Proverbs 31:1

The Bible says in Proverbs 31:1, “The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.” Every word in the Bible is God’s Word. God used human beings to write down God’s Word. It says in Second Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction in righteousness.” We know that there are sixty-six books of the Bible and that God used men to write the Bible. It says in Second Peter 1:20-21, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.[21] For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” What about the women? How did God use them? Two books in the Bible are named after women: Ruth and Esther. And there are many great women of faith in the Bible. Just to name a few: Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau; Moses’ mother, Samuel’s mother, Timothy’s mother, and Mary the mother of Jesus. Do you see a pattern there? All those that I just listed were mothers.

And the writer of chapter 31 of Proverbs says that he learned these words from his mother. These were not his teachings: they were his mother’s teachings. This is the Word of God that was given through a woman. If you have a godly mother or a godly grandmother, then you are very blessed. Make sure you listen carefully to everything that she is telling you. It may very well be God speaking through her. But even if you do not have such a mother or grandmother, there will probably be times in your life when your path will cross such an older woman who knows Jesus and loves Jesus. Learn everything that you can from her. It will be a great opportunity for you to grow in wisdom and understanding.

What were the words of God that this woman spoke to her son? The Bible says in Proverbs 31:2-5, “What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows?[3] Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.[4] It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:[5] Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.” His mother calls her son, “the son of my womb.” She bore him. For nine months life was growing within her. She had every day for nine months to think about the child and what God was forming within her. She joined with God to create new life. That child is flesh of her flesh and bone of her bone and blood of her blood. She will love that child for the rest of her life unconditionally with one of the greatest bind son earth: a mother’s love. Jesus referenced a mother’s love from the animal kingdom in Matthew 23:37, and Jesus compared the love of a mother hen to his own love. Jesus said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!”

The mother speaking in Proverbs 31:2 also calls her son, “the son of my vows.” A vow in this context refers to a promise that is made to God. And so it appears that this woman recognized that the precious gift of life that was given to her was a responsibility that she dedicated to God. She knew the potential of a new life, if that life became everything that God wants him or her to become. In addition to her love, what else can she give her son to put him on that path of knowing Jesus, following Jesus, and becoming everything that the Lord wants him to be on this life? She can give him the words of wisdom that come from God.

What are the great things that this man needs to know that come from God through his mother? The first and maybe the most important is found in verse three where the mother says, “Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.” Some men chase wild women. It is their undoing. Notice the word “women.” You should be a one-woman man. That is why it says in verse 10, “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.” Also, notice the word “find.” If you are not married, when the time comes, you should be looking for one woman: just one. The way to find her is as follows: 1. If you love Jesus, only look for a spouse who also loves Jesus. “Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.” 2. Pray. You will need God’s leading to lead you to just that right one. 3. Surrender. You must have God’s person in God’s time. Your own selfish desires can cause you to miss this.

Secondly, this wise mother said to her son in verse 4-5, “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:[5] Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.” Substance abuse, whether it be alcohol or drugs, will destroy a person. The fruit of the vine is good unless it contains alcohol. Alcohol has ruined millions of people, and so have drugs. One use of some drugs can kill you or maybe worse, enslave you for life. Be ready to say no. If you are a young person, the day may come when someone will offer you something and lie: “everyone else is doing it. Have fun. It is just this one time.” Do not take it. Do not believe their lies. Many believed and are ruined. Because of drugs or alcohol, they were never able to become what they could have become in life. What happens if you drink alcohol or take drugs? It affects your mind. Notice the words in verse 5 “forget” and “pervert the judgment.” Do you want your mind twisted? Do you want your mind limited in its reasoning ability? Do you want your motivation and your intellectual powers to be a mere fraction of what they could have been? If not, stay away from alcohol and stay away from drugs.

The Bible gives two situations where drugs might be prescribed. Of course, in our society this should only be prescribed by a physician. It says in Proverbs 31:6-7, “Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.[7] Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.” Today when people are in their last hours or last days of life, they are often given morphine or some other drug by physicians so that individuals will not suffer so much when they are dying. The same might be true concerning certain types of depression. Of course, some depression can be controlled just by using your mind properly. You have the power to decide what you will think about. You can think the thoughts of goodness and happiness, if you choose to do so.

The Bible says in Proverbs 31:8-9 “Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. [9] Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.” The third word of wisdom that this mother has for her son is found in these two verses: be a kind and compassionate person who speaks up for the needs of others and who cares about those who are less fortunate. What good would it do to avoid the pitfalls of life and become successful and accomplished, if you do it all just for your own benefit? That would be a wasted life, and thus compassion for others is extremely important.

That is it. Basically, three words of advice to this young man from God through his mother: 1. Be a one-woman man. 2. Avoid substance abuse. 3. Be compassionate and loving towards others.

Concerning being a one-woman man, the rest of chapter 31 is dedicated to that subject, describing a godly woman who would make the best wife. Parents should not tell their children whom they should marry, but parents should do as this mother and tell their children what kind of person to marry. It says in Proverbs 31:10, “Who can find a virtuous woman, for her price is far above rubies?” The key word is the word “find.” Once you reach a certain age and a certain time in your life, you will need to seek and find the souse that God has for you. 1. Make sure that you love Jesus and that you only look for someone else who loves Jesus also. 2. Pray. After accepting Christ as Savior, the second most important decision in life is probably whom you marry. 3. Be surrendered to God’s will. If you are led by your own strong will, you are most likely to make the wrong decision.

What is a virtuous woman? The rest of the verses in this chapter tell us. First of all the mother tells her son in verse 11, “The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.” The phrase “her husband doth safely trust in her” is a powerful statement. It is very similar to the statement: “a believer doth safely trust in God.” Why does a husband need to trust in a wife? Notice the last phrase, “he shall have no need of spoil.” We will see in the rest of this chapter that the virtuous woman is in charge of the household and making sure that everything is properly taken care of. This means that the husband does not have to worry about it. He has a responsible, capable, knowledgeable, and hard-working person in charge of everything.

Let me tell a story that illustrates the above truth. Once I was talking to a young man and I asked him if he was married. He said, “Not any more.” I asked him what happened. He said, “I am work two jobs, putting myself through college, and when I come home nothing is done. I have to do everything at home too. She would do nothing, so I got rid of her.” I do not recommend that you do what he did, but I do recommend that you find out about someone before you get married. Anyway, what the young was saying was that he wanted a wife like the one described in this passage. Any man would.

The Bible says in Proverbs 31:12, “She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.” There are two types of women in the world: those that will help a man and those that will harm a man. The same can be said about men. You want to get the right type, and so make sure you find God’s choice for you. Make sure you find a virtuous woman.

The Bible says in Proverbs 31:13-15, “She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.[14] She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.[15] She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.” The virtuous woman is a worker. She plans ahead. And she takes care of her household. She is responsible and she fulfills her obligations. It says of this type of woman “She riseth also while it is yet night.” We have an old saying that means the same thing: “a woman’s work is never done.”

The Bible says in Proverbs 31:16, “She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.” This is a woman who is in charge of finances and who makes real estate transactions for the family. She takes the land and improves it by putting a vineyard on it, showing once again her good business sense.

The Bible says in Proverbs 31:17, “She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.” She is a woman of strength. This is not necessarily physical strength, but it is moral and spiritual strength. Notice that the mother said to her son in verse 30, “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.” A godly woman who follows Christ will have the kind of character and accomplish the kinds of things listed in this chapter. That is one of the benefits of being a Christian: when you follow the Lord and have the proper fear of His holiness and justice, you will become more of the person that you ought to be.

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