As we begin this Tracking the Proverbs 31 devotional series, it will be very helpful to read the Introduction to this entire series. Find it here.

Let’s go on to the very first verse of Proverbs 31:

“The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.” (verse 1)

I find it necessary to begin by tracing the origins of the woman described in Proverbs 31, by starting with the very first verse of the chapter.

As we begin this devotional, it might also be helpful to read the entire Proverbs 31 chapter. Just reading the entire chapter will give you the much-needed context and big picture essential for clearer understanding of the chapter as we go along.

If you can, why don’t you go ahead and open your Bible; the physical Bible, or one on an App on your phone, or on google. Whisper a prayer to God, asking him to give you understanding as you read his Word. Get to Proverbs 31 and read the entire chapter. Once you have read the chapter, you can proceed on.

You agree with me that the chapter gives a descriptive picture of the Proverbs 31 woman; especially from verse 10 to the end.

If this chapter was included in the Bible, it was included for our good, that we might fashion our lives after its words, just as we would do the rest of the words of the Bible.

Now, back to Proverbs 31:1, above.

The words of Proverbs 31 are clearly credited to a king; Lemuel.

Lemuel’s identity remains uncertain. Speculation exists and proposes that he could have been Solomon or Hezekiah.

Whatever the case, looking at the lives of the two, we know they were human, with weaknesses common to man. God would still go on to use them to pen down these words.

The writer of Proverbs 31 graciously reveals to us the originator of the words; king Lemuel’s mother.

If Lemuel was Solomon, then his mother was definitely Bathsheba. It’s beyond our scope for this devotional to delve into Bathsheba’s life. We however know that her faith, age and experience allowed her to have an outlook to life by which God used her to speak these words to her son.

Bathsheba or not, we know the woman who spoke these words was as imperfect as can be. God however chooses to use her.

We begin by looking at the originator of these words; the queen mother, for five reasons:

1. She is a woman. 

She must have been a wife as well, even a widow, now that in Israel, sons rose to the kingship when their fathers, who had been kings, died. She was obviously a mother as well.

Being a woman and mother, and having been a wife as well, she had the moral right and authority to advise her son on the matter in question.

Strange how our younger generation will look to their peers for advice. They will want to go by what’s trending. We know of a king who did this in Israel. He followed the advice of his younger counterparts rather than those who’d advised his father. He lost over half of his kingdom as a result. You can read those events in 1Kings 12:1-20.

A godly woman, wife and mother, who is walking with God, is a well of God-ordained knowledge, understanding and experience to the younger generation, in helping them navigate the winding road called life.

God will use her in spite of her weaknesses and failures, as long as she has chosen to wholly walk with him.

2. She was of royalty, having been a queen mother as well.

She understood royalty and all that went with it. She knew the kind of woman who would fit the bill when it came to a wife for her son.

Peter reminds you and I that we’ve been made a royal priesthood; we who belong to the household of faith. You are of royalty; the daughter of a king. (1Pet 2:9)

You cannot therefore think, say or act in any way other than as royalty. You know how to thus act because you’ve given yourself to the study of the royal manifesto, the Bible. You represent a heavenly kingdom.

We will be taking a journey, eavesdropping as it were, on the conversation between this queen mother and her son. This will give us some understanding and clarity of royalty when it comes to a woman, wife and mother.

God is giving us a glimpse, through the eyes of this queen mother, of what royalty looks like; of the kind of women, you and I should strive to be as we look to him to work in us.

3. For one to write such a comprehensive piece, she must have been a woman who knew Yahweh, the God of Israel.

She must have known the secret to the source of the qualities she voiced out to her son.

She must have known that only God, the God of Israel, could work out all these qualities in a woman; a woman who trusted in him.

Without him, these qualities are indeed unattainable. None of us can attain to such a quality of life, in our strength.

Only God, the God of Israel, can work such a work in a woman, forming her and making her into the woman of noble character that he wants her to be.

4. She commanded the respect of her son, who not only listened to her, but who went ahead to pen down her words so exquisitely.

She must have been striving to live by the qualities she was passing on to her son so he could choose the right woman as a wife for himself.

Knowing who she might have been, we also know that however far you or I might have fallen short of the glory of God, we are redeemable; through the blood of Jesus. We can have a fresh new start in God.

Wanted, I would say, are women, who can speak into the younger generation with authority; authority that’s seasoned by the grace of God.

Wanted, are women, who the younger generation can listen to and seek to emulate.

Wanted are women who will impact, not only present generations of young people, they will affect coming generations. Their words will reverberate from generation to generation because they were captured by those around them, in writing; even video, now that this is possible in our time.

These are women who keep in mind the word legacy, knowing that those around them are watching their lives closely. These godly older women are watching their lives and doctrine closely not only for their own sake but also for the sake of their hearers. (1Tim 4:16)

Their thoughts, words and deeds are thought out; even deliberate, knowing they are investing and pouring into lives for posterity.

This Proverbs 31 queen mother by faith still speaks, even though she is dead; to date. (Heb 11:4)

5. She must have had a deep close relationship with her children; in this case, her son.

This last point is critical. We live in a time and generation where many young marriageable men and women will dare not seek advice from their mothers, let alone fathers, especially in our African context. A trusted mentor or pastor becomes their confidant and source of valuable advice when it comes to knowing and choosing who to marry.

Reflecting on this little opening verse to Proverbs 31, I’m hopeful that you and I can begin to seek to fashion our lives after this godly mother, yet not her, but God, who was working out his will in her.

At whatever age, we can begin to work with legacy in mind, trusting God that our lives will impact future generations. We can make an about-turn, living for God from that very moment.

We can trust God that, like the Proverbs 31 queen mother; a woman, wife and mother, we will speak to present and also future generations.

Begin by making the choice to belong to, and to live for God wholly. If there are areas of your life you know haven’t been turned over to the Lordship of Christ, turn them over to him. Remember, only he is able to make you into the woman he wants you to be. Only he can form you. This is one huge step towards your formation in being a woman of noble character.

Prayer: “Dear God, I need you. Apart from your son Jesus Christ, I can do nothing. Apart from you, I have no good thing. Here I am; I give my all to you. (Incase there is an area of your life you know is not surrendered to God, surrender it now, specifically) Mold me and make me after your will. I am waiting, yielded and still in your presence. Amen.”