◄ Proverbs 25:6 ►
Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king, and do not stand in the place of great men;
Study Bible
Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king
This phrase advises humility, especially in the presence of authority. In ancient Israel, kings held significant power, and self-promotion could be seen as presumptuous or even rebellious. The biblical context emphasizes humility as a virtue, as seen in the story of Joseph, who waited for God to elevate him in Pharaoh's court (Genesis 41). The cultural context of the time valued honor and shame, and self-exaltation could lead to public disgrace. This principle is echoed in the New Testament, where Jesus teaches about taking the lowest place at a banquet to be honored by the host (Luke 14:8-11). The king here can also be seen as a type of Christ, the ultimate King, before whom humility is essential.

and do not stand in the place of great men;
This part of the verse warns against assuming a position of honor or authority that has not been given. In the historical context, seating arrangements at banquets or gatherings were significant, reflecting one's status. The phrase suggests a respect for established hierarchies and the wisdom of waiting for rightful promotion. Biblically, this is illustrated in the story of David, who did not seize the throne from Saul but waited for God's timing (1 Samuel 24). Theologically, it reflects the idea that God exalts the humble and brings down the proud (James 4:10). This principle is also prophetic of Christ, who, though equal with God, did not grasp at equality but humbled Himself (Philippians 2:6-8).

Persons / Places / Events
1. King
Represents authority and leadership. In ancient Israel, the king was the highest earthly authority, and this proverb advises humility in the presence of such power.

2. Great Men
Refers to individuals of high status or influence. The proverb warns against assuming a position among them without being invited.

3. Solomon
Traditionally attributed as the author of Proverbs, Solomon was known for his wisdom and his role as a king, making his advice on humility particularly poignant.

4. Court of the King
The setting implied by the proverb, where individuals might be tempted to assert themselves to gain favor or recognition.

5. Ancient Israel
The cultural and historical context in which this proverb was written, where social hierarchy and respect for authority were significant.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Humility
Recognize that true honor comes from God, not from self-promotion. Humility is a virtue that aligns us with God's will and opens the door for His exaltation.

Respect for Authority
Understand the importance of respecting those in positions of authority. This respect is not just for their position but also for the order God has established.

Avoiding Self-Exaltation
Be cautious of the temptation to elevate oneself in social or professional settings. Trust that God will place you where you need to be.

Wisdom in Social Interactions
Exercise discernment in how you present yourself in various social contexts. Seek to serve rather than to be served.

God's Timing and Placement
Trust in God's timing for your recognition and advancement. He knows the best time and place for you to be honored.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the cultural context of ancient Israel enhance our understanding of the advice given in Proverbs 25:6?

2. In what ways can we apply the principle of humility in our modern-day interactions with authority figures?

3. How does Jesus' teaching in Luke 14:7-11 expand on the wisdom found in Proverbs 25:6?

4. What are some practical steps we can take to avoid the temptation of self-exaltation in our daily lives?

5. How can trusting in God's timing and placement help us to live out the wisdom of Proverbs 25:6 in our personal and professional lives?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Luke 14:7-11
Jesus teaches a parable about taking the lowest place at a banquet, which echoes the wisdom of Proverbs 25:6 by emphasizing humility and the danger of self-exaltation.

James 4:10
This verse encourages believers to humble themselves before the Lord, promising that God will lift them up, aligning with the principle of humility found in Proverbs 25:6.

