Her lamp does not go out at night...

During The Second Boer War fought at the turn of the 19th century between the British Empire and the Boer Republics, a key and bloody battle took place on a desolate hill near Ladysmith named Spioen Kop.  It began in the early hours of January 23, 1899, and after the first exchanges, it looked as though things had gone the British army’s way. 

But this was just the beginning. 

A lack of cover coupled with its failure to control the secondary peaks surrounding the plateau meant the Imperial army would be pinned down and suffer heavy casualties.  As the day wore on however, Britain’s numerical supremacy over the Boer force led to a stalemate that lasted well into the night. 

Dawn on the second day of battle brought a crucial turning point.   The Boers - unbeknownst to the British commanders - abandoned their positions and began to melt into the surrounding country.
The British front line commander – exhausted, dehydrated and traumatised by hours of sustained violence was completely unaware of this strategic development – and more importantly, completely oblivious of the fact that he had all but won the battle.  Even though 1400 reinforcements had been sent to help, he too ordered a retreat from the land for which he and his soldiers had paid so dearly.  A signaler stationed at a command post halfway up the slopes of the mountain was urgently ordered by General Buller to reverse the decision. But to add insult to injury, he found to his horror that his signaling lamp had run out of oil.  As Thomas Pakenham writes in his seminal book "The Boer War":

"The Battle was lost for want of a pennyworth of Oil"

Did you get that?  One of the most pivotal events in our country's history could have gone the other way had someone taken the simple precaution of making sure there was oil in a lamp.

The exact opposite is true of the Proverbs 31 "woman".  

"Her lamp does not go out at night" - vs. 18

She is like the five bridesmaids in Mark 25 who have been careful to bring enough oil with them to retrim their lamps.  As I contemplate her nature,  I see a woman who is "dressed with strength" - she is spiritually, mentally and even physically fit for the tasks that God has given to do.  She has always got a vial of oil in reserve...But what is the source of this oil?

Firstly, she knows that the tasks she does are not tasks of naked ambition but ones that God has assigned and ordained - a heavenly assignment if you will.  In this way, her work is not just motivated by WHAT she does but also by WHY she does it

Secondly, she "tastes and sees" that her work is fruitful -

"She tastes and sees that her gain from work [with and for God] is good" - vs. 18 Amplified

At the end of every day, despite the odious work of processing flax, spinning linen - of haggling with hard driving traders - she is able to reflect on the incredible reward of having spent her time labouring for the interests of her husband, her household and those in need.

For many employment seems meaningless, bogged down in tedium and low-grade stress.  They leave the office feeling sapped of energy only to crash in front of the TV to binge watch the latest season of whatever on Netflix.  By contrast, The Proverbs 31 woman is a flywheel of growing and ever refining energy because she "perceives that her merchandise (her output) is profitable" (vs. 18 ESV).  Imagine coming home from the office like that?  Your lamp would never go out either!  It would burn without flickering through the good times AND the bad -  

"but it burns on continually through the night [of trouble, privation, or sorrow, warning away fear, doubt, and distrust]"  Vs. 18 Amplified