Dear Missionary Lady,
Greetings in the name of our God, who holds all things in His hands. He holds future events, and He holds us as we face them.
I was recently looking at Proverbs 31:25. “Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.” I was especially focused on the second part of the verse about rejoicing in time to come.
As I studied that phrase, I realized that I had always misunderstood its meaning. I assumed it meant that when she was older, she would look back on her life and rejoice over how her life had gone. Or that it was a reference to joy-worthy things that would happen in her future if she keeps following God. Neither of those are bad concepts, and I think that both of them would be true of a godly lady. However, I found something encouraging and instructive when I got closer to what I believe the intent of the verse really is.
The word “rejoice” gives us the idea of some kind of celebration. In fact, in every source I am looking at, the truest translation of the word is “laugh.” That laughter can be in pleasure or merriment, so my previous interpretations of the verse could be correct, but more often the laughter is in scorn, mocking, or derision.
As an example, it is the word for God’s laughter in Psalm 2, when the heathen rage against God and make their vain plans to rebel against Him. God views their puny plans, and his response is to “laugh” and “have them in derision” (verse 4). It’s the kind of laughter that says, “You have no idea. You are no match for me. Your plans are empty and foolish.”
I found in Job what I believe is a very close parallel to the Proverbs 31 verse. In chapter 5, Eliphaz is speaking about the man God interacts with and delivers. He states, “At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth” (verse 22).
This is not speaking of a laughter of pleasure, mirth, or enjoyment; it is speaking of a laughter of confidence that scorns, mocks, and dismisses the threatening evil. It is a parallel to the lack of fear in the second part of the verse. Notice the situations in which this laughter can take place – destruction, famine, attacks by wild beasts.
Let’s go back to the Proverbs 31 woman. All the other descriptions of this lady are about what she is now and about what she is doing now. Even from that context, it makes sense that this phrase also refers to something in her current heart response. I think the idea is that she laughs in regard to times to come; in other words, she laughs at the future.
How and why does she do that? I’m sure she is aware, like the rest of us, that life is not all fun and games. There will be times of destruction and famine. There will be attacks by wild beasts. She isn’t necessarily expecting those, nor is she being frivolous about serious things, but even in her awareness that they could happen, she has a confidence in her God. She knows that none of those threats hold power over God. She knows that God can take care of any situation that comes her way, and He can take care of her within every situation.
There is no need for fear. There is no need to live in constant anxiety about what might happen. Even when looming danger threatens, she can be confident in God’s protection. With God at her side, the threats are empty. Or perhaps more precisely, the threats are limited and impotent. They will not win in the end.
The truth is that hard things will come in life. Some of the challenges threaten to swallow us up. But I really like the perspective of this woman who laughs at the future. Her heart is at rest, because she knows that no challenge is too great for God to see her through. Instead of trembling in fear, she responds with confidence. Her laughter is something along the lines of, “Do you really think you are any match for the God who watches over me?”
Perhaps on the outside, there are times that she will weep, but on the inside, there is still a confidence that her God will ultimately deliver her and will conquer all evil and every threat. He will be with her and will walk with her through every situation. She trusts Him, and she hopes in Him.
That’s what I want. A heart that trusts God regarding my future. A heart that confidently expects Him to oversee all the days that I do not yet know about. A knowledge that no threat is a match for my God. May God hold your hearts also in that confident expectation and trust.
Love in Christ,
Peggy Holt
member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
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