What Exactly Is A Prudent Wife?

A friend and fellow blogger, Ashley, author of Striving for a Crown, is posting a series about what it means to be a P31W (Proverbs 31 woman). What's really great is that her posts are derived straight from Proverbs; they're not just her opinions, they're Biblical facts! Her posts have directed a lot of my recent thinking to love and marriage. While flipping through Proverbs last night, a single verse seemed to just leap off the page. Proverbs 19:14 says, "Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the Lord."

How awesome is that! That verse basically says, "God's the only One who can give you the wife you really want." Other people can give us other things, but no one besides God can really give us a wife. But wait a minute. What exactly is a prudent wife? My dictionary defines prudence as "cautious or discreet; provident or frugal." Prudence makes me think of a thoughtful planner. A prudent wife considers all options and makes the wisest and best decisions based on her expert and careful analysis.

Did you know there are a lot of Proverbs about prudence? Time for some rapid-fire Proverbs!

"A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps."

"Every prudent man acts out of knowledge, but a fool exposes his folly."

"The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception."

(See a pattern yet?)...

"The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge."

"A fool spurns his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.

There's an obvious pattern here. The prudent are smart, discerning, wise people. The fools are deceived, unintelligent, stupid people. Obviously, God wants us to be prudent rather than foolish. God values prudence because prudence shows wisdom, knowledge, patience, and discernment.

Fools rush into things without thinking about them, get burned, and die. That's pretty much the theme of Proverbs. The wicked, the evil, the foolish, the selfish man always die or have something bad happen to them. Proverbs 17:12 says it is "better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly." I don't know about you, but I don't ever want to meet a mama bear robbed of her cubs. Yet this verse says that'd be better that meeting a fool in his folly.
So Proverbs 12:4 says that "a wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones." Prudence is a very noble character! A prudent wife will know the best house cleaning supplies and groceries to buy. A prudent wife will know which moms are bad news and which to be friends with. A prudent wife recognizes when her husband has had a bad day and does what she can to cheer him up. A prudent wife can be trusted in all areas of family and house, and will excel in her wisdom, love, and kindness.