October Reflections on Proverbs 31: Day 9, Verse 9

"Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." 

ad·vo·cate

noun

1. 1.

   a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy (synonyms: champion, upholder, supporter, backer, promoter, proponent, exponent, spokesman, spokeswoman, spokesperson, campaigner, fighter, crusader)

   • 
     

verb

1. 1.

   publicly recommend or support (recommend, prescribe, advise, urge)

Choose languageAfrikaansAlbanianArabicArmenianAzerbaijaniBasqueBelarusianBengaliBosnianBulgarianCatalanCebuanoChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)CroatianCzechDanishDutchEsperantoEstonianFilipinoFinnishFrenchGalicianGeorgianGermanGreekGujaratiHaitianHausaHebrewHindiHmongHungarianIcelandicIgboIndonesianIrishItalianJapaneseJavaneseKannadaKhmerKoreanLaoLatinLatvianLithuanianMacedonianMalayMalteseMaoriMarathiMongolianNepaliNorwegianPersianPolishPortuguesePunjabiRomanianRussianSerbianSlovakSlovenianSomaliSpanishSwahiliSwedishTamilTeluguThaiTurkishUkrainianUrduVietnameseWelshYiddishYorubaZulu

Advocate is both a noun and a verb (Merrium Webster Online Dictionary). Mama wasn't giving Lemuel an option for either silence or indifference concerning the helpless. She was teaching him at a very young age the importance of advocacy for those who needed it. Afterall, he was in a position to help them. 

Do you know that we have an advocate? "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you" (John 14:26). Not only do we have the Holy Spirit working on our behalf, Jesus is our mediator to the Father in Heaven (Romans 8:34). You see, we come to the Father with nothing to offer and a great debt of sin against us. Our constant accuser keeps hauling us into the King's court. We are the helpless, the voiceless, the destitute. Praise be to God that we have an advocate and a Great Defender to take our case before the King and declare us righteous. 

What has been freely done for us we should also readily do for others; it is our great example. Silence in the face of injustice is really passive agreement. Lemuel's mother was holding her son to a principle later found in the book of James: faith in action. Children who don't learn compassion can grow into adults who don't show compassion. Our little children need to know they can make a big difference in our broken world now while they are small. Follow the example of Lemuel's mother and teach them how while they are young.

October Reflections on Proverbs 31: Verse 8, Day 8

8 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute."

Destitute:

1: lacking something needed or desirable 2: lacking possessions and resources; especially: suffering extreme poverty (Merrium Webster Online Dictionary)

Lemuel's mother made it clear to him that his voice had power. And his position in life came with the authority to use that power to help those without it. Because even the destitute have rights.

We have the privilege to be a voice for the voiceless. Because anything we have done for the least of these, we did for Christ (Matthew 25:31-46). There are many today in our own country and abroad who need their rights to form words: the unborn, the foster child, the orphan, the homeless, the child soldier, the grandma caring for her AIDS orphaned grandchildren, the trafficked, the dying and lonely, the abused, the child or adult with special needs, the poor--the destitute.

What Lemuel's mother was teaching him was compassion with responsibility. While his words would hold weight in the court of the King where their pleas for justice would be daily before him, I don't think for a moment he saved his voice for a kingdom court one day. He was probably using his voice on the playground to speak up for someone being bullied. Maybe he took on a fundraiser to help the poor in his community or in a distant land. Small voices can have big impact. 

We should not only take notice of those who need our help, but put love into action and actually help them with our God-given authority to do so. That may be as "simple" as praying for the destitute; praying is no small task. God may lead you further to give or go, to work on their behalf. Be open and be obedient. 

October Refelctions on Proverbs 31: Day 6 & 7, Verses 6 & 7

I R6 "Let beer be for those who are perishing, wine for those who are in anguish! Let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more."

Is Lemuel's mom giving a drinking pass to those in living in despair? No. Actually she's giving a pass to those who were dying in despair. 

