Proverbs 25:6

The book of Proverbs gives us a lot of instruction on a lot of different subjects. One subject that can keep us in God’s wisdom is Godly Follower-ship. Who we follow; where we follow; how we follow are all spoken about in Proverbs. Here is one of them power and privilege: 

Proverbs 25:6-7

Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence

or stand in the place of the great,

for it is better to be told, “Come up here,”

than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.

What your eyes have seen

Proverbs 25:27

It is not good to eat much honey,

nor is it glorious to seek one's own glory.

Proverbs 27:2

Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;

a stranger, and not your own lips.

Solomon was sought after by kings and rulers and the people he lead.   They all wanted his wisdom and understanding.  They wanted to hear his thoughts.   Rather than allow himself to get into self praise and self promotion, he allowed God to direct him to where he needed to be and to be honored the way God wanted to honor him.   Solomon, because of his wisdom, knew the pitfalls of seeking one's own glory.   Balaam is a great example of a man of God who attempted to seek his own glory, especially for the riches that might be involved.   Elijah's servant, Gehazi, also is a great example of "seeking" one's glory for greed (2 Kings 5:15ff).   God knows our skills and our ability.  He will honor us the way He wishes to honor us.  He will use us the way He wishes to use us.  Self-promotion is a world system.  They tweet, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to promote their names and skills.  God simply says, let others do that and simply use the skills I give you to accomplish my plan.   God says I will promote you in due time.  Daniel and Joseph are perfect examples of this way of living.   Allow God to uses us and promote us in His way and His timing and His plan.  That is Solomon's life, as well.   It should be ours.  

In these two proverbs Solomon gives the principle he wants us to follow and then, just in case we don't get it, he gives us an illustration of what he means. We are not to seek honor in front of people. Self-promotion is what Solomon has in mind. As a published author I have this challenge everday. I am asked every day by my "Christian" publshing company to hawk my books on the road when I speak. This week I am speaking at a Christian College in Pennsylvania. They have asked if I want to sell my books. The answer is no. Do I want people to buy my books? Yes! Do I have to hawk them to sell them? No! That is the point of these proverbs. Solomon is not saying that honor is bad and that people shouldn't be honored. He is saying that "self-promotion" is evil. It is better for someone to want to sell the books than for me to hawk them. Did I bring books. Yes and I will give away plenty of them. And, if someone else wants them and wants to pay for them, I will sell them. But, I can not and will not violate this principle of God's Word.