The words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him: What, my son? And what, son of my womb? And what, son of my vows?
9 comments:
kim
said...
Good morning, ladies!
Are you ready to start digging in to God's Word again? Are you hungry for His Word and His opening our hearts up to teach us and shape us into the women He wants us to be?
I found it quite fitting this morning that we were studying these first 2 verses to begin this study. A mother giving her son advice! Not just any advice but advice on how to do his job - how to rule his kingdom - and how to find an excellent wife of superior character.
Don't we all as mothers (or mothers some day) want to give this same kind of advice to our children - to lead them in the way that they should go in regards to future professions and to a future wife of the utmost character??? Don't we as mothers want to show our daughters how to live with superior character or show our sons what to expect in a woman they would desire as a wife someday??? Don't we as daughters and daughters-in-law want to show our mothers and mothers-in-law that their prayers are continuing to be answered with the way we women strive to live our lives in devotion to God???
It leads me to this conclusion - It all starts with us as women and our hearts...it is important to stay in the Word of God to grow us as mothers/women up so that we are living the way God wants us to live - with the utmost superior character- and to be prepared to give godly advice to our children or the children we have influence over when times arise!
Lord, thank You for Your Word. Keep me in love with Your Word. Help me to desire and crave It each day. Transform me into the woman, the wife, the mother You desire me to be. And, Lord, help me to be obedient to your transforming Spirit.
Good Morning Ladies, So glad to be back to a plan of study. I function so much better with a plan. :) I'm excited to be studying Proverbs 31. I find it incredibly encouraging. I know many sisters who bemoan this chapter and call it impossible, but I see it as God giving us a plan of action. (Did I mention I love plans-and directions for that matter) Every year of my life I am learning more and more of how to live my life for God. I thank Him for giving me this set of instructions to follow in my home!!! I want to introduce you all to a dear friend of mine (whom I have never met). I first found her writings when I was a single woman and began filling my heart with her Biblical teachings regarding motherhood and being a godly wife. She has done extensive studies on Proverbs 31 that have made huge impacts on who I am today. Her name is Laine and she has a website Lainesletters.com. It started out as a mom (Laine) sending email letters of encouragement to her friends, then the friends started forwarding the letters and compiling them. Then the website was creating in a time before blogs ever existed. :) The website has an archive of her letters which are sooooo encouraging to read thru. So, all of that said I thought I would post her letter on this part of Proverbs. If you have time I encourage you to visit her site. Blessings today! Sonja
Here is Laine's letter part 1 I wanted to share with you all: Dear Sisters, One of my favorite women in the Bible is not really named at all. I affectionately call her "The Proverbs 31 Woman". She is, to me, a personification of wisdom in the home. Her husband is the provider; and she is the subdivider. She couldn't do what she does without him; and likewise, he could not have the home he has without her. They glorify one another by their deeds done in love. It is primarily a picture of the homemaker at the height of her glory. And the one basking in it is her husband. He is basking in verse 23, "Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land." There he is. Right in the middle of all her work. I just love it! This is such a beautiful picture of marriage in all its "rightness" glorifying the LORD who provides everything for us, His church (His Glory), that we might honor Him (our glory) with everything He so richly provides. Love motivates and shines in this passage.
What I love about this woman is she's a doer. She's willing to learn and keeps growing in her homemaking. Let's take a closer look at her. I have studied her ways for over three years now and still keep learning from her. ( I think you could study the Word of God for all eternity and never stop learning! It is "The Riches" you can hold and grasp on this planet. There is nothing else to compare. Nothing.)
First off, we learn about the Proverbs 31 woman from another woman: King Lemuel's mother. Let's start at the beginning of the chapter. This mother taught her son this entire chapter. He was a king, so his mother took very seriously what she taught him, as it would affect a nation. We learn this in verse one. "The words of King Lemuel, the utterance his mother taught him." In verse two and three we learn that he was a son that she had made vows for. "What, my son? And what, son of my womb? And what, son of my vows?" One thinks of Hannah and Samuel and the vows Hannah made before God concerning Samuel. God often sets apart a son in honor of the mother's vows. This King was set apart. When she tells him in verse three, "Do not give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings." She is warning him to keep himself for one women, one wife. Sexual strength is lost when a man has sex with many women. Disease can invade, as well as a loss in sexual appetite. Children are affected from a man that cannot control his desires and keep them only for his wife. This verse teaches the king this truth in a time when many kings were acting immoral (or having many, many wives) and doing things against God's Law. God always meant for a man to have one wife and to be solely hers and she solely his. This is God's perfect picture of Christ and His Bride, the Church.
