PROFITING FROM PROVERBS

“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” (Proverbs 31:8-9).

In verses 2-7, Lemuel’s mother gives some warnings about wine and women, now in verses 8-9 she gives some wholesome words to those who would rule over others. This young man is now a king. I don't know what country he was King in, but evidently he wrote some things that were collected by Old Testament scribes, and God ordered them to put his words in the Bible.

Verses 8-9 are wholesome words for rulers. First, she instructs him to “open his mouth for the dumb,” that is somebody that can’t speak for themselves, and in the case of all such as appointed to destruction.

“It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter” (Proverbs 25:2).

Notice, a king just wasn't to let a man be destroyed without a fair trial. We discussed earlier that for good reasons, God conceals some things, because some people even if they knew it, they wouldn't do anything with it; and if they did know it, they would probably laugh at God anyway. So, sometimes he doesn't show folks things. But notice, he says secondly, that “the honour of kings is to search out a matter.” So, when a person has been accused and condemned to destruction, it's right for the king to make sure that that individual has been justly tried.

He said, “Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.” “Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.” Now, there are a couple examples of people who did this. One of them was Jonathan, the son of Saul. He saw that his father was trying to kill David, who later became king of Israel.

“And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David” (1 Samuel 19:1).

Right there, David is appointed to destruction. David's not around to defend himself, so in a sense he's dumb; he cannot speak for himself.

“But Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself: And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and what I see, that I will tell thee” (verses 2-3).

Jonathan tells David to hide and he will speak to his father on his behalf.

“And Jonathan spake good of David,” now he's talking to his father, Saul, and Jonathan is opening his mouth for the dumb in the ears of all such as are appointed to destruction. You know, Jonathan never made King, but he would have made a good one. He had a whole lot of better attributes and qualities and characteristics than his father had. He knew a good man when he saw one. And he had a sense of righteousness and justice.

“And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good: For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause? And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, As the LORD liveth, he shall not be slain” (verses 4-6).

There's a case of Jonathan, the prince of Israel; Saul, his father was King, and so that made him a prince. He was a man who opened his mouth, “and plead the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.”

You know, there's a great application in 31:8 for every Christian. “Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.” Every sinner without Jesus Christ is appointed to destruction, and you know, they can't speak for themselves. They must be told that Jesus Christ died for their sins. It is our jobs to open our mouths for them. It's our job to preach the gospel. It says in Romans chapter 10, “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed, and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard, and how shall they hear without a preacher?” Unless we tell them, they will be appointed to destruction, without any mercy. So, we are to open our mouth in the cause of all such as are appointed the destruction.

Daily Bible study is necessary if we are going to begin our day with the right attitude and the right spiritual diet. Proverbs has 31 chapters, and most months have 31 days, so let's read a chapter of Proverbs a day and see what God might have for us. As the Lord leads, share with us what God has shown you in a special way and by His grace let us build up a devotional repository. Let's keep our knives and forks handy for some daily bread! Ideally, a chapter or two of Proverbs will fit in nicely with a good plan of reading our Bibles through each year.

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See you all in a few . . . as one preacher said, "Sometimes you just have to come apart before you come apart. I will appreciate the rest. Been doing this daily for about the last four years.

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