Before Honor is Humility

The Bible tells us twice, “and before honour is humility” (Pro. 1:33; 18:12). When the Lord gives honor, it comes after a person gains humility. Most people want honor, but seldom are they willing to be humbled. When a person is humble and honor comes, he knows that whatever good thing took place, the Lord did it; and the Lord is the One who deserves the honor. However, when man chases honor, his own exaltation results in pride, and pride brings destruction. The road to honor is paved with humility, and the way up is down.

God did this in Joseph’s life. God gave Joseph dreams that his father, mother and brothers would bow down to him and give him obeisance (Gen. 37:5-11). But over the next 13 years, God worked through people’s wrong decisions to teach Joseph humility. Every step seemed to make his life worse, from being targeted by his brothers and sold into slavery, to being lied about by Potiphar’s wife, to being forgotten by Pharaoh’s servant. However, through these trials Joseph learned to use his authority for the benefit of others, and he learned to serve without the expectation of reward.

When he was ready, God honored him, and the honor happened quickly. In one day, Joseph was promoted to second in command of Egypt, the most powerful country in the world. God did it, and Joseph knew it. God put Joseph in that position, mainly to keep the promised seed alive, so that ultimately the Christ would be born and we could be saved. In other words, Joseph’s honor was all about the glory of Jesus Christ.

When is a person ready for honor? The Lord knows when, but it is not something you seek. However, you must be humble. You see, honor is not about our being exalted. What we should deeply desire is for the Lord Jesus Christ to be exalted. We should want Him to be honored.