Richard and I have started writing family/marriage devotions for Brandon and Ellie. We will send them one a month. Richard is writing Brandon's and I am writing Ellie's!! They both sent us a list of struggles they both have and answered a questionnaire that Richard sent them! What married couple doesn't have struggles? I hope that God will use these to bless and encourage : ) I began Ellie's devotions with being a woman/motherhood... Enjoy!
King Lemuel’s Mother- The True Proverb’s 31 Woman
When
Christian women talk about the Proverbs 31 Woman it’s usually in an idolized
fashion and out of utmost respect. After all, you’re speaking of the ideal Christian
woman, right? She’s the pure, picture perfect inspiration for all of us who
want to be “godly” women, wives and mothers. She is the standard role model,
mentor and example of how Christian women should be. Sadly, after a few moments
of boasting about how wonderful she is, most women’s pleasant conversations
turn into discouraging comments about themselves and then comes the suffering
and painful discontentment of knowing that they really- just- don’t- measure- up-
to this lady!
We
have this imaginary vision that the Proverbs 31 Woman can do it all!! If we
apply the 31st chapter of Proverbs to women of today we come up with
something like this: She’s skinny because she teaches Cycle Fit down at the gym.
She’s a chef- and writes her own cookbooks! She leads amazing ladies Bible
Studies at church and has quite the following. Her husband is chairman of
Deacons. Her children never have a hair out of place or have dirty, snotty
faces! She sews and then monograms all her girl’s dresses! Her hair is always salon
perfect and her make-up flawless. Her nails are always beautifully manicured. She’s
the epitome of fashion and everyone looks to her for what to buy each season. Her
house is always clean. She volunteer’s in the community through several
different charitable organizations. She’s Homeroom Mom! She’s a Girl Scout
leader and assistant dance coach! She’s also team soccer mom and she’s
president of the P.T.A. for goodness sake! Her husband is always bragging on
her in public…they’re so in love! She’s the person that everybody wants to be friends
with on Facebook! Anyone who’s anyone follows ALL of her boards on Pinterest! If
you’re not following her on Twitter, you’re really missing out! Can I get a
witness?
What
if I told you the Proverbs 31 Woman wasn’t real? Do I hear gasping? When most
women read Proverbs 31, they usually skip down to about verse 10 which reads, “A worthy woman who
can find? For her price is far above rubies. The
heart of her husband trusteth in her, And he shall have no lack of gain. She doeth him good and not evil All the days
of her life……… etc, etc…” It’s true that these words of scripture are words
to genuinely treasure. They’re precious gems of wisdom and skill to be sought
after. They are things to strive toward and to admire. These words shouldn’t be
taken lightly at all, but are qualities meant to inspire! But, before we miss it, let’s back up just a
little to Proverbs Chapter 31:1- which says, “The words of king Lemuel; the oracle which his mother taught him.” Let’s repeat that: The oracle which his
mother taught him…
The first nine
verses of Proverbs 31 aren’t about a woman at all; they’re about a mother
instructing her son and teaching him about chastity, justice, mercy and
temperance.
She was warning him of behaviors that destroy rulers. She advised him to avoid
alcohol and loose women, so that he could always have a clear head to rule
justly. She reminded him of the duties of a King, which were to defend the weak
and uphold the helpless.
2 What are you doing, my son? What
are you doing, son of my womb?
What are you doing, son of my vows?
3 Do not give your strength to women,
your ways to those who destroy kings.
4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
it is not for kings to drink wine,
or for rulers to take strong drink,
5 lest they drink and forget what has been decreed
and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
6 Give strong drink to the one who is perishing,
and wine to those in bitter distress;
7 let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.
8 Open your mouth for the mute,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
9 Open your mouth, judge righteously,
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
What are you doing, son of my vows?
3 Do not give your strength to women,
your ways to those who destroy kings.
4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
it is not for kings to drink wine,
or for rulers to take strong drink,
5 lest they drink and forget what has been decreed
and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
6 Give strong drink to the one who is perishing,
and wine to those in bitter distress;
7 let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.
