The Women in Proverbs Prov. 2:16 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

There are thirteen different women in Proverbs.  Of these, 9 are bad women and 4 are good women.  According to these numbers, as a general rule, then, there are about twice as many bad women as there are good.  We will discuss the women in Proverbs in chronological order.  In this lesson, see if you can find yourself.  The women in Proverbs are:

The strange woman – Prov 2:16-19 – she is mentioned 8 times in Proverbs.  See Prov 5:3, 5:20, 6:24, 7:5, 20:16, 23:27, 27:13.  She is a flatterer and men are to stay away from her.  Her lips drop as an honeycomb and her mouth is smoother than oil.  A man can be ravished [carried away] by her.  She lies in wait as for a prey.  She is not true to her word.

The evil woman – Prov 6:24 – men are to keep away from her.  She’s pretty and her eyes are enticingly attractive [Prov 6:25].  The strongest defense men have against her are the commands of good parents who lay down the law for their sons [Prov 6:20-23].

The whorish woman – Prov 6:26 – she will let you have her body but she will bring you down to a piece of bread.  Like a lion, she hunts for the precious life.  Men will give anything to have her and when she’s through with them, she’ll leave them with nothing.

The foolish woman – Prov 9:13 – she is confused and has a loud mouth.  She’s obnoxious, annoying, and irritating.  She’s simple and ignorant so that you cannot carry on an intelligent conversation with her.  And she will destroy her home [Prov 14:1].

The gracious woman – Prov 11:16 – this woman retains her honor [1 Pet 3:5-7].  She is holy, she trusts God, and she is obedient to her husband.  She doesn’t sleep around before or after she’s married. And when she marries, she marries a good man who will honor her.

The fair woman – Prov 11:22 – this woman in this proverb is without discretion, so she is like a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout.  She’s pretty, she’s innocent and she is gullible enough to believe that infatuation is love and that her boyfriend is really interested in more than her body.  Therefore, she ends up in the wrong place with the wrong guy.

The virtuous woman – Prov 12:4 – she is a crown to her husband.  She treats him like a king.  Her price is far above rubies.  She is described in detail in Prov 31:10-31.  And from there you can see that she is a wonderful keeper at home [Titus 2:5].

The wise woman – Prov 14:1 – she builds her house [Ps 127:1].  In her home you will find a well-read Bible, well-worn carpet [where she has prayed], nourishing food, clean linens and clothes, good manners, proper authority, instruction and so forth.  Her children aren’t reared by television and video games.

The brawling woman – Prov 21:9 – a brawling woman is a noisy, quarrelsome, fighting woman.  There is not a house big enough for a brawling woman and her husband.  He’s better off living alone in the attic.  When he’s around, she will be picking a fight.

The angry woman – Prov 21:19 – this woman is a cauldron of anger that blows from time to time.  She has a quick temper and a short fuse.  She can be calmed down; but like a volcano, she is sure to spew again.  And when she does it is usually big.  She has little to no control over her spirit.  When she gets riled up, she gets mad and she blames you by saying, “You make me angry.”  This statement is not true.  She’s angry all the time; she doesn’t always let it show.

The contentious woman – Prov 27:15, 21:19 – this woman is always ready to argue.  She is like Chinese water torture.  She doesn’t go along with her husband unless it suits her.  Otherwise, she will contest his decisions and argue with him.  Most men will do anything to keep from stirring her hornet’s nest.  They don’t agree with her but they don’t want to argue.

The adulterous woman – Prov 30:20 – she is not faithful to her husband and yet she sees nothing wrong with what she’s doing, at all.  Her conscience doesn’t trouble her in the least.  When she is through with one relationship, she goes right on to the next.

The God-fearing woman – Prov 31:30 – she is the best.  She is connected with the virtuous woman.  And she is hard to find [Ecc 7:27-28].  Because of her fear of God, she will not be like the other “bad” women, and even with her faults she will be a crown.

Conclusion: If you are a “bad” woman, beg God to change you.  And go along with everything he shows you to do.  Rahab certainly changed, as did Mary Magdalene.  Thank God that you are not stuck, even if you got off to a bad start.

If you are a man and you aren’t married, look for a God-fearing woman if you can find one.  According to verse 30, you’d better concern yourself with her fear of God before you consider her beauty.  And remember that you better be a man worthy of that kind of woman.  If you are an unmarried woman, you’d better hold out for a man who will honor your fear of God.

If you are married and you have a God-fearing wife, then thank God every day for his wonderful gift and favor to you [Prov 19:14; 18:22].  If you are married and don’t have a God-fearing wife, pray, Brother.  You can’t change her but maybe God will.

If you are unmarried, wait for a God-fearing mate.  He that hasteth with his feet sinneth.  You’re better of wanting what you don’t have than having what you don’t want.