Amen. Let us then open to God's Word, Proverbs 31, page 701. dug a little bit into the very beginning of Proverbs before working through Ruth. We'll now come back just to the very end of Proverbs briefly here before Lord willing we come back to Paul's letters to Timothy and Lord willing to second Timothy in the near future. And we're not going to make it all the way through Proverbs 31 as I originally planned. And so we'll just read the first nine verses, and I'll explain how that changes our outline just a little bit. But instead of looking at what we might broadly call the description of a worthy man and the description of a worthy woman, we'll take one week for each. And so Lord willing, we'll come back for the rest of Proverbs 31 and to the description of the excellent wife of the worthy woman in verses 10 to the end. But for this week, we just have verses 1 to 9. Proverbs 31, verses 1 to 9, page 701 in the Bibles under the seats. Let us hear the Word of God. The words of King Lemuel, an oracle that his mother taught him. What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my vows? Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine or for rulers to take strong drink, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted. Give strong drink to the one who is perishing and wine to those in bitter distress. Let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more. Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth. Judge righteously. Defend the rights of the poor and needy. So far the reading. The grass withers, the flower fades, the word of our Lord endures forever. Dear congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, the key moments of a book or letter are often at the beginning, the middle, and the end. And from one individual proverb to another, there are many individual nuggets of wisdom throughout this long book which do not explicitly mention the name of the Lord, including in some ways the nine verses of our text, although we'll see that the name of God is in the first nine verses, though it's not immediately obvious. But though Proverbs often does not explicitly mention the Lord, Again, even in some ways, these first nine verses, that main theme of Proverbs, of trusting in the Lord, well, it's present in the very beginning, in the very middle, and in the very end. Proverbs 1.7, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 15.33, The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor. and nearly the very last words at the end of verse 30 in Proverbs 31, a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. And so with trust in the Lord, the continuing theme of the whole book of Proverbs, we see in this chapter the prayers of a godly mother detailing the special way that men And women should seek to be God's trustworthy people. And so today is a mother's prayer part one. And we're looking especially at the description of a trustworthy man. At a mother's prayer for her son. And our theme this morning as we consider this is trusting in the Lord. Let us grow in trustworthiness and virtue. And then if you're looking at your outline and you have the two points Again, we're only going to make it to verse 9, and so our first point is now... we just split the first point into two. Our first point is now where a man's strength should not go, verses 1 to 5, and then where a man's strength should go, verses 6 to 9. We begin with where a man's strength should not go, the first five verses. Now when we think about Proverbs 31, the poem of the excellent woman gets the bulk of attention when we think about Proverbs 31. And in some ways that is fully appropriate. It literally is the bulk of Proverbs chapter 31. But today we're considering the other part of this chapter. And as we think about the chapter of Proverbs as a whole, it is both more about women, and less about women than we usually think. It is more about women than we usually think because Proverbs 31 is the prayer of a woman. It is the prayer of a godly mother. Look at verse 1. The words of King Lemuel and Oracle that his mother taught him. And then verse 2 shows us that this is essentially framed as as a prayer. These are her prayers. These are her vows. This is her longing. This is her instruction for her son. And even the instruction of a godly woman. It's in that context. It's a mother's prayer. It's a mother's direction to her son about who a godly wife that he should pursue is. So Proverbs 31 is more about women than we think. The whole thing is the prayer. of a godly mother, the instruction of a godly mother to her son. And in this way, the mother of Lemuel joins with women like Hannah in 1 Samuel chapter 2 and Deborah in Judges chapter 5 as women who become the first human author, in a sense, of a chapter in God's written word when their prayers, songs, poems are recorded for us. And here it comes through Lemuel by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And so Proverbs 31 is more about women than we sometimes think. But it's also less about women than we sometimes think because we might skip the first nine verses sometimes. But here we have specifically a godly mother's instruction to her son. This