The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him
Proverbs closes with a section that carries no famous name: the sayings of a king called Lemuel, passed on to him by his mother. Who was he? Why is a mother's advice called an oracle? And why does a book of wisdom close this way?
Commentators differ on who Lemuel was. Some say the record leaves us nothing but his name.
Solomon spoke all of these proverbs, except those in the last two chapters… We know nothing of Agur (Prov. 30:1) or of King Lemuel (Prov. 31:1). Only their names have come down to us.
Others argue that the missing king is one we already know, under a name his mother used at home:
Who is King Lemuel? We know of no king by that name. We do not hesitate to say that it is Solomon. The name means "unto God" — someone devoted to the Lord. Solomon's mother most likely called her boy by this name, so here we have the record of the instruction she gave him.
If Lemuel is Solomon, his mother is Bathsheba. One writer reads her character in the name she gave her son.
King Lemuel is the writer, but not the author, for he simply quotes his mother's words. Most likely Lemuel is a name his mother gave Solomon. If so, it bears lovely witness to the godly character of Bathsheba. Her shame with David no doubt worked in her a serious self-judgment, and from that a sober concern for her child… How beautifully, then, the grace of God shines out in this closing chapter, with its picture of quiet rest and satisfaction. Solomon's own failure to heed the instruction his mother gives here only makes that grace look greater.
Where the ESV says "oracle," older translations say "prophecy." One writer traced how that word is used elsewhere.
The word translated "prophecy" here is translated that way in only one other of its 70 uses in the Old Testament. That is chapter 31:1, "the prophecy that his mother taught him." There too nothing in the context is prophetic. It is a weighty warning against vice and strong drink. The root meaning is really "a burden," something of weight… It is what we would call a "weighty statement."
Another writer says the closing chapters carry that same claim.
Proverbs 30 and 31 fit the rest of the book and are worthy of closing it. They claim the character of "prophecy," and every word bears the stamp of God.
One writer sums up what she actually told him.
Once more the warning is against sexual sin, against wine and strong drink, and she presses it very earnestly — she asks "What?" three times. Her brief words of exhortation end by asking him to act righteously as king: to stand up for those who are appointed to destruction, and to plead the cause of the poor and needy.
Scripture gives weight to a mother's part in shaping a child, and this verse is cited as a high example of it.
The story of Hannah tells us what great influence a mother holds in the life of our children. I think this is why the history of the kings of Israel and Judah almost always names the mother. In so many cases she was the one who formed her son's character. If only all children had mothers as good and wise as Hannah, or as Lemuel's mother in Proverbs 31:1.
One writer notes when this shaping happens, and who does most of it.
Here the son is urged to take these commands to purity to heart from his earliest years — from his mother no less than his father. Indeed it falls to the mother most of all to shape the bent of the young.
One writer notes how the book's last words answer its first.
If the book begins with solemn warnings against the corrupting woman, it ends beautifully with "the words of King Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him" (Prov. 31:1).
One writer reads the chapter as looking past Solomon himself.
This prophecy looks far beyond Solomon, to a King in whom faithfulness and truth appear in perfect beauty. The first part of the chapter, to verse 9, shows His throne established in righteousness. The second, from verse 10 to the end, adds the lovely picture of His Bride.
- Name. Lemuel appears nowhere else. Commentators differ: he is either unknown, or he is Solomon under his mother's name for him, "unto God."
- Weight. The word behind "oracle" means a burden: a weighty statement, not a prediction. Her burden to him is to keep clear of wine and sexual sin, and to plead the cause of the poor. Every word of it bears the stamp of God.
- Teacher. The instruction comes from a mother. A mother shapes a child most in the early years.
- Grace. If Bathsheba is the speaker, her shame turned into self-judgment and sober care for her son. Solomon ignored her words, which only makes God's grace look greater.
- Reach. The words reach far past Solomon. They point to a King whose throne is established in righteousness, and to His Bride.
What, my son? and what, O son of my womb? and what, O son of my vows?
A mother's voice closes the book of Proverbs. She asks her son one question three times over before she gives him a single instruction. The three names she calls him by carry the weight of everything that follows.
The question is left unfinished — just "what?", asked three times. One writer fills it out as "What shall I say to you?", and names the king who heard it.
