THE final chapter of the book is occupied with what is designated as
1 The words of King Lemuel,
The prophecy that his mother taught him
That Lemuel was his mother’s name for Solomon is generally believed, and seems likely to be true. There was no King Lemuel among those who sat on the thrones of either Judah or Israel; nor do we have any record of one of that name among the surrounding nations. It occurs only in this chapter, and is probably intended for the son of David and Bathsheba. The word simply means “Unto God,” or, “With God.”
It is most interesting and deeply affecting to be permitted to listen to a part of the instruction given by his mother to the young prince. Precious is it also to note how grace had wrought in her soul, if she be indeed identical with Bathsheba; so that she, whose history had been so sadly blotted, could be her son’s guide and counselor in matters of such great moment. No doubt the loss of her firstborn, taken away in the Lord’s discipline, made him who had been called Jedediah, “Beloved of Jehovah,” all the dearer to her heart (2 Sam. 12:24, 25). He was probably brought up to be much in her company, learning to value greatly her instruction and her loving care. How much he was indebted to her for that godliness which marked his early reign, will never be known until the records are read out at the judgment-seat of Christ. The influence of a God-fearing mother is beyond all telling.
The opening verse of her prophecy, or oracle, seems to imply her deep concern that she give just the counsel needed.
2 What, my son? and what, O son of my womb?
And what, O son of my vows?
The thrice-repeated “what” has the force of “what shall I say?” She desired to have the mind of God as to that which she endeavored to impress upon his young heart. Words, with Lemuel’s mother, were sacred things; for she felt keenly the need of instructing her son aright, and feared lest she in any way should mislead him.
The expression, “son of my vows,” speaks volumes. Like Hannah, she had doubtless been much in prayer for her child both before and after his birth. Humbled and repentant, deeply exercised over the so-recent sin in which she had participated, there would be cause for much concern as to the future of the child whose mother had so sadly failed. This she would feel keenly, and it would seem to have resulted in pious vows concerning the one to be entrusted to her. That the vows themselves would not be in keeping with the Christian revelation does not touch the point. They were right and proper in the dispensation of law, and expressed the purpose of her heart to bring up her child in the fear of God.
Some might seek to use such a passage as authority for making vows now, and especially baptismal and confirmation pledges. But all this is wide of the mark, though none can doubt the sincere piety and the good intentions of many who thus bind themselves. Such a practice, however, is thoroughly opposed to the letter and spirit of the New Testament. In a legal age, when God was dealing with the responsible man as such, it was quite in keeping with His ways, and He gave full instruction concerning vows and the necessity of paying them; making known also how a wife, or a minor might be released from them, if on the day of the promise; the husband, or father, disallowed them. See Leviticus 27. But nothing like this is known in the Epistles written to unfold the doctrine and practice pertaining to the Church of God.
Undoubtedly, Christian parents can, and should, bring their children to God in prayer, seeking divine wisdom to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. This answers, in the present age of grace, to the vows and pledges made by godly parents of old.
Before dismissing this subject of vows, I just remind the reader that if one has been, through ignorance and legality, betrayed into making a vow which he afterward learns is unscriptural and opposed to the truth of God, he should go at once to the Lord in contrition of heart confessing his error. To go on as though he had really bound his soul thereby, would be a grave mistake. For instance, a Romish priest takes a vow of celibacy. Should he in after years, discerning more clearly the will of God, leave the apostate system wherewith he has been connected, his bad vow is in no sense binding, once he repents. Such a case is contemplated in 1 Corinthians 7:25-28, 36. He who has pledged himself to perpetual virginity, if he finds later that he has made a mistake and put himself under grievous bondage, is free to marry, and the word says, “He sinneth not.” The solemn words of Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 do not affect the question at issue, as what is there contemplated is a vow made in accordance with the law, in the legal dispensation. “Ye are not under law, but under grace.”
3 Give not thy strength unto women,
Nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.
