Taking Glory

There is a trap that I have been involved in far too many times. It is the trap of building myself up to other people, making myself bigger than I really was at the time. In truth I am no bigger than I was then, no better than I was then. If I am bigger and better, it is solely because of the Lord in my life.

"Be not forward [self-assertive and boastfully ambitious] in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men; for better is it that it be said to you, Come up here, than you should be put lower in the presence of the prince whose eyes have seen you." Proverbs 25:6-7, Amplified

Jesus spoke the very same words to His disciples. "When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest anyone more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.' Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you." (Luke 14:8-10, NKJV) It's simple: do not take glory for yourself, rather allow glory to overtake you.

Honorable (Proverbs 25:4-5)

In order refine, refuse must be removed.

"Take away the dross from silver, and there shall come forth [the material for] a vessel for the silversmith [to work up]." Proverbs 25:4, Amplified

The dross is all the impurity in the silver. As those impurities are removed, the silver itself becomes more pure, therefore it becomes more valuable and the end product is that much more beautiful.

"Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness [spiritual and moral rectitude in every area and relation]." Proverbs 25:5, Amplified

The same can be said of ourselves and our hearts. If we remove the impurity of the world out of our vicinity, then we can be more focused on the Lord and become that much more beautiful in Him. "In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel of honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work." (Second Timothy 2:20-21, NKJV) It is written in black an white how we are to conduct ourselves: either honorably or dishonorably.

Trust II (Proverbs 25:3)

"As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, so the heart and minds of kings are unsearchable." Proverbs 25:3, Amplified

Who is our King but the Lord Himself. There are so many different things that we do not understand about Him. The ways in which He works are unknown to His children. But He truly makes all things work together for His own glory. We can never place ourselves, nor assume the responsibility, of questioning Him. He is so unsearchable. If this verse were to be translated into one word, that single word would be "trust".

Searching Out Hidden Things (Proverbs 25:2)

To be honest, the meaning of this next verse has eluded me.

"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search a matter out." Proverbs 25:2, Amplified

It seems as though the Lord finds glory in hiding things, but the curiosity of man is to search out those secret and hidden things. It is evident throughout the Prophets that the end of the world and how it is to come about is partially concealed. But man has written countless books and made many different movies about this very same subject. Man feels like he needs to know everything.

When secret notes are being passed in class, or a secret is whispered into an ear, the curiosity of others around seems to be stimulated. Please note that the glory of kings is revealing a matter is not looked down upon by the Lord. It is not a sinful thing. The Lord is not condemning it. The Lord made us curious creatures. That curiosity leads us to want to know more and learn more about our Lord.

When we were looking (and in some cases still are) for that perfect someone, that other half to complete our whole, how is it done? We learn all we can about that person. What he or she likes and does or what kind of music is listened to. Every hidden thing is sought out. Every ambiguous fact is brought to surety.

Our desire for the Lord should be the same.

Copying the Inspiration (Proverbs 25:1)

"These are also the proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out." Proverbs 25:1, Amplified

Hezekiah was a great king, a man who trusted the Lord. This is the man who spread a letter from the enemy before the Lord and asked for His help. This is a man who asked the Lord to extend his life so the Lord made the sun go back ten degrees. This is a man who followed the Lord.

It is unclear if the rest of the book of Proverbs is a copy from the men of Hezekiah or if only the next four chapters are from the copies made (chapters 25-29). This man of God understood and knew that Solomon was a man of God and that his words were full of wisdom. "He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five." (First Kings 4:32, NKJV) The book of Proverbs comes no where near that number and who knows if the men of Hezekiah had not copied the proverbs, would this book be even shorter?