October Reflections on Proverbs 31: Day 2, Verse 2

2 "Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb! Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers!"

You ever feel like a broken record, like you have to repeat yourself over and over for your kids to listen? Undoubtedly you've felt this way before but Lemuel's mother is not repeating herself because he's not listening. She's repeating herself so he will listen.

In this passage, the repeated words "represents a literary style found in Hebrew forms of writing. The repetition is a form of emphasis. When we want to emphasize the importance of a word or phrase in English, we have several methods. We can boldface it, italicize it, underline it, use all capitals, or add an exclamation point. A Jewish writer could indicate emphasis by repeating a word. Usually, the word is repeated twice" (John Bevere, A Heart Ablaze p. 158).

Two words/phrases are repeated not twice, but three times! This mom means business! "Listen" is accompanied by "my son," "son of my womb," and "my son, the answer to my prayers." I can't help but notice that with her stern call to hear her words is the sweet terms of endearment she couples them with. It's as if she's saying "listen to me--because I love you so much." Isn't it easier to listen to someone who has your best interest in mind? Because this mom loves her son and make sure he knows it, her words of wisdom do not fall on deaf ears. This son can trust what his mother tells him because her love for him is so great.

Perhaps that is the cross-over for Lemuel, and why his mother's advice went from mere parental opinions to his very own sayings and way of life. Love is the glue that made her lessons stick.

This reflection is two-fold. First of all, we can learn from Lemuel's mother to couple guidance and correction with love. I've heard it said "rules without relationship equal rebellion." Our kids need to know the "why" behind our words and it's not because-I-said-so, because you are the kid and I am the parent and you will do as you're told. It's because we love them and want to see them flourish. 

Second, we can relate this to our God. He is our Father who loves us so much. Anything He has to tell us is because He loves us and not because He's a kill-joy who loves rules. We can be Eve all over again in the garden at the fall who mistrusted the One Who made her, who formed her. He loves us and wants us to hear His voice saying "Listen, daughter of mine! Listen, daughter Whom I made! Listen to Me, daughter Who I've longed for!" We can heed His words and live!

Pray with me: God, help me to fuse love and discipline, love and correction, love and wisdom in how I parent, because that's how You parent. You discipline the one's You love (Proverbs 3:12). Let my words have weight because of the love I have for my kids. Help me to know Your great love for me and that you can be trusted. Let your words of correction to me be received because of the foundation of Your love. Amen.