“Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king, and do not stand
in the place of the great; for it is better that he say to you, ‘Come up here,’ than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince,
whom your eyes have seen.” Proverbs 25:6-7
Pride takes many forms. One way it manifests itself is to make sure that one is recognized and receives the credit he feels is deserved. In Proverbs25 Solomon gives us wisdom the Lord Jesus will teach again in Luke 14. From these passages we learn self- glorification is a sin that will come back to haunt us. This is also a timely topic for we are told in 2 Timothy that in the last days (the age we live in) “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud,…” Three of those first four evil characteristics deal with the sin found in Proverbs 25.
Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king Solomon warns that when we are in front of those in authority over us, we should not exalt ourselves. The word exalt means to honor or give glory. It implies the act of adorning or beautifying something with splendor or magnificence. This is the person who desires credit for work done to ensure others in power know he is the mover and driver behind success. This person desired to move himself forward in another’s eyes even if it means the contributions of other go unrecognized.
And do not stand in the place of the great This person is also one who seeks the seat closest to the king. (Remember John and James asking for the seats on either side of Jesus in heaven?)
The person who exalts themselves feels he need to place themselves where he feels he belongs – with those who are the most prestigious.
For it is better that he say to you, “Come up here,” Solomon tells us what the humble do. They takes the lesser position. They does not covet t recognition or honor. Believers do this because we recognize God is in control, He knows our contribution. There is no gain in grasping for man’s accolades, the only praise that matters is God’s. When God chooses to exalt us, it will be done.
Than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince Solomon had seen the humbling of many who exalted themselves, who honored themselves by taking the best seats. He watched as they were humiliated when they were asked to move further back so the king could recognize others more deserving of his honor.
Whom your eyes have seen Solomon tells us we have seen this type of situation and it is better to wait to be honored than to exalt ourselves in pride. Self-glorification is a sin!
What can we learn? The key to humility is contentment and for the Christian the key to contentment is knowing God is in control. When that is our foundation the believer does not have to worry about being passed over by men or others getting the credit for what they have done. When we know God is in control and that He alone is the one who “raises up and puts down kings”, we can be content in the lesser place and allowing God to work His will in our lives. But how does one humbly handle the situation where they are praised for their work or service? Daniel gives a great example to follow. When he receives praise from kings, Daniel always deflects the praise back to God and gives him full credit for what He did through Daniel. Make that the practice in your life and God will see to it you receive the glory He desires you to have.