Proverbs 31:1-2
“The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him. What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows?”
One thing that most young men always remember are the lessons of his mother. I can remember a number of lessons my mother taught me that have guided me through life. In the verse above, Lemuel takes the time to write a proverb detailing the lessons that his mother taught him. These lessons should be heeded by every young man and taught by every mother.
First, don’t follow women, instead lead. Verse 3 says, “Give not thy strength unto women…” Many young men have been destroyed because they follow a female instead of following God’s will for their life. God did not make the woman to lead the man; He made her to be his “help meet.” When I dated my wife, one of the first things I told her was that I was going to be an evangelist. I wanted to settle upfront what God’s will was for my life. If she couldn’t follow me into God’s will, then I knew I didn’t need to date her. That is exactly what is being taught here. A young man needs to establish early that he will follow God’s will, and if a young lady doesn’t want to do that, then he shouldn’t attempt to have a dating relationship with her. Young men need to be the leader and not follower.
Second, don’t live for pleasure because there is always a tomorrow. This mother taught Lemuel to avoid the alcohol and party lifestyle that would skew his judgment because he will always have to live with its consequences for the rest of his life. Every young man needs to be careful about living for the now. Living for the now without keeping tomorrows consequences in view will only lead to a life of regret. Don’t live for today’s pleasure, but live in such a way that you won’t fear the consequences tomorrow.
Third, don’t follow the crowd, instead follow truth and justice. This mother taught Lemuel to not keep his mouth silent when the poor and needy are being attacked, but defend them. Strong young men will not have to be in a crowd to take a stand, but they can stand alone when truth and justice are abused. Young men need to be taught to stand firmly for truth and justice, even if that means they must stand alone.
Fourth, don’t seek beauty, but seek character and godliness. In the last part of this chapter, Lemuel’s mother taught her son what to look for in a wife. It is the responsibility of every mother to teach her son what to look for in a wife. When you put it all together, you realize she is trying to get him to look beyond beauty, and see what a young lady’s character and walk with God is like. Young man, beauty will begin to wear away with age, but character and godliness will last a lifetime. I don’t believe it’s wrong for a young man to have an attraction towards a young lady, but that attraction should be towards her character and godliness. Character and godliness will keep their beauty for a lifetime.
Every mother reading this should instill in her sons these four lessons. These four lessons will keep a young man happy and doing right the rest of his life. Every young man should learn these lessons and apply them. Every young lady should seek to marry a young man who applies these lessons to his life, for if he lives by these lessons he will be the right type of husband who will love, honor and cherish you for the rest of your life.