"The words of King Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him" — this is the heading of the chapter. Who is King Lemuel? No king by that name is known. We do not hesitate to say that it is Solomon. It means "unto God," one who is devoted to the Lord. Solomon's mother most likely called her boy by this name. So this chapter records what she taught him. Once again she warns her son, and she warns him very earnestly. She repeats "what?" three times over, meaning "What shall I say to you?" The warning is against immorality, against wine and strong drink.
Not every writer identifies him with Solomon.
The name does not occur elsewhere, and some suppose it is a symbolic one, meaning 'godward,' or '(created) by God.'
The word for "son" here is not the usual Hebrew one. Its only other appearance in the Old Testament ties this verse to a psalm.
Turn, for instance, to Psalm 2… "Kiss the Son, lest He be angry." Who then is this Son? The word used here (bar) is not the usual one, and its only other occurrence is Proverbs 31:2. Yet it is often used in names such as Bar-jonah, Barnabas, Barsabas, Bar-Jesus. Here the Son stands side by side with Jehovah as His equal. He is the final judge of man's destiny, and He is enough as the object of man's trust. So He must be a Divine Person.
She could have ordered him. Instead she names two claims she has on him: the body that bore him, and the promises she made about him. Then she leaves him to answer.
The language here is nothing like arbitrary commands. It gives no place to rule-keeping. It is an earnest appeal to the heart and conscience of her son. She presses him in a practical way to give his own firm answer. She appeals to him on the ground that she gave him birth, and on the ground of her vows. Those vows no doubt devoted her son to God, as his name Lemuel ("unto God") implies. It is a reminder of Hannah, who vowed that Samuel would be given to God all the days of his life.
One writer gives this same title to Hannah's son Samuel. Hannah had prayed for a boy and promised him back to God, and the day came to hand him over.
"Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord," she says, "as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord." The word "lent" should really be "given." She did not cling to him for herself. She made no scene when she parted with the loved and lovable "son of her vows" (Prov. 31:2). She gives him up freely and gladly. Was it not for this very purpose that she waited long and prayed earnestly? She was not one of those who vow and later regret it.
If Lemuel is Solomon, the woman speaking is Bathsheba. One writer traces her sober words back to her own past.
King Lemuel is the writer, but not the author, for he only quotes the words of his mother… it seems most likely that Lemuel is a name his mother gave Solomon. If so, it bears lovely witness to the godly character of Bathsheba. Her experience of shame with David no doubt produced a serious self-judgment, and with it a sober concern for her child… Indeed, Solomon's own failure to heed his mother's instruction serves to underline the greatness of God's grace.
The son addressed here never lived up to the words. The chapter divides in two, and both halves point past him.
This prophecy also looks far beyond Solomon. It looks to a King in whom these qualities of faithfulness and truth are perfect and beautiful. The first part of the chapter, down to verse 9, shows His throne established in righteousness. The second part, from verse 10 to the end, adds the lovely picture of His Bride, "a helper fit for Him," in whom He finds deep and precious delight.
- Named — "Lemuel" means "unto God," one devoted to the Lord. No king carries that name, and writers differ on whether Solomon stands behind it.
- Borne — "son of my womb" is her first claim: she appeals to his heart and conscience instead of giving orders.
- Vowed — "son of my vows" points to a child promised to God, as Hannah promised Samuel and then handed him over gladly.
- Taught — the words come from a mother whose own shame led to self-judgment and sober care for her son.
- Fulfilled — Solomon failed the instruction. The King of righteousness in this chapter, with His Bride beside Him, is still to come.
Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to them that destroy kings.
A king's mother speaks here. Her first warning to her son is not about armies or money, but about where he spends his strength. Two questions follow: who was Lemuel, and why does this ruin kings?
Leslie Grant notes how the mother presses her son, and what her vows and his name mean.
The language here is quite unlike arbitrary commands: legality is given no place. It is an earnest appeal to the heart and conscience of her son, pressing him to answer decidedly for himself. She appeals to him on the ground that she gave birth to him. She appeals also on the ground of her vows. These were no doubt vows that gave her son to God, as his name Lemuel ("unto God") implies. It is a reminder of Hannah's vow that Samuel would belong to God all the days of his life.
