Proverbs 31:6 king vision

Proverbs 31:6  Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to him whose life is bitter (lit. bitter of soul).

This mother is not so much instructing her son to give strong drink to the perishing, as she is making a contrast.  It’s like she’s saying to let other people drink, but you are called for a purpose and a vision of the highest order.  A call to love and to lead.

This mother’s purpose goes deeper than teaching her sons to abstain from alcohol.  Keeping them from the dangers of self-destruction and rotting from bitterness are her aim.  She perceives their worth and potential and does not want them to waste their life or drift through life, but rather to be full, making an impact on this world for good.  So here she is introducing to them their need to avoid apathy, laziness, selfishness, unforgiveness, and the like.  Our weapons of warfare to ward off these enemies of our sons are the Word of God and prayer.

To keep from perishing, our sons must have vision.  Developing vision requires meditation on the Word of God.  A primary goal we should keep as mothers is to teach and establish our sons in the Word and in how to be self-feeders.

The apostolic prayers in the New Testament deal largely with perception.  We should pray these over our sons.

Ephesians 1:17-18  that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge (or, true knowledge) of Him.  I pray that the eyes of your heart may be (lit. being) enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints (or, holy ones),  

Phillipians 1:9-11  And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve (or, distinguish between the things that differ) the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until (lit. for) the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Colossians 1:9b-10  …to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge (or, real knowledge) of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him (lit. unto all pleasing) in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing (or, growing by the knowledge) in the knowledge (or, real knowledge) of God;

To keep from becoming bitter of soul, our sons must become obedient to God’s Word.  Consistent godly discipline, the loving discipline of the Lord, is of necessity.  Even as little ones, they should be given clear expectations, followed by praise or appropriate consequence.  We need to work with God to cultivate an obedient heart in our sons, so that when they face challenges, like forgiving a fierce enemy, they can move forward through the trial more quickly.

Application of these truths takes patient diligence, but our children are worth the fight.  Remember the fight is won through prayer, and the Word, together with loving words and actions, including discipline.

And when we fail as a parent, or when circumstances beyond our control seem to steal their hearts away, we do not give up or retreat, but rather increase our resolve.

ACTION POINTS

*pray the Word for our children (specifically, the apostolic prayers listed above)

*teach our children the Word and their worth

*teach our children to love, to forgive, and to guard their hearts

*discipline our children