-- lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the children of affliction.
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Setting
Proverbs 31:5 stands inside the maternal counsel of King Lemuel's mother: "Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted." The verse warns those who hold authority that strong drink dulls the moral sense and so corrupts the very justice the throne exists to dispense.
A King Unfit to Govern
The opening commentary on the chapter sets the moral logic of verse 5: a ruler who indulges his appetite ruins the discernment without which government cannot function righteously.
J. N. DarbyIn the final chapter (Prov. 31) we have the character of a king according to wisdom, and that of the woman in her own house — the king who does not allow himself that which, by darkening his moral discernment through the indulgence of his lusts, would make him unfit to govern.
The "law" the king is in danger of forgetting is the standard he is sworn to uphold; the "judgment of the afflicted" is what suffers first when a clouded mind sits on the bench. Wisdom's first refusal, then, is not legalistic — it is protective of those who have no other defender.
The King with the Features of a Nazarite
A second line of commentary draws verse 5 into the wider biblical picture, comparing Lemuel's training to the Nazarite vow. Wine here represents whatever excites and gratifies the flesh, and a ruler must be free from it precisely because so much depends on his clear head.
Magazines"Wine and strong drink," from which the Nazarite was to separate himself, would indicate that which gratifies, stimulates, and excites the flesh. King Lemuel's mother evidently thought that kings should have the features of Nazarites, when she said to him, "It is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts" (Prov. 31:4-6). As Nazarites we do not require the joys of men, or to be sustained by what the world provides; our joy and strength are in the Lord.
Notice the contrast verse 5 sets up with verse 6: what would corrupt a judge's verdict may rightly comfort a dying man. The same cup is forbidden to one and given to another, because responsibility, not appetite, decides its place.
A Word for Believers Today
The principle is then applied directly to Christians, who in Revelation 1:6 are described as kings and priests. Verse 5 ceases to be a regulation for ancient courts and becomes a warning for any saint whose witness depends on a sober mind.
Leslie M. GrantLiquor was not forbidden generally to the people, 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. The mother of Solomon also warned him that it was not for kings to drink wine or strong drink (Prov. 31:4-5) lest this should impair their ability to govern fairly. Believers today, who are both kings and priests (Rev. 1:6) should take this to heart, and not indulge in anything that might becloud their sober discernment and wisdom in bearing witness to the Lord. For we might be intoxicated by pleasures or other things that would affect our judgment just as liquor might.
The application moves the reader past the literal cup. Pleasures, distractions, and stimulants of every kind can "intoxicate" — and the casualty is always the same: clouded judgment, a forgotten standard, and an injustice done, often, to the very people one was placed in office to defend.
The Christ Who Stands Behind the Chapter
One commentator reads the whole chapter as ultimately pointing beyond Lemuel to the true King, the One in whom wisdom and self-restraint are perfect:
H J VineThis singularly striking acrostic of Proverbs 31, following as we have seen "the words" of the King, gives one more remarkable testimony to the true Messiah, the true King, the Christ of God; whose glory is seen, not only in the use of the alphabet, but also in the worthy wife to whom that alphabet is attached so significantly here.
Christ, the perfect King, will neither forget the law nor pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted — and it is His character that the verse silently holds up as the standard for every lesser ruler.
Summary
- Clarity over comfort. A ruler must refuse anything that darkens his moral discernment, since indulgence makes him unfit to govern (Darby).
- Justice for the afflicted. Verse 5 names the specific casualty of a fogged mind: the cause of the helpless, the very people authority exists to defend.
- Nazarite kings. Lemuel's mother sets royal sobriety beside the Nazarite vow; wine pictures whatever excites the flesh, and the king's joy is to be drawn from the Lord, not the world.
- Kings and priests now. Revelation 1:6 makes the warning ours; believers should not be intoxicated by pleasures or anything else that beclouds witness and wisdom (Grant).
- The true King. Behind the proverb stands Christ, the true Messiah, whose perfect government realises what Lemuel was being trained toward (Vine).