# 51 2023 Dev. Prov. 31:5 Christ Like Sacrificial Service! Read all of chapter thirty one first . We invite you into God’s space, to read His Word, to think on and interact with. This is God’s story. Do you believe that this may also be part of our story, in our time? All passages are taken from the NIV.
Prov. 31:8,9 “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
Prov.31 This chapter, along with chapter 30 are appendixes to Proverbs. These are “The sayings of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him.”
Vs.1-3 “Listen, my son!…son of my prayers. Do not spend your strength on women.” His mother warns him about women, beautiful opportunistic women, not to suggest all beautiful woman are opportunistic. Later on the king describes the kind of women his mothers tells him to seek out.
Vs.4-7 She further advises him to go easy on the beer and wine. “It is not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they drink and forget…” what the king is supposed to do. Beer and wine is for the suffering and perishing to comfort. As Scripture teaches us, all things in moderation!
Vs.8-9 “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” As important the description of the ideal woman is in verses 10-31, verses 8,9 is the heart of this chapter. This is what the radical left might reject as conservatism but in truth, this is the way of Jesus, the way of Christianity!
Vs.10-31 “The Wife of Noble Character.” As we see from the notes this is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
“ A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm all the days of her life… Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”
While verses 8-9 speak to the actions of Jesus and Christianity; Verses 10-31 shows us how to actually live out being like Jesus, living out Christianity and displaying sacrificial service and leadership. May God bless us and our country this Christmas season!
© cgvanwyk, all rights reserved.
Heavenhigh 