This proverb says, “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 that you should be put lower in the presence of the Prince, whom your eyes have seen.” This Proverb is a message about humility. It is far better to be a humble rather than a prideful person. The Bible’s message is that we should not honor ourselves. Rather, if we are to be honored, it should come from another person.
The Bible says that God hates pride. It was pride that led Satan to rebel against God. Satan was a so prideful that he tried to usurp or replace God. He failed in his attempt.
The Bible also says, “Pride goes before a fall.” If we honor ourselves and think more highly of ourselves than we ought, God will humble us. He will bring us down from our lofty self-proclaimed perch.
We don’t need to honor ourselves to be well thought of. Rather, we should display the qualities that will appeal to God and to those we encounter. We can be confident. However, we should not be prideful.
Being confident is different than being prideful. We can and should live with confidence that God will accomplish His purposes in us. Being confident is the result of placing our trust in God. That is a good thing. More importantly, it will please God if we trust Him. However, it will not please God if we are prideful.
