15th Sunday after Pentecost (September 18, 2022)

 PROVERBS 25:6-7

KNOW YOUR PLACE BEFOFE THE KING.

In the name + of Jesus.

     King David had many children from multiple wives.  You probably don’t know the names of many of them.  You likely recall Solomon who became king after David.  And if you remember any others, it is likely Absalom who tried to depose his own father and become king in his place.  Absalom’s reign did not last very long.  He was also fearful that his memory would not last very long.  2 Samuel records this: “Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself the pillar that is in the King's Valley, for he said, “I have no son to keep my name in remembrance.”  He called the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom's monument to this day” (2 Samuel 18:18).  Although the monument was still standing when 2 Samuel was written, it was lost to history long ago.  If it were not for the Bible, we would have no record of Absalom.

     Absalom’s fear infects us all.  We want to be remembered.  We want to believe that we are important and that our lives matter.  We want to know that WE matter.  Some have become convinced that they do not matter and conclude that suicide is a sensible course of action.  It is heart-breaking to see people—young people!—consumed by despair like that.

     None of us has the clout or the cash to establish a monument to ourselves like Absalom did.  So, in order to feel important, we build up claims about ourselves.  It does not matter if they are true or not, just so other people will hear them and acknowledge us.  Who does most of the work around your house?  Who is the busiest person at your workplace?  Chances are, you would say, “It’s me!”  Maybe it is.  But if I am convinced that no one is busier or works harder or accomplishes more than I do, it is because I am aware of my work more than anyone else’s.  I know my burden and remain unfamiliar with the burdens of others.  This is how I convince myself that I matter and that I am valuable. 

     We measure our importance by full schedules, titles, accomplishments, and income.  But this is a dangerous game.  What if you lose your job?  Are you suddenly worthless?  Are you insignificant if you don’t accomplish as much as you used to?  Are you unimportant if you don’t have a title?  The world probably thinks so, so you might think so.  Absalom propped up a monument to prove to the world that he was someone.  If you prop yourself up, it is to prove to the world that you are something.  Or maybe you are only trying to prove it to yourself.  Either way, you will end up disappointed.  Someone else will always be busier, make more money, get more done, or have a higher title.  You will age and decline.  If this matters to you, it is probably because you think it means that you won’t matter anymore.

     David’s son, Solomon, ended up being king of Israel.  More importantly, King Solomon was guided by the Holy Spirit to pen the book of Proverbs.  In his book, Solomon tells us what a godly life is.  And he who was king urges all of us: Know your place before the King.  “Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence or stand in the place of the great, for it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be put lower in the presence of a noble” (Proverbs 25:6-7). 

     If you prop yourself up before others, they usually respond by trying to one-up you and propping themselves up higher.  It ends up being a contest which only produces boasting, but not winners.  Maybe you will win that contest.  Or maybe you will be humiliated because you are not as big a deal as you thought.

     If that is true in a worldly sense, it is all the more true before the Lord.  Know your place before the King.  “Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence or stand in the place of the great, for it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be put lower in the presence of a noble” (Proverbs 25:6-7). 

     This is why we begin every service with a confession of sins.  There is no point in approaching God and boasting how much we have done.  Whoever does this expects payment from God.  Even if we achieved perfect obedience to God’s commands, Jesus told us how we ought to respond.  “So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty’” (Luke 17:10).  But we have not achieved perfect obedience.  Rather, we come before God with an honest admission.  We are, by nature, sinners.  Our hearts and minds are corrupt, and it shows itself by what comes out of our mouths and what we do with our actions.  Know your place before the King.  “Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence” (Proverbs 25:6), especially because he knows your life, your motives, your thoughts—every dirty little secret.  If not now, then at the final judgment, the King will expose you for the sinner you are and humiliate you for all your boasting.

