1 Samuel 2:30 – Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
The dictionary gives the meaning of to ‘honour’ as to fulfil an obligation or keep an agreement. Honour originates in our hearts and refers to the value we personally place on something or someone.
The bride and bridegroom were exchanging vows and were pledging eternal love in the presence of God and the Church as their witness. A lady regretfully sighed, “All these vows and promises are good for today. They’ll be easily forgotten soon.” She rhetorically questioned, “Who honours them anyway?”
It’s depressing when people don’t honour promises and oaths taken. It’s also disappointing when we let people down but oh, so much worse to fail to honour God. Today’s Scripture is a clear reminder of two things: If we honour God, we will receive honour; if we fail to honour God, we will experience His disdain. To displease God is the most dangerous decision a person could ever take.
When we honour God, we reveal the high regard we have for Him. We reflect His glory back as praise and worship.
So, how can we honour God?
The Bible shows us many ways to honour and glorify God. We show Him high regard and reflect His character by being sexually pure (1 Corinthians 6:18–20), by giving of our income (Proverbs 3:9), and by living lives devoted to Him (Romans 14:8). It is not enough to merely honour Him outwardly. God desires honour that comes from our hearts. “The Lord says, ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me’” (Isaiah 29:13).
When we delight in the Lord (Psalm 37:4), seek Him in everything we do (1 Chronicles 16:11; Isaiah 55:6), and make choices that reflect the place He has in our hearts, we bring Him the greatest honour.
