Proverbs 31:1-9

Just need to make sure that we go live there. Wonderful. Well, good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. This is where every day we get together, we get into God's Word, and we grow in our love for the Lord together. And this year, 2021, we'll make it through all the wisdom literature. We're at Proverbs chapter 31, verses 1 through 9. Why don't we have some coffee, we'll pray, and we'll get into God's Word.
Let's pray. Oh Father, we thank you for this day. We thank you for your word, and we thank you for the blessing it is to be your children and to sit at your feet. We pray that as we read about the royal wisdom this morning, you would teach us and care for us in Jesus' name. Amen.
And here we go, Proverbs chapter 30, verses 1 through 9. the words of King Lemuel, the utterance which his mother taught him." So this is interesting, right? These are the words that are coming from King Lemuel, but it's actually his mother's wisdom that he gave him. So this is a queen's wisdom given to her son. Now, Lemuel isn't a name of any Israelite king.
Scholars debate who this guy is, but he's most likely a king from a different country. Interestingly enough, even people who are not of the people of God have wisdom. I know the beginning of the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and that is true, but that doesn't mean that we stop our ears when somebody speaks words of truth and say, well, hold on, you're not a Christian, so you can't have anything good to say. That's not the case, but even natural law proves God's Word being true. And what we find here lines up with what God says about righteousness and justice. So here we go. Let's go into King Lemuel's wisdom that he received from his mother. What, my son? And what, son of my womb? And what, son of my vows?
Do not give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings." This is a queen telling her son, hey, son, listen up. You can't give your best to women. This is a pernicious thing that even happens in our own day. How many congressmen and senators in the last 20 years have had to resign because of sex scandals, because they were given over? to lusting after women and divulging their secrets and things like this. The Queen Mother is saying, hey, listen up, don't do that. Don't go that route. Isn't that exactly what the rulers of the church are supposed to be? One woman, men. Verse four. It's not for kings, O Lemuel.
It's not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes intoxicating drink. Lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the justice of all the afflicted. Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those who are bitter of heart. Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more." Don't get drunk on wine, son. Again, this is a queen mother talking to the king as he's a boy, and she's saying, listen up. Don't be a drunk.
If you're a drunk, if you're getting drunk on wine, you're gonna forget things. You're gonna have impaired judgment. You're not going to remember the law. And a king who can't remember the law is a king who doesn't care about righteousness and justice, and so don't be given over to wine.
If people are sick, give them something to drink. If somebody is perishing and they're in pain, give them something to drink, but that's not for you. As the king is held to a higher standard, that's where the king is to be. Now it's interesting when we think about our king, the king of kings and the Lord of lords.
Jesus himself drank wine. Jesus went to the feast in Cana and he had wine. Jesus went and he ate and drank with tax collectors and sinners. And what did people call him? A glutton and a drunkard. But we know that Jesus didn't actually get drunk because he was tempted in every way like we are yet without sin. And so we know that Jesus was a king who could celebrate and who could even drink wine, but not be given over to it, not lose his justice. We should follow in his path. We should pray for leaders like that, not drunken rulers, but leaders who have sobriety and wisdom and right judgment. Verses eight and nine. Open your mouth for the speechless in the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. Now this is worthy. This is what I'm saying. Even if this was written by a non-Israelite, is this not true?
The king is to be the one in Israel who is supposed to care for the poor and the needy, is to have right justice and right wisdom, is to be the one who makes judgments not based on partiality, but based on what is right and true. This is what we find about God. Psalm 119 speaks of God, who is the king of the universe, and says, your righteousness is righteous, or you might translate it, your justice is just, and your law is truth. The king is to be the one who does not judge arbitrarily or with partiality, but does show mercy and kindness to those who need it. Thank God we have such a king.
Jesus Christ judges. And make no doubt about it, Jesus Christ is going to come to judge again the living and the dead. This is exactly what Hebrews 10 tells us. I may be wrong with the chapter, that's fine, but where God himself says, it is appointed for every man to die once, but after this, the judgment, we're all going to die and we're all going to be judged. The question is, what is the judge going to say to you? I know what the judge is going to say to me. You're guilty. You are a sinner. I know it. And because of my sins, I deserve hell. But it's not going to be counted to me. Why? Because Jesus Christ was pierced through from my transgressions.
The only hope we have is in our God showing mercy to us who are needy. It is God who shows grace to a wretch like me. My King died for me. He looked for the needy, for those who needed justice, and he satisfied divine justice. Let's pray. Father, we pray that Jesus Christ would be our only hope. We thank you that you gave us a King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the one who judges with perfect justice. Lord, we pray that we would love you and follow your ways. In Jesus's name, amen. Well, may you cling to the righteousness of Jesus Christ alone. May the peace that surpasses all understanding guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. And I'll see you tomorrow. Bye.