King Lemuel
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I. Listen!
I. Listen!
1 The words of King Lemuel, the oracle which his mother taught him:
Lemuel = “to God”
The overhead oracle
The influence of a Godly mom
2 What, O my son? And what, O son of my womb? And what, O son of my vows?
Son of womb — he should listen because she gave birth to him.
Son of vows — he should listen to her because she was the legal and legitimate queen. As queen she would probably known many kings and their failures that should be avoided.
We are royalty as well 1 Peter 2:9
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
II. Watch Out for Immorality
II. Watch Out for Immorality
3 Do not give your strength to women, Or your ways to that which destroys kings.
17 “He shall not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself.
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality;
III. Watch Out for Drunkenness
III. Watch Out for Drunkenness
4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Or for rulers to desire strong drink,
Ben-Hadad — 1 Kings 20:16
16 They went out at noon, while Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the temporary shelters with the thirty-two kings who helped him.
Belshazzar — Daniel 5
1 Belshazzar the king held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand.
2 When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them.
3 Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them.
4 They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
5 Suddenly the fingers of a man’s hand emerged and began writing opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the back of the hand that did the writing.
6 Then the king’s face grew pale and his thoughts alarmed him, and his hip joints went slack and his knees began knocking together.
7 The king called aloud to bring in the conjurers, the Chaldeans and the diviners. The king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon, “Any man who can read this inscription and explain its interpretation to me shall be clothed with purple and have a necklace of gold around his neck, and have authority as third ruler in the kingdom.”
8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king.
9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, his face grew even paler, and his nobles were perplexed.
10 The queen entered the banquet hall because of the words of the king and his nobles; the queen spoke and said, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or your face be pale.
11 “There is a man in your kingdom in whom is a spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, insight and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, your father the king, appointed him chief of the magicians, conjurers, Chaldeans and diviners.
12 “This was because an extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of enigmas and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned and he will declare the interpretation.”
13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the exiles from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah?
14 “Now I have heard about you that a spirit of the gods is in you, and that illumination, insight and extraordinary wisdom have been found in you.
15 “Just now the wise men and the conjurers were brought in before me that they might read this inscription and make its interpretation known to me, but they could not declare the interpretation of the message.
16 “But I personally have heard about you, that you are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems. Now if you are able to read the inscription and make its interpretation known to me, you will be clothed with purple and wear a necklace of gold around your neck, and you will have authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.”
17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Keep your gifts for yourself or give your rewards to someone else; however, I will read the inscription to the king and make the interpretation known to him.
18 “O king, the Most High God granted sovereignty, grandeur, glory and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father.
19 “Because of the grandeur which He bestowed on him, all the peoples, nations and men of every language feared and trembled before him; whomever he wished he killed and whomever he wished he spared alive; and whomever he wished he elevated and whomever he wished he humbled.
20 “But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became so proud that he behaved arrogantly, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken away from him.
21 “He was also driven away from mankind, and his heart was made like that of beasts, and his dwelling place was with the wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he recognized that the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind and that He sets over it whomever He wishes.
22 “Yet you, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this,
23 but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ways, you have not glorified.
24 “Then the hand was sent from Him and this inscription was written out.
25 “Now this is the inscription that was written out: ‘MENĒ, MENĒ, TEKĒL, UPHARSIN.’
26 “This is the interpretation of the message: ‘MENĒ’—God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it.
27 “ ‘TEKĒL’—you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.
28 “ ‘PERĒS’—your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.”
29 Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.
30 That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain.
31 So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two.
5 For they will drink and forget what is decreed, And pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
Herod — Mark 6:21-25
21 A strategic day came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his lords and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee;
22 and when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you.”
23 And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give it to you; up to half of my kingdom.”
24 And she went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.”
25 Immediately she came in a hurry to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”
6 Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to him whose life is bitter.
Strong drink — beer
7 Let him drink and forget his poverty And remember his trouble no more.
If a king is a drunk and perverted the rights of the afflicted, then in that case give some drink to the people whose lives you have made miserable.
In the end is a whole kingdom of drunks.
By Mayo Clinic Health System staff
Q. Does drinking alcohol kill brain cells?
A. Alcohol is a neurotoxin that can disrupt communications of the brain. It also affects functions of brain cells directly and indirectly through different organ dysfunction from alcohol usage and vitamin deficiency. Depending on the area of the brain affected, people can have different symptoms. Abusing alcohol can lead to seizure, stroke and dementia, to name a few conditions. Additionally, alcohol is toxic to a developing brain during pregnancy and can cause birth defects, including developmental disorders with lifelong impact.
There has been talk about alcohol being good for the brain and heart. People like to say what’s good for the heart is good for the brain. Recent findings now question alcohol's benefit for the heart in terms of coronary heart disease.
There’s no known level of safe drinking. Impact of alcohol consumption depends on the age, gender, medical issues, medications, genetics, personal situations, etc. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse on Alcoholism (NIAAA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have very good information regarding alcohol consumption.
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,
This includes other illegal and legal drugs. Marijuana, opioids, that are being used improperly.
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
IV. Defend the Helpless
IV. Defend the Helpless
8 Open your mouth for the mute, For the rights of all the unfortunate.
9 Open your mouth, judge righteously, And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.
unfortunate - sons of change
A king has a duty to protect those in his kingdom. A christian has the duty to protect those in his realm of influence. Those you work with, customers, your family, and friends. Open your mouth when their mouths cannot speak.
16 “Then I charged your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your fellow countrymen, and judge righteously between a man and his fellow countryman, or the alien who is with him.
In the Holocaust History Museum in Jerusalem the words of the German essayist, Kurt Tucholsky, are a sobering reflection: ‘A country is not just what it does—it is also what it tolerates.’
Listen to your Mother!!