A Mother’s Advice on Manhood II

Hello, hope your weekend was good, and glad to come your way again.

Last week, we looked at a mother in Bathsheba advising her son, King Solomon, also known as Lemuel on manhood. The first piece of her advice to her son, who was on the ascent to a king, was on womanizing.

Like we established last week, his mother’s advice was not on leadership or governing principles, but being a good person at the core. You can have all the leadership principles, but if your core being is bad, you will be a bad leader.

Today, let us focus on the second part of her advice with our text on Proverbs 31:4-7.

4It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Nor for princes intoxicating drink; 5Lest they drink and forget the law, And pervert the justice of all the afflicted. 6Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to those who are bitter of heart. 7Let him drink and forget his poverty, And remember his misery no more.” Proverbs‬ ‭31:4-7‬

This second piece of advice will strike a nerve with most men, or people reading in general; this is on alcoholism. His mother was not talking about having a social drink, but something deeper than that.

Personally, I allow my Christian beliefs and conviction to guide me, and I don’t drink at all. The subject at hand is not to convince you whether alcohol is a vice or virtue, but rather look at alcoholism which is being addicted to alcohol. With it, comes many implications that are rather damaging than good. In this text, Lemuel’s mother gave her son three reasons to consider before giving in to strong drink.

1. He will forget the law– drinking puts you “under influence” where good judgement and sound discretion are missing. You cease thinking well for that matter when addicted to alcohol. As a king, he needed the law to bring good governance to his nation. How will he do that when drunk? Anytime, there is a festive season around the corner, the most popular infomercial is the adverse effects of drink driving, because that is the commonest misfortune. The laws of a country permits a drink or two for everyone, but prohibits been under influence wanting to do assigned tasks like driving which could endanger many.

2. He perverts justice for the afflicted– the original text in Hebrew reads, “to deny the afflicted what is due them”. A sign of wise leadership is where justice is prevalent. Alcoholism dulls the senses from being fair and right, and plays into the emotional being of a person when making a decision. You and I know the importance of emotions, but it is not always the right outlet when it comes to critical thinking and problem solving. Relying on emotions all the time will cause a lapse in judgement.

3. It is not a good remedy for pain– three kinds of pain are mentioned in the text: one who is perishing meaning wretched, a bitter person and a poor person. It numbs the feelings, but doesn’t change the reality of your circumstance. When in pain, there are many alternatives that can help than alcohol. Giving in to strong drink in the time of your pain gives a powerful statement that you have given up and ready to die. The thing about alcohol is, when the sensation wears off, you are back to square one; it won’t change the problem or whatever state you found yourself in the first place. May I ask this question; when in misery, will you prefer not remembering it or getting out of the misery? Alcohol offers only the first option.

On this note, I end: guard your sobriety and vigilance at all cost. There is nothing that beats being in the present and in the moment. It is a great asset to yourself and the community at large.

Thanks for reading. Please comment. I will like to know your thoughts and don’t forget to like or share this post. Subscribe to this blog too, if you haven’t.

Till, I come your way again…

Peace & Love