Commentators differ over who Lemuel was; some identify him with Solomon, others say plainly that we do not know. Either way, verse 3 stands at the head of a short list that sums up what a wise king must be.
Who king Lemuel was is not known: this has caused some to suppose that Solomon is again referred to. The first nine verses speak of the character of a king according to wisdom. The main things are that he must not give his strength to women, nor to strong drink, and that he must open his mouth for those ready to perish, the poor, and the needy.
If Solomon is the son addressed, he broke this very warning.
Solomon set aside this first instruction of his mother. The tragedy of it is a painful comment on how powerless the greatest human wisdom is. It was Solomon's many wives who turned away his heart from obedience to God (1 Kings 11:3)… Did Solomon not know better than to serve idols? Certainly, but his knowledge was not enough to preserve him. If he had learned to distrust himself, as Agur did, he might have known how to depend in communion upon the Lord, who Himself is the Preserver of men.
Grant elsewhere points to the law's own rule for kings.
The law said that a king must not "multiply wives for himself" (Deuteronomy 17:17), for this would turn away his heart from the Lord. In this also Solomon badly disobeyed God. He had 700 wives as well as 300 concubines, and "his wives turned away his heart after other gods" (1 Kings 11:4).
W. W. Fereday sets the two possibilities side by side, and marks how far the damage spreads.
The companionship of a holy woman, chosen under God's guidance, is an immense help and comfort to the Christian. But the influence of an unholy woman is enough to wreck the spiritual life and testimony of the very best… Solomon, despite his rich gifts, fell under this evil spell. It was his own undoing, and the ruin of his people.
Grant ties the verse's last phrase to the standard God set for marriage.
Faithful devotion to one wife is beautifully seen in the love of Christ for the church (Ephesians 5:25-29), and this is the sacred standard for the child of God as to the holiness of the marriage bond. Violation of this is the thing that "destroys kings."
C. Knapp follows one royal family: a father who allied with Ahab's house, and a son who married into it.
It was all the result of Jehoram's father's ill-advised alliance with the ungodly house of Ahab. What the father sowed he reaped, at least by dreading it, and his descendants had to reap it in fact, in a most terrible way. "When Jehoram had ascended the throne of his father and was established, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the princes of Israel." He had married the daughter of a "murderer" (2 Kings 6:32), and as a natural result he soon stained his own hands with blood.
Grant hears these verses reaching past Solomon to another King.
How the earth groans for the coming of the King of kings and Lord of lords! His reign will be perfect fairness, kindness and compassion. He will judge rightly, plead the cause of the poor, and deliver those appointed to destruction, so that the whole earth will break forth into singing! It is surely this we are to take as the implication in these first nine verses of chapter 31: there is a King of whom all these things are true.
- Strength appealed for. The mother does not command. She appeals to his conscience as the one who bore him and vowed him to God. His name, Lemuel, means "unto God."
- Strength ranked first. This heads the list of what a wise king is, before strong drink and pleading for the poor.
- Strength not kept by wisdom. Solomon had his mother's word and the law's word. Knowledge did not keep him. Only distrust of self and dependence on the Lord would have.
- Strength spent on the wrong influence. A godly companion is an immense help; an ungodly one can wreck the best man — and, in Solomon's case, ruin a whole people.
- Strength answered in the King. Jehoram married into Ahab's house, and blood followed. Only the coming King of kings answers to these nine verses.
It is not for kings, Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, nor for rulers [to say], Where is the strong drink?
A queen mother is teaching her son how to wear a crown, and her first instruction is about what he must not drink. Her warning targets the throne. Ordinary Israelites could drink wine. Why not the man who judged them?
No king by this name is known. One writer identifies him as Solomon, named by his own mother:
"The words of King Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him" — this is the heading of the chapter. Who is King Lemuel? No king by that name is known. We have no hesitation in saying that it is Solomon. It means "unto God," one who is devoted to the Lord. In all probability Solomon's mother called her boy by this name. So here is the record of the instruction she gave him.
Others leave the identity open and focus instead on what the passage is doing:
Who king Lemuel was is not known: this has caused some to suppose that Solomon is again referred to. The first nine verses speak of the character of a king according to wisdom.
