In this short section we find advice on the exercise of authority given to King Lemuel – possibly another name of Solomon -- by his mother. Perhaps Solomon is also pointing up here the important moral and educational influence that can be exercised over children by a wise mother.

It is easy for someone in a secure position of authority to become complacent, closed-minded and rigidly set in their ways, as can any of us, in fact, even in our personal lives. The key to avoiding such serious errors, Lemuel may be suggesting, is to make the posing of fundamental questions a daily habit, a personal obsession – keep asking yourself and other people: What? What? What ?

What problems need my attention? What am I overlooking? What am I neglecting? What is lacking? What else do I need to do? What can I improve? What am I not being told? What do I need to find out? What am I doing wrong? What assumptions am I making? What is my real function? What should I be trying to achieve? What are my priorities? What plans should I be making? What should I be doing with my time? What is really going on here?

Take time to meditate on important questions, and on what those important questions actually are -- after the manner of the proverbial managing director who sat in his office, smoking his pipe, feet up on the desk – thinking, analyzing, dreaming. Set aside time to do the same thing for yourself. Examine your life. Identify and solve problems, rather than living with them. Look for opportunities. Identify goals and make detailed plans to achieve them. Keep asking questions – What? What? What? The great Irish write, Bernard Shaw, said that he made his living by making a habit of thinking at least once each day!

We have been given advice for avoiding sins of omission, but what about some of the sins of commission that may ensnare those in authority, even kings and presidents? Napoleon Hill says: "Sex is your most precious and constructive drive; it is also the most easily debased." He warns: "If sex is all you want, you will do anything to get it, forgetting your faith in yourself, your definite purpose and your moral standards". So be warned. Keep things in moderation and in their place.

Sexual energy stimulates the mind but, like alcohol, sex must not be abused or allowed to become a consuming end in itself – a point well understood by boxing managers and football coaches.

We saw in the very first chapter that our human nature makes it very hard for us to be wise, and ironically, here at the end of Proverbs, we encounter the trap that ensnared Solomon himself near the end of his life, despite his wisdom and immense understanding of human affairs. The scriptural account of his downfall says: "King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter . . . they were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods" (1 Kings 11:1-2). That, sadly, is precisely what happened and we read: "As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been" (verse 4).

Perhaps a key lesson of Proverbs and Solomon’s life is that knowledge and understanding alone are not enough. We have to be doers of the word, as James says, not simply hearers only (James 1:22). To do that properly, we need the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, as promised in chapter one, working in us to overcome the pulls of the flesh, ingrained bad habits and attitudes, the deceitfulness of the human heart, and the wiles of the devil – which is why Jesus teaches us to pray daily: "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil".

Excessive drinking is another problem for many people, often an addiction. Solomon is not saying that a king should never drink, but simply that he should never do so when working, when his mind needs to be as clear as crystal and sharp as a razor. His decisions affect the lives of many other people, hence the repeated injunction to stress the importance.

Every single judgment a ruler makes is critically important to the person concerned, as the wording of the last line implies. Therefore, complete consistency and total accuracy are required. There is no room for occasional lapses, because somebody will suffer as a result.

We all make judgments every day, when driving, for example, and this proverb would also seem to apply to any person operating dangerous equipment or entrusted with the safety of other people in any way.

A self-indulgent judge who has lost control of his own appetites, and needs the odd snifter between cases, is unlikely to retain the resolution required to administer justice to the afflicted and withstand the demands and inducements of their wealthy would-be oppressors.

As we have just seen, there is a time to refrain from drinking in case it befuddles the mind and makes you forget what you are supposed to be doing. On the other hand, there are also times when it is good to take glass of wine, a bottle of beer, or something stronger, in order to relax and deliberately forget your worries for a while. Even today, we still give brandy to individuals in severe distress because it helps reduce their anxiety and settle their nerves in the face of their ordeal.

God made wine to gladden the heart of man, says the writer of Psalm 104 (verse 14-15), and Paul advises Timothy to drink wine for his health and his frequent infirmities (1 Timothy 5:23).

A further lesson here may be that those in authority must not only to make sound judgments in cases brought to them, but also actively reach out and assist those in need and distress in specific ways. Do something that will make a difference. Be active, not just reactive.

The theme continues. A judge waits passively for cases to be brought before him, but Lemuel’s mother urges her son to use his influence to actively take up the cause of the underdog, to have the courage to take a stand on issues, and plead the case of those who cannot effectively articulate it for themselves. Have an active social conscience. Get involved. Do something. Make a difference.

As we complete this penultimate section of Proverbs, perhaps Solomon is also reminding those who’s wisdom brings them worldly success and financial security that their next step, their social responsibility perhaps, is to find even greater fulfillment by assisting others less fortunate than themselves – as did the great philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who rose from poor Scottish immigrant to America to become a billionnaire, and spent his latter years giving his money away in good causes.

These final 22 verses of Proverbs form an acrostic pattern, each verse beginning with a succeeding letter of the Hebrew alphabet, an A-Z pattern, perhaps signifying completeness of description. In this section Solomon concludes this study of wisdom with a role model for the effective woman and successful wife. I leave readers to draw out lessons appropriate to their own lives. Perhaps the best way to do this is to break the section down in smaller sections, topic by topic as it focuses on the various aspects and activities of her life. Then discipline yourself to write down the key principle you see in each section and relate it to your own life.

The role of women was never debased in ancient Judaism, we are told, and the Jewish Prayer-Book contains the following prayer to be said by a wife at the beginning of the Sabbath: