My mother has been visiting, and although I wish she could have stayed longer, she just left to go back home. I spent as much time with her this morning as I could before she left, which is going to make my daily post later than usual. As I told her, "It's not like I have a large readership, waiting with bated breath for my post." But, if you do read here on occasion, it is my sincere hope you receive a blessing.
Today's reading is Proverbs 31, which I'm going to consider in its entirety, with focus on verses 1-9 and 18. Plainly, the chapter could fuel numerous blog posts.
Verse 1 identifies the author as someone called King Lemuel. Who is that? According to Jewish tradition and ancient rabbinical commentators, Lemuel was a poetic name for King Solomon. However, the name Lemuel means "for God". And, the Septuagint translates verse 1 as something like this: "the words of a King for God, the utterances that his mother taught him." Regardless, let's look at the advice this mother gave to her son. I'm impressed that the son at least had the respect for her to write her words down.
1. Apparently, this mother dedicated her son to God, probably before his birth. That in itself is laudable, and the sign of a godly woman. The poem is born out of her anguish over her son's waywardness. There is an old Jewish story that this proverb was given from mother to son shortly after the dedication of Solomon's Temple. The story goes that on the day of the dedication, Solomon married Pharaoh's daughter and then drank too much at the wedding feast, sleeping until the fourth hour of the next day, with the keys to the Temple under his pillow! Whether this is true or mere fancy, who knows? It's an interesting story. It is plain, however, that this son of Proverbs 31 is a leader, who has been acting in a distinctly "unleaderlike" way.
2. The mother's first admonition is for her son to avoid promiscuous, fortune-hunting women, because they shipwreck leaders (vs. 3). The bulk of the chapter is a hymn to a virtuous wife where it appears this mother describes a woman much like herself. She presents this fictitious woman as a model for the type of woman her son should seek. How it must have broken her heart to see him make bad choices!
3. The second admonition concerned avoiding making a fool of oneself with alcoholic drinks. This mother advocates the use of alcohol only as a sedative, for those who are in tremendous pain or near death. She wisely points out that a leader who imbibes cannot with a clear head lead people - - - that his fuzzy-headedness would cause him to make decisions that would hurt people who depend on him.
4. Her fourth admonition dealt with speaking up for those who cannot defend themselves - - - those who have no voice, those who are down-and-out, and the poor. This is justice, a practice which should typify all godly leaders.
Much has been written about the Proverbs 31 woman. The one verse I want to mention this morning from the remainder of the chapter is verse 18. The Message version translates it as follows:
She senses the worth of her work
Is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.
I am sure that one of the most common pitfalls among those of us who admire the Proverbs 31 woman and long to be like her is this: we don't see the worth in what we do, and think that some other woman has it better, does it better, looks better, is more worthy, is less sinful, etc., etc., etc.
Sigh! Come on now...can I get an "amen"? If you are a woman and you've never done this, I'd like to meet you. Personally, I don't think such a creature exists. That, however, does not make this attitude any less wrong, nor is this attitude exclusive to women.
This sin is very sneaky and is nearly "on you" before you realize it. Here's an example: look back at the first paragraph, the quote of mine. Hey! It is not up to me how many people read this blog. That should not be my concern or my distraction. My job here is to be faithful to commune with God each morning and then to share it as He has called me to do. That's it.
Some of us have fallen in to Satan's trap in this regard. If what we are called to do right now is not glamorous or showy, we feel that it is "less than". What a lie! And, then, what happens next? We get discouraged and start slacking off in our faithfulness - - - we "call it quits for the day".
But, the Proverbs 31 woman KNOWS that her worth is in her God and that what He has called her to do is holy, as long as it is in line with His principles revealed in His word. As long as her calling is sure, that she is not deceived or walking in error, then her calling is holy.
Are you a young mother, changing poopy diapers day in and day out? Your calling is holy.
Are you a young entrepreneur, starting a business? Your calling is holy.
Are you a student, preparing yourself for the future God has called you to? Your calling is holy.
Are you an elderly grandmother, praying for your family and ministering to others? Your calling is holy.
We tend to elevate some callings as more holy than others. Sin, sin, sin! Each of us has been equipped to glorify our Savior according to the gifts He has provided us. There is no difference between the secular and the sacred.
A calling is holy if we have heard from Him and are obeying Him by doing what He has called us to do. If we remember that, then we will sense in our hearts the worth of our work and will pursue it with zeal.
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:17
Dear Father, please deliver Your people from the distraction of comparisons. Please make clear to each of us what You would have us be doing for Your glory, at any given time; and, show us the standard with which we should measure our performance: our best, with zeal, for Your glory. Thank you that no two of us are alike, that we are each beautiful jewels in Your crown, created by You specifically for just such a time as this, for Your service. Thank you for the privilege, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.
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