6-28-12. Prov 31a. Defend The Rights of The Poor
6-28-12. Prov 31a. Defend The Rights of The Poor
Proverbs 31:1-19 Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 6-29-12
Key verse 31:9
“Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
Dear Lord, thank you for giving me the gospel that I could get relief, satisfaction, hope and a meaningful mission from. Thank you for the ministry of the word of God that satisfies my heart. What in the word would I devote my life to, if it were not to Jesus and the word of life? What would satisfy my heart? Only you Jesus! Please help the young people of this nation to find satisfy the thirst of their hearts and minds with Jesus and not endless adventures and a quest for uniqueness. May they be satisfied in Christ and serving Christ. Please grant me one word of God to hold onto. I thank you and I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!
Part l: What the King Should Avoid (1-7)
Verses 1-7 read, “The sayings of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him. 2 Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb! Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers! 3 Do not spend your strength on women, your vigor on those who ruin kings. 4 It is not for kings, Lemuel— it is not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, 5 lest they drink and forget what has been decreed, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights. 6 Let beer be for those who are perishing, wine for those who are in anguish! 7 Let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.”
The name means “to God” and has the implication of “belonging to God.” El (the basic name for God in Hebrew) on the end of Lemuel shows the name to be a compound of God. It could point to a poetic reference to Solomon. He has been thought by interpreters to be imaginary, to be Solomon himself, to be Hezekiah, to be a Lemuel who was king of Massa (a play on the Hebrew words), or just some petty Arabian prince. The advice is clearly advice that Solomon needed to hear. Lemuel’s mother warned her son against giving his strength unto women and booze.
This is good advice for anyone who aspires to a position of greatness. I was at an ice cream parlor and a mother was telling 5 year old son to do something. She added the words, “go ahead, don’t be shy. You are not trying to be class president or prom king.” I thought, “why not have hopes to be class president or prom king.” We, Christians, have a high calling to be a Royal Priesthood. This is a noble calling. It is a great calling. But as with any high calling there are things that are fitting and not fitting for us to do. First, like a godly king, we should not spend our strength on women. This goes also for women too. If we want to do great things we should not spend our time and efforts to pick up potential mates. This does not mean that we should not get married. It means that we need to find God’s calling in our lives and apply ourselves to it and trust that God will bring someone along side us who can share in our life’s calling. Godly dating and marriage should be a noble thing, something that glorified Jesus….not an obsession. Likewise those who aspire to any type of leadership, especially in Christ, should not crave wine and beer. A social drink, once in a while is ok, but to have our lives defined by drinking, is definitely wrong and the downfall of many a person. This passage says that a drunkard drinks and forgets what the law decrees and deprives the oppressed of their rights. Drinking throws off restraint. Only perishing people who are in anguish like drinking. I thank God who saved me from drinking to excess, in 1986. Jesus has saved me money, brain cells and set me on a fruitful course. Thank you Jesus.
Part ll: What The King Should Do (8-11)
There is more advice those who aspire to live noble lives of leadership in this world. Verses 8-11 read, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. 9 Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” According to this passage, a kingly person must speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the right of all who are destitute. Solomon probably was influenced by the righteous reign of his father David. (2 Sam 14:4-11) But also the image of God in us teaches us that we should speak for those who cannot speak for themselves and defend the rights of the poor and needy. This is part of obeying God. We must love God but we also must love our neighbor. To love God is to love our neighbors. I need to speak up for the poor and needy. I can not turn my back on them. In some ways students look OK, but so many are poor and needy spiritually. They may be poor and needy scholastically. They may be teetering on the edge of scholastic and financial ruin. They may imprisoned by many sins that are robbing them of life. They are being unjustly treated by the devil and by the power of sin. I need to speak up for them. I can do this by praying for them and serving them with the Gospel, so that God’s justice may come to their lives. God’s justice is Jesus Christ, who suffered and died on the cross for their sins. Jesus is God’s justice and mercy revealed on the cross. May God’s justice liberate students of our land to live in the liberty that Jesus gives.
Prayer: Lord, let me not use my strength on women and alcohol. Let me use it to love you and my neighbors who are in need.”
One Word: Defend the right of the poor.
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