is, in this way, the description of a worthy man before we get to the poem of the worthy woman. And as the queen mother, Lemuel's mother, gives her son some specific instructions concerning his birthright, his responsibilities, which we will have In the ancient world, kings, it was a birthright. It was passed from father to son. We can assume this was the case with Lemuel, even though we know almost nothing about Lemuel. We don't know where he was a king. All we know is that he's not a king of Israel or Judah. His name appears nowhere in those records. And all we know is that he had a godly mother who prayed for him in the name of the Lord, even though they didn't live in the promised land. And so we don't know for sure, but likely this was his birthright. That is how kingship was so often passed on in the ancient world. And so his mother, knowing that he would be king, raised him with some specific instructions in that context. You will be a king. You will have much authority for good or for evil, son. This is how you must think of these things. These are my instructions for you. This is my prayer for you. What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my vows?" And so she begins with one temptation which kings of the ancient world so often gave into, and that was the temptation to build harems, which was considered culturally a right of kings all throughout the ancient world. Do not, verse 3, give your strength to women. Kings in the ancient world so often had harems. It was just the way it was done. Even the kings of Israel too often fell into this terrible sin, though the law of God specifically warned against it, Deuteronomy 17, 17, long before there ever was a king in Israel. Lemuel's mother knew this danger. And even though she did not live in the promised land, she gave her son a specific warning against this danger as the beginning of her prayer for him. Do not give in to this temptation of kings. Samuel, again, is included in the kings of Israel who gave in to this temptation. Later in life, what does he say when he looks back at it in Ecclesiastes chapter 2? He's accumulated all the worldly things and the first thing he speaks about is the accumulation of many concubines. And what is it? It is all vanity. It is all vanity. Nothing pleased. Nothing was pleasing. And it sapped his strength. We read that in the historical record so plainly for both David and Solomon. All the destruction, all the pain, all the strife that these sins led to. And so we have the confession of David for these sins in the Psalms. We have the confession of Solomon later in life for these sins. How did he say it at the end of the book of Ecclesiastes? Remember your Creator in the days of your youth." In other words, do not give your strength to vanity. From youth, direct your strength in service to the Creator, as He has called us to do. Continuing on, Lemuel's mother does not want her son's strength to be spent on intoxication. That's verses 4 and 5. It's true that wine and strong drink can have some use, including some medical use for those in extreme pain, for those who are dying, verses 6 and 7. But wine and strong drink, and strong drink here really could just be translated beer, wine and beer, they should not be used for drunkenness. To give in to drunkenness brings harm to self, and to those around you. And as king, that's going to be magnified. As king, there is so much potential to do good or to do harm. And when a king gives himself to drunkenness, this is going to impact so many. The prayers of a godly mother. My son, do not give yourself to this addiction. Do not cloud your mind, cloud your judgment, harm yourself, and harm those around you. Now what do these instructions, from a godly mother to a young prince, we can assume he had these instructions when he was yet a young prince, as again verse 2, this is her words for her son, the son of her vows, the son of her womb, What do these instructions from a mother to a son, what do they tell us today? Brothers and sisters, the line of application is quite a straight line of application. Let's use these words to describe it. What is one place where our strength should never go? Not even in moderation. One place that our strength should never go is lust. And what are the harems that are built today? Well, today you build digital harems. But saying, this is just what young men do, is no more valid an excuse than an ancient king saying, well, this is just what kings in the ancient Near East did. The fact that it is done and the fact that it can be done does not mean that it should be done. It is the way of destruction. Look at the strong language of a godly mother. Verse 3, the end. Your ways to those who destroy kings Pornography, the digital harem of our own age, has been positively depicted, joked about, in so many movies, TV shows, and lunchrooms. As one writer summarized it, quote, culture would have us believe that pornography is funny, normal, and okay to use, and doesn't really hurt anyone. But it destroys. the line of application continues quite easily. We're not just talking about the harems of kings. We're not just talking about digital harems. We're talking