RCL: Proverbs 31:10-31; Psalm 1; James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a; Mark 9:30-37 Proverbs 31:10-31 The grand finale to the book of Proverbs—a book which one scholar describes as “devoted to cultivating wise men”—is a husband’s tribute to the “capable wife” (v. 10), herself a picture of wisdom. This string of proverbial pearls is a Hebrew acrostic poem—an…

Proverbs 31:10–31 How did this description of “a capable wife” strike you? For some, it may seem a model of self-sacrificing generosity and a poetic celebration of the valuable roles women played in ancient society (and still play, in many cultures, today). For others, it may reek of patriarchal inequality and seem of little relevance…

Proverbs 31:10–31 How did this description of “a capable wife” strike you? For some, it may seem a model of self-sacrificing generosity and a poetic celebration of the valuable roles women played in ancient society (and still play, in many cultures, today). For others, it may reek of patriarchal inequality and seem of little relevance…

Proverbs 31:10-31 This, to me, is a challenging passage. It is difficult to look beyond the immediate visceral reaction to the patriarchal assumptions about a woman’s life and worth being connected to her husband – thus the description of the “capable wife.” These assumptions would have been expected and accepted when Proverbs was written. And…