Proverbs 31 has long been a source of confusion and frustration for readers and preachers of Scripture. But this paper will argue that Proverbs 31 is surprisingly relevant for the church today when interpreted carefully, applied skillfully, and preached with sensitivity.
The surprise of Proverbs 31:1-9 is that the mother of Lemuel (“the other Proverbs 31 woman”) offers more than a crass appeal for her son not to drink beer nor to chase women. Rather, she issues a wise challenge to her son—who is or will become king—to use his privileges to serve those in need rather than to serve himself. This text picks up on the theme of social justice that appears frequently in the book of Proverbs. It also echoes the indictment of the false shepherds of Israel in Ezekiel 34 who shepherded themselves rather than shepherding God’s people.
The surprise of Proverbs 31:10-31 is that the exemplar of wisdom is a woman rather than a crown prince or a successful king. The literary function of the text—an acrostic poem—is to show what wisdom looks like when fleshed out in the life of a successful person. Rather than placing an impossible burden on women, this text shows the possibilities for both women and men who follow wisdom. For those who insist on preaching Proverbs 31 on Mother’s Day, I will encourage them to preach 31:1-9 on Mother’s Day and save 31:10-31 for Father’s Day!
This paper, then, contributes to bridging the gap between biblical scholarship and preaching in the local church. It is an exercise in practical theology as it takes a text that is often misunderstood and misused and demonstrates how solid scholarship can contribute to preaching it with pastoral wisdom and sensitivity.