Laine's letter part 2 (It was so long the blog wouldn't allow it as 1 post)
"It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes intoxicating drink; Lest they drink and forget the law, And pervert the justice of all the afflicted. Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to the bitter of heart. Let him drink and forget his poverty, And remember his misery no more." Proverbs 31:4-7
This passage sets the King up to realize his high position and the responsibility that goes with it. He must be alert and aware of what it going on around him at all times. He must not give himself nor the princes under him (as a son follows his dad's leading) to intoxication. He must guard himself against such a thing. Those that are dying can benefit from it, but he is living for the strength of others and must be sober minded. This is wise instruction for our sons today. They will be leaders in the church and in families some day.
"Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31: 8-9
The King is the only one to whom the poor can flee. He is their defender and righteous judge. They have no hope if he deals unfairly with them. And the King's mother teaches her son mercy and justice without favoritism nor bribery. He holds a very serious office. God loves the poor and requires His leaders to take care of them and to defend them. He always has. His Law in the Old Testament provided for the poor. It was up to the King to see that those laws were carried out. When I read "open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die", I so often think of those children being aborted. And the laws that uphold their killing when they have no mouth to cry against it. How I pray for strong Christian men to lead this nation who will cry out to defend these babies and poor uninstructed people. God will raise them up! I know He will! He is forming His warriors in obscure places on earth: the home set apart for Him. In the church. In Promise Keepers. In the stadiums at Billy Graham crusades. In Harvest Crusades stadiums. At the pole in schools. He is raising warriors.
Laine's letter part 3 (too bad they can't be all thogether):
And so often, He does His best warrior work quietly in an obscure place. Think of John the Baptist who was raised in the desert all of his life. Joshua who was also raised in a desert for forty years. Samuel who was raised apart from his mother in the temple run by Eli and his evil sons. Moses who was raised apart from his mother (most of his life) in a pagan's home. And Jesus, Himself, Who spent thirty years in His earthly home. God raised warriors in some very insignificant places on earth. The most insignificant place of all was Nazareth. Who would have believed Who God was raising in that remote place on earth in the home of a carpenter and his loyal wife?! And God used a woman in her home living a normal life of serving her husband and children to raise Him! That is so awesome to me. It shows me how very much God values the home to put His Son in one for thirty years under the care and leadership of a hard working man and his homemaking wife. God picked "choice hearts" when he picked these two. Let's look at her role. A role that Jesus probably saw exemplified in His earthly mother.
Now comes twenty one of the most beautiful verses in the Bible concerning the worth of a woman in the home. Many women think it is impossible to be like this woman. I don't think so. For we are looking at the completed "homemaking quilt" while we are in the middle of the quilt God is designing in our own lives. We must realize that a beautiful quilt takes time, it takes restitching errors, learning new patterns, and again, more time! So we must look at her quilt with a "teachable heart" asking the LORD to show us His ways by His power to be the woman of God that He wants us to be. No where in Scripture is a woman's job so detailed and so magnified. We will benefit from studying this beautiful "quilt" in Scripture with an open and teachable heart. Time and time again. So let's get a magnifying glass, bend down closely, and study her "stitches" so beautifully woven for us in Scripture by King Lemuel's mother and memorized by her dear son.
So excited to really dig into Proverbs 31 for the next 12 weeks. I find this chapter so fascinating. Thanks for posting the letter Sonja, real insightful.
This passage and everyone's comments has made me reflect on being as thoughtful as possible in every conversation I have with my students.... Only the Lord knows what impact the child will have in the future. Will my teachings and example impact the child, or more importantly how will I impact the student. I pray that we can all look at the children around us as the Kings and Queens of the future and strive to raise them knowing the amazing impact they can make on the world around them.
I liked the example of the quilt in Laine's letter. I watched my sister do a quilt stitch by stitch. It takes a lot of time. When I see this woman in Proverbs 31 I feel I am not that woman yet, but, as God works in me I will one day be complete just as my sister will complete her quilt.
Looking forward to this study. Thanks for sharing the letters Sonja.
Verse 2 I love. I especially like the phrase "my son". To a mother she always sees her son as her boy (no matter his age). So much is written and spoke about mothers and daughters but very seldom is it mothers and sons. However, here in Proverbs 31 we find a mother communicating with her son. It just came to me (where is the father)? I believe this points out just how important mothers are in the lives of their children.
The phrase "son of my vows" caught my attention. Two thoughts. First of all my son (sons) is a product of my wedding vows and secondly "son of my vows" is a reminder of dedicating my son (sons) to the Lord. Promising to bring them up in the ways of the Lord. Teaching them and that involves giving advice. Still to this day I advise my grown sons to keep their integrity and trust the Lord to open and close doors in their lives.
9 comments:
Good morning, ladies!
