Proverbs 31:1-2 Speaker, Context, & Interpretation

   First off, I would like to encourage you to read this blogger's thoughts on the entire book of Proverbs throughout the month.  Proverbs is a juicy, meaty piece of text to read almost no matter who you are or what your exact personal condition at the moment, because, as Schofield puts it, "This collection of sententious sayings is divine wisdom applied to the earthly conditions of the people of God."  

   Sententious means, "Given to or abounding in aphoristic expression  Given to or abounding in excessive moralizing."  

   Aphoristic means, "A concise statement of a principle.  A terse formulation of a truth or sentiment." 

   

   I groove direct and timeless.  I groove applicable wisdom, and this is it baby.

   This is a flavor apart from law and parable; this is a rich assemblage of morals, rules of thumb, bits of wisdom, and (then) socially agreed upon objectives for us to digest and consider.

   The final part of the six parts of this book is chapter 31, which is my focus this month.  I did quite a bit of reading to learn about the speaker and context of these thirty one verses, only to discover a rare Biblical mystery.  Evidently quite a bit of debate remains over the true identity of "Lemuel," some people believing he is actually King Solomon (making the speaker's mother Bathsheba), others understanding the translation to be almost symbolic, more of a general representation of God's king, or a man dedicated to God.   

   I encourage you to read more on your own if the background feels vital to your acceptance or understanding of this book.  There is always Wikipedia, but I personally found this writer to be clear and studious.  Also, this site was easy to read.   As always, if you happen to have some insight on this topic PLEASE share!

"The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy 

that his mother taught him.

What, my son?  and what, the son of my womb?

and what, the son of my vows?"

~Proverbs 31:1-2

   So we begin the month ready to explore either advice given to an historical king by his trusted and beloved mother or just really good, deep down wisdom that applies to all of us.  Perhaps especially those in positions of authority.  Maybe both.

   I can hardly wait!