Proverbs 12:9

 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 about contentment:

Proverbs 12:9

Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant, Than pretend to be somebody and have no food.

The subject discussed in this proverb is the genuineness of our lives. Solomon is telling us, in two contrasting lines, that it is always better to have something and be in the background, than to have nothing and to be out front pretending you do. We live in a world were this proverb can be very practical and meaningful for us. In our days, your social status may focus primarily on whether you have a house, two kids and white picket fence. We even describe this nationally as “the American dream.”  We have gone through several versions of this, but it is always locked on the material side. What kind of car you drive, what your cell phone can or can’t do, or what your career is like, have all become status indicators. We switch between the “status symbols” but we never leave the symbols.   But, having things doesn’t make you important. The way you present them does. Character is always more important than the possession. Be genuine, no matter what you possess.  The above proverb has an element of “having” something.  The one in the proverb who is “low” HAS A SERVANT.   The one who “pretends” to be somebody HAS NOTHING.  So, there is an element of materialism in Solomon’s observations.   This is really, however, about how you use the material goods to promote yourself.  There are those who really have “nothing” but they pretend that they do so others will view them in a more significant manner.   There are some, however, that don’t derive their significance from how others view them.   They derive but demonstrating their life with more clarity and character.