Know Your Place and Do Your Work – Proverbs 25: 6-7

A text – Proverbs 25:6-7

25:6 Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence or stand in the place of the great;
25:7 for it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.

A reflection:

Know your place. Occupy your role. Stay in your lane. There are many ways to say it, but the idea is clear. Do what you have been hired to do, what you are called to do.

This good advice is not meant as a put-down, but rather a way to live in community for the betterment of all. It also helps if there are wise persons at the top of the community who keep a look-out for really good work who can recognize it publicly, so that we don’t feel we have to put ourselves forward into a place beyond where we belong.

Doe it mean not to aspire to greater things? No. Does it mean to live a life without recognition? No. Does it mean that the master is always greater than the servant? No. In fact, it can mean that the one who takes a lower place in order to do the needed “lower” work may in fact be greater than the one who occupies the higher place but misses seeing the things that need to be done.

These verses from Proverbs perhaps are meant to keep outgoing, forward people from getting (1) too big-headed and also (2) shamed in social situations. It never feels good if you are the one to be publicly shamed. Any advice that lowers the chance of that happening should be welcome advice.

But Jesus himself, son of God, member of the Holy Trinity, present at the Creation of the world and also that world’s Redeemer, Jesus himself took the form of a slave in order to free human beings back into their right relationship with God. Took the form of a slave. Jesus was willing to give up all status and risk his very life for human beings, so that we might live our earthly and eternal lives in communion with the Holy Trinity. Jesus is our best teacher, and the one who shows us the true character of the God who loves us.

So take the lower place. Don’t take the higher one unless you are invited by its owner. Do what you are called to do, whatever it is, even if it seems like very humble work. For it was humble work that saved us, and humble work that gives us eternal life.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you doing the slave labor that freed us. Help us to see that no labor is beneath us and that you call us to do exactly what you have gifted us for.  Amen.