about any violation of the seventh commandment. Any giving of strength to lust. These are sins that destroy. These are sins which are never okay, not even in moderation. Think about how the language of destruction is described in the context of adultery earlier in Proverbs, as an ox goes to the slaughter. And at this point, let's step back. And yes, this morning is especially directed to men, and Lord willing, next week we'll be thinking especially about applications for women. But when Proverbs speaks about the ox who goes to the slaughter, there's both a man and a woman in that chapter. There's both an enticer and the one enticed. And those roles can be flipped either way. And if you don't know what chapter I'm talking about, just from those hints, I strongly encourage you to get out the book of Proverbs today and read through it until you get to that chapter. You don't have to go too far. And it's a chapter that we should know well. That we should know in the church. What does the enticer say? I did my sacrifices this morning. Do not give your strength to these things. And if you do, by God's grace, see the vanity of it. and confess your sins and speak to others and say, remember your creator in the days of your youth. Now, what about places that strength should only go in moderation? Well, once again, the line of application is a straight line. Do not give in to drunkenness. If we think about consuming alcohol, that's a command of moderation. Even here it's qualified by verse 5 and then by the situations of extreme pain and facing death in verses 6 and 7, but it's also qualified by other texts in scripture like Psalm 104 verse 15, whine to gladden the heart of man. But let us say just a couple of things, even though this is a commandment for moderation. Let us say just a couple of things. First, that especially those in authority need to be extra careful about this. Because again, it is a sin that harms you and people around you. And when you have authority, that means you're harming more people around you. So kings and priests are among those who have specific warnings against drunkenness. even as it's a warning for all people. And let us also say that the language of Lemuel's mother almost sounds like an absolute here. And where a person is not able to use moderation, complete temperance would be a good answer. Now brothers and sisters, we can give many more applications now that we have these these broad principles from the straight lines of application. We could think about other places that our strength should never go. We could think about things like domestic violence. We could think about many, many other places where our strength should only go in moderation. We could think about places where strength should only go in moderation that Lemuel's mother was never familiar with. We could think about things like video games and other forms of digital entertainment. Should strength be completely sapped up in those things or is it something to give in moderation? I think sometimes we know the rules more clearly on some other things. I'll only have this much to drink. But we blur the rules on digital entertainment. Because it doesn't seem like the line is so clear. You can't take a blood alcohol test. But there are lines. You should know it. And you should draw those lines. Set timers. Turn things off. There are other things that Lemuel's mother probably was familiar with that we could include in the context of where strength should only go in moderation. You can think of gluttony as something in this category. And again, these are things where because they are not always wrong, in some ways it's more tempting to go overboard because we blur where the line is. We know it's okay to have a feast sometimes, and so is it okay to have a feast every single day? We could go on. There are many applications. But brothers and sisters, Lemuel's mother did not only pray and instruct her son in what should be avoided or what should be used in moderation, she also prayed for godly virtues that should be upheld. So, although this is briefer in the text, let's come to our second point, where a man's strength should go. In the ancient Near East, the king served as the final judge of the nation. This was even true in Rome, centuries later, at least for those who would obtain the rare status of a Roman citizen, you can appeal all the way to the emperor. Think of the historical record in the New Testament and how the Apostle Paul, as a citizen, can appeal all the way to the emperor. The king, the emperor, stood as the final line of justice. It is a place of incredible authority. It's a place where you have an incredible capacity justice and righteousness, or to bring down justice and righteousness. Lemuel's mother knows this. Open your mouth for the mute, verse 8, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth. Judge righteously. Defend the rights of the poor and needy. My son, be a man of justice. Be a man of justice and righteousness. And at this point, brothers and sisters, let's stop and step back and let's consider one way that this text very plainly takes us to Jesus Christ and one way that this text less obviously takes