8 Open your mouth for the mute,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
9 Open your mouth, judge righteously,
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Stop
and continue to read verses 10-31 in your Bible… In these verses, King Lemuel’s
Mother begins advising her adult son on marriage! Beginning in verse 10 and
ending with verse 31, she describes a noble woman, a woman of excellence,
determination and who is hard working. She speaks of this woman being of great
character, having concern for others and independent enough to be resourceful in
her daily tasks. She describes a woman that gives to the poor and provides food
and clothing for her family, a woman who is faithful to her husband and does
him good, not evil. She’s a woman of strength and honor. She is clearly
describing a woman who is a blessing to her husband and her family.
Proverbs
31 isn’t what we think! It’s not a chapter for women to measure themselves against;
it’s perhaps a song about a virtuous woman that King Lemuel’s mother used as an
example to teach her son about what kind of qualities or characteristics to
look for in a wife. King Lemuel’s mother is the real Proverbs 31 Woman here! She’s
the example for women to follow! Even in her son’s adulthood, she was still
pouring her life into her son and giving him the wisdom that he needed to
succeed as a King and in his future as a father and husband. You may say, the
scriptures didn’t mention anything about fathers or husbands in these verses!!
You would be right… but think about it, she was instructing him in finding this
“virtuous woman,” a helpmeet, a wife- who would one day take her place to love
her son and to help him succeed as she had. That would then make him a husband
and eventually, hopefully a father.
In
verse 2, she mentioned him being “son of her vows.” The name Lemuel also means (“for God” or consecrated
to Him.) When she said, “Son of my vows,”
commentary says that it is probably an expression of dedication she had to the
Lord in the raising her son. I would have to assume that King Lemuel’s mother saw
her son as a gift from God and a heritage not to be ignored. She honored God by
pouring herself into her son, instructing him and passing along wisdom that had
probably been given to her by her mother. I would also personally love to think that her
mindset was also thinking of the future. She was “creating and leaving” a
legacy through her son that would carry on for generations to come! Wow, what a
thought…. That suddenly makes our jobs as mothers take on a whole new
meaning!!! What we teach our children now will affect our children’s, children hundreds
of years from now… people that we will never even meet! That kind of thought
process changes the way we think of parenting! That kind of parenting changes
the world! Building the Kingdom of God changes the world one child at a time. Through
one itty, bitty little limb on your family tree; that little limb will grow
into a strong branch one day and bear much fruit when the legacy you leave
lives on…
There’s
a lot to ponder and to be learned from the true Proverbs 31 Woman…. She’s sacrificial. She’s proactive. She’s genuine.
She’s selfless. She puts her children before herself. She cares about honoring
God with how she instructs her children and prepares them for the future. When we come to the end of our life one day we
need to remember that a true Proverbs 31 Woman is not a woman to be admired for
the things she “could” do that allowed her to gain the praises of man. She’s a
woman to be admired because of the things she “did” do that earned her no
earthly praises at all….
A poem by Forrest Whitcraft:
“It
will not matter
What kind of car I drove,
What kind of house I lived in,
How much I had in my bank
Nor what my clothes looked like.
One hundred years from now
It will not matter
What kind of school I attended,
What kind of typewriter I used,
How large or small my church,
But the world may be ...
a little better because...
I was important in the life of a child………...”
** As a little side note, I posted this on facebook and a lady at my church in Alabama called wanting to know if she could put it in the next WOW's (Women on the Way) next newsletter! I was humbled and honored...
What kind of car I drove,
What kind of house I lived in,
How much I had in my bank
Nor what my clothes looked like.
One hundred years from now
It will not matter
What kind of school I attended,
What kind of typewriter I used,
How large or small my church,
But the world may be ...
a little better because...
I was important in the life of a child………...”
** As a little side note, I posted this on facebook and a lady at my church in Alabama called wanting to know if she could put it in the next WOW's (Women on the Way) next newsletter! I was humbled and honored...
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