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.