Is Proverbs a stereotype of women

I remember when I visited my daughter at the house where she shared with a few girls from university. I saw this on her wall in her bedroom:
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
(Proverbs 31:30)
I was very proud of her as she was living with a group of girls who were not believers. She was willing to stand out in a culture which would not espouse this type of stereotype towards women.

When I read Proverbs 31 this morning. I was reminded of the section where this verse was taken from. The title of this section is "Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character". It's interesting that King Solomon did not write this chapter. It is written by a rather obscure king named King Lemuel. Jewish legend identifies him as Solomon, taking this advice from his mother Bathsheba; but there is no clear evidence for that. The widely used Strong's concordance, states that Lemuel in Hebrew means "(belonging) to God; Lemuel or Lemoel, a symbolic name of Solomon: -Lemuel." Other Bible commentators concur with Strong's: Easton's Bible Dictionary, Hitchcock's Bible Names, Smith's Bible Dictionary and Nave's Topical Bible.

So assuming this is true, it is interesting that Solomon wrapped up this entire Book of Wisdom describing the "ideal wife". Solomon had numerous wives and concubines. The mother of Solomon was Bathsheba making her the author of this section of Proverbs if Lemuel is King Solomon. Many commentators typically divide Chapter 31 of Proverbs into two distinct, unrelated sections. Verses 1-9 are directly directed to King Lemuel while Proverbs 31:10-29 describe the virtuous wife:



'A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies.

Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.
She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
“Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”'

The verse which is quoted the most is verse 30 (which my daughter put on her wall as a reminder):
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

I read an interesting post: Killing the Proverbs 31 Stereotype. I quote this from the post:
"Many focus on what the Proverbs 31 Woman does, rather than who she is. It seems utterly impossible to be able to do all those things, and that is what catches our attention, but it makes us miss the point of the scripture. Virtue; strength; dignity; wisdom; compassion; diligence; elegance; goodness; faithfulness; modesty…can you do all those things? No. You cannot, because Proverbs 31 is not so much about the woman’s perfect deeds and impeccable home-making skills, but more about the characteristics that she represents. When, at the very core of who we are, we live out these things, we will automatically bear the fruits. It is not about fulfilling a task list or ticking off stuff from our “perfect woman” checklist. That is not who we were created to be – at all. Looking at scripture from this perspective only binds us in more chains as women, and Jesus wants us to be free – absolutely free. We are placing unnecessary pressure and unrealistic expectations upon ourselves, and that is not the handiwork of God or the Bible... how does she manage to be who she is? This is very simple. True, genuine goodness, as it is represented in Proverbs 31, can only come from one Source: God. When your dependency on Jesus is so genuine and unshakable that you are completely surrendered to Him, you are giving Him the opportunity to change your heart and mind through the Holy Spirit. When you spend regular time in His Word, it does a work in you and renews your mind. He changes you from the inside-out, transforming you into a complete representation of Him – into a virtuous woman. "

From that point of view this chapter applies to men; it applies to me!

“We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2)