Wine was a used as a common sedatitive or pain killer in Bible times (1 Timothy 5:23). She was saying let those suffering at death's door take wine to help ease their pain as they passed from this life to the next. 

Her son, Lemuel, was still very much alive and had kingdom business to attend to. She admonished him to refrain from such activity lest he be counted with the dying who "drink and forget."

There is another kind of wine talked about in God's word that is unlike any other in the world. Lemuel could drink his fill without impairing his judgement. On the contrary, this wine would cause him to remember The Lord and His commands. It is the wine that Wisdom offers to drink and truly live (Proverbs 9:1-6). It is the same heavenly wine The Lord offers to all who are thirsty (Isaiah 55:1-5). It is the same "wine" the disciples appeared to be drunk off of on the Day of Pentecost where they ministered to thousands (Acts 2:13)! 

This heavenly wine does not impair judgement, however. It enhances it. We as believers have kingdom business to attend to like Lemuel. Wouldn't you rather be filled with the wine that would help you serve in the Kingdom? 

I recently heard it said concerning being filled with the Holy Spirit that "drunk people take more risks" (Kevin Dedmon). It is true in a literal sense; drunk people will do things they ordinarily would not have had the courage to do once they've had a few drinks. How true is this of us who drink in the wine of the Holy Spirit? 

And one of the greatest things about this heavenly "wine"? It's free to those who ask The Lord for it and anyone can drink it! There is no age limit and it doesn't cost you anything monetarily. It's refreshing to the soul and it's in never-ending supply from our Heavenly Father. It also helps advance Kingdom business!

Do you need to be filled today? Ask the Holy Spirit to come and fill you right where you sit. Contrary to what you might think, you don't need a special church service with an Evangelist to pray over you to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can meet you anytime, anyplace and He longs to fill you (Matthew 7:7-11)! Once we are filled we can pour out what we've given to our families--our husband, children, and in-laws even! Let's not be counted with the dying who drink to forget. Let us be fully alive in the power of the Holy Spirit and all the gifts He has to offer!

October Reflections on Proverbs 31: Day 4 & 5, Verse 4 & 5

4 "It is not for kings, Lemuel—it is not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer,  lest they drink and forget what has been decreed, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights."

Not only will drunkenness impair judgement, it will impair justice. Since Lemuel holds a title with authority to govern over the affairs of the oppressed, it was important that he not "drink and forget" responsibilities to the least of these. 

His mother taught him not to crave things that would cause the cries of the downtrodden to slip his mind. She was directing him in the way of The Lord and not simply trying to take his fun away: "The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern" (Proverbs 29:7). 

His mom taught him to look out for the needs of the oppressed and let nothing so meaningless and futile as "a good time" come between him and the poor that needed his advocacy. She valued the helpless and the justice they sought, teaching him to do the same.

There are many things, not just strong drink, that cause us to forget the needs of others and rampant injustice in our world. Regardless if you think it's your mandate or not, to be a part of God's royal family, one of your tasks include taking care of the poor (see Grinding the Face of the Poor, a book that compiles the 2,000 verses in the Bible that talk about poverty and injustice and God's very serious words to us concerning both).

Sometimes we willfully ignore that which breaks the heart of God because it's too overwhelming; we don't know what to do or where to start. Other times we are simply too distracted by our own cravings, family, entertainment, hobbies, issues, desires, even addictions to notice the oppressed. 

Is there anything in your life right now that is causing you to forget the poor? It can be good things. Remember, good things can often take the place of God's best in our lives. Obedience is greater than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). What is He asking of you? 

How can we keep ourselves from becoming unconcerned about the least of these?

How can we help our children play a part in helping the poor? 

Pray with me if you struggle in this area: God, thank you for saving me. Thank you for blessing me with much so that I may be a blessing to others who need to know You love them. Help me to not run from injustice even though it can be scary and overwhelming. You are so much bigger than the evils of this world and You alone have the answers we need. Forgive me for being distracted and unconcerned when injustice doesn't concern me. Help me to pass along the cause of the least of these to my children, for them to be able to see how to be a light in dark places. 