Philippians 2:3-4
Paul advises believers to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than themselves, reinforcing the call to humility.
Sermons
A Lesson in Courtly MannersE. Johnson Proverbs 25:6, 7
Modesty and Self-AssertionW. Clarkson Proverbs 25:6, 7
People
Hezekiah, Solomon
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Claim, Exalt, Forth, Forward, Glorify, Glory, Honor, Honour, King's, Presence, Stand, Thyself
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Proverbs 25:6-7

     4410   banquets
     5699   guests
     5723   nobles
     5849   exaltation
     8302   love, abuse of
     8308   modesty
     8803   pride, evil of

Library
An Unwalled City
'He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.'--PROVERBS xxv. 28. The text gives us a picture of a state of society when an unwalled city is no place for men to dwell in. In the Europe of today there are still fortified places, but for the most part, battlements are turned into promenades; the gateways are gateless; the sweet flowers blooming where armed feet used to tread; and men live securely without bolts and bars. But their spirits cannot yet …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

God's Glory in Hiding Sin
A sermon (No. 2838) intended for reading on Lord's Day, July 5th 1903, delivered by C. H. Spurgeon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, on Lord's Day evening, July 15th, 1877. "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter."--Proverbs 25:2. The translation of our text, if it had been more literal, would have run thus, "It is the glory of God to cover a matter, but the honor of kings is to search out a matter." For the sake of variety in language …
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs

Good News
A sermon (No. 2866) delivered on Thursday Evening, January 6th, 1876, by C.H. Spurgeon at The Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington. "As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country."--Proverbs 25:25. This is a text for summertime rather than for a winter's evening. It is only on one of our hottest summer days that we could fully appreciate the illustration here employed; we need to be parched with thirst to be able to feel the value of cold waters to quench our thirst. At the same …
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs

That a Man Should not be a Curious Searcher of the Sacrament, but a Humble Imitator of Christ, Submitting his Sense to Holy Faith
The Voice of the Beloved Thou must take heed of curious and useless searching into this most profound Sacrament, if thou wilt not be plunged into the abyss of doubt. He that is a searcher of Majesty shall be oppressed by the glory thereof.(1) God is able to do more than man can understand. A pious and humble search after truth is to be allowed, when it is always ready to be taught, and striving to walk after the wholesome opinions of the fathers. 2. Blessed is the simplicity which leaveth alone …
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

Epistle xxxix. To Eulogius, Patriarch of Alexandria.
To Eulogius, Patriarch of Alexandria. Gregory to Eulogius, &c. As cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country (Prov. xxv. 25). But what can be good news to me, so far as concerns the behoof of holy Church, but to hear of the health and safety of your to me most sweet Holiness, who, from your perception of the light of truth, both illuminate the same Church with the word of preaching, and mould it to a better way by the example of your manners? As often, too, as I recall in …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Epistle Xlii. To Eulogius, Patriarch of Alexandria.
To Eulogius, Patriarch of Alexandria. Gregory to Eulogius, &c. We return great thanks to Almighty God, that in the mouth of the heart a sweet savour of charity is experienced, when that which is written is fulfilled, As cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country (Prov. xxv. 25). For I had previously been greatly disturbed by a letter from Boniface the Chartularius, my responsalis, who dwells in the royal city, saying that your to me most sweet and pleasant Holiness had suffered …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

Wherefore Christ Undertook a Method of Setting us Free So Painful and Laborious, when a Word from Him, or an Act of his Will, Would Alone
Wherefore Christ undertook a method of setting us free so painful and laborious, when a word from Him, or an act of His will, would alone have sufficed. 19. Then he labours to teach and persuade us that the devil could not and ought not to have claimed for himself any right over man, except by the permission of God, and that, without doing any injustice to the devil, God could have called back His deserter, if He wished to show him mercy, and have rescued him by a word only, as though any one denies …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

