Proverbs 25

“These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied: It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter. As the heavens for height and the earth for depth, so the heart of kings is unsearchable. Take away the dross from silver, and it will go to the silversmith for jewelry. Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness. 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 25:1-7 (NKJV)

It is better to be summoned by the king than to be asked to step aside for one more worthy.  Today’s passage is from a collection of King Solomon’s proverbs, so we get a rare insight into the relationship between sanctification and promotion from a king’s perspective.  This is not a pedestrian’s theory about how to impress a king.  It is from a king telling you how kingdoms work at the highest level.  And the wisdom is scalable, meaning that it works on both national and personal levels.  

First and foremost, there is personal sanctification (setting oneself apart), the “putting-off of dross.”

“Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, Who also will do it”.  1 Thessalonians 5:21-24 (NKJV)  (2 Corinthians 6:17)

Personal holiness precedes promotion.  It is fairly easy to develop a reputation of righteousness to fool the common man.  But God sees beyond your reputation (the part of your life that everyone can see) and looks deeper into your character (who you really are down deep).  You can’t fool Jesus by simply claiming He is your Lord. If He truly is your Lord, then you must surrender to His Lordship!

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”  Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV)

“And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 8:11-12 (NKJV)

We should not brag to the Lord, “Look what I did!”  Rather, surrender to His lordship and earnestly (yet humbly) seek His great, “Well done…”   (Matthew 25:21-23)