"It is Not for Kings"
October 2007 Message from the Major Farr, Alert Cadet

Gentlemen,
Proverbs 31 is often thought of as the checklist for a godly woman. This is true for Proverbs 31:10-31, but tucked in verses 1-9 are the words of a wise mother to her son, the king.

Solomon did not write Proverbs 31, but rather King Lemuel recorded the words his mother taught him. Look at what the king remembers, "Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy."

In my family we often talk about what a king is and does. I do this to prepare my children for future leadership positions, as God leads. King Lemuel's mother gave him three things to not do and three things to do. Let's look at them in detail.

King Lemuel was to not give his strength to women, nor drink wine, nor pervert justice. The first two represent activities that have the potential to destroy men and render them fruitless for God. In one hour a man can be reduced to a loaf of bread in a relationship with a woman who is not his wife as Proverbs 6:26 tells us. Fathers, it is imperative that we prepare our young men for the wiles of women who are bent on evil. I've found the first few chapters of Proverbs to be a very good introduction to this topic.

In the same way, wine and strong drink was to be avoided lest the king forget the law, or think he was above it. Having come from a family where my father was an alcoholic, I can personally attest to the issues created by strong drink. A king must constantly be above reproach and set the example, under the law. Nothing degrades a king's leadership faster than when he, himself, does not follow the rules he has set!

Kings also have the responsibility to not pervert justice. This is the usual result when a king is under the influence of strong drink. When the foolish are punished and the righteous rewarded, then a king further establishes his kingdom. If he does the opposite, then he will not long remain in power. God has effective ways to take care of foolish young men and foolish kings.

Now that we have looked at what not to do, the Scripture gives us clear things that a king (or future one) is to do. First, they are to open their mouths and speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. While this may literally mean those who cannot speak, it also means those who have no forum to speak, such that those in authority will hear them and take action. The king must be physically amongst the people he rules so the he personally understand their needs and is ready to take appropriate action. The king cannot always sit in an ivory tower, or on the top floor of an office building, and rule effectively!

The second thing a king must do is judge righteously. When a king does this his kingdom is established, and the people rejoice as Proverbs 29:2 tells us, "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn." A king learns to judge righteously by reading and understanding the Scriptures. In fact, a requirement of Israel's kings was to copy, by hand, the Scriptures as Deuteronomy 17:18 says, "And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:" Dads, it is imperative that you and your son spend time in God's word to learn wisdom and how to judge righteously.

Lastly, the king was to plead the cause of the poor and needy. Why? Let me suggest it was so that the king would not forget that many of those in his kingdom did not live the lifestyle afforded to him as king. It kept the king in touch with the needs of the people whom he served. Christ modeled this for us as well during His time on this earth. As my children grew up, I sought to have them work with and amongst children, and adults, who did not have the tangible possessions they had. In fact, we also had a yearly de-cluttering of our home and personally gave the items to families we knew were in need. Pleading the cause of the poor and needy, and doing something about it, is truly the mark of a king!

There you have it, wise words from a king's mother to you and me on how to raise a king, or future leader. Take these and apply them to your life and to the lives of your sons. And remember, the next time someone quotes Proverbs 31 as the standard for young ladies, think to yourself that it also contains wisdom on raising a future king!

May God have the glory for the work He is doing in our lives and the lives of our sons.

In Christ,
Roger D. Farr
ALERT Cadet Commanding Officer and Program Director