Are you ready to start digging in to God's Word again? Are you hungry for His Word and His opening our hearts up to teach us and shape us into the women He wants us to be?
I found it quite fitting this morning that we were studying these first 2 verses to begin this study. A mother giving her son advice! Not just any advice but advice on how to do his job - how to rule his kingdom - and how to find an excellent wife of superior character.
Don't we all as mothers (or mothers some day) want to give this same kind of advice to our children - to lead them in the way that they should go in regards to future professions and to a future wife of the utmost character??? Don't we as mothers want to show our daughters how to live with superior character or show our sons what to expect in a woman they would desire as a wife someday??? Don't we as daughters and daughters-in-law want to show our mothers and mothers-in-law that their prayers are continuing to be answered with the way we women strive to live our lives in devotion to God???
It leads me to this conclusion - It all starts with us as women and our hearts...it is important to stay in the Word of God to grow us as mothers/women up so that we are living the way God wants us to live - with the utmost superior character- and to be prepared to give godly advice to our children or the children we have influence over when times arise!
Lord, thank You for Your Word. Keep me in love with Your Word. Help me to desire and crave It each day. Transform me into the woman, the wife, the mother You desire me to be. And, Lord, help me to be obedient to your transforming Spirit.
Have a wonderful day, ladies!
Kim
Good Morning Ladies,
So glad to be back to a plan of study. I function so much better with a plan. :) I'm excited to be studying Proverbs 31. I find it incredibly encouraging. I know many sisters who bemoan this chapter and call it impossible, but I see it as God giving us a plan of action. (Did I mention I love plans-and directions for that matter) Every year of my life I am learning more and more of how to live my life for God. I thank Him for giving me this set of instructions to follow in my home!!! I want to introduce you all to a dear friend of mine (whom I have never met). I first found her writings when I was a single woman and began filling my heart with her Biblical teachings regarding motherhood and being a godly wife. She has done extensive studies on Proverbs 31 that have made huge impacts on who I am today. Her name is Laine and she has a website Lainesletters.com. It started out as a mom (Laine) sending email letters of encouragement to her friends, then the friends started forwarding the letters and compiling them. Then the website was creating in a time before blogs ever existed. :) The website has an archive of her letters which are sooooo encouraging to read thru. So, all of that said I thought I would post her letter on this part of Proverbs. If you have time I encourage you to visit her site.
Blessings today!
Sonja
Here is Laine's letter part 1 I wanted to share with you all:
Dear Sisters,
One of my favorite women in the Bible is not really named at all. I affectionately call her "The Proverbs 31 Woman". She is, to me, a personification of wisdom in the home. Her husband is the provider; and she is the subdivider. She couldn't do what she does without him; and likewise, he could not have the home he has without her. They glorify one another by their deeds done in love. It is primarily a picture of the homemaker at the height of her glory. And the one basking in it is her husband. He is basking in verse 23, "Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land." There he is. Right in the middle of all her work. I just love it! This is such a beautiful picture of marriage in all its "rightness" glorifying the LORD who provides everything for us, His church (His Glory), that we might honor Him (our glory) with everything He so richly provides. Love motivates and shines in this passage.
What I love about this woman is she's a doer. She's willing to learn and keeps growing in her homemaking. Let's take a closer look at her. I have studied her ways for over three years now and still keep learning from her. ( I think you could study the Word of God for all eternity and never stop learning! It is "The Riches" you can hold and grasp on this planet. There is nothing else to compare. Nothing.)
First off, we learn about the Proverbs 31 woman from another woman: King Lemuel's mother. Let's start at the beginning of the chapter. This mother taught her son this entire chapter. He was a king, so his mother took very seriously what she taught him, as it would affect a nation. We learn this in verse one. "The words of King Lemuel, the utterance his mother taught him." In verse two and three we learn that he was a son that she had made vows for. "What, my son? And what, son of my womb? And what, son of my vows?" One thinks of Hannah and Samuel and the vows Hannah made before God concerning Samuel. God often sets apart a son in honor of the mother's vows. This King was set apart. When she tells him in verse three, "Do not give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings." She is warning him to keep himself for one women, one wife. Sexual strength is lost when a man has sex with many women. Disease can invade, as well as a loss in sexual appetite. Children are affected from a man that cannot control his desires and keep them only for his wife. This verse teaches the king this truth in a time when many kings were acting immoral (or having many, many wives) and doing things against God's Law. God always meant for a man to have one wife and to be solely hers and she solely his. This is God's perfect picture of Christ and His Bride, the Church.
