humility before honor

‘before destruction a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor’ (Proverbs 18:12).

i love the end of this verse, that humility precedes honor. when i heard this verse i started to wonder what made solomon write this? solomon was one of david’s many children, and as i can imagine like so many of us who have a dad, solomon must have learned some things from his father, from observing his life, or even from stories told.

david was the youngest of seven brothers, and as i can imagine from being a younger brother myself and from playing on sports teams, that david had to do a lot. i could imagine that david got stuck with the jobs that none of his older brothers wanted to do. when the prophet samuel was given a vision by God to go to Bethlehem and anoint the chosen son of jesse, david’s father, as king of Israel. when samuel showed up, jesse had presented all his son’s to samuel but david was left in the field tending to his father’s sheep flock. samuel then demanded for david to be brought before him, and immediately samuel knew that david was the chosen one. david could’ve ran inside when he saw his brother’s heading in, as i would have done, especially if i knew there was a chance i could be king. but david knew humility comes before honor.

david was also a phenomenal musician and poet. when king saul had become stricken with an evil spirit, the king’s court had summoned david to come and play music on his harp for king saul to relieve him. ‘whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon saul, david took the lyre and played it with his hand. so saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him’ (1 Samuel 16:23). i can’t help but think about why david would play for saul? he knows he is to be saul’s successor, so why play to relieve him? he probably could’ve taken the throne quicker if he had done nothing. but david knew before honor comes humility.

when the war was going on between the jews and the philistines, david was at home tending to his father’s flock. there came a point in the war where the two armies were at a stalemate, the philistines would send out goliath to challenge a jewish solider in one-on-one combat day after day. there were no takers. everyone was terrified to face this giant clothed in armor. until one day david’s father had requested that he take some food to his brothers on the battlefield. now i can only imagine that david didn’t want to be stuck at home tending to the sheep, he wanted to be with his brothers, fighting alongside in the war, not being an errand boy. anyways, it was then that david arrived at the battlefield and heard goliath ‘defying the armies of the Living God’ (1 Samuel 17:26). david was enraged at the cowardness of this army, that nobody would accept this challenge as goliath had been taunting them. he decided that he would take out this philistine himself as he told king saul ‘your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised philistine shall be like one of them’ (1 Samuel 17:36). david would then strike down goliath with a slingshot and a rock and stop all reproach from Israel. let it be known, before honor is humility.

david, now king saul’s son-in-law for defeating goliath, was on the run. king saul had become so envious of david that he had sent out to kill him. king saul had gotten david’s whereabouts and gathered up three thousand men to complete the task. once he and his troops had gotten to engedi, it says that saul went into a cave to relieve himself (1 Samuel 24:3), which was also hideout to david and all his men. now, if i’m running away from someone who has been trying to kill me relentlessly, and he so happens to wander into my cave, i think we all might make a different choice than david. with all his men telling him ‘here is the day of which the Lord said to you “behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you”’ (1 Samuel 24:4). so, david sneakily cuts off a corner of saul’s robe, and after he is convicted. i couldn’t understand why, i mean king saul was trying to kill him after all! but, he tells his men ‘the Lord forbid that i should do this thing to my Lord’ (1 Samuel 24:6) and he persuades everyone to stand down. shortly after he emerges from the cave and calls out to king saul, bowing with his face to the earth, paying respect. imagine bowing down to the person who has been tracking you down in hopes to kill you and apologizing for cutting a piece of their robe when they were delivered into your hands! david was humble and so forth came honor.

david was an incredible man, anointed by God, and a man after God’s own heart. though, he was still human, and he still made mistakes, just like you and i. one day, as king david was looking down from his roof, he saw this beautiful woman bathing, bathsheba, and he sent to inquire about her. in doing so, one asks king david, ‘is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of eliam, the wife of uriah the hittite’ (2 Samuel 11:3). she is introduced to him with the title of ‘wife’, but as i could imagine the title meant very little to the king himself. i feel like the pride of him being king made it easier for him to dismiss other’s titles, and he wound up getting bathsheba pregnant. then, to make matters even worse, he pretty much has uriah killed in battle so he can marry bathsheba and the Lord was displeased with david. the baby would wind up dying early on as well. destruction had fallen upon david’s prideful heart.

but God redeems! and Jesus would wind up being of king david’s lineage. one mistake here nor there disqualifies you from the redeeming power of God. david was still a man after God’s own heart, despite his sins, despite his flaws. he lived to honor God.

i think solomon had great context for this verse based off his father’s life. that when david was living and acting humbly God put him in positions of honor. on the other hand, when david let his pride take the lead, he would face moments of destruction in his life. luckily, david was given many more chances by God because he had His anointing on his life, just as you do. just as i do. and that is the great mercy of God – that He will continue to use us and weave good for His glory into our story.

-n0tbychance