The Glory of God and of Kings

Proverbs 25:1-15

1 These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied:

2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

3 As the heavens for height and the earth for depth,
So the heart of kings is unsearchable.

4 Take away the dross from silver,
And it will go to the silversmith for jewelry.
5 Take away the wicked from before the king,
And his throne will be established in righteousness.

6 Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king,
And do not stand in the place of the great;
7 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.

8 Do not go hastily to court;
For what will you do in the end,
When your neighbor has put you to shame?
9 Debate your case with your neighbor,
And do not disclose the secret to another;
10 Lest he who hears it expose your shame,
And your reputation be ruined.

11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold
In settings of silver.
12 Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold
Is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear.

13 Like the cold of snow in time of harvest
Is a faithful messenger to those who send him,
For he refreshes the soul of his masters.

14 Whoever falsely boasts of giving
Is like clouds and wind without rain.

15 By long forbearance a ruler is persuaded,
And a gentle tongue breaks a bone.

These further wise saying of king Solomon begin with the differences of the glory of God and the glory of kings like Solomon.  The glory of God is concealed and revealed in His times and ways (Deuteronomy 29:29), yet He expects the kings to rule wisely by seeking out matters, especially from God’s revealed word to them and to us.  We may not be rulers of countries but we are kings in God’s kingdom (Revelation 1:6, 5:10), and our glory remains in searching the scriptures daily (Acts 17:11) to know the matters of life and at hand.  Yet the hearts of kings and of us are unsearchable to all but God, and we only reveal what little we actually know and understand about ourselves.  God is omniscient and has no such limitation.  For a ruler to found his kingdom in righteousness, he must root out the evil ones in that kingdom first; but God waits until the final judgment day to expose them all at once like harvested wheat burned in the fire.  The servants must also therefore remain humble in service to their king, not demanding position or taking it upon themselves as if it is theirs by standing or being seated there.  Jesus reminded us of this in a parable as well (Luke 14:7-11) as a warning for us against presumption and pride in His kingdom.  We stand not to demand, but humbly serving and accepting grace from His hand.  Likewise we are warned not to sue our neighbors hastily at the smallest matter, for it may be to our shame for frivolous lawsuits with a resulting ruined reputation.  It is advisable by scripture to talk things over with the other or just accept the wrong (1 Corinthians 6:7) instead.  Loving and caring words are as fine jewelry when spoken at the right time in the right setting, as in private when pleading your case with your neighbor who you are at odds with).  This is counter to our culture on earth, but is the rule of law in the heavenly realm.  Wise rebuke is also equally valuable when taken to heart for repentance of a change in heart and living.  Faithful servants of this heavenly kingdom bring good news along with the bad (just as the gospel of grace includes news of His wrath on sin) to bring glory and honor to the one sending them.  Are we faithful to bring the whole gospel, bad news with the good, to refresh our Master who sends us?  Then we see here that false accounts of our accomplishments or giving are as empty as the rainless clouds of Ananias and Sapphira’s lies concerning their false boasting of giving (Acts 5:2-4, 8-9) to meet each other’s needs.  This false charity has a price; may we heed this warning and be open and honest without embellishments or lies in our own giving.  Finally, forbearance is needed to make changes with earthly rulers using gentle persuasion to break through difficulties and opposition, not rash attempts to attack, slander, demean, of force with rhetoric and even violence as we have seen in recent history.  May our primary kingdom guide our motives, thoughts, emotions, and actions in these temporal ones,as we seek out the glory of righteousness in following the revealed word of God as our guidebook.  Remember the differences of the glory of God and that of government rulers.