The verse for today is Proverbs 31:4 -- "It is not for kings, O Lemuel— not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer..."
Kings are to be the rulers & those in authority over their kingdom. No one or nothing should hold a King back from doing his job properly and to the best of his ability. Lemuel's mom is warning him of the temptations of this world, and not to let them overtake him. In the last verse, she warned him about the loose women, and basically lustful desires & temptations. In this verse, she is warning him against drinking wine or craving beer. Desiring other things above God or those things that can hinder us from fulfilling the calling that God has placed on our lives (in his case, it is being a King). It is not for King's to drink wine, nor crave beer. These two drinks themselves are not bad, yet it is the behaviour of the person who drinks these drinks that leads from temptation and desire into sin. In today's world, alcohol is a BIG part of the world, and society today. Alcohol itself is not bad, it is not a sin to drink alcohol. It is indeed a sin to get drunk on alcohol, which impairs one's emotions/thoughts/actions/speech, etc... I cannot say what alcohol can and can't do, as I don't drink it by choice. Now, I may taste a little wine at a wedding for example, but certainly not enough to get drunk on. I do not need alcohol to sustain my happiness, nor to take away my problems. I have enough joy from the Lord to cover me in that area. Now I do know others who drink, and I have no problem with it, although it's when the 'drunk' behaviours start to flair, and then actions, and such lead people to do things they may not normally do sober. When your mind is impaired (by whatever substance, let it be physical or spiritual) you do not make decisions well, nor do you think well. This is why God tells us to put on the 'armour of God'. One important piece of the armour is the helmet of salvation. This piece of defensive equipment protects and guards our mind, our thoughts, our emotions, etc. God does not want our 'flesh' to be led, or to lead our mind into temptation.
Lemuel's mom is reminding him, that he doesn't need loose women or alcohol to enjoy the benefits of being a King. He needs to gain the respect of his people by being a true and noble man of strength and character. These next verses following, from around verse 10-31, is where Lemuel's mother is sharing the details of a virtuous woman, a woman who would match him in character, nobility and strength, which is more important the the ideas of promiscuity and alcohol, which would be a thrill that lasts only for a moment (or two). A good wife who can find? Or in our cases as 'true women', a good spouse who can find? However, in this case, we don't just want 'good', we should desire the 'best' that God has to offer us. This leads us into today's topic of "COMMITMENT TO MARRIAGE"...
Marriage today is not the same as it was in Biblical times, nor in the times of our early ancestors. Marriage wasn't something to be jumped into quickly or lightly. Marriage is a commitment of two people who now no longer live their lives as individuals in search of their own goals, yet work together to seek and desire the goals and dreams of the other as well. A wife needs to be there to support, and love her husband unconditionally. However the husband also needs to be there for the wife to support and love her unconditionally as well. Marriage was a powerful thing... there were times where families paid dowry's for their son to marry another's daughter. Alot of work, money, hard-earned wages/posessions on behalf of one family was freely given to another for the hand of their daughter. Marriage is a LIFE-LONG COMMITMENT, not one that can be thrown away, when a "loose woman" enters the scene, or when alcohol gets the best of us, and our wife/spouse no longer 'looks' attractive. Today's society has thrown away old values and morals. Marriage is jumped into sometimes without weighing all the odds, but its ok if it doesn't work, because there is always divorce. Divorce was not so rampant long ago... how many divorces do you hear of in the Bible? Now, we do know of a case where a King (like Lemuel) was 'dragged away and enticed' by a young lady who was not his wife. This however, is not all the problem. This young lady was attractive, yet was also married to another man. Now King David in this case, had a desire for this young lady, and because he could not have her, he had her husband killed so that he could have her. We know that this story does end well, because King David and Bathsheba end up parenting Solomon, who becomes one of the wisest Kings in the Bible. (Which is another reasoning to why scholars and those who have studied the Word have decided that Lemuel is the poetic form for Solomon, and that this is in fact Bathsheba's story warning Solomon, about women like herself in fact.)
Now, marrying a divorced woman or man is not wrong, but divorce in itself is still a sin. Something that needs to be repented of and have broken off of you, so that the cycle doesn't continue. "What God has joined together, let no man put asunder" is a statement that is read at most weddings today. Most when hearing this, think of 'man' as others outside the marriage, coming in to break it up. However, the husband and wife in the marriage are also referred to as "man" in this case. We cannot keep looking at divorce as a good way to get out of marriage, or a good option to choose if it doesn't work out. Same way that we cannot and we need to STOP looking at abortion as a way to get out of a pregnancy. If you didn't want the 'child', then you shouldn't have had unprotected sex. Point blank. If you didn't want to be married, and want to have the option of divorce, then you shouldn't get married in the first place. Dating for a while is not a bad thing. Marriage is a life-long commitment as I stated. I haven't even read all of the devotional/radio show by Nancy Leigh DeMoss... but this is such a topic that is strong on my heart right now that I can share regarding it.
Too many times I see young people and older ones, who move in together, and live for months which makes them 'common-law' partners which is the same as marriage in some thoughts & books... THIS should not be considered marriage at all. NO COMMITMENT was made. Obviously, a rental agreement or mortgage was signed, and they are commited to pay, yet sometimes this is indeed only in one person's name. Then, if it "doesn't work", the other person is chosen to move out, and live somewhere else. This should not be the FIRST option on people's minds. Too many people today threaten each other with divorce as well. Arguements, discussions, battles of wits, whatever you want to call them do NOT have to end in divorce. Now in some cases due to abuse, etc, divorce is mandatory for the life of the partner being abused, etc. (Some would agree that is the same with abortion, due to a rape/abuse pregnancy). Life is life, and marriage is marriage. A commitment, is a commitment, something & someone that you are COMMITTED to. One person should not be doing all the taking, and one all the giving. It should be a union where the two come together as a puzzle, as a perfect fit for the other. If there are concerns, too many fights, bickering, a difference in vision/goals/dreams/desires, etc... in the 'engagement' process, you may need to get away and pray regarding the proposed marriage. Changes do not happen overnight...
Some of Nancy's thoughts are as follows...
Marriage is a covenant.
•A wife has a permanent, unconditional commitment to act in a way that is according to her husband's best interests—not to serve herself, but to serve her husband.
•A husband can trust a godly wife to speak well of him and to keep confidences. He can trust her in the way she speaks about him. He can trust her to protect his reputation.
•A godly wife inspires a man to be worthy of her devotion. He rises to that because he knows he has a woman who is an asset, not a liability—a woman who supports, encourages, and helps him in every way possible.
*TO BE CONTINUED*
BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING;
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