Proverbs 31:4-7
“It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to take strong drink, lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted. Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress, let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.”
This passage is an admonition to keep your mind clear and alert. It has particular application to leadership, because it is imperative that leaders reject anything that would impair their thinking and their judgment.
Wine is used here both literally and figuratively. Literally because if consumed in excess wine (or any alcoholic drink) causes intoxication, and figuratively because it symbolizes anything that would cause our thinking to be distorted or fuzzy.
The Proverbs passage warns that intoxicated, impaired thinking causes a leader to “forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of the afflicted.” In other words, when a leader’s mind is compromised by some distorting influence, they forget God’s revealed standards, which leads to unfair and unjust decisions, especially with respect to disenfranchised people who are most in need of wise judgment from the leader.
The second half of the passage is not an encouragement or approval for some people to consume strong drink. Rather, it is a contrast meant to get our attention about who tends to consume intoxicants, thereby allowing themselves to become inebriated and dull in their senses.
Here is the message to leaders: Let desperate people (those who are perishing and those in bitter distress) seek to escape their problems, dull their senses, and drown their difficulties in alcohol. You can’t afford to do that. You are a leader. You have the responsibility — the calling — to serve and support the people and institutions under your care. You can’t lead wisely if your mind is impaired and your senses are dulled by any kind of distorting influence.
Effective, godly leadership requires a clear mind.
More tomorrow …
