Solomon advised his children using the words of his mother, Bathsheba. Don’t give your strength to women. Don’t live such a lifestyle by which you drink wine or desire strong drink. Essentially, don’t live life for the purpose of satisfying yourself. When we live life to satisfy our own lusts, hungers, or thirsts, we come to pervert the rights of people who are afflicted. We forget justice because we are interested only in taking for ourselves. Solomon’s advice is, therefore, contrary to the teaching of the world—which constantly tells us to follow our hearts and that we deserve to be fulfilled or have everything we think will make us happy. The ways of the world, according to Solomon, actually cause and facilitate injustice in the world. Solomon continues to quote his mother,
Open your mouth for the mute, For the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy (Proverbs 31:8-9).
How do you live a purposeful life? Instead of living life to fulfill all of your desires, open your mouth for the mute—for those who cannot speak. From the moment we are born, the world tells us that this life is all about us. It tells us to achieve our dreams. It tells us to follow our own orientations and identities. It tells us to do what makes us happy. It conditions us to base our worth on what we have and then desire things that impair the mind. Every message of the world is geared toward trapping us in our own desires so that we live meaningless lives. So, we chase the American dream, the relationship status, the alteration of our minds, popularity, fame, power, riches, the right career, and the perfect life. Then, people who have followed the world’s advice and achieved everything for themselves that they wanted still feel unfulfilled and empty. Celebrities still commit suicide. Marriages end in divorce. The drunk’s problems only get worse even though he successfully escaped thinking about them for a time. The gender dysphoric still have identity crises after transitioning and then permanent problems after detransitioning. It is proven that the ways of the world lead to a meaningless life and individual feelings of worthlessness. Instead of taking the world’s advice and doing things the world’s way, Solomon tells us what we wouldn’t expect—open your mouth for those who can’t speak for themselves. Instead of speaking up for yourself and everything you want out of life, try considering others first. Try speaking up for their needs and rights rather than your own.
To live like true kings and queens, we do exactly the opposite thing that the world does. We are counter to the world’s culture. Consider the time we live in. What do you notice about all of the people who protest in the name of justice? Typically, they are fighting to gain something for themselves—so they can be free from police, marry who they want to marry, terminate an inconvenient pregnancy, and so on. It is nearly always because they want to do something that isn’t allowed. They think it will make them happy. Instead of considering others, they yell louder than everyone else until they get what they want. Scripture tells us to live differently. Instead of trying to get everything we think will make us happy (women and wine included), we consider those who can’t speak for themselves. This is why Christians are typically the ones leading movements to free slaves, end abortion, stop violence, educate the uneducated, care for orphans and widows, speak up against hate crimes, establish peace-keeping police and military groups, etc… When there is injustice in the world, especially against people who cannot speak up for themselves, we speak up for them. Those who see evil and say nothing participate in that evil.
Secondly, Solomon advises his children to speak out for the rights of all the unfortunate. He doesn’t tell us to give them a bunch of stuff or redistribute wealth. He advises us to speak up for their rights. Those who are less fortunate in this world have equal rights with those who are more fortunate—they are to be treated fairly and equally as human beings created in God’s image. From Genesis 1 through the end, the Bible consistently shows us that God created people equal in their worth and with inalienable rights as people. This is why Christians typically defend the sanctity of human life and equal opportunity for all people regardless of race, sex, or age. Because the United States of America was founded on Christian principles, we even have this biblical principle written into the fabric of our nation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.–That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness (United States of America, Declaration of Independence).
We open our mouths to defend the inalienable rights of every person, regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, color, or fortune. We don’t exalt any one group over another.
Solomon also advises his children the defend the rights of the afflicted and needy. Again, he doesn’t tell his children to provide every little thing for them. I think that would be counterproductive—much like the world’s welfare system. He does advise us to defend the inalienable rights they have as image bearers of God and as they are of equal worth with everyone else in the world. Don’t treat them like lesser people. Stand against others who would treat them like lesser people.
This is how we judge righteously. We are tempted to close our lips. Perhaps there are times to remain silent. Solomon, after all, is not talking particularly about sin or proclaiming the law. He is advising his children about how to live with positive meaning rather than follow the path of destruction. The world is better for everyone when the people of God pursue true justice in the world.
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