us to Jesus Christ. Because at this point we step back and we say, well, that kind of monarchial power That didn't go very well. And even the most just kings still messed so many things up. Speaking about a just and righteous king must bring us to Jesus Christ. It must bring us to the only perfectly just and righteous king. No earthly king was ever perfectly executing justice even in their own realm. And no earthly king can bless the whole world, their own realm and those beyond it. But when we come to Jesus Christ, there is the man of justice and righteousness. There is the call for justice and righteousness perfectly worked out and fulfilled. And there is the king who blesses every subject who trusts in him. and his realm is not one little place. Maybe Lemuel was the king of some very little place. Maybe that's one of the reasons why we have no idea who he is. Maybe it was something like a 1000 B.C. Liechtenstein. Maybe even his capacity to bless was quite a small realm. But what is the realm of Jesus Christ? It is the realm of the world. And it does not end with with the death of the King because He doesn't die. He dies and He rises again and He lives and He still reigns. There is the just and righteous man. And every subject who trusts in Him from all time and from all over the world, we are then under the protection of the just and righteous one. He is the one we need. through all the earthly realms of this world. There's also one less obvious way that this text takes us to Jesus Christ. Remember verses 6 and 7, there are these words of general wisdom about the usefulness of strong drink for the one who is perishing. And we even know how to make a direct line of application to 2023. This is a strong drink that we use for the one who is perishing. Use morphine. The one who is at the very end does not need to suffer completely. They're at the end. But this word of general wisdom, in a less obvious way, also takes us to Jesus Christ. Because Jesus stands apart And so, what happened when the wine mixed with myrrh was offered to Jesus Christ as He was hanging on the cross? Mark 15, verse 23. Jesus refuses it. Why? Because Jesus stands apart. And His service for others was to willingly and fully endure all of the pain of the cross, including the wrath of God poured out against all those who believe, and to do it with all of his senses, knowing exactly what he was doing, accomplishing exactly what only he could accomplish, to die as the just one for us unjust sinners. Well, let's zoom back in on King Lemuel. For his mother's prayer was that he would be one of the earthly kings who upheld justice and in a small way pointed to the king of kings and served the king of kings. And from birth she made that Very plain. What does Lemuel mean? It means belonging to God. And so she gives her son a name that will remind him of the King of Kings whenever he thinks of his own name, whenever he hears his own name. The prayer of his mother, the very name from his mother. is a prayer and a direction. You, son, must be a king over all that you have authority on on this earth as one of the servants of the King of Kings. Be a just servant of the Just One. That is my prayer. And now, brothers and sisters, if we think about this in the context of the much smaller kingdom which many of us are more familiar with, Again, the line of application is very straight. I don't know anybody who is the king of a nation, but I know people who have authority in all kinds of different places, in all kinds of different ways. Authority in the home. How do you exercise authority in the home? Do you uphold justice? Do you give your strength to justice and to a just and righteous leadership? And then, what about the workplace? Because the throne of a king is just the work desk of a king, and the scepter of a king is just the working tools of the king. What is your workplace and your work tools? And do you pour your strength into those things justly? working for justice, no matter how far removed from a throne your workplace is, no matter how mundane it may seem or not seem, no matter what authority within the workplace comes or does not come with it. Are you His just servants? Pouring out your strength for justice and righteousness. Doing what has been given to you to do. The world loves laziness. The world loves bullies. So before we get to our conclusion, let's think about how the pouring out of strength, the right direction of strength, this isn't just for adults. Little boys and little girls can learn how to bully. For boys, that's usually in the exercise of strength. Look how strong I am. Look at how I can pick on Pester, someone else who's just a little bit weaker than I am. For girls, it often comes through the use of words. We may consider that more as we work through the virtues of the worthy woman next week, Lord willing. People of God, let us, from a young age, learn to uphold justice, looking to The Just One. Amen. Let us pray. Lord, our Lord, surely You poured out all of Your strength for justice, for salvation. And surely, from humility to exaltation, you now rule with the almighty hand of justice and righteousness. Bring us to you and under you.