Proverbs 25:27 commentary; false glory

27 ¶ It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.

Everything on earth from sports, to entertainment, politics, education, and almost every single discipline is designed for man’s glory. We want to know who had the most home runs, the most yardage, who built the tallest building, discovered the most important cure, or who made the most money. Hands are raised in victory, the stands erupt in chaos, the audience stands to applause, prizes are handed out in the form of cups, trophies, awards, and money. It is all about self glorification, the kind of counterfeit, false glory that mimics the triumph of God over the darkness, but lasts only for a moment, rather than an eternity, and, in the end, is meaningless and empty.

Rather than teaching them to glorify God, Christian parents want to see their children learn to seek self glory. But, that isn’t glory. Its simply empty and vain self worship. Success in sports or academics or in business and entertainment is sweet to the person who succeeds. His or her adoring fans partake of it and applaud their approval but, like honey, they eat too much. The mind is overcome with self worship and self glorification. And, in the end, there is nothing but a hunger for more, usually frustrated as one’s time in the sun is past. Then, there is nothing but some half hearted acknowledgement of the former champion in the stands or the retiree in the audience who once held the record.

We are obsessed with false glory and instead of giving credit to God and exulting in an eternity of glory sharing His glory we look for an empty medal signifying nothing, that will languish in some closet collecting spiderwebs while we brag at some dinner to young people who are sick of hearing it of how we scored the winning touchdown, shot the final free throw that won the game, received awards for being number one salesperson in the company, or a trophy for some success. But, it’s all gone now. Just a memory. But, the glory God shares with us, the real glory, lasts forever, an eternity.

Finally, the word of God is like honey, but if a man is searching to justify himself, too much of it will make him sick with his own self praise, his own self worship. Come to the word of God, the King James Bible, emptying yourself of all excuses or justifications, of all attempts to justify oneself. Seek God’s glory and praise the name of Jesus Christ in all things. Seek not your own. Your triumph will last an eternity rather than until the last fan leaves the stadium or your obituary is burned with last week’s newspapers.

Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

1 Corinthians 3: 21 ¶ Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; 22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; 23 And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.