The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:
What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb?
What are you doing, son of my vows?Proverbs 31:1-2
The final chapter of this remarkable book brings us to the words of King Lemuel (1-9). This name means 'belonging to God' or 'dedicated to God'. It could be a nom-de-plume for Solomon, or some other king; but we do not know. Certainly, no king of this name is recorded to have ruled in Israel. If, then, he was outwith the covenants of promise, this must be taken as an instance of the wisdom of the east being gathered up and assimilated into the divine revelation. Lemuel's wisdom is recorded as having been taught him by his mother. It is interesting to recall that a good part of the earlier chapters of Proverbs dealt with the inspiration that a father dispensed to his son. Here, now, is motherly wisdom. This is some indication that both father and mother are needed, as a team, in the ministry of bringing up their families. In this connection, there may well be a link between what is said here and what follows in 10-31. It is the kind of woman described in the final part of the chapter who is likely to make significant impact on the lives of her children. The threefold 'what' in 2 is indicative of the mother's anxiety to give good advice to her son. Kidner suggests that the exclamations are affectionately reproachful, as she shames him by two things that he knows very well: that he matters to her (2a) and that she has vowed him to God (2b). The phrase 'son of my vows' reminds us of the beautiful story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1, and of Paul's words in 1 Timothy 1.18, 4:14. Is there not an important message here in relation to the vows we make on behalf of our children?