-- 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.
Fitness to govern
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:
J. N. DarbyIn 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.
A position of trust, not of liberty
Others in Israel were not forbidden wine. The king was, and the reason lies in what depends on him:
Leslie M. GrantOthers 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.
What wine stands for
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:
Leslie M. GrantIn 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.
Warnings from real lives
The proverb is not theory. Scripture names real men whose drinking undid them, and the warning aims at excess, not at wine itself:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThe 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.
The pattern of separation
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:
An Outline of Sound Words"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.
Why it reaches the ordinary Christian
The same restriction fell on priests serving God, and both offices now describe the believer:
Leslie M. GrantThe 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.
The King who will never forget
If Solomon fell short of his mother's words, the standard itself still stands, and it points beyond him:
Leslie M. GrantHow 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.
Summary
- 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.