The High Cost of Trust

My continuing study of Proverbs 31 brings me to the next two verses...

"The heart of her husband trusts in her, And he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil All the days of her life. " - Proverbs 31:11-12

When I look at those verses, the part that stands out to me first is "the heart of her husband trusts in her." The word "trust" is thrown around a lot in our society, but in the Hebrew translation of this word, it carries much weight. "Batach" - the Hebrew word used here - stands for "being confident, bold, secure," "feeling safe," and my favorite, "careless." Now, not careless in the way of uncaring and flighty, but described as a man that has so much trust in his godly wife, he can live life careless...and carefree. Now that's some kind of trust. This same Hebrew word was used multiple times by David in the Psalms to describe his trust in the Lord. To be a godly woman that a man can trust much like he trusts God is pretty amazing. Most surveys state that the number one reason for divorce is infidelity. Trust broken. No wonder Bathsheba spoke of that high trust to her son, given her sneaky display on a rooftop to nab her that man after God's own Heart.

Secondly, I am struck by "does him good and not evil all the days of her life." I'm not married, so I'm not living day in and day out with a man under foot. But, I would be the first to admit that "doing him good" would be easy on some days, but "doing evil" might creep in on those bad days. Then, toss "all the days of her life" into the godly woman recipe and I'm convicted of the high bar that is set. It's easy for me to say when I observe other women publicly speaking ill to their husbands, "Believe me, if I had a husband, I'd never do that." Being a sinful human really negates that pious commentary. What a powerful way to honor your godly husband by "doing him good all of your days."

The world around us taunts those of us who believe in the godly submission of a wife to a husband. But, think of the glorious relationship that awaits a woman who fosters complete confidence and trust from her husband and always does him good. Once that husband came to his senses after passing out from sheer joy, his wife would be the most honored being, just below God.

If you are married, be a woman your husband can trust, and ask God daily to help you "do good" to him. God already knows we surely can't do that on our own. And, if you are single, begin today to be a trustworthy woman among the men in your life. Take opportunities to "do good" for them. The practice will be worth it when you make it to the altar. You can then honestly say, not only "I do"...but "I'll do you good all the days of my life."