By Ben Quine
**This article is part of a series written by Ben Quine that takes us through the whole of Scripture to discover how God set up an economy for His people, and how His timeless economic principles apply to us today.

Seeds are incredible. They are small and may not appear at first to have any special value, but their potential is incalculable. Kept dry on the shelf, they will never grow or increase. They will never become what they were meant to be. They will never produce fruit. Why not? Because seeds, like everything else, require the proper conditions and nourishment to grow. It is the same way with economics (the way an individual or society handles money, businesses, resources, and wealth). A society needs to establish the proper economic conditions for the people to flourish.

In the previous article we saw that the book of Proverbs commends the economic choices of the Wife of Noble Character as a model of excellence and fear of the Lord. We saw that she is an entrepreneur who started businesses, provided employment opportunities, created products, generated profit, invested wisely, and cared for those around her. 

But we must not stop after considering her actions. If we want to emulate her character and create a healthy society, it is essential to uncover what is going on in her culture that makes her exemplary life possible. To do that we must ask three questions:

1. Who owns the property and goods? 

She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. (Proverbs 31:16)

“The fruit of her hands” is a beautiful way to describe the money she has earned from her work and her business. She used the fruit of her labor (money she earned) to increase her private property (buying a field and planting grapes). She also purchased wool and flax to create the products she sold. And we know from this chapter that she owned high quality clothing. 

In fact, most of the activities she participates in only make sense in the context of private ownership of property.

2. What is the incentive for her to work and create businesses? 

She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. (Proverbs 31:18)

The Proverbs 31 Woman experiences a direct relationship between her work, her business ventures, and her income. She chooses to work with wisdom and diligence (Proverbs 31:27) and she is rewarded with the profit from her business ventures and increase in her property. It is vital that this incentive is present! 

As an entrepreneur, there is no guarantee of her success. As an entrepreneur, she is taking risks with her work, her creativity, her investments, and her time. She might lose everything, but she is willing to take that risk. When she sees that her products are creating a profit, she continues to direct her efforts towards these products. 

Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates. (Proverbs 31:31)

The book of Proverbs says it is absolutely right and proper for her to receive this reward. Another way to describe this relationship is Justice. And Proverbs 31 stresses the importance of Biblical Justice in economics: she must be given what she earns. She is not given more, and she is not given less. 

3. Who makes the economic decisions? 

She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. (31:13)

She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. (31:20)

She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant. (31:24)

Again and again in this chapter we see this remarkable and intelligent woman making pivotal decisions to direct her business and family:

She makes the investment decisions, the business decisions, and also the charitable decisions. She selects which raw materials to purchase. She decides the designs for her products. She controls the capital. She decides to which merchants she will sell. She decides how much she will work. She decides which projects to focus on. She decides the price of her products. She even decides how much to give to the poor. 

Consider the importance of her choices: if she makes foolish or selfish decisions everyone around her will suffer. This is a great responsibility, and it is a profound demonstration of economic freedom. Freedom is foundational to a healthy society.

The foundational economic elements behind the Proverbs 31 Woman’s actions are: 

1. Private property

2. Biblical justice

3. Freedom

It would be foolish to expect seeds to grow without water, healthy soil, and sunlight, but given the proper conditions, a tiny kernel can grow into a towering oak or a fruit-bearing plant. Similarly, it is foolish to expect a society to thrive without a Biblical economic foundation, but given the proper conditions, people will be blessed, and wealth will be created and shared in a way that brings great joy to the whole society.

When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. (Proverbs 29:2) 

Why should Christians take time to study economic questions? Because this topic, perhaps more than any other, impacts real people in their daily life.

When a government or society rejects Biblical economic principles, people will suffer and groan.

Proverbs 31 teaches us that when you place a life of wisdom and hard work into an environment of private property, economic justice, and freedom, everyone near that person will be blessed.

They will “rise up and call her blessed.” They will praise her. The family, the employees, the neighbors, and the poor near this woman will be grateful. This is the recipe for joy and a healthy society. When individuals or society embrace the Biblical view of economics people thrive, they are blessed, they experience freedom from oppression, and they are lifted out of poverty.

Throughout history, many governments and cultures have rejected these principles. Sometimes God’s ways are presented as old-fashioned, unintelligent, or selfish. Sometimes unbiblical principles may be marketed as loving or caring. Sometimes governments or leaders simply implement unbiblical principles by force. But departing from God’s ways always comes at a high cost. If we take seriously the Bible’s command to love our neighbor and to look after those in need, we must address questions of Economics from a Biblical perspective. 

God, in His love, didn’t leave us to try to figure out these concepts on our own. In the next two articles we’ll see how God embedded these principles directly into the law He gave His people…

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ABOUT BEN

Connect with him at Cornerstone Curriculum

Ben Quine, the second son of David and Shirley Quine, was blessed to grow up with a Charlotte Mason/Dr. Schaeffer/Biblical Worldview education -- a tremendous gift! Through the years, Ben has served as a Cornerstone consultant, assistant, and co-author. He has written several Bible studies for the Answers for Difficult Days series, which equips churches to address the issues our culture is wrestling with today, from the foundation of Scripture. Ben is also the editor of The Worldview Library, editions of classical literature with student helps that afford the reader a deeper understanding of the concepts presented in each work.

Trained as a classical pianist and instructor, Ben is committed to inspiring his students with the love of great music and equipping them with the tools to perform at the highest level. This training has resulted in his students' successful performances from local festivals and competitions to Carnegie Hall.

Ben loves Shakespeare, Dickens, photography, listening to recordings of "the great pianists", running, biking, and spending time with his wife Julie and their three sons.