1. The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.
2 What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows?
3 Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.
4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:
5 Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.
6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.
8 Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.
9 Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.
Verse one tells us that King Lemuel's mother received a prophetic word from the Lord, which she shared with her son. She is letting him know which behaviors are fitting for a king, and those that are not. Afterwarning her son, that it is not fitting for kings to drink, or carouse with women, she tells him in verses 10-31 the characteristics of the type of woman befitting a king.
Lemuel's mother was not speaking from her own mind will and emotions She was sharing with her son, what the Lord had put within her heart. The bible does not tell us any thing more about Lemuel or his mother. If he listend to her, I have no doubt that he found his virtous wife, and reigned well.
If you are prophetic, you may, like Lemuel's mother often receive a supernatural word of knowledge from the Lord for people. The wise biblical king listened to his mother. In our modern society, people often will not believe God has spoken to anyone unless they are a pulpit preacher. The bible however never said that pastors would be prophetic
The word of God is very clear in Amos 3:7 He tells His secrets to His servants the prophets. This include prophetic women, Nebhi'ah, aka Prophetess. Ministries that gdo recognize prophetic women mention Anna, Phillip-'s daughters Hulda and Mirriam. I have never heard Lemuel's mother mentioned.
Some Jewish scholars believe that Lemuel was a nick name for King Solomon, which would make Bathsehba his mother Whether this is true or not King Lemuel did not reject the word of his mother.
The king did not say off with her head, or how dare she approach him, as ruler with advise He listened, and her words of wisdom are now part of a very popular scripture. If you are going to use Proverbs 31 in a sermon or teaching, please remember to include the first 9 verses They set the tone for the rest.
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Copyright 2015 Cheryl E Preston
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