Proverbs 25
"It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings to search out a matter... Take away the dross from the silver, and there comes out a vessel for the smith;" (verses 2 and 4).
Verse 2 was on the wall of my biology teacher’s classroom (I went to a private Christian high school). There is a lot that is unknown, both about the earth, and the universe. There is so much we are discovering every day, and so much that will never be discovered because we have destroyed it before we found it. But it is the glory of God to conceal things, and the glory of kings to search them out.
All truth is God's truth. Science is one of the tools that God has given us to be able to learn more about things. The truth that is proven with science is from God. And as we discover new things we learn more about God. The more we discover the more incredible we find Him to be. My wife and I bought a book on the universe for our coffee table, I don't read much of it, but I love looking at the pictures. So much of that we concealed by God, beyond our reach, but scientists have searched and made tools that have discovered these wonders, but there is still so much more to find.
God cannot be fully understood by our finite, fallen minds. Part of His holiness is its incomprehensibility. Part of His glory is that it is so far beyond us. And part of His glory is when we use our minds, the creative power that He gave us when we were made in His image, to try and discover more. "The glory of God is man fully alive." By God concealing things, we are driven to search them out. To do that we must be fully alive, and as we live fully alive, God is glorified.
And as we search and learn more about God, we are tested and tried. We go through hardships and are refined as silver in a furnace. As the impurities are separated from the metal it becomes pure, and is fit for the work of a skilled craftsman. God molds us into the image of His Son. And the more we become like Christ, the more about God we are able to understand.
"Do not claim honor in the presence of the king, and do not stand in the place of great men; for it is better that it be said to you, 'Come up here,' than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince, who m your eyes have seen" (verses 6-7).
Humility is a quality that is most admirable. And it is to be part of our charter. Humility is something that we will either possess, or receive. If we humble ourselves we will be exalted in the presence of the King. But if we exalt ourselves we will be humbled in the presence of the prince. If we seek our own glory we will find nothing but shame. But if we live for the glory of another, seeing ourselves as His humble servants, He will exalt us before many.
"Have you found honey? Eat only what you need, that you not have it in excess and vomit it. Let your foot rarely be in your neighbor’s house, or he will become weary of you and hate you. Like a club and a sword and a sharp arrow is a man who bears false witness against his neighbor. Like a bad tooth and an unsteady foot is confidence in a faithless man in time of trouble" (verses 16-19).
Self-control is an essential part of life. Too often we indulge in things that may be good, but in excess they damage and destroy. And it isn't just with food or material possessions. If you are constantly in the house of someone else you will overstay your welcome. It is crucial that we use self-control with our words and actions as well. A dishonest man does nothing but destroy, and an unreliable man does nothing but cause pain.
"If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you" (verses 21-22).
I knew this was somewhere other than Romans 12, and now I finally know where. Recently I read that in the Jewish world there was an unwritten social custom that said if you gave someone a drink the person who received it was to be friends with the giver for one year. In the case of food, two people who ate together were required to be friends for the rest of their lives. This knowledge puts these words in a whole new perspective. This says turn your enemies into friends. Do you see what burning coals are figuratively heaped on the head of your enemy? This is the attitude the Christ displayed with the woman at the well in Samaria, and with Judas at the last supper. He reached out to those He was supposed to hate, and offered them friendship. We are to do the same.
"It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glory to search out one's own glory. Like a city that is broken into and without walls is a man who has no control over his spirit" (verses 27-28).
Humility and discipline, this is the central message of Proverbs 25. Without these two things come ruin and shame. We were created to be humble servants, who live for the glory of God. It involves living by the standard of holiness and righteousness so that we may be presentable to God.
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
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