage of Proverbs is refreshing in its positive approach towomen. Its placement in the passage is important since Hebrew teachings always ended with an important lesson.
Cohen (1946) points out that these 22 verses were recited from memory in the Jewish home onthe Sabbath eve, thus setting a high standard for the Jewish wife and the young women of thehousehold who aspired to attain this level of perfection. It also set a standard for the youngmen of the household who received constant instruction about the type of wife they were to seek. Now let me show you how this has bearing on the workplace. Consider the impact onUnited States organizations if the human resource departments, all leaders, and all hiring supervisors, repeated the qualities of a perfect leader for the firm once each week. Would we not strive to live up to these high ideals and strive to hire new leaders that fit our concept of perfection?
Although the acrostic form of writing makes it easier to memorize the verses, it causes a literaryproblem of message construction because the first letter of the first word of each versemust fit the acrostic structure. Thus, we find the author of these 22 verses skipping fromsubject to subject. I encourage you to read the whole of Proverbs 31:10-21 and then focuson how the messages are grouped into the following categories: (a) an introduction to thepassage; (b) relation to the workplace; (c) relation to self in the workplace; (d) relation toemployees in the workplace; (e) relation to superiors in the workplace; and (f) relation torewards in the workplace.
n case you’re wondering, here’s why you should study a passage on the ideal wife tounderstand the perfect leader. Several authors on Proverbs refer to the wife as a leader and a caretaker ofthe home (Toy, 1904; Aitken, 1986; & Cohen, 1946). Rylaarsdam (1964) adds to thisunderstanding by pointing out that the wife, like many leaders, did not have ownership rightsin the household, thus her labors could not increase her wealth. If you want a soliddefinition of a hard working overseer, this is what you’re looking for. I think you’ll bepleasantly surprised at the clear and powerful correlations. Proverbs 31:10, “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.”
The first verse of this passage implies that the senior leader of the organization recognizes thata leader of virtue and skill is invaluable. Note that virtue, from the Hebrew word chayil, has abroader depiction than just being morally righteous. The word also refers to ability, efficiency,and wealth (Hamel, 1992). It is rare to find a leader who not only has integrity, butalso has the skills to perform the job, and a track record of efficient leadership that produces wealthfor the organization. Knowing this helps to further justify the value in finding a perfectleader (wife).
This collection of 22 verses does not address the feminine characteristics of a wife, thus theyhave a greater interpretation for the area of leadership in general.
Originally posted 2011-09-14 10:45:06.
