Study of Proverbs 31 - Week #3 - Virtuous

A godly woman is virtuous.

 "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies." - Proverbs 31:10

Strong's Concordance: Virtuous - an army, a force; strength, valor, ability. 

Webster's Dictionary: having virtue; morally excellent; chaste. 

To be virtuous is to have moral excellence, and to be a force of strength, valor, and ability. 

1. 2 Samuel 22:33 - God is our strength
2. Psalm 18:39 - God gives us the strength to battle
3. Psalm 33:16-17, 49:6 - We are not saved by our own virtue and strength
4. Psalm 60:12, 108:13 - God enables us to be virtuous because he defeats our enemies
5. Proverbs 12:4 - A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband
6. Proverbs 31:3 - Don't waste your virtue on things that destroy you and take you away from God
7. Habbakuk 3:19 - God is our strength and will help us to be virtuous
8. Philippians 4:8 - Think about virtuous things
9. 2 Peter 1:3 - We are called to be virtuous, and through the knowledge of Him we have the power to do so
10. 2 Peter 1:5 - Add virtue to your faith

I was surprised by the meaning of "virtuous" in Proverbs 31:10. I expected it to mean "moral excellence" but only three times is that definition used (Phil 4:8, 2Pet 1:3, 2Pet 1:5). All the other references to "virtue" or "virtuous" are this "army, force, strength" that is talked about in Proverbs.

At the beginning of Proverbs 31, Solomon is warned not to throw away his strength and virtue on an adulterous woman, by implication anything that will destroy you and distance you from God. Instead, he is told to find a wife who also has strength, valor, and moral excellence. 

We are to add moral excellence to our faith, and meditate on excellent things. If we are virtuous, we will be a crown to our husbands, and to God.

However, it is not by our own strength and virtue that we are saved. God has called us to virtue, and it is through the knowledge of Him that we have the power to do so. He defeats our enemies, gives us strength, and lifts us up to virtue. 

Virtue is the summation of all the rest of the characteristics displayed by a Godly woman.