Proverbs 25

Proverbs 25: More Proverbs of Solomon.

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings. Remove the dross from the silver, and a silversmith can produce a vessel; remove wicked officials from the king's presence, and his throne will be established through righteousness. Do not exalt yourself in the king's presence, and do not claim a place among his great men; it is better for him to say to you, "Come up here," than for him to humiliate you before his nobles. What you have seen with your eyes do not bring hastily to court. If you take your neighbors to court, do not betray another's confidence. Like a snow-cooled drink at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to the one who sends him. Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone. Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house - too much of you, and they will hate you. If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you. It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to search out matters that are too deep.

God wants us to remove wicked people from our lives and in doing so we will be established through righteousness. The presence of a single wicked person can dethrone a king. God does not want us to exalt ourselves, but instead to be humble and allow others to invite us to a place of honor. Pride comes before the fall and God is protecting us from humiliation in front of noble men. God does not want us to be hasty to take what we have seen to court or to take our neighbors to court lest we betray the confidence of another. It would be a mistake to assume we know what we have seen without first investigating it because we could be wrong. God does not want us to wear out our welcome with our neighbors. Our presence should be a treat and not a punishment. God's will is that we would feed our enemy and provide him with water if he is hungry or thirsty. Remember God has said to leave revenge to Him and treating our enemies kindly is the same as heaping burning coals on their head.