The book of Proverbs has much to say about the value of a virtuous woman: "A gracious woman retaineth honour..."

"A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh 
ashamed is as rottenness in his bones."

"House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the Lord.

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

"The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

"She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.  She is like the merchants ships; she bringeth her food from afar.  She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her househole, and a portion to her maidens.

"She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

"She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.

"She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

"She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

"Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.

"She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

"She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

"Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

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

She is industrious, not lazy.  She is kind and generous.  She cares well for her family.  She is trustworthy and faithful.  She is wise.  She knows God is in control.  And because of all this, she brings praise to her family, and her family in turn praises her.

What a goal to shoot for!  But only with God's help can we even hope to be like that woman described in Proverbs.  Human nature pushes us the opposite way!

But this portrait is not the only woman mentioned in the Bible of course. There are hundreds of them -- not all of them so wise in every way.  Many gave in to temptation.  Surely all of them sinned -- for they were all human.  But God used them anyway!

The story of Rahab, found in the book of Joshua, is the story of a woman that many of us would look down upon.  She was a prostitute in the city of Jericho.

When Joshua sent spies into the city, they took refuge in Rahab's house -- 
perhaps hoping to avert suspicion?  The Bible doesn't tell us their reasons for hiding there.  Maybe they had an inkling of God's plan, and maybe they were just following their own logic -- out-of-towners probably visited Rahab's house often.

But the king of Jericho heard of the spies, and sent men to find them.  Rahab protected the spies, hiding them on her roof while she convinced the king's men that they had already left the city.

Rahab at first glance look to be quite the antithesis of the Proverbs 31 woman -- but what she said next reveals her true character:

"And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.

For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that [were] on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.

And as soon as we had heard [these things], our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he [is] God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token:

And [that] ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death."

Look at those first words -- "I know that the LORD hath given you the land..."

She knows who is in control.  Though she is living in a pagan land, though she has probably never before met an Israelite, she says with certainty that it was the Lord who had set the course.  She had heard stories -- how the Red Sea had parted for the Israelites, then crashed back onto the Egyptians, how the Israelites had won many battles.  And she recognized that none of that was possible without God.

And look at her request -- "I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I 
have shewed you kindness, that ye will also she kindness unto my father's house... And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death."

Her first concern is for her family, not herself.

And because of her faith, her whole family was saved when the city of 
Jericho was destroyed.

Kind of a surprise twist to the story -- a prostitute with faith that could move mountains.  So Rahab turns out to be not so far from that virtuous woman. She was far from perfect, but she had the most important thing -- faith that God was in control -- of the world, and of her life.

Rahab is one of only a few woman singled out by name and commended for her faith in what has been called the "cloud of witnesses" in Hebrews 11.  In that passage is recorded for us a history of faith -- all pointing toward God's plan to provide Jesus as a substitute for us, a sacrifice for our sins.

What an amazing encouragement -- that we do not have to be perfect for God to use us!

"And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say 
unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted 
in the sea; and it should obey you."  Luke 17:6

It is God, not us, who is in control.  If we put our faith in him -- like Rahab did -- he can use us to do wonderful things!  Even if we're not the perfect woman, wife, mother now.  Even if we aren't a spiritual giant.  What a blessing to know that we aren't going through this life alone!