Faithfully was Lemuel warned against the snare of licentiousness. How well would it have been for Solomon if he had ever persevered in the path of temperance and sobriety here indicated, remembering the word, “He shall not multiply wives to himself” (Deut. 17:17). His early life seems to have been marked by obedience to this command of God and by heeding his mother’s warning, but in his later years he cast discretion to the winds, and the sad result was, “his wives turned away his heart.”
4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
It is not for kings to drink wine,
Nor for princes to desire 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.
He who would rule well over a nation, must first be master of himself. It was here that Noah failed when set over the renewed earth. Earnestly Bathsheba warns her son of the evil effects that follow intemperate indulgence in wine and strong drink. It is not for kings to be given to inebriation; for drunkenness befogs the mind, and benumbs the faculties. Drinking immoderately, they are likely to forget the law, and thus be rendered unfit to try a case in righteousness.
The king of old was the representative not merely of the executive power but, in a large sense, of the judicial and the legislative sides of government. The afflicted and the oppressed would not receive justice from a besotted king, therefore the importance of temperance and the clearness of mind that accompanies abstinence from what would inflame the brain and cloud the understanding.
If any drink to intoxication let it be those who are ready to perish and those who are disheartened and bitter of soul. There is a tinge of undisguised irony in the sixth and seventh verses that must not be overlooked. Strong drink might help the despondent to forget their poverty and to remember their misery no more; but the true remedy is for the judge of the oppressed to hear their cause patiently and render a decision in righteousness, as he cannot do if under the power of wine. He is to open his mouth for those who cannot speak for themselves, and deliver any who would be in danger of destruction which has not been deserved. See Proverbs 24:11, 12.
From verse 10 to the end of the chapter, the subject is the virtuous woman. This section is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning, in the original, with one of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet as indicated in the text here used, though not seen in our authorized Bibles. It was a favorite form of composition among the Hebrews, and is used frequently in the Psalms and in the Lamentations of Jeremiah.
10 (Aleph.) Who can find a virtuous woman?
For her price is far above rubies.
11 (Beth.) The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her,
So that he shall not lack gain.
12 (Gimel.) She will do him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
Virtuous is used in the sense of thrifty and devoted. The thought of chastity is of course included, because the devoted wife would be faithful to her husband; but it is not that which is particularly before the mind. The virtuous woman is a dependable woman; one who can be counted on in every emergency. Capable and energetic, with a high sense of the dignity and importance of administering the affairs of the home, her worth is not to be compared with that of jewels, however valuable.
In such a wife the heart of her husband may safely confide, for he finds in her love and unselfish affection treasure so vast, that, let his circumstances be as they may, he can never be in poverty. Her influence is for good and not evil all the days of her life. It is a lovely picture of the mutual relationship of Christ and the Church: the latter owning Him as Head and delighting to love and serve Him; while He finds His joy in her and beholds in her an inheritance of untold value!
13 (Daleth.) She seeketh wool and flax,
And worketh willingly with her hands
14 (He.) She is like the merchants’ ships,
She bringeth her food from afar.
15 (Vau.) She riseth also while it is yet night,
And giveth meat to her household,
And a portion to her maidens.
Finding her deepest joy in loving service, the virtuous wife takes delight in weaving with her own hands the wool and the flax which are to be the clothing for her household. The picture is an Eastern one, but none the less lovely to Western eyes. Kitto says, “In the state of society to which this description belongs, every kind of drapery for the person, the tent, or the house, is manufactured at home by the women, who make it a matter of pride to be able to boast that their husbands and children are entirely clad by the labor of their hands; and the man’s robe clings the more sweetly to him—is warmer in winter, and cooler in the heat, from his knowledge of the dear hands by which every thread has been prepared.”
Dainty delicacies or coarse fare when provided by her hands become sweet indeed to the objects of her solicitude. She is not content with slipshod service but is constantly bringing forth “things new and old,” as the ships of the merchants bring to our doors the treasures of distant lands.
