PROVERBS 31 OVERVIEW

“The Virtuous Woman” Part I

I.                   Intro

1.     Have you ever had your mom or dad sit you down and say, “we need to talk.”  And it’s super awkward.  And they begin to give you some advice on something that you didn’t want to hear.  I had that happen too many times.  We’ll, this chapter is kind of like that.  (Kind of…)

2.     This is part one of a three part series on the virtuous woman.  In this section we will get introduced to a mother and her son.  This mother is giving advice to her son.  Before she tells about what kind of wife he should look for, she exhorts him about what kind of wife not to look for.  She gives him some warnings before he gets to hear the good stuff. 

II.                 Proverbs 31:1-2

1.     “words of King Lemuel…which his mother taught him” (v.1):

A.    We don’t know exactly who King Lemuel is.  There was no king of Israel of Judah by this name.  Lemuel means “belonging to God.”  Some infer that Lemuel is a pseudonym (stage name) for Solomon.  And these are words that his mother taught him. 

B.     His mother, of course, was Bathsheba.  Since we don’t know who this is, let’s just use Solomon and Bathsheba for this story just to make it interesting.  Let’s start with familiarizing ourselves with Bathsheba before we here her advice to her son. (2 Samuel 11:1-17, 26-27; 12:15, 18, 24-25).

III.              Proverbs 31:3-4

1.     “nor your ways to that which destroys kings” (v.3):

A.    In ancient Israel, when a new king was anointed, they were given the law of God.  And they were supposed to write a copy for themselves, so that they would always know what is right and what is wrong (imagine having to write a copy of the Bible yourself!).  Look at this exhortation for kings in the law (Deuteronomy 17:14-20).

B.     Bathsheba encourages her son Solomon, who started out as a young king, to obey the law of God.  And in particular, she asks him to avoid two things.  Too many women, and too much wine.  We’ll, how did Solomon do?  Did he listen to his mother’s advice?  No, not really.  Look at what happened in his life (1 Kings 10:26-28, 11:1-8).

2.     “not for kings to drink wine” (v.4):

A.    What I find interesting is that pastors in the New Testament are given the same exhortation.  (1 Timothy 3:1-3, 8). Does this mean pastors and leaders should never drink?  Or does it just mean they shouldn’t get drunk?  It’s a hot debate.

B.     Those that say pastors should never drink use this verse to show they shouldn’t even touch alcohol.  They would say the culture at that time drank grape juice, not strong wine, so that’s why Paul encouraged Timothy to have a little wine.  It wasn’t nearly as fermented as our wine.

C.     Those that say pastors should never get drunk interpret this verse as saying they shouldn’t be “given over” to wine, to where it controls them, which is drunkenness.  They would also use Ephesians 5:17 which says, “do not be drunk with wine.”

D.    The point is, leaders should avoid alcohol.  Why?

IV.              Proverbs 31:5-7

1.     “lest they drink and forget the law” (v.5):

A.    Alcohol inhibits the conscience.  It causes people to forget what is right and wrong.  My dad always calls it “liquid courage.”  That is why when people are drunk they often say and do things they later regret.  Every seen somebody drunk and the things they say and do?  (Friends stories).  Many fights, car accidents, and pregnancies could have been avoided if people didn’t get drunk.

B.     How much more important for God’s leader.  He is supposed to be the one setting the good example for everyone to follow.  If he’s doing things and saying things that he shouldn’t, then he could lead the people astray.  And God takes that very seriously.

2.     “give strong drink to him who is…perishing, bitter, poor” (v.6):

A.    This verse is not encouraging alcohol consumption.  It is an exhortation for Solomon not to drink alcohol, lest he become a perishing, bitter, poor person.  Bathsheba is just pointing out the obvious – alcohol causes many people to lose their jobs, lose their families, lose their livelihood, and become miserable, depressed, and purposeless people.

B.     When I’m in my office during the week, we get a lot of people that come to the church asking for help.  They are dirty, poor, stinky, all of that.  But what’s sad is most of the time you can smell alcohol on their breathe.  And you put two and two together – alcohol and drunkenness is the cause for their poverty.  

V.                Proverbs 31:8-9

1.      “open your mouth…open your mouth” (v.8-9):

A.    Bathsheba exhorts her son to not be silent towards the causes of the needy.  Those that can’t help themselves, those that are poor and helpless.  Examples of that today would be leaders who stand up against abortion (protecting the life of these innocent unborn children), leaders who stand up against oppression around the world (famines and wars), and leaders who stand up against poverty (help the homeless and widows).

B.    What can you do, right now, to speak out for those that can’t speak for themselves.  We’ll, I can think of one way.  There are students at your schools that get bullied, that get picked on, and get made fun of.  You know who they are.  No one hangs out with them.  I want to challenge you, do what’s right and become friends with them.  Show them that you care about them.  Just take them along with you to hang out with your friends.  That, to me, is speaking up for those that cannot speak for themselves.