Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 716 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
I am Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
Lady Wisdom From A to Z - Proverbs 31
Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. Today is Day 716 of our Trek, and it is Wisdom Wednesday.  Every Wednesday along life’s trails we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs.  Today we will explore the final chapter, Proverbs 31 from The Voice Translation which will give us a fresh perspective on this book of timeless wisdom.

We are broadcasting from our studio at ‘The Big House’ in Marietta, OH.   As we complete this 31 week series in Proverbs, I would like to reemphasize that all the precepts found in God’s Word have the law of planting and harvesting built into them.   You plant good seeds in life, you will reap a bountiful harvest of good.  The opposite is also true.  Over the course of our lives, we will harvest what we plant. The entire book of Proverbs provides us with rich wisdom, insight, and understanding on a myriad of life issues.  Regardless of where you are in your faith walk, if the precepts in Proverbs are followed, your life will be rich and satisfying.  I encourage you to take them and plant the seeds of wisdom in your heart so that you will reap a harvest of wisdom throughout your life. Today we will explore Proverbs 31 about a very wise lady as we see:
Lady Wisdom From A to Z


In chapter 31 we hear from the second non-Israelite. Like Agur, Lemuel is a wise son, but unlike Agur, Lemuel is also a king. This is “an oracle” of Lemuel (verse1).

We don’t know anything about Lemuel, such as where or when he was a king, but just as chapter 30 opened with Agur’s short autobiography (30:1-9), Lemuel begins with his own as well (31:1-9). We learn that all his wisdom came from his mother, who warned him about women and wine, and instilled in him the high value of advocating for the poor and needy.

Women are very important throughout Proverbs as we saw the very idea of wisdom personified as a woman (chapters 1-9). This final poem continues this theme by creating a portrait of a particularly wise woman who shows true, deep understanding.

This 22-verse poem is designed as another Hebrew alphabet poem. Each line begins with a new letter and shows how this woman embodies wisdom from A to Z. She blesses her household and is praised by her family. Just as we met Lady Wisdom at the beginning of Proverbs, it is a fitting conclusion to see this portrait of a wise woman who blesses her household and earns the praise of her family. It is a compelling vision of a life devoted to the wisdom and blessing of the LORD.

How has your life been shaped by wisdom? What areas still need to be aligned with God’s wisdom?

This marks the end of our time in Proverbs. This whole book is an exploration on how to live well in God’s good world. Come back to this book again and again as you build a life on the foundation of God’s wisdom.Listen intently as I read Proverbs chapter 31:

1 These are the words of King Lemuel. An oracle of wisdom handed down to him by his mother:

2 Mother: What shall I say to you, my son? What wisdom can I impart, child of my womb?
What insight can I share, son of my vows?
3     Do not waste your strength on women
or invest yourself in women who would destroy even kings.
4     Take care, my son, O Lemuel.
Kings should not drink too much wine
or rulers should not crave strong drink;
5     For if they do, they will become drunk and forget the decree they just made
and alter the course of justice for all the poor and afflicted.
6     Rather, give liquor to one who is dying,