Slothfulness she shames by her early rising, even before the first beams of the sun begin to light the horizon. In Syria, the women are up long before the dawn to prepare the morning meal, “grinding at the mill,” according to our Saviour’s description, in order that the men may go forth early to labor, and thus be enabled to rest during the sultry part of the day.
It is only love that can render service like this sweet and delightful. Where that is lacking, it must be the veriest drudgery. So Paul could write of himself and his fellow-laborers as bondservants of Jesus Christ. This should be the Church’s happiness—to serve the living and true God, while waiting with eager expectancy for His Son from heaven.
The wife here described serves in the consciousness of her true estate. Unless that be settled all would be fear and anxiety. So with the Christian. Service springs from the knowledge of an established relationship. It is not as a price paid to win the favor of an unreconciled God. But believers, on their part, having been reconciled to Him, who needed not to be reconciled to them, serve in newness of the spirit, not in the oldness of the letter. Thus all uncertainty is gone, and willing hands work as a result of the power of Christ’s constraining love.
16 (Zain.) She considereth a field, and buyeth it:
With the fruit of her hands, she planteth a vineyard.
17 (Cheth.) She girdeth her loins with strength,
And strengtheneth her arms.
18 ( Teth.) She perceiveth that her merchandise is good:
Her candle goeth not out by night.
Unlike the unfaithful servant, who wrapped his talent in a napkin and hid it away where he could not use it, the prudent wife is continually, by her economy and foresight, adding to her husband’s possessions. Like Jabez, she enlarges her coast, and becomes also keeper of a vine, yard, a joyful service; for the fruit of the vine throughout Scripture speaks of gladness. The bride in the Canticles has to acknowledge, “mine own vineyard have I not kept,” but it is blessedly otherwise with her whose varied labors we are here called to contemplate with admiration.
The girding of the loins for service may well remind us of that subjection to the truth of God which ever marks out the devoted soul; for it is with the truth the loins are to be girded; and this both for strength and fitness to take up the daily tasks. No believer can render proper service unless the loins of the mind are thus controlled by the unerring word of the Lord. The virtuous woman girds her loose flowing garments tightly about her, drawing them up to leave the feet free, as she goes about her work, doing with her might what her hands find to do.
In her labor she finds profit, nor does her lamp go out by night, for she realizes the importance of being ever watchful as well as energetic. How many a soul has sadly failed because, while there was great activity, the corresponding watchfulness was not maintained! The lamp of testimony has been allowed to burn very dimly, or to die out; and forgetting the place and portion of children of light, the careless soul has been found, as though a child of darkness, sleeping among the dead.
19 (Yod.) She layette her hands to the spindle,
And her hands hold the distaff.
20 (Capp.) She stretcheth out her hand to the lowly,
Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
21 (Lamed.) She is not afraid of the snow for her household,
For all her household are clothed with scarlet.
The nineteenth verse has reference to the ancient custom, which is still prevalent among some Eastern peoples, of spinning without the use of a wheel. They hold the distaff in one hand and twirl their long wool spindles with the other, stopping to wind the thread upon them as fast as it is drawn out. Thus, by diligence and economy, the virtuous woman is able to minister, with loving care to the lowly and the needy. Nor is hers the charity which fails to begin at home, for she watches solicitously for the comfort of her family; by her own skill making scarlet garments of the warm wool for their covering in time of cold and snow.
Some prefer the rendering “double-garments” to “scarlet,” as they do not see what the color has to do with keeping out the cold; but the word is never so translated elsewhere in Scripture. It is the scarlet obtained from the Tola, a cochineal-like insect, which, being crushed, produces a fine deep red, or rich crimson dye, much admired by the Orientals. It is the “worm” of Psalm 22:6, to which our Lord likens Himself, He who was bruised and slain that all His redeemed might be clothed in splendor for eternity.