The mother does not legislate. She presses her son to decide for himself, and she grounds her plea in her own history with him:
The language here is quite unlike arbitrary commandments: legality is given no place. It is an earnest appeal to the heart and conscience of her son, a practical pressing on him to answer decidedly for himself. She appeals to him on the ground of her giving birth to him, and also on the ground of her vows, which no doubt were vows devoting her son to God, as his name Lemuel ("unto God") implies — a reminder of Hannah's vow that Samuel would be given to God all the days of his life.
Wine itself was not outlawed in Israel. What changes the rule is the office a man holds:
Whatever others may be free to do, there are certain positions that demand a different standard of conduct. For instance, an airline pilot or a train driver must not touch strong drink, for obvious reasons. A king too is in a place of trust. He is responsible for the welfare of many subjects. He must keep sober judgment at all times, wise and fair. If others indulge in wine and strong drink, this is not for him.
The same principle governed those who served in the sanctuary, and it carries forward to believers now:
Liquor was not forbidden to the people generally, though they were warned against drunkenness. But a priest was in a special place of responsibility, and in the service of God he was not to allow his mind to be impaired... Believers today are both kings and priests (Rev. 1:6). They should take this to heart. They should not indulge in anything that clouds their sober discernment and wisdom as they bear witness to the Lord.
Clear judgment comes from staying near God. Drink takes it away:
So I keep away from everything that works on the flesh, and I stay near God. There in the sanctuary I learn His mind. Then I am able to "distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean." Then I can also teach others and say, That is the mind of the Lord about this or that... But have we not often found an inability to judge according to the mind of God, where there was no failure in the rule itself — a spiritual incompetence? Sadly, my friends, we have been content to "drink wine and strong drink," and so our spiritual faculties have grown dark.
The Nazarite vow required a person to abstain from wine while set apart to God. One writer sees the mother asking her son to live by the same pattern:
The Nazarite had to keep away from "wine and strong drink." These point to whatever gratifies, stimulates, and excites the flesh. King Lemuel's mother thought that kings should have the marks of Nazarites, since she warned him that if kings drink, they forget the law and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted... As Nazarites we do not need the joys of men, or to be sustained by what the world provides; our joy and strength are in the Lord.
If Lemuel is Solomon, the sequel is painful — and it widens the warning far past the bottle:
Did Solomon not know this without having to learn it by experience? Yet here again he ignored his mother's advice, as Ecclesiastes 2:3 tells us. He learned by painful experience that his mother was right. In Christ alone we see the perfection of sober, unwavering wisdom and faithfulness in judgment. For wine stands for anything that merely excites or stimulates for the moment. A man may be intoxicated by pleasures, as Solomon was for a time. He may be intoxicated by personal pride, by money-making, or by any of the many things that stir the desires of the flesh.
- Crown. The ban belongs to the office, not the drink. What others may freely do is not for the man in a place of trust.
- Clarity. Drink dulls the one faculty a ruler exists to use. He forgets the law and can no longer judge by the mind of God.
- The afflicted. A clouded king twists the case of the poor. Sobriety at the top is mercy at the bottom.
- Anything that intoxicates. Wine stands for anything that excites for the moment: pleasure, pride, money-making. Each one clouds sober judgment.
- Christ. Solomon ignored his mother and proved her right the hard way. Only Christ shows this sober, unwavering wisdom in full. Believers, made kings and priests, are to follow Him in it.
-- lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the children of affliction.
A mother warns her royal son about women and wine, and here she gives her reason: a king who drinks forgets the law and fails the people with no power to defend themselves. The question is not whether wine is evil, but why the throne demands more of the man who sits on it.
The closing chapter of Proverbs draws two portraits. What the king refuses shapes his. One commentator reads that refusal as a guard on his office:
In the final chapter (Prov. 31) we see what a wise king is like, and what a woman is like in her own house. The king refuses anything that would darken his moral judgment by feeding his desires, because that would make him unfit to govern.
Others in Israel were not forbidden wine. The king was, and the reason lies in what depends on him:
Others may be free to do as they like. Some positions demand a different standard. For instance, no one lets an airline pilot or a train driver drink strong drink, for obvious reasons. A king too is in a place of trust. He is responsible for the welfare of many subjects. He must keep a clear head at all times, so that his judgment stays wise and fair. If others indulge in wine and strong drink, this is not for him.
