An Excellent Wife
Proverbs 12:4
An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.
Insight
Faithful (31:11–12); chaste (Titus 2:5; 1 Peter 3:2); respectfully obedient (Ephesians 5:22–23; 1 Peter 3:4–6); immovable in affection (Titus 2:4); delighting to see her husband honored, respected, and loved; covering, as far as possible, his failings; prudent in the management of her family (14:1); conscientious in the carrying out of her domestic duties (31:27–28); kind and considerate to all around her (31:20, 26); and as the root of all, fearing the Lord (31:30)—such is a wife of noble character. Let a young woman, in contemplating this holy union, ponder in deep prayer its weighty responsibility. Will she be a crown to her husband or make him ashamed? Will she be what God made the woman (“a helper” [Genesis 2:18]) or what Satan made her (a tempter to her husband)? If she is not a crown to her husband, she will be a shame for herself. 1
Application
Read Ephesians 5:22-33. Are you that husband? Are you that wife? What is God wanting to change, to make you more like Him?
Motivation
Jesus said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? Matthew 19:5
A wife is a reflection of how she is loved by her husband and her Savior.
Prayer
Father, please teach every husband and every wife how to honor You within marriage.
1. Bridges, C. (2001). Proverbs (p. 86). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.