It is noteworthy that, to the present day, the mountain Nestorians, and other Eastern tribes clothe their households in a scarlet or striped stuff, much like Scotch tartan in texture and material. It is to garments such as these that the text refers. Even in the smallest details the word of God is absolutely correct.
22 (Mem.) She maketh herself coverings of tapestry,
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 (Nun.) Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sitteth among the elders of the land.
24 (Samech.) She maketh linen [garments], and selleth [them],
And delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
The authorized version reads “silk” in describing the clothing of verse 22, but it is now well-known that not until the reign of Justinian was silk brought to the Levant from China. Fine, white linen, glistening like silk, such as the bride is arrayed with in Revelation 19, is what is undoubtedly intended as elsewhere in Scripture purple and fine linen are used together as the attire of the well-clothed. See Luke 16:19.
The purple was obtained from “the juice of a certain species of shell-fish found on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The juice of the entire fish was not used, but only a little of its liquor, called the flower, contained in a white vein, or vessel, in the neck.”
Typically, the fine linen and purple picture, as in the tabernacle hangings, practical righteousness and royal glory. In the rich man referred to above, we see how one could be outwardly covered with what spoke of uprightness and privilege, while actually “poor, and wretched, and blind, and miserable, and naked.” The virtuous wife is robed in what bespeaks her true character and dignity.
Her husband too is honored and esteemed. His place as sitting among the elders of the land implies that he occupied a seat in the gate of the city, as a judge, or a magistrate. See notes on Proverbs 22:22 and 24:7. His wife’s thrift and good judgment reflect credit upon him, adding to the esteem in which he is held. Such a spouse is indeed “a help meet for him.”
Not only has she sufficient to clothe her household and herself, but her unwearying industry enables her to produce linen garments and girdles for the caravan-merchants, who readily purchase the work of her hands, to carry them to distant places. Thus she is “bearing fruit in good works,” and her abundant labors provide clothing for those far-removed from her own dwelling.
The spiritual lesson is easily seen. She who is faithful in ministering at home, and clothes herself in a garment of practical godliness and righteousness, will have enough and to spare for the blessing of others in “the regions beyond.”
25 (Ayin.) Strength and honor are her clothing;
And she shall rejoice in time to come.
26 (Pe.) She openeth her mouth with wisdom;
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 (Tsaddi.) She looketh well to the ways of her household,
And eateth not the bread of idleness.
Every clause here is of the deepest importance. The fine linen and purple are really explained symbolically in verse 25— “Strength and honor are her clothing.” That is, of course, strength of character, or, as already noted, uprightness of heart and conduct, coupled with that gracious dignity which belongs to one who walks with God. No wonder it is written, “She shall rejoice in time to come.” Godliness and joyfulness are inseparable. “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” There is no real happiness apart from righteousness, and vice versa. Where the conscience is at rest, the heart sings for joy. When David sinned, he lost, not salvation, but the joy of it, which was never his again until all was out in the presence of God, and he became once more “a man in whose spirit there is no guile.” Then he could call upon the upright in heart to join with him in songs of rejoicing. Contrast Psalms 51 and 32.