The verse names a chain: drinking, then forgetting, then twisting justice. One commentator traces that chain past drink, since many things can blur a man's thinking:
In Christ alone we see perfect wisdom that never wavers, and judgment that is always faithful. Wine stands for anything that lifts or excites us for the moment. A man can be drunk on pleasure, as Solomon was for a time, or on pride, or on making money, or on any of the many things that stir the desires of the flesh. These can affect his thinking so much that clear, sober judgment fails for a while.
The proverb is not theory. Scripture names real men whose drinking undid them, and the warning aims at excess, not at wine itself:
The first one is concerning wine and strong drink. Wine was allowed among the people of Israel, so the warning is against drinking too much (Deut. 14:26). The Bible gives many illustrations of the truth of this proverb-warning. We may think of Noah, Lot, Nabal, Ben-hadad, Belshazzar and others.
In Israel, a Nazarite was someone who took a vow to be set apart for God and gave up wine as part of it. One writer sees the same principle behind the sobriety asked of Lemuel, the king in this chapter:
"Wine and strong drink," which the Nazarite had to give up, stand for whatever pleases, stimulates, and excites the flesh. King Lemuel's mother clearly thought that kings should look like Nazarites... As Nazarites we do not need the joys of men, and we do not need the world to hold us up. Our joy and strength are in the Lord.
The same restriction fell on priests serving God, and both offices now describe the believer:
The mother of Solomon also warned him that kings should not drink wine or strong drink (Prov. 31:4-5), in case it weakened their power to govern fairly. Believers today are both kings and priests (Rev. 1:6). They should take this to heart and avoid anything that clouds their sober judgment and wisdom as they bear witness to the Lord. Pleasure and other things can affect our judgment just as strong drink can.
If Solomon fell short of his mother's words, the standard itself still stands, and it points beyond him:
How the earth groans for the coming of the King of kings and Lord of lords! His rule will be completely fair, kind and full of compassion. He will judge with righteousness. He will take up the cause of the poor. He will rescue those condemned to die, and the whole earth will burst into song. This is surely what these first nine verses of chapter 31 point to: there is a King who is all of this.
- Cause — drink darkens the mind, and a mind that cannot see straight cannot rule. The king says no to wine to stay fit to govern.
- Cost — the weakest pay for what dulls the ruler. He forgets the law and twists the rights of the afflicted.
- Coverage — wine stands for anything that excites us for the moment: pleasure, pride, or making money.
- Claim — Scripture calls every believer a king and a priest, so ordinary people who bear witness to the Lord need the same clear head.
- Completion — Solomon heard this and still fell. Only Christ never wavers in wisdom or in faithful judgment, and His reign will take up the cause of the poor.
Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto the bitter of soul
Proverbs ends with a mother's advice to her son. She takes the cup away from the king and hands it to the dying and the broken-hearted — mercy, or an excuse to drown sorrow?
The verse comes right after a warning that kings must not drink. One writer explains why, and what wine stands for:
A king is in a place of trust. He is responsible for the welfare of many subjects, and he must keep at all times a sober judgment that is wise and fair. If others indulge in wine and strong drink, this is not for him. Wine speaks of anything that merely exhilarates or stimulates for the time. Man may be intoxicated by pleasures, as Solomon was for a time, or by personal pride, by money-making, or any of those many things that influence the desires of the flesh. These may so affect the thoughts that proper, sober judgment is for the time impaired.
Who gets the cup? Someone at the end of his strength, and someone crushed inside. One writer hears God's care for weak people in the repeated words:
Truly he is "frail man". But now, sadly, he is called to know a frailty that comes not from creation but from his sin. There is discipline for him in it. He needs it, and divine love still acts in it. That added need has brought out God's tenderness as never before. The wine gladdens frail man's heart. The bread strengthens frail man's heart. How the words, and the repetition of the words, breathe of God's thoughtful care! He holds up one who might so easily give way to discouragement.
The verse can easily be stretched into an excuse. Writing on Paul's instruction to older women in Titus, one commentator admits the pull, then draws the line:
Of course, we all know that a worn-out body and a tried mind might fall back on some such stimulant. The last chapter of Proverbs says, "Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress..." But the word is plain: "not enslaved to much wine."
