Proverbs 27:2- "Let another man praise you and not your own mouth, a stranger and not your own lips.”
Everyone needs praise, God designed us that way and at first this verse seems very straightforward. Basically, it appears as though it is admonishing the believer not to brag. And so, it is. No one likes someone who "toots their own horn." In fact, 1 Corinthians 13:6 states that love does not parade itself.... The word parade there in the KJV, is the word "vaunteth" and it also-simply- means to brag. So, we see the common thread here between the OT and the NT in that God, in His usual way, takes a directive that is in the Old Testament and gives us a deeper explanation in the New. Incidentally, the reason that the Holy One does this is because the NT believer now has the Spirit of the Living God on the inside and is much more able to comprehend the things of the Spirit for, he is no longer just a "natural man." Praising oneself shows a level of immaturity since any fool or child can go about boasting about themselves and their abilities. However, to restrain oneself from doing so and relying on other people to shows a measure of humility, maturity, and self-control. It may not be an easy task for everyone to refrain from bragging about themselves but at least if they desire to employee this new methodology, they can show their attributes to those around them and still receive the praise they desire. The notion is that if you are around people enough and they see your “good works,” then they will boast about you as a person and your abilities to others who may not be aware. This is a noble aspiration and one that we are provoked to endeavor toward – even here, by the Word of God. What then are we to do about the second half of the verse? If we take a moment to examine what is being said, then we see that the notion is not quite as straightforward as the first half. In fact, it boggles the intellect to the point that complete reliance upon God becomes the only solution to carry out the dictate. Specifically, we are told to allow a “stranger” to praise us. How can that be? How is that possible? Strangers, by definition do not know us. They do not know how we “are” as people. They do not see our character because they have not spent any time around us or been in any particular situation to gain perspective of our integrity. The answer lies in two sperate pieces, that when joined give us a very transparent image of how a mature believer receives the praise they need whilst remaining humble and gracious. First and foremost, the mature believer must realize that every day, when one is in a public situation, they have the opportunity for a stranger to praise them. That is not to say, necessarily that they themselves will hear the praise. That does not make it non-existent, however. Having strangers praise you, even if you have no awareness of their doing so still manifests the blessings of God on your own life. It is written that death and life are in the power of the tongue and that we should bless people with our tongues and not curse them. It is seldom that a complete stranger would curse another complete stranger to their face since most people do not like conflict. It is also seldom that a complete stranger would praise another complete stranger to their face since this might appear imprudent. Therefore, the believer must act in such a way, and at all times as to afford the opportunity for complete strangers to be so moved with the believer’s actions that it provokes praise from their lips. Should this happen, the praise that has gone forth out of the stranger’s lips not only fulfills this verse’s mandate but causes the blessings to manifest more fully in the life of the believer. When the Word was set forth that states that death and life are in the power of the tongue, there were no Christians as yet and it can therefore be rightly concluded that death and life are in the power of every tongue that has the ability to speak, i.e. every human tongue regardless of their relationship with God. Hence, when any human speaks a praise or a curse over a situation or another human, then a blessing or a curse will manifest. Now, a curse that has no cause will not land. As believers in Christ, we are not cursed with a curse since He became a curse for us, “As it is written cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” That we might become the blessed of Abraham. Still, this protection plan does not enable the believer to go about causing situations that draw cursings out of the mouths of strangers. Let it be far from us to do so!! Blessings, praise and thanksgiving are all strangers (and anyone else for that matter) should say about us or to us. The completion of the second half of the verse is not entire with just our “going about doing good” however. No, it requires faith to be whole. The believer must have faith in God that first, they can complete good works, and second, that the Spirit of God would illuminate those works to the attention of the stranger so that praise might be elicited, whether in or out of earshot of the believer. Everything in the walk of the believer is grace working through faith or it is not of God. There is nothing wrong with our needing the spiritual, emotional, or physical things that God has created us to need. It is only wrong when one tries to meet these needs with something other than or in some other way that what God Himself prescribes as the answer.
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