The Gravitational Pull of Glory Text: Proverbs 25:6-7
Introduction: The Etiquette of the Kingdom
We live in an age that despises all hierarchy and spits on the very idea of etiquette. Our democratic sensibilities, soured into a kind of egalitarian rot, tell us that every man is his own king, and that to defer to another is a sign of weakness, not wisdom. We are taught to "claim our space," to "speak our truth," and to push our way to the front of the line, lest we be forgotten. This is the wisdom of the world, and it is a wisdom that smells of sulphur and self. It is the native language of pride, and every fallen son of Adam speaks it fluently from the cradle.
But the book of Proverbs is a bucket of cold, clear water thrown into the face of our modern delusions. It is intensely practical, giving us divine wisdom for navigating the real world, a world that God created and ordered. And God's world is not flat. It is a world of mountains and valleys, of kings and commoners, of authorities and subjects. God is a God of order, and that order necessarily involves hierarchy. The Trinity itself is a hierarchy of authority and submission, not of essence. The Father sends the Son, and the Son obeys. The Father and Son send the Spirit. This is not cosmic tyranny; it is the dance of divine life.
Because our God is a God of order, He cares about how we conduct ourselves within that order. He cares about our manners. This is not some fussy, Victorian preoccupation with which fork to use. Biblical etiquette is about recognizing reality. It is about understanding where you are, who you are, and who you are standing before. The wisdom of Proverbs 25 is not just good advice for getting ahead at court. It is a spiritual principle that governs the entire universe. It is the law of spiritual gravity: push yourself up, and God will push you down. Humble yourself, and God will lift you up. This is not a suggestion; it is a fixed law of the moral cosmos, as certain as the sun rising in the east.
Jesus Himself takes this very proverb and expands upon it in the Gospel of Luke, applying it directly to the kingdom of God (Luke 14:7-11). This tells us that this piece of fatherly advice is not just about avoiding social embarrassment. It is about understanding the fundamental dynamics of God's economy of honor. How you carry yourself in the presence of an earthly king is a direct reflection of how you carry yourself in the presence of the heavenly King. And in His kingdom, the way up is down.
The Text
Do not promote your majesty in the presence of the king,
And in the place of great men do not stand;
For it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,"
Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of a noble,
Whom your eyes have seen.
(Proverbs 25:6-7 LSB)
The Folly of Self-Promotion (v. 6)
We begin with the prohibition in verse 6:
"Do not promote your majesty in the presence of the king, And in the place of great men do not stand." (Proverbs 25:6)
The language here is striking. "Do not promote your majesty." The Hebrew word for "promote your majesty" means to adorn or glorify yourself. It carries the sense of puffing yourself up, of making yourself out to be grander than you are. It's a warning against playing the peacock in the throne room. When you are in the presence of the king, the central authority, it is the height of foolishness to try and compete with him for glory. There is only one sun in that solar system, and it is not you.
This is a direct assault on the central sin of pride. Pride is the lie that we are the center of the universe. It is a declaration of independence from God and a declaration of war on our fellow man. The proud man is always jockeying for position, always comparing, always trying to climb over the backs of others to get to a higher place. He sees every gathering as a competition for honor. He walks into a room and immediately assesses the seating chart of significance, and his central ambition is to secure the best seat for himself.
The proverb then adds, "And in the place of great men do not stand." This is the practical outworking of the first clause. Don't just avoid the inner attitude of self-glorification; avoid the outward action of self-placement. Don't walk into the king's council and plant yourself in the seat reserved for the chief advisor. This is not only arrogant, it is stupid. You are assuming a station that has not been given to you. You are claiming an honor that you have not earned and that is not yours to take.
This is a fundamental violation of God's created order. God establishes authorities. Romans 13 tells us that all authority is from God. When you usurp a position, when you stand in a place not assigned to you, you are not just offending the "great man" whose seat you took. You are thumbing your nose at the God who put him there. This is what made the rebellion of Korah so heinous. He and his followers said to Moses and Aaron, "You have gone too far! For all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?" (Numbers 16:3). They were speaking the language of egalitarian envy, and God's judgment was swift and terrifying. They did not understand their place.
