TEAR Australia
Educational Resources
Bible Study
The Queen Mother - Advice Worth Saving
Part of a series of studies on women in the Bible, this study looks
at the book of Esther. You can do this study on your own or in a
small group. It should take about 45 minutes.
Exodus 1:1-22, 2:1-10, 15-19-20
Background
Although most of the book of Proverbs has been attributed to
Solomon, the last couple of chapters bear the names of Agur (30)
and Lemuel (31). Traditionally, commentators believed that Lemuel
was a “pet name” for Solomon, used by his mother Bathsheba. It
means “For God”. Others believe that Lemuel and Agur were Kings
of Massa, a nearby Kingdom, and that perhaps Lemuel's mother
was an Israelite, married to an Arab king.
There's also doubt about who wrote the Perfect Wife poem at the
end. Lemuel? Lemuel's mother? Someone else? Impossible to tell
for sure. Perhaps verses 1-9 were Lemuel's mother's instructions
to her son, while verses 10-31 were directed to her daughter or
daughters.
TEAR Australia: Educational Resources | www.tear.org.au Whoever she was, Lemuel's mother was both wise and practical,
and her advice useful, particularly for those with political and
economic power.
A Wise King
Read Proverbs 31:1-9
Sounds as though Lemuel may have been a bit of a wild lad in his
time!
• What two traps does Lemuel's mother warn him about?
• What does she see as the duties or job description of a king?
Verses 6 & 7 are curious. Alcoholic drinks were luxury goods in
Bible times, and were also medicinal. (Remember the Good
Samaritan, dressing the injured man's wounds with oil and wine?
Remember Jesus being offered sour wine to dull the pain of his
execution?) As King, Lemuel has access to as much wine as he
wants, but if he drinks to excess, he'll be no use to anyone. Rather,
his mother suggests, give it to those who really need it. Or as the
great Bible commentator Matthew Henry says: “Use it for want, not
for wantonness.”
A Perfect Wife
This passage is guaranteed to make every woman feel completely
inadequate! Don't let it get you down, though - think of it as an
ideal, rather than as a standard we need to be measured against.
Read Proverbs 31:10-31
• Clearly, this woman has access to a lot of resources, and has
the skills to use them effectively. What resources, and what
TEAR Australia: Educational Resources | www.tear.org.au skills?
• Who benefits from all this formidable competence and hard
work? How?
Verse 20 is interesting. As with everything else she's involved in,
this lady does more than the “normal”. With one hand (Hebrew –
yad) she gives to the poor, and then with both hands (Hebrew –
yadeyha) she gives to the needy – the very poor.
What About Us?
• What power (Lemuel) and resources (the Perfect Wife) do we
have access to?
• How could we harm ourselves (and possibly others) by
misusing these?
• How could we follow Lemuel's mother's advice, and use our
power and resources in a Godly way, for others?
TEAR Australia: Educational Resources | www.tear.org.au