A GODLY MOTHER

A GODLY MOTHER

 

The book of Proverbs is usually credited to King Solomon, but notice the last chapter 31 is written by an unknown man called "King Lemuel", and verse one state "The words of King Lemuel, the utterances which his mother taught him". So we can safely assume that these are the words of a "Godly mother" spoken to a young son of hers who became a king. I once thought that must have been Bathsheba, before I realized this chapter was not written by Solomon. So we can assume this unknown king must have been king of one of the neighboring nations to Judah that perhaps was conquered by Solomon, or his father King David. But in any event we can tell by her words that they came from the heart of a very godly mother. Especially the first nine verses that are directed toward him in his role as the future king, which also means that she must have been the queen married to this man's father. It's amazing how much we take for granted in scripture, I just thought the proverbs were the words of wisdom from Solomon, and I knew Bathsheba was his mother, so therefore assumed that she was the woman mentioned here. In verse 10 she is called a "virtuous wife", whose "worth is far above rubies" whose "husband safely trusts in her".

 

I recently read an excerpt from a book from Catherine Marshall the widow of Peter Marshall, who was a well known pastor who died quite young. She was sharing that Peter had always held a "dim view" of feminism, but had preached a sermon based on Proverbs 31 before he died called "Keepers of the Springs". She quoted a large portion of his sermon in her book, from which I will borrow a few quotes. She started with "The emancipation of womanhood began with Christianity---When women in this country achieved equality with men, it was accomplished only by stepping down from the pedestal on which Christianity, chivalry, and idealism had placed her". "There is no substitute for goodness---nothing can take the place of purity", "We need homes where harassed husbands may find peace, understanding, nourishment of body and soul---where children may find the warmth of love---where friends may find hospitality graciousness and joy".

I didn't know Peter, but my spirit resonates with the words from this sermon. The battle between "chauvinism" and "feminism" that seems to rage in certain circles should never have been started in my opinion. And even a  casual understanding of what it means to be a true follower of Jesus would eliminate all those foolish arguments about gender issues!!

Sincerely submitted.

Dave Jamer                                                                                    13/05/12