“The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands” (PV 14:1)
According to the Word of God there are only two types of women: some are wise and some are foolish. No other option!
Before going ahead, let’s analyze these words and their meaning in Hebrew:
*Wise- to be exceedingly wise and skillful, able to teach others
*Woman- a female, a wife
*Builds- to be a strong and sure builder, able to repair damages, successful in ‘obtaining’ children, a fruitful mother
*House- family, children, prison, palace, temple, the inner court
*Foolish- silly, perverse, negative
*Pulls down- total destruction, break to pieces, ruin and overthrow, brings to naught
*Hands- power, means, resources, labor, ministry, sense of direction, creditor, debt, terror, pain, presumption, throwing things
The closer study of these words reveals wonderful truths. These two women are opposites. But on the surface, they look alike, they have something in common. Except for the help of the Spirit, no man can say for sure which is wise and which is foolish.
Both these women influence their homes: one builds up and one destroys it. Their influence is so great that not even their husbands can neutralize it. If a wise woman marries a foolish man, he will not be able to destroy the home. If the foolish woman marries a wise man, she will still be able to destroy the marriage with her words and actions.
The definition of the word ‘influence’ is this: the power to use indirect means to change the minds and wills of others. This is done without using direct force or clear verbal commands. Another word for a negative influence is manipulation. It means to interfere and corrupt the legal authority for personal gain. Like the yeast in the flour, the woman can silently change the atmosphere in her home for better or for worse.
Looking at the words in Hebrew, you can see that both these women are very active in their missions. They have invested time and energy in pursuing their goal. Both have a purpose and they pay the price to invest in it. Both are passionate leaders, great teachers and successful mentors in their own field. Each boasts of great numbers of friends, students and faithful followers.
But this is where the similarities end. For these two women are in all things the opposite of one another: the wise one is godly and the foolish one is evil; one is a blessing and the other is a curse to her family.
May God open our eyes to see the truth!