Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised

Commentary by — John W. Ritenbaugh

  Proverbs 31:30

(30) Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
King James Version

When God describes the ideal woman, she is portrayed as one who fears God. In order to be deserving of this praise, she must possess this particular characteristic—and a lot of it! We must also assume that “what is good for the goose is good for the gander”! God is no respecter of persons, and if God praises a woman because she has the fear of God, then He will also praise a man because he, too, fears God.

I John 3:4 defines sin as “the transgression of the law,” and John 17:3 defines eternal life as “to know God.” Here is a Bible definition of the fear of the Lord:

The fear of the LORD is to hate evil, pride, arrogance, and the evil way. (Proverbs 8:13)

This is why the woman pleases God and receives His praise. The knowledge of God, which is instilled as a gift, compels or constrains one to depart from evil. In other words, it leads one to keep the commandments of God.

The person makes the choice to do what is right and good and thereby evidences his inward disposition, his inward attitude, proving what is in his heart by what others see on the outside—his conduct. He departs from evil. God is taken into account in his life in every circumstance, in every aspect, and in every situation, and he makes the choice to do it God’s way. The person learns to hate evil and to love to do what is right, good, and pleasing to God! Godly living is the fear of the Lord!

The obverse of the coin is true too. If the fear of God is to hate evil, then the fear of God is also to love a godly way of life. The fear of the Lord is filled with moral content.

— John W. Ritenbaugh

To learn more, see:
The Fear of God

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Related Topics:
Eternal Life
Fear of God
Fear of the Lord
Fearing God
Godly Living
Godly Living is the Fear of the Lord
Loving God is to Hate Evil
Woman as Symbol