The Words of King Lemuel
“The words of King Lemuel—a pronouncement that his mother taught him: What shall I say, O my son? What, O son of my womb? What, O son of my vows?
Do not spend your strength on women or your vigor on those who ruin kings.
It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to crave strong drink, lest they drink and forget what is decreed, depriving all the oppressed of justice. Give strong drink to one who is perishing, and wine to the bitter in soul. Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.
Open your mouth for those with no voice, for the cause of all the dispossessed. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the poor and needy.”
“The words of King Lemuel—a pronouncement that his mother taught him: What shall I say, O my son? What, O son of my womb? What, O son of my vows?” Proverbs 31 is a strange chapter. The first part of the chapter is devoted to advice a king received from his mother, and we can’t even be certain who “King Lemuel” was. The name “Lemuel” means “dedicated to God.” Many scholars feel that the king represented here was either Solomon or Hezekiah; however, since some versions read “King Lemuel of Massa,” Lemuel might have actually been an Assyrian king. At any rate, Lemuel’s mother was a smart cookie and gave excellent advice, making vows to God concerning the rearing of her son.
“Do not spend your strength on women or your vigor on those who ruin kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to crave strong drink, lest they drink and forget what is decreed, depriving all the oppressed of justice. Royal banquets could turn into forced drinking bouts during which guests might have to vomit several times, stumbling back to absorb even more alcohol. The Esther story mentions the fact that during the banquet given by King Ahasuerus, the drinking was NOT compulsory, making this king unusually kind and sensitive.
While the king might get drunk at his own banquet, it is also quite likely that a wise king would refrain, standing back to watch to see how his nobles would comport themselves when drunk. There is an old saying “In vino veritas,” meaning that when people are drunk, they are likely to show their true colors and to say what they really think without the inhibitions of sobriety. Lemuel’s mother makes the point that drunken rulers are likely to misconduct themselves, persecuting the oppressed in the process.
“Give strong drink to one who is perishing, and wine to the bitter in soul. Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.” Traditionally, those in terminal conditions might be given wine to ease their suffering and to allow them peaceful deaths. Although Lemuel’s mother is advising alcohol for poor people, drinking will only make their situations worse and when they wake up from a drunken stupor, they will still be poor and may be in worse shape than they were previously.
“Open your mouth for those with no voice, for the cause of all the dispossessed. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the poor and needy.” Here Lemuel’s mother is giving excellent advice, encouraging the king to defend the poor and needy, something that God repeatedly encourages throughout the Bible but particularly throughout the Old Testament.
APPLICATION: The Book of Proverbs contains enormous amounts of wisdom, and these few verses are a prime example. No matter what title a ruler might hold, the challenges of national leadership remain the same. Throughout the world, we can see leaders who are wise and others who should never have been elevated to such positions in the first place.
God is the One who promotes people into positions of leadership, and only God can give the necessary wisdom so that leaders will rule wisely. When rulers think only of themselves, their families and friends, or their political party, the governments they head will rapidly become corrupt. When you study the history of the kings of Judah and Israel, you realize that God gave many of these men the chance to form dynasties, only for them to blow it because they insisted on worshiping idols rather than the One True Living God.
While most of us will never head a country, we may find ourselves in positions of authority. On that day, how will we comport ourselves? Will we seek God’s Will and try to fulfill God’s vision for our organization, or will we serve only ourselves? May all of us trust God and seek His Will for our lives, so that we will fulfill His plans and not ours!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help all those in authority at any level to look to You for guidance and do Your Will and not their own. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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