Proverbs 31:6 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Proverbs 31:6

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The effects of alcohol are well known. It is not for those whose minds are to be kept sharp. It may have a proper use, but if so, it is a limited use. Give it, says Solomon, to those who need to have their senses dulled because of the pain they are experiencing. Even this, however, is said by way of permission rather than positive command. Anaesthetise the pain of life in those who are heavy in their spirits so that they sink into semi-consciousness, but how is this the proper way was to treat a king? Is life really something to blot out like this? Is it good to suppress man’s higher faculties so that he is only partially aware that he is alive? Maybe when things have already gone badly wrong, it might be an imperfect solution, but that is not for the king. He should be striving to have a full understanding of life, to grasp the complexities of the situation, to weigh up difficult decisions, to formulate policy, to consider the needs of all his people.

Application

Paul says, ‘[No] drunkard … shall inherit the kingdom of God.’ Again, how inappropriate it is for a Christian to drink and forget the purpose of life. Like a priest on duty in Old Testament times, the believer should keep himself or herself sober and sober-minded for the kingdom of God (Leviticus 10:9; Ezekiel 44:21). He has discovered what makes life worth living – the mystery of the kingdom of heaven – and this had transformed his outlook. Life is not now something to run away from, but to embrace with all his heart. He has work to do for the Lord that demands his utmost attention. He is on the look out against all temptation and cannot let his guard down. He is not living in poverty but has riches in Christ beyond calculation. He rejoices that the misery of being lost and condemned before God has been taken away.

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Proverbs 31:6 Commentary and Bible Study