Jun 28 • Wisdom
Humility before Honor
‘The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.’ Proverbs 15:33
This final verse in the chapter draws together two essential pillars of godly living: the fear of the Lord and the necessity of humility. To fear the Lord is not to tremble in dread, but to stand in awe, reverence, and submission before His holiness, justice, and mercy. This fear is the foundation of true wisdom, and it teaches the heart how to live rightly. Without the fear of the Lord, all knowledge is empty and all pursuits are vain. Proverbs 1:7 affirms this truth, saying, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
This kind of fear instructs—it teaches, molds, and leads. It doesn’t simply fill the mind with facts, but it transforms the heart. The fear of the Lord teaches us to hate evil, to depart from pride, and to walk in integrity. Proverbs 8:13 says, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.” When we walk in godly fear, we begin to see life through God’s eyes. We learn to value what He values and avoid what He hates. This instruction doesn’t come overnight—it is a lifelong process of yielding to God’s authority and growing in His ways.
The second part of the verse declares, “and before honour is humility.” In God’s kingdom, the path to exaltation is always through lowliness. The world promotes pride, self-advancement, and recognition, but God honors the humble. James 4:10 echoes this when it says, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” No one stumbles into honor by accident—it is the result of a heart bowed low before God, shaped by obedience and a teachable spirit. Before Joseph was honored in Egypt, he endured slavery and prison. Before David wore a crown, he fled for his life in the wilderness. Before Christ was exalted, He humbled Himself to the death of the cross.
Practically, this verse teaches us to never seek wisdom or honor apart from the fear of the Lord and true humility. It is not the gifted, the clever, or the strong that God lifts up, but the meek and the faithful. Those who honor Him in secret will be honored by Him in due time. But it must begin with humility—acknowledging our need, submitting to correction, and surrendering our will to His. The fear of the Lord leads us to humble ourselves, and humility prepares us for the honor that only God can give.
In the end, Proverbs 15:33 is both a compass and a promise. If we fear the Lord, He will teach us. If we humble ourselves, He will lift us. And in a world chasing empty glory, we are called to bow low before the One whose honor is eternal, whose wisdom never fails, and whose path leads to life.
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Humility before Honor
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