Thought from today’s Bible reading from Proverbs 30-31.
“It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to desire strong drink, for they will drink and forget what is decreed, and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
“Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to him whose life is bitter. Let him drink and forget his poverty and remember his trouble no more” (Proverbs 31:4-7).
There are at least four points to be made from the instructions given to Lemuel.
Do not follow the example of others – The reason why there had to be an instruction against drinking was because it was common for others to drink. Godly people must avoid following after the sins of the world, even if it means being different from those around us (cf. 1 Peter. 4:1-4).
Alcohol causes one to forget the law – The specific reason why the casual consumption of alcohol was forbidden here was because it would cause the king to forget the law. When one puts himself under the influence of alcohol, he jeopardizes his ability to remember, respect, and practice the law (either the law of men or the law of God). This is why we are often told to be sober minded (1 Peter 1:13; 5:8) – not under the influence of alcohol or anything else that would hinder our ability to serve the Lord.
Good laws protect man’s rights – The laws and decrees which the king was to remember and execute were those which pertained to the protection of the natural, God-given rights of man. This is what good laws made by civil leaders that respect their God-ordained role will do – they allow one the freedom to serve God and live according to His precepts (1 Timothy 2:2) and punish those who would infringe upon that freedom (Romans 13:3-4).
What others do is ultimately not our concern – This is not to say that we should not try to help those who are struggling with sin; we should (Galatians 6:1; James 5:19-20). But if one continually rejects the ways of God, we must shake the dust off our feet and move on (Matthew 10:14). Until they have a change of heart, we cannot help them (cf. Hebrews 6:4-6). Doing what is right is a matter of personal choice, not compulsion.
Tomorrow’s reading: 1 Kings 12-14
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
Daily Notes & Observations contains all 365 articles from this series and is available in paperback from Gospel Armory.
