In our quest to understand the heart of the mom in Proverbs 31 we continue to open her words of wisdom to her son. She has told him two main areas of life he needs to guard against. One was to not allow the sensual desires to direct his path with women, and the other was to refrain from alcoholic beverages. Now she turns the corner to teach him how to use his position, to do good for those who need an advocate.
Proverbs 31:8-9 “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.”
As a mom, we are an advocate for our children as soon as they come into this world. We make sure they are taken care of properly and treated fairly. Nothing angers a mom more than the mistreatment of her child. We pray for their protection when they are not in our care, and we get “up in arms” if another child seems to be favored over them. We seek justice for our children.
We are to transfer these same feelings of compassion and concern to those who are in need. Real compassion is not just a feeling, but a feeling that leads to action. God has always used His people to take care of the needs of the poor and afflicted, by doing that, we bring honor to Him. We are to be fair to them and not show respect of persons. In Psalms 140:12, the Lord will uphold the rights of the afflicted and the poor. He has no attribute that can take part with an oppressor. God is a righteous God and He will uphold the afflicted and poor.
Psalm 140:12 “I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor.”
This mom knows the power that a king has, and she also knows that there will be those who seek to befriend him for ulterior motives. She warns him to judge righteously. He is not to show partiality to those that are friends, or people of influence. We are to teach this to our children also. Again, the greatest teaching tool you have is your example. Take your children to visit an elderly person who is not able to get out and about. Teach them to befriend those that others ignore.
Leviticus 19:15 “Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor.”
When we treat others with love and compassion, especially those who can’t help themselves, we are acting as Jesus did for us. He lived for us and died for us. He paid the sin debt that we could not pay. He is still our advocate at the right hand of the Father, where He sits until He comes back for us. In I John 2:1, he calls us little children. We like little children are defenseless without Christ. We must have an advocate with the Father, or we will not be heard.
I John 2:1-2 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
He saw our need for a comforter that would be with each of us individually to dwell within us forever. He again plays the advocate role and takes our need to the Father.
John 14:16 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;”
As a Christian, we are to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those around us and those abroad. We are to be the advocate for their souls, telling everyone we can about Him, and supporting those who take his name where we cannot go. The most important advocate we can be is an advocate for a person’s soul. It is important that we feed and take care of the basic needs of those who can’t, but it is more important that we take care of the needs they have for eternity. God did that for us by sending His Son. We were poor in the worst way and yet he chose to demonstrate His love to us.
Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Let us determine that we will be an advocate to all those who are in our realm of influence, yielding our own lives to make others’ lives better, but most of all better spiritually. Let’s teach by example.
James 1:22 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves”