Read as a picture, the verse sends the strongest comfort to the person in the worst condition. One writer traces both the gift and what should follow it:
Is there not here the implied truth of the Gospel of grace? A lost, hopelessly miserable soul needs the reviving, restoring joy of knowing forgiveness. It needs the "pouring in" of the oil of the Holy Spirit, and the wine of a new-found joy in trusting the precious blood of Christ. This first, bubbling joy of a newborn soul is most precious in its place. But it should lead on to a sober, faithful, devoted character of solid dependability. Wine is not to be the diet of the soul after conversion, but the milk and solid food of the Word of God.
Some writers hear this verse in the bread and cup of the Lord's Supper. One applies its words to what the cup announces. He quotes an older wording, "heavy hearts", where the ESV has "in bitter distress":
It is this precious "strong drink" which reminds us that our "misery" is gone, and that our "heavy hearts" have been lifted up. The blood of bulls and of goats told us that sin is remembered. This cup tells us that sin is forgiven, and that is its own distinctive voice. To give thanks in company with it is harmony; to pray about our sins is discord.
Another writer draws a practical rule from the same words about how believers should meet at the table:
True, we have much to pray for — much to confess — much to mourn over; but the table is not the place for mourners... Ours is "a cup of blessing" — a cup of thanksgiving — God's appointed symbol of that precious blood which has bought our ransom.
The proverb offers a drink to the heavy heart. One writer sets Christ's love beside it:
"Give wine," says the Book of Proverbs, "to those in bitter distress." But His love is better than wine. It cheers and strengthens without exciting the flesh.
- Withheld, then given. The king must refuse the cup. The perishing receive it — strong relief goes where the need is deepest, not where the power is.
- Frailty met. The wine that gladdens the heart shows God's tenderness. He holds up people who might otherwise give way to discouragement.
- Not a licence. The verse names a real pull on a tired body and a tried mind, and the plain instruction still stands: not enslaved.
- Grace pictured. The joy of forgiveness revives the hopeless soul. That first joy should then grow into steady character, fed on the Word of God.
- A better cup. The table says the misery is gone and sin is forgiven. Christ's love cheers and strengthens beyond anything wine can do.
let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.
Here a mother teaches her son how to be a king, and her instruction is strange: the cup he must refuse, he must hand to someone else. Why put a drink that makes a man forget into the hands of people at the end of their rope?
The verse only makes sense alongside the warning just before it. A ruler's mind must stay clear. The drink that would blur his judgment goes instead to those who have nothing left to judge.
"Wine and strong drink," which the Nazarite was to keep away from, stand for what gratifies, stimulates, and excites the flesh. King Lemuel's mother seems to have thought that kings should have the marks of a Nazarite. She said to him: "It is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes strong drink. Otherwise they will drink and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. Give strong drink to him who is ready to perish, and wine to those who are heavy of heart."
One writer sees both discipline and tenderness in what God gives frail people.
Frail man now knows a frailty that his own sin brought on him, not his creation. There is discipline for him in it, which he needs, and in which divine love still acts. And that added need has brought out God's tenderness as never before. There is the wine that gladdens frail man's heart, and the bread that strengthens frail man's heart. How the words, and the repeating of the words, breathe of God's thoughtful care! That care holds up someone who could so easily give way to discouragement. "Give strong drink to him who is ready to perish, and wine to the bitter in soul: let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more."
The verse promises forgetting, not curing. One writer traces what happened when Solomon tried that relief.
So mirth is tried next, and the natural relief for those bitter of soul, as we hear in Proverbs 31. It was all in vain, and the feeling of disappointment returns.
A heavy heart has a better supply than wine.
"Give wine," says the Book of Proverbs, "to those with heavy hearts." But His love is better than wine. It cheers and strengthens without exciting the flesh. So there is not only dependence on Him, but also the confidence in Him that His love is meant to inspire.
As they crucified Jesus, men offered Him a drink to deaden pain. He was the man ready to perish, and He turned it down.
The wine was mixed with myrrh to deaden the senses, and the Lord refused that cup.
Our blessed Lord refused the wine and myrrh for Himself at the hand of men. He would drink the bitter cup of their sin to its dregs, without trying to soften or excuse it.
One writer hears the gospel of grace in this instruction. The drink goes to the person with nothing left.
