If you grew up in church, you’ve likely heard about the noble woman of Proverbs 31. She is a staple of Mother’s Day sermons and home-decor plaques, usually praised for her domestic devotion and tireless care for her family. But if we look closer at the text, we find a description that sounds less like a domestic archetype and more like a savvy CEO.
This woman is an entrepreneur. She considers a field and buys it with her own earnings; she plants a vineyard; she perceives that her merchandise is profitable. She isn’t just managing a household; she is leading an ‘oikos’, a vibrant economic venture that provides for her family, creates blessings for her community, and generates a surplus for the poor.
In the third episode of our A Mysterious Business series, Chris Easley explores how business can be a fundamental structure of love in the kingdom of God. Drawing on insights from scholars Hannah Stoltz and R. Paul Stevens, Chris looks at how being motivated to make a profit and the fear of the Lord are not at odds. Instead, they can work together to create blessing for the community, embodying God’s covenantal blessed-to-be-a blessing intention for us.
We often distinguish between “ministry” and “marketplace,” as if only one of them is truly spiritual. But the Bible concludes its book of wisdom by pointing to a woman running a profitable business as the ultimate example of a life filled with the presence of God.
Whether you are an entrepreneur trying to scale a startup or a professional seeking to work diligently in a corporate office, this episode is a call to embrace the blessings that business provides. When our work is motivated by an affectionate reverence for God, our businesses become containers for His grace to reach the world.
Sources:
Proverbs 31:10-31 (ESV)
R. Paul Stevens, Work Matters: Lessons from Scripture (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012).
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