I consider myself to be fairly biblically literate, meaning that I know my Bible stories pretty well and have some good tools for interpreting Scripture, but today I learned something new. Which, for the record, is normal. Despite spending four years studying the Bible in college as a Biblical Studies major, and spending a whole lifetime reading the Bible, I learn something new each time I open these holy scriptures. Sometimes I like what I hear, sometimes I'm deeply convicted by what I hear, and sometimes I stumble across something that resonates deeply with who I am and the journey I am on. Today was all three. Now, I know I've read this passage before (because I have some of it underlined), but I really didn't remember it, which is sad because I feel like this passage is one of those ones that we should all live our lives by.
I know, whether male or female, you probably grimaced when you saw that the title of my post was Proverbs 31. You said, "We've heard that one before. A wife of noble character. Blah blah blah." Okay, maybe you didn't say that, but those words tend to be my reaction. For the record, I think it's because speakers and readers often do a poor job of exegeting (look it up) this particular passage, not because the passage is lacking in divine truth. It isn't. The result of poor exegesis is often a trite, highly culturized, and normally demeaning-to-women reading of this passage, one in which we forget to read it in light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But it's your lucky day, I'm NOT going to worry about that passage because it is not what struck me!
Did you know that Proverbs 31 is not all about said wife of noble character? I had forgotten. The first nine verses are wise words for a king (now being a wife I can't relate to, but a king? Absolutely!). Okay I'm kidding about relating to being a king, but these nine verses are gems. Let me share:
"The sayings of King Lemuel- an oracle his mother taught him: 'O my son, O son of my womb, O son of my vows, do not spend your strength on women, your vigor on those who ruin kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel- not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights. Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more. Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.'
51 years ago today Martin Luther King Jr. gave his 'I Have A Dream' speech, and today throughout the world this dream has not truly been fulfilled. I am by no means an expert on this topic, but I realize that King's speech addressed a very unique culture with a specific broken system full of racial prejudice and injustice. The issues of race in the United States are not the same injustices that cover the whole globe, they are unique because of the history of a country built on the backs of enslaved people, poverty stricken immigrant populations, cruelty toward the people who were there before the Europeans, and also a lot of hard work by a lot of people. I could spend a long time talking about how unique the United States is in regards to injustices, but the fact is that injustice happens everywhere and so King's speech is pertinent across the world. On every corner of this globe there are people being discriminated against and who are powerless or trying their very best to just simply survive, but not quite making it. Everywhere I go there will be people who cannot speak for themselves, are destitute, are poor, and are needy. They will look different in every place, but they will be present. At some point I could fall into that category as a woman in a foreign country, but I have resources and social capital that will most likely keep me among the richest in the world.
That is a burden. It is a burden I do not want to bear. I don't want to be white, from a wealthy family, with a wealth of cultural knowledge, a fairly stable family, a good education, and a plethora of other items in my "she's got it good" column. But the fact is that I am all of these things, and truly, on a day to day basis, I'm thankful for them. I realize that it is a privilege. But this word 'privilege' sticks with me. I am privileged. And here in Proverbs 31 a boy turned man is quoting the wisdom of his mother to him, a privileged person. It is my responsibility as a privileged person to remember the law of God so that I can speak on behalf of those who cannot. So that I can draw attention to the needs of those who have less than is fair.
So here I am, trying to figure out what this means. Frankly I would like my friend Alex to preach a great sermon on this passage so that I can understand all (or at least more) of the nuances of what the author is saying here. I think this is an ultimate piece of wisdom from Scripture. I think this passage, and specifically that one verse I put in bold, are at the heart of what it means to be a follower of Christ. I'm just not sure exactly what that looks like for me. While I try to figure it out I will continue to do what God has called me to day by day. I will speak for the teenagers I minister to who can't speak for themselves. I will proclaim the needs of the world to anyone who will listen, especially the injustices that God has laid heavily on my heart. I will give generously to others who are on the front lines with those who are not as privileged as I am. I will continue to step on toes as I try (and fail) to figure out how to live the way God calls each of us to live.
How will you live out Jesus' call to help the widows, orphans, and the needy that is summed up here in Proverbs centuries before He came to earth as a baby?