The Wisdom of Humility (v. 7)
Verse 7 provides the reason for the prohibition, and in doing so, reveals the path of true wisdom.
"For it is better that it be said to you, 'Come up here,' Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of a noble, Whom your eyes have seen." (Proverbs 25:7 LSB)
The wise man understands that honor is something that is given, not taken. It is conferred by a legitimate authority. The fool tries to seize honor for himself, and in doing so, guarantees his own humiliation. The wise man takes a humble position, and in doing so, opens himself up to the possibility of being honorably promoted.
Notice the two scenarios. In the first, the fool pushes himself forward. He takes the seat of honor. Then the host, the king, comes in with a truly distinguished guest. He must then turn to the presumptuous fool and say, in front of everyone, "Give place to this man." The result is public shame. He is not just moved; he is "placed lower." He has to do the walk of shame to the lowest seat at the table, with all eyes on him. His attempt to grasp glory has resulted in disgrace.
In the second scenario, the wise man, upon entering, deliberately takes a lower seat. He is not engaging in false humility, thinking of himself as a worthless worm. No, true humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. He is simply recognizing that the seating arrangement is the king's prerogative, not his. He honors the king by honoring his arrangements. Then, when the king sees him, he says, "Friend, come up here." Now, he is publicly honored. He is escorted to a better seat, not because of his own presumption, but because of the host's gracious invitation. The honor he receives is real, because it was freely given by the one with the authority to give it.
This is God's economy in miniature. "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted" (Matthew 23:12). This is an iron law. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Pride puts you in direct opposition to God Almighty. That is not a fight you can win. Humility, on the other hand, puts you in the place where God's grace flows. God loves to exalt the humble. He did it with Joseph, taking him from a pit and a prison to the second chariot in Egypt. He did it with David, taking him from the sheepfold to the throne. And supremely, He did it with His own Son.
The Ultimate Example: The Humility of the True King
This proverb finds its ultimate fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who truly understood this principle, because it is written into the fabric of His own being and mission.
"Who, being in very form God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage, rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant... He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross!" (Philippians 2:6-8)
Jesus did not stand in the place of great men; He was the greatest, and yet He stood in the place of slaves and criminals. He did not promote His own majesty, though all majesty belongs to Him. He willingly took the lowest place. He traded the throne room of heaven for a stable in Bethlehem. He traded the worship of angels for the scorn of men. He traded the seat of honor for a bloody cross between two thieves.
He took the lowest place imaginable. And what was the result? Did His humility lead to His ultimate disgrace? Not at all. The law of God's kingdom held true. Because He humbled Himself, God exalted Him.
The passage in Philippians continues:
"Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11)
Because Jesus took the lowest seat, the Father said to Him, in the presence of all creation, "Come up here." He has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. He has been seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high. All of history is now the process of every noble, every king, every power, and every principality being brought to see and acknowledge His supreme place.
Conclusion: Finding Your Place
This proverb, then, is far more than a tip on social climbing. It is a call to align ourselves with reality. The reality is that God is the King, and we are not. He is the source of all honor, and any honor we possess is a delegated gift from Him.
In our own lives, this means we are to mortify the sin of self-promotion. In our churches, it means we do not seek preeminence like Diotrephes, but rather seek to outdo one another in showing honor (Romans 12:10). In our families, it means husbands lead in humble service, not tyrannical bluster, and wives honor the headship God has established. In our work, it means we work diligently and quietly, trusting God for promotion rather than relying on our own political maneuvering.
The world tells you to push, to shove, to climb, to take. But the wisdom of God tells you to serve, to yield, to submit, to give. The world fears being overlooked. The Christian fears being proud. We must choose which fear will govern us.
The good news of the gospel is that because of Christ's ultimate act of humility, we have been invited to a feast we could never deserve. We all started in the lowest place, dead in our trespasses and sins. But the King, in His mercy, has seen us there and has said, "Friend, come up here." He has seated us with Christ in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). Our place at His table is secure, not because we elbowed our way in, but because Christ earned it for us. Our response, therefore, should be one of profound and joyful humility, living out this proverb not as a strategy for self-advancement, but as a grateful reflection of the grace that has been shown to us.