     Now, we do not confess our sins to God as reverse psychology, as if we grovel and say, “Lord, have mercy on me, a wretched sinner,” so that God would reply, “Oh, you are not that bad.  Don’t worry about it.”  No, God judges justly and accurately.  Sinners deserve his wrath and punishment, both now and eternity.  We do not confess that to gain pity; we confess it because it is accurate.  And we confess our sins because we hold God to his own promise: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

     Our King is a most merciful king.  Our glorious king laid aside his glory to come to earth for sinners.  He came because he loves us.  He loves us because we are his creation.  Therefore, he acts to redeem us from sin and death.  The King of heaven and earth became the lowest of the law by accepting all the charges that stand against you and all mankind.  Bearing the sins of the world, Jesus suffered accordingly.  Jesus died the cursed death that sinners deserve.  The eternal Son of God was damned in place of all mankind in order to deliver all mankind from eternal death and shame.  And the Savior who went into death for sinners overcame death for sinners.  Jesus lives and reigns to declare that your sins are pardoned and that all charges have been dropped.  Jesus lives and reigns to decree that you will live and reign with him.  You have his royal decree on it.  When you were baptized, he granted you the blessed status as a child of the Most High God.  And if you are a child of God, then you are an heir of his heavenly kingdom.  Know your place before the King who summons you, “Come up to a higher place, and take your place at the heavenly banquet.”

     Do you see how valuable you are to the Lord?  Do you see how much you matter to King Jesus?  Whether you are a genius or suffer from mental health issues, whether you are living comfortably or from paycheck to paycheck, whether you are strong or frail, whether you are in the prime of your life or at its sunset, you matter to the Lord.  For you are his creation, his redeemed, and his beloved child.  God the Father showed you your worth by the price he paid to make you a member of his family. 

     Know your place before the King.  Although you do not see him in his glory yet, you still live and serve before the King in whatever it is you do.  The works God has given you to do are important, too.  Those works matter, especially for the people you are serving in your various vocations.  You do not need to change the world for your works to delight God or for your service to matter to others.  You might feel that your job is mundane, and you might wonder if anyone would care if you never showed up to do your job.  If you feel that way, you can bet that it is not Jesus who is suggesting that to you.

     Know your place before the King, because everything you do in his name is glorious to him—sweeping the floor, scrubbing the toilet, driving courteously, calling your parents, pushing buttons for the company, or being the person who runs the company.  God presents you daily with opportunities to honor him and to serve your neighbor.  What a glorious task he gives you.  The world may put value on it according to your paycheck, but the Divine King values it because he values you.  He is delighted to see his royal servants be his loyal servants.

     Know your place before the King, and do not be discouraged if the world is unimpressed by you.  In the sight of God the Father, it does not matter.  If you have enjoyed a safe, pleasant upbringing or if you endured a rough childhood, it might affect the way you see the world.  It does not affect the way God sees you.  He sees you as cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.  If you look at your life and see many impressive accomplishments, or if you are disappointed that you did not achieve more, it might affect the way the world views you.  It does not affect the way God views you.  His love for you is not determined by how much you have done, but by what Jesus has done for you.  Whether you have earned impressive titles or those titles were given to someone else, whether your achievements are honored or go unnoticed, it does not change your value.  Even if you scrape by in life, you still have treasure in heaven.  You are children of the Most High God.  What greater title could you have?  The world may strip you of your titles or wipe out your achievements.  But the King of heaven and earth assures you that your title as child of the Most High God cannot be taken by anyone and your inheritance will never lose its value.  Jesus lives and reigns to guarantee it.

     Absalom, the son of David, built a monument to himself so that people would remember him.  His monument did not last.  If you built a monument to yourself, it would not last either.  Even if it were still standing in 100 years, many would look at it and comment, “I guess someone thought they were important, whoever that was.”  King David had many other children besides Solomon and Absalom.  Do you know their names?  So it will be with you and me.  Like Eleanor Rigby, we will die and be buried along with our names.  No one will remember us down the road.  That’s okay.  The King of heaven and earth not only knows your name, he has written it in the Book of Life.  God the Father knows who is children are, and he will never forget you.  Why?  Because you matter to him.  You are valuable to him—enough that he gave his only-begotten Son to gain you.

     Know your place before the King.  Because you know King Jesus, he will honor you and say, “Come up here,” and bring you to the eternal feast.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.