"Boast not Thyself of To-Morrow, for Thou Knowest not what a Day May Bring Forth. "
Prov. xxvii. 1.--"Boast not thyself of to-morrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." There are some peculiar gifts that God hath given to man in his first creation, and endued his nature with, beyond other living creatures, which being rightly ordered and improved towards the right objects, do advance the soul of man to a wonderful height of happiness, that no other sublunary creature is capable of. But by reason of man's fall into sin, these are quite disordered and turned out of …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Love in the Old Covenant.
"A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another."-- John xiii. 34. In connection with the Holy Spirit's work of shedding abroad the love of God in our hearts, the question arises: What is the meaning of Christ's word, "A new commandment I give unto you"? How can He designate this natural injunction, "To love one another," a new commandment? This offers no difficulty to those who entertain the erroneous view that during His ministry on earth Christ established a new and higher religion, …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Old Testament Canon from Its Beginning to Its Close.
The first important part of the Old Testament put together as a whole was the Pentateuch, or rather, the five books of Moses and Joshua. This was preceded by smaller documents, which one or more redactors embodied in it. The earliest things committed to writing were probably the ten words proceeding from Moses himself, afterwards enlarged into the ten commandments which exist at present in two recensions (Exod. xx., Deut. v.) It is true that we have the oldest form of the decalogue from the Jehovist …
Samuel Davidson—The Canon of the Bible

How the Silent and the Talkative are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 15.) Differently to be admonished are the over-silent, and those who spend time in much speaking. For it ought to be insinuated to the over-silent that while they shun some vices unadvisedly, they are, without its being perceived, implicated in worse. For often from bridling the tongue overmuch they suffer from more grievous loquacity in the heart; so that thoughts seethe the more in the mind from being straitened by the violent guard of indiscreet silence. And for the most part they …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

God's Glory the Chief End of Man's Being
Rom. xi. 36.--"Of him and through him, and to him, are all things, to whom be glory for ever." And 1 Cor. x. 31--"Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." All that men have to know, may be comprised under these two heads,--What their end is, and What is the right way to attain to that end? And all that we have to do, is by any means to seek to compass that end. These are the two cardinal points of a man's knowledge and exercise. Quo et qua eundum est,--Whither to go, and what way to go. …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Christian Behavior
Being the fruits of true Christianity: Teaching husbands, wives, parents, children, masters, servants, etc., how to walk so as to please God. With a word of direction to all backsliders. Advertisement by the Editor This valuable practical treatise, was first published as a pocket volume about the year 1674, soon after the author's final release from his long and dangerous imprisonment. It is evident from the concluding paragraph that he considered his liberty and even his life to be still in a very …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Appendix v. Rabbinic Theology and Literature
1. The Traditional Law. - The brief account given in vol. i. p. 100, of the character and authority claimed for the traditional law may here be supplemented by a chronological arrangement of the Halakhoth in the order of their supposed introduction or promulgation. In the first class, or Halakhoth of Moses from Sinai,' tradition enumerates fifty-five, [6370] which may be thus designated: religio-agrarian, four; [6371] ritual, including questions about clean and unclean,' twenty-three; [6372] concerning …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The History Books
[Illustration: (drop cap T) Assyrian idol-god] Thus little by little the Book of God grew, and the people He had chosen to be its guardians took their place among the nations. A small place it was from one point of view! A narrow strip of land, but unique in its position as one of the highways of the world, on which a few tribes were banded together. All around great empires watched them with eager eyes; the powerful kings of Assyria, Egypt, and Babylonia, the learned Greeks, and, in later times, …
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making

The Ninth Commandment
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.' Exod 20: 16. THE tongue which at first was made to be an organ of God's praise, is now become an instrument of unrighteousness. This commandment binds the tongue to its good behaviour. God has set two natural fences to keep in the tongue, the teeth and lips; and this commandment is a third fence set about it, that it should not break forth into evil. It has a prohibitory and a mandatory part: the first is set down in plain words, the other …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Proverbs
Many specimens of the so-called Wisdom Literature are preserved for us in the book of Proverbs, for its contents are by no means confined to what we call proverbs. The first nine chapters constitute a continuous discourse, almost in the manner of a sermon; and of the last two chapters, ch. xxx. is largely made up of enigmas, and xxxi. is in part a description of the good housewife. All, however, are rightly subsumed under the idea of wisdom, which to the Hebrew had always moral relations. The Hebrew …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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