Yet strong drink is to be given to those ready to perish, and wine to those heavy of heart. Is there not an implied truth of the gospel of grace here? A lost soul, miserable beyond hope, needs the reviving joy of knowing forgiveness. It needs the "pouring in" of the oil of the Holy Spirit, and the wine of a new-found joy in trusting the precious blood of Christ. This first, bubbling joy of a newborn soul is most precious in its place. But it should lead on to a sober, faithful, devoted character of solid dependability. Wine is not to be the soul's diet after conversion. That diet is the milk and solid food of the Word of God.
One writer hears this verse's "strong drink" in the cup Christians share at the Lord's Supper.
It is this precious "strong drink" that reminds us our "misery" is gone, and that our "heavy hearts" have been lifted up. It tells us that sin is forgiven. The blood of bulls and goats spoke of sin remembered; this cup has its own distinct voice. To give thanks along with it is harmony; to pray about our sins is discord.
- Sober — the king refuses the cup to keep his judgment of the afflicted clear. What would ruin a ruler goes to those already past ruin.
- Gift — the wine shows God's thoughtful care for frail people. It holds up someone close to giving way to discouragement.
- Limited — it buys forgetting, not healing. Solomon tried that relief, and it was all in vain.
- Better — Christ's love cheers and strengthens without exciting the flesh. He refused the deadening cup so He could drink the bitter one whole.
- Given — no one earns this drink; the perishing receive it. That is why the Lord's table carries this verse's voice: the misery is gone.
Open thy mouth for the dumb, for the cause of all those that are left desolate.
A mother's counsel to her son closes the book of Proverbs, and the son is a king. Verse 8 tells him what to do with his mouth: speak for people who have no voice.
The chapter opens with a name found nowhere else in Scripture. Who was King Lemuel?
King Lemuel is the writer, but not the author, for he simply quotes the words of his mother. No king of Israel or Judah is known by this name. It seems most likely that Lemuel is a name his mother gave to Solomon.
The verse reads like a command. But it comes from a mother, and its reach goes past one throne:
The language here is quite unlike arbitrary commandments: legality is given no place. It is an earnest appeal to the heart and conscience of her son, a practical pressing on him to answer decidedly for himself. She appeals to him on the ground of her giving birth to him. She appeals to him too on the ground of her vows. These vows no doubt devoted her son to God, as his name Lemuel ("unto God") implies... Certainly only in Christ do we see the perfection of such devotion — the perfect carrying out of the godly instructions we find here. But these instructions are meant to exercise Solomon and all the children of God today, who are "made kings and priests to our God."
The mother's charge names whom the king must speak for. Where the ESV says "all who are destitute," the older wording is "those appointed to destruction":
The mother's exhortation ends with a request. She asks her son to act righteously as king, to stand up for those who are appointed to destruction, and to plead the cause of the poor and needy.
Why do the poor need someone to speak for them?
It may seem strange to say, "Do not rob the poor," and above all "because he is poor." But the warning is needed, since human nature is so base, selfish, and cruel. The rich might seem the more inviting prey to men without conscience. But they can take care of themselves in ways the poor could not. So bad men flatter the rich for gain, while they rob or oppress those who ought to be objects of pity. But the Lord has His eye on such wickedness, at the very gate where justice should flow. He pleads the cause of the poor and the afflicted, and He makes those who plunder them pay dearly.
Solomon had the resources to obey. His reign went the other way:
The glory and wealth of Solomon's kingdom were such that it should have been simple for him to follow this sound advice of his mother. Yet do we find it so? ... It may be that Solomon began well, and paid some attention to his mother's instruction, but in the end he violated all of it! How the earth groans for the coming of the King of kings and Lord of lords! His reign will be perfect fairness, kindness and compassion. He will judge with justice, plead the cause of the poor, and deliver those appointed to destruction, so that the whole earth will break out into singing! Surely this is what the first nine verses of chapter 31 imply: there is a King of whom all these things are true.
Until that reign comes, the duty falls somewhere else:
Only then will the poor receive proper consideration. Meanwhile, in the Church of God, the Spirit of God insists through the apostles, "Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do" (Galatians 2:10). So today, public government does not care properly for the poor. That responsibility rests on the Church of God, though in a very limited sphere.