Laine's letter part 2 (It was so long the blog wouldn't allow it as 1 post)
"It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes intoxicating drink; Lest they drink and forget the law, And pervert the justice of all the afflicted. Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to the bitter of heart. Let him drink and forget his poverty, And remember his misery no more." Proverbs 31:4-7
This passage sets the King up to realize his high position and the responsibility that goes with it. He must be alert and aware of what it going on around him at all times. He must not give himself nor the princes under him (as a son follows his dad's leading) to intoxication. He must guard himself against such a thing. Those that are dying can benefit from it, but he is living for the strength of others and must be sober minded. This is wise instruction for our sons today. They will be leaders in the church and in families some day.
"Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31: 8-9
The King is the only one to whom the poor can flee. He is their defender and righteous judge. They have no hope if he deals unfairly with them. And the King's mother teaches her son mercy and justice without favoritism nor bribery. He holds a very serious office. God loves the poor and requires His leaders to take care of them and to defend them. He always has. His Law in the Old Testament provided for the poor. It was up to the King to see that those laws were carried out. When I read "open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die", I so often think of those children being aborted. And the laws that uphold their killing when they have no mouth to cry against it. How I pray for strong Christian men to lead this nation who will cry out to defend these babies and poor uninstructed people. God will raise them up! I know He will! He is forming His warriors in obscure places on earth: the home set apart for Him. In the church. In Promise Keepers. In the stadiums at Billy Graham crusades. In Harvest Crusades stadiums. At the pole in schools. He is raising warriors.
Laine's letter part 3 (too bad they can't be all thogether):
And so often, He does His best warrior work quietly in an obscure place. Think of John the Baptist who was raised in the desert all of his life. Joshua who was also raised in a desert for forty years. Samuel who was raised apart from his mother in the temple run by Eli and his evil sons. Moses who was raised apart from his mother (most of his life) in a pagan's home. And Jesus, Himself, Who spent thirty years in His earthly home. God raised warriors in some very insignificant places on earth. The most insignificant place of all was Nazareth. Who would have believed Who God was raising in that remote place on earth in the home of a carpenter and his loyal wife?! And God used a woman in her home living a normal life of serving her husband and children to raise Him! That is so awesome to me. It shows me how very much God values the home to put His Son in one for thirty years under the care and leadership of a hard working man and his homemaking wife. God picked "choice hearts" when he picked these two. Let's look at her role. A role that Jesus probably saw exemplified in His earthly mother.
Now comes twenty one of the most beautiful verses in the Bible concerning the worth of a woman in the home. Many women think it is impossible to be like this woman. I don't think so. For we are looking at the completed "homemaking quilt" while we are in the middle of the quilt God is designing in our own lives. We must realize that a beautiful quilt takes time, it takes restitching errors, learning new patterns, and again, more time! So we must look at her quilt with a "teachable heart" asking the LORD to show us His ways by His power to be the woman of God that He wants us to be. No where in Scripture is a woman's job so detailed and so magnified. We will benefit from studying this beautiful "quilt" in Scripture with an open and teachable heart. Time and time again. So let's get a magnifying glass, bend down closely, and study her "stitches" so beautifully woven for us in Scripture by King Lemuel's mother and memorized by her dear son.
Love,
Laine
So excited to really dig into Proverbs 31 for the next 12 weeks. I find this chapter so fascinating. Thanks for posting the letter Sonja, real insightful.
This passage and everyone's comments has made me reflect on being as thoughtful as possible in every conversation I have with my students.... Only the Lord knows what impact the child will have in the future. Will my teachings and example impact the child, or more importantly how will I impact the student. I pray that we can all look at the children around us as the Kings and Queens of the future and strive to raise them knowing the amazing impact they can make on the world around them.
I liked the example of the quilt in Laine's letter. I watched my sister do a quilt stitch by stitch. It takes
a lot of time. When I see this woman
in Proverbs 31 I feel I am not that woman yet, but, as God works in me I will one day be complete just as my sister will complete her quilt.
Looking forward to this study. Thanks for sharing the letters Sonja.
Verse 2 I love. I especially like the phrase "my son". To a mother she always sees her son as her boy (no matter his age). So much is written and spoke about mothers and daughters but very seldom is it mothers and sons. However, here in Proverbs 31 we find a mother communicating with her son. It just came to me (where is the father)? I believe this points out just how important mothers are in the lives of their children.
The phrase "son of my vows" caught my attention. Two thoughts. First of all my son (sons) is a product of my wedding vows and secondly "son of my vows" is a reminder of dedicating my son (sons) to the Lord. Promising to bring them up in the ways of the Lord. Teaching them and that involves giving advice. Still to this day I advise my grown sons to keep their integrity and trust the Lord to open and close doors in their lives.
Thank you Lord for my sons how blessed I am.
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