2 What, my son, and what, the son of my womb, and what, the son of my vows?
At first glance this seems like a nonsensical verse. There’s a lot of Whats going on. Sometimes it’s the nonsensical ones that force us to look deeper. Queen Mum is not asking this of her son, she is asking it of herself. What, my son, shall I teach you?
As mom’s, we are faced with these questions;
- What shall I teach you?
- What will you need to make it in this world?
- What will allow you to survive?
- What will help you succeed?
- What? What? What?This is not exclusive to moms. If you do not have children or your children are grown and your motherly duties are over, you aren’t off the hook. There are several places in scripture where older women are instructed to teach the younger.
Titus 2:3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good.
We live in a world where many woman come out of homes that did not provide a strong, healthy image of a woman. As children, these images are imprinted in our minds and until we are confronted with a different image, we remained programed to what we have experienced.
1. What example did your mother set for you?
2. Who was your female role model growing up?
Why? Why? Why? Why did she choose to teach him what to look for in a partner? Why isn’t this proverb about being a strong leader, or managing money, or entrepreneurship? Why isn’t it about being holy, living the ten commandments, or attending temple regularly?
Queen Mum knew something. She understood that finding a partner who is confident, self- sufficient, with a strong and mature character would allow him every advantage to be the best he could be. A mom who takes the time to teach such things must have also taken the time to develop equal character in her own son.
This is in no way a proverb that is sexist, far from it. Queen Mum was raising the future King. She was teaching her son what a good woman looks like. She knew he would be inundated with potential wives; he could have the pick of litter. Queen Mum knew the character required to be queen. I believe that if this proverb was given to her daughter, it would be very much the same.
What? What? What? What do you need to learn? What do I need to teach you? Most importantly, What am I teaching you?