Proverbs 31

PROVERBS 31

"Do not give your strength to women,
Nor your ways to that which destroys kings."
(vs 3)

Oh, dear saints, I feel a sermon building up within me as I read through this Proverb! But I’ll try to keep it short. For now. ;)

Interesting verse above... "Do not give your strength to women..." In 1 Peter, the Apostle charges men to "live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered." (1 Pet 3:7) Paul taught that "the head of woman is man", just as "head of every man is Christ", and ultimately the "head of Christ is God." (1 Cor 11:3)

So, I gather that the Proverb is not speaking against a man protecting, helping, supporting, caring for, or loving a woman. In fact in this very Proverb, just a few verses later we read -

"Who can find a virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life."
(vs 10-12)

She does him good. Her worth is far above any earthly riches.
In an earlier Proverb we read -
"He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the LORD."
- Prov 18:22

It is a good thing. The Lord is pleased when a man and woman come together according to His design. Yet, again, we read above - "Do not give your strength to women..." Of what is King Lemuel speaking? First let us look at what the Scripture tells us we are to do with our strength...

Under the old covenant, Moses brought the commandment of God to the people - "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."
- Deut 6:5

Under the new covenant, Jesus commands us -
"To love (God) with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
- Mark 12:33

With all of our strength, all of who we are, we are to love God above all else. He is to be our first priority. As we read the words of Jesus at the end of the verse in Mark’s Gospel, I believe we gain a little insight on our opening verse from Proverbs 31. We can honor God with our lips, yet our hearts have not put Him first (Isaiah 29:13) We can bring offerings and sacrifices to God, in the sight of man, yet He is not our first love, and His commands to love others above ourselves are not operating in our lives. We have given our strength to things other than God. It can indeed be a woman, if a man has her in a way displeasing to the Lord. Among many examples throughout the Scripture, we can see it clearly in the life of Samson. He was called before he was born to be a leader and a judge of God’s people. He was given great strength. Yet he was enticed by, and fell to, the pleasures of the flesh -
"Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her." (Judges 16:1)

In Samson’s passion for women, he placed them above God, and in doing so he lost his strength. He lost the fellowship with the Lord. And he lost his sight; his ability to see in either the physical, or I believe, even the spiritual realm. This once mighty man, who had forsaken the Lord for his own desires, cried out at the end of his life -
"O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes." (Judges 16:28)

"Do not give your strength to women,
Nor your ways to that which destroys kings."
(vs 3)

Samson had not heeded that advice. King Solomon was warned of this very thing, and fell as well. Even in all his wisdom, and his relationship to Almighty God, he allowed himself to be ensnared by that which the Scripture declares will destroy a king.

"Did not Solomon king of Israel sin regarding these things? Yet among the many nations there was no king like him, and he was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel; nevertheless the foreign women caused even him to sin."
- Neh 13:26

We see from the second half of Proverbs 31:3, that there are other ways in which we can destroy our witness, and ultimately destroy ourselves, if we continue in them. Jesus spoke to those in the church, who offered right sacrifices, yet allowed themselves to be drawn away to follow ways that satisfy man and not God -
"But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place - unless you repent."
- Rev 2:4-5

God has called us to be kings, from before we were born. And He gives us His strength. His joy. May we not compromise, and allow the things of the world to turn our strength away from Him who has granted it to us in the first place. May we always love, protect, help, support, and encourage those the Lord has placed in the path of our life. And above all, may He always remain our first love, that we not fall.

God bless us, each one, and keep us in His Way,

Michael