Listen to your Mother...

Proverbs 1:8 says, “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother‘s teaching.” The Word of God is telling us to heed our mother’s advice. Proverbs 6:20 says, “My son, keep your father’s commands and do not forsake your mother‘s teaching.” We are not to forsake our mothers teaching? But how many of us despise our mother’s advice?

If you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all. Eat your vegetables. Wash your hands before you eat. Brush your teeth. Have on clean underwear incase you get in a wreck. Chose your friends wisely, don’t let them chose you! Put God first. Go to church each week. That smoking will kill you. Don’t run with those boys who get drunk. Proverbs 15:20 says “A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother.”

Do you listen to your momma? Some might say, “But I am an adult now! I don’t have to listen to her now. She is just an old lady who is trapped in old fashioned ways! Right?" Proverbs 23:22 says, “Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.”
Lemuel was a king. He was full grown but he listened to his mother’s wise advice.

Proverbs 31:1-3 says, “The sayings of King Lemuel— an oracle his mother taught him: 2 "O my son, O son of my womb, O son of my vows, 3 do not spend your strength on women, your vigor on those who ruin kings.”

The first piece of advice to Lemuel from mom was not to spend his strength on women who ruin kings. The wrong wife can ruin a man. A wicked lover can destroy his future and damn his soul. How many men in this world have been ruined as leaders because of a sinful relationship with a woman? She was teaching her boy not to spend his life in pursuit of the vanity of illicit sex.

“Do not forsake your mother‘s teaching.”

Proverbs 31:4 -7 says, "It is not for kings, O Lemuel— not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they drink and forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights. Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more."

Next she tells Lemuel that wine and beer are for losers. Wine and beer make people “forget what the law decrees.” It also causes you to become an abusive person toward others and deprive people “of their rights.” Beer and wine are for those who are perishing. If you want to have “poverty” and “misery” by all means drink alcohol. But beer and wine are not for children of the King. It’s not for royal princes to be craving that which causes poverty, misery and oppression.

“Do not forsake your mother‘s teaching.”

Proverbs 31:8-9 says, “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."

Finally, she tells King Lemuel to be a defender of others and their rights. He is to “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.” Like those children who will be aborted in their mothers wombs. We are to speak up. Like those who do not know the love and grace of God and do not understand they have the right to become a child of God. We must speak up and tell them. Like the poor children across this world who have never been taught about family relationships, truth of God’s Word, or educated to make a living for themselves. We must rise up and speak and defend the cause of the poor, the lost, the dying.

John 1:12 says, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God!”

Some people don’t know that they have this right. The devil has blinded their eyes and kept them in the dark lonely world of sin. They don’t know that they can be children of the king. They are unaware of their rights. We must “Speak up” and “defend the rights” of those Satan has deceived.

“Do not forsake your mother‘s teaching.”

King Lemuel got some good advice from his mother. This year for Mothers Day remember it yourself.

1. Don’t spend your life on sexual relationships which will ruin you
2. Don’t spend your life on beer and wine which will destroy you
3. Do spend your life speaking up to defend the helpless and protect their rights.

Questions? scripturist@hotmail.com