As long as the soul has any controversy with God—if persisting in any known sin, refusing to confess evil-doing, or failing to walk in any truth revealed in the Word, there will be only unrest and lack of peace and joy. The secret of a happy Christian life is very simple. It consists in walking in the power of an ungrieved Spirit. Let there be any compromise with unholiness, and the Spirit of God, who dwells in every believer, is grieved. In such a case, it is impossible that there should be either peace of mind or joy of heart. But when all that is contrary to His holy will is dragged out into the light, and judged, then it is that the confiding saint, arrayed in clothing of “strength and honor,” can lift up the voice in song and make accompanying melody unto the Lord in the heart. Nor will this gladness fade away while daily reckoning oneself to be “dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Fittingly the next verse shows that into the lips of such a one grace is poured; nor is the salt of righteousness lacking. Like Priscilla instructing Apollos, she opens her mouth with wisdom, and the law of kindness is on her tongue. What a contrast to the shrewish and contentious woman, several times contemned in the earlier chapters. See notes on Proverbs 21:19 and 27:15, 16. Because of the pureness of her heart, her tongue delights to utter words of grace and truth. See Proverbs 22:11. Who does not prize a season of fellowship with such a rare saint as this! When, instead of petty complaints and wretched, slanderous tales, the lips pour forth words of loving-kindness, and declare their joy in the precious truth that possesses the reins and the soul, conversation becomes profitable indeed; when, by such well-directed wisdom and tenderness, the hearers are edified and refreshed.
The twenty-seventh verse emphasizes something which in a wife and mother is unspeakably precious. She looks well to the ways of her household. Solicitously she notices the habits and actions, as well as marking the speech, of her children. Without nagging and ill-temper, she yet exercises a firm but loving discipline over each one; checking here and encouraging there, as she sees either to be needed. Never too busy to seek to win an erring one from the snares of worldliness and pride, she eats not the bread of idleness, but by both example and precept endeavors to guide her offspring in the way of peace. Having a mother like this, how poignant must be the grief of heart, how strong the reprovings of conscience, if the feet of any of her household go astray for a time in paths of sin!
28 (Koph.) Her children rise up, and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praiseth her, [saying,]
29 (Resh.) Many daughters have done virtuously,
But thou excellest them all.
Realizing in later life (what may not always be so clear to them in childhood or early youth) the wisdom and love manifested in her firm but tender discipline, her children arise up and shower encomiums upon her, attributing their well-being and blessing to her godly training and instruction; while her husband, rejoicing in such a partner of his joys and sorrows, exclaims in honest praise, “Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all!” He has found in her what the heart ever craves—one whose comeliness of soul and mind excel even beauty of face and form.
May we not see in his admiration and delight a picture of the tender love with which our heavenly Bridegroom shall regard His Bride, the Church, when He presents her to Himself, in the soon-coming day of glory, “not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing!”
30 (Schin.) Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain:
But a woman that feareth Jehovah, she shall be praised.
31 (Tau.) Give her of the fruit of her hands;
And let her own works praise her in the gates.
Here we have the secret of her devoted, virtuous life. She fears the Lord. This, which our book has declared to be the beginning of wisdom, is her abiding characteristic. Her words, her ways, her dress, and her household discipline, are all ordered as in His presence.
Others may pride themselves on their beauty, or endeavor to obtain favor by winning words and pleasing manners; but if there be no true character behind such charms, the day will soon come when praise will give place to contempt; while she who fears Jehovah will be honored by all who appreciate virtue and excellence of spirit. Her beneficent labors too will receive their public and well-merited recognition.
But we who have the light of New Testament revelation can see in this last verse more than a hint of the coming manifestation at the judgment-seat of Christ. When the mists of earth have gone forever, when its pride and folly and iniquity are eternally past, such a one as the mother of Lemuel has been describing, shall ap pear in her Lord’s own presence with rejoicing, bearing her sheaves with her. At His feet she will cast down the fruit of her hands and the works His grace has wrought in and through her, to have all surveyed by Himself. How sweet to hear His words of approbation in the gate, “Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”
Who then will regret days of toil and nights of watching? Who then would exchange the saint’s path and portion, with all its responsibilities as well as privileges, for a place of ease and careless enjoyment of a few fleeting hours on earth? Not one.
Living in view of that sacred hour when all our works shall be inspected and passed upon by Him who has won our deepest affections, may we have purpose of heart and earnestness of soul to cleave to Himself, holding fast His faithful word, and not denying His Name, while waiting here for His return.
If these notes and meditations shall assist any so to do, they will have accomplished the author’s most cherished desire.