October Reflections on Proverbs 31: Day 3, Verse 3

"Do not spend your strength on women, your vigor on those who ruin kings."

The word "strength" here is referring to wealth. Is Lemuel's mother saying never to buy anything for any girl ever? No, we see in the next words she speaks of the kind of woman she is warning her son about: "those who ruin kings." She tells her son not to waste his "vigor" ("conduct" or "way of life") on such a woman (The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance). 

What kind of woman ruins kings? An obvious example we have is Jezebel in 1 Kings. Her husband, Ahab, was a shell of a man because of her evil ways and her firm grip on him. 

"Jezebel is fiercely independent and intensely ambitious for pre-eminence and control...Jezebel, literally translated, means 'without cohabitation.' This simply means she refuses 'to live together' or 'co-habit' with anyone. Jezebel will not dwell with anyone unless she can control and dominate the relationship. When she seems submissive or 'servant-like,' it is only for the sake of gaining some strategic advantage. From her heart, she yields to no one" (Francis Frangipane, The Three Battlegrounds p. 112).

A given component of Jezebel is her immorality but the motive behind her seduction is not simply for seduction's sake; "immorality is not the issue; control is what she seeks" (Frangipane, p. 113). 

"There is a spirit which works with Jezebel. The effect of this demon is that it floods the soul of a man with weakness and fear...When Ahab was king, Jezebel ruled. The man who cannot govern his household in godly, protective authority will not exercise his spiritual authority elsewhere" (Frangipane, p. 132, 133).

Ahab was Jezebel's puppet and with the flash of her make-upped eyes he was mesmerized to follow her down paths of ruin. He allowed her to help him lead the sons of Israel to worship the Baal's and Asherah instead of their God. The result was utter destruction. Not only were the false prophets of Baal executed, but Ahab and Jezebel suffered gruesome ends as well. There is a high price to pay for joining lives with those who walk according to what is right in their own eyes--a price Lemuel's mother says he cannot afford to pay. 

We hope one day our children will marry  a godly husband/wife. Let's not assume this will happen because they grow up in Christian homes. Pray for their future spouse. Pray that they will have discernment concerning motives in their relationships. Our children are sons and daughters of the King, but even kings can be led astray if their heart strings are attached to the wrong person with impure motives.

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.

Proverbs 31: Reflections Through October Day 1

It occurred to me today that October has 31 days and Proverbs 31 has 31 verses. What better way to head into this season of change than to reflect on one of those verses every day during this next month! Won't you join me?

Proverbs 31

Day 1, Verse 1

"The sayings of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him."

Who was King Lemuel? Scholars guess it's probably Solomon. His name means "devoted to God."

Here this mothers: even kings need to be taught. Jesus Himself needed to be taught! You may have dedicated your littles at church, they may go every Sunday with you. But what are they learning from you, mom? 

King Lemuel didn't just have an idea of what his mama told him, they were attributed to being his own sayings; things he believed in! They weren't just his moms opinions. We can have opinions all day long, but we live what we believe. 

Our kids are ripe soil for anything to grow. So much potential! So much care goes into tending our tender ones. We don't grow into our destiny because it's written in the stars; it's not by happenstance. There are seeds that need to be planted along the way in our lives so we grow into the fullness of all that God desires us to be.

Whether we know it or not our kids are watching, listening, waiting for inspiration from our lives to flood into theirs. Who or what inspires you as a mom? I guarantee it will flow out of your life into theirs, for better or for worse. 

Pray this with me: God make me aware of my influence as a mom. Give me the grace to live wholly inspired by Your great love for me. May my life be flooded by your mercy so I may have mercy to give. Teach me how to teach the children you have entrusted to my care. Give me wisdom to tend your lambs. Amen.