The need of the poor is easy to ignore on purpose:
If a man does not want to know that need, he can likely persuade himself that he knows nothing of it. But the righteous desire to know, and they consider the cause of the poor. This does not mean handing out money or goods to anyone at all. It means wise help, given at the right time.
- Taught. The verse comes from a mother's charge to her son, an appeal to his heart and conscience rather than a rule laid on him.
- Asked. She asks him to act righteously as king: stand up for those appointed to destruction, plead the cause of the poor and needy.
- Grounded. The king copies God, who watches the gate where justice should flow. God pleads the cause of the afflicted and repays those who plunder them.
- Failed. Solomon had every resource to obey, yet in the end he broke all of it. So the earth still groans for the King of whom these things are true.
- Handed on. Believers, made kings and priests, carry the charge now. They consider the cause of the poor and give wise help at the right time.
Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and minister justice to the afflicted and needy.
King Lemuel's mother is telling her son how to be a king, and her last words say what he must do: use his voice for people who have none. Her charge raises two questions — did the king who wrote it down ever obey it, and who finally will?
The counsel in these opening verses is not framed as law. One writer notes that the mother appeals to her son's heart, and to the vows she once made over him:
The language here is quite in contrast to that of arbitrary commandments: legality is given no place. It is an earnest appeal to the heart and conscience of her son, pressing him to answer decidedly for himself. She appeals to him on the ground of her giving birth to him, and on the ground of her vows. Those vows no doubt devoted her son to God, as his name Lemuel ("unto God") implies. It is a reminder of Hannah's vow that Samuel would be given to God all the days of his life.
Some commentators read the name as a title for Solomon himself. That makes the chapter a record of what Solomon's own mother told him:
Who is King Lemuel? No king by that name is known. We do not hesitate in saying that it is Solomon. It means "unto God" — one devoted to the Lord.
Verse 9 completes a set of three. One writer notes that no king was better placed to keep this counsel than the one who wrote it down.
This is the last of the three basic characteristics of the true King. The glory and wealth of Solomon's kingdom was such that it ought to have been a simple matter for him to follow this sound advice of his mother. Yet, do we find it so?
The answer came out after his death. His people went to his son with a complaint about the reign that had just ended:
They said Solomon had made their yoke heavy. How sad a comment on the character of Solomon! He was a king of great wealth. But wealthy rulers will nearly always use strong means to increase their wealth, instead of using it to relieve the hardships of the people. Solomon records that his mother told him to "Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy" (Prov. 31:9). But he not only ignored his mother's counsel: he went so far as to oppress the poor and needy.
Why single out the poor? One writer answers that they are the easiest prey — and that the Lord Himself takes up their case.
It may seem strange to say, "Do not rob the poor," and in particular "because he is poor." But the warning is needed, because human nature is so base, selfish, and cruel. The rich might seem the more tempting target for dishonest men. Yet they can take care of themselves in ways the poor cannot even try. So bad men flatter the rich for gain, while they rob or oppress those who ought to be objects of pity. But the Lord has His eye on such wickedness, at the very gate where justice should flow. He pleads the cause of the poor and the afflicted, and He repays heavily those who rob them.
Solomon's failure is not the last word. The portrait of the true king still stands, waiting for the One who can fill it:
How the earth groans for the coming of the King of kings and Lord of lords! His reign will be perfect fairness, kindness, and compassion. He will judge righteously, plead the cause of the poor, and deliver those appointed to destruction, so that the whole earth will break forth into singing! It is surely this we are to take as the implication in these first nine verses of chapter 31: there is a King of whom all these things are true.
And the standard is not shelved until He comes. The same writer applies it to every believer now:
These instructions are meant for Solomon to put into practice, and for all the children of God today, who are "made kings and priests to our God," and whose character is therefore to be patterned after His who is "Lord of lords and King of kings."
- Charged. A mother's plea, not a rule — she appeals to her son's conscience on the ground of the vows that devoted him to God.
- Crowned. Justice for the poor is the third mark of a true king. Solomon's wealth should have made it simple to give.
- Compromised. Solomon wrote this counsel down, then made his people's yoke heavy. He oppressed the poor instead of relieving them.
- Covered. The poor cannot fight back, so bad men rob them. But the Lord pleads their cause and repays those who plunder them.
- Coming. Only the King of kings fills this portrait — and until He reigns it is the pattern for all who belong to Him.