Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant than pretend to be somebody and have no food. – Proverbs 12:9

Today's Scripture Reading (November 9, 2022): Proverbs 12

Many years ago, I attended a conference where the speaker, to be honest, I forget who it was, repeated the phrase, "I am a graced, blessed, gifted child of God." It is a phrase that has stuck with me. Even when people make accusations against me that I don't feel I deserve, I remember the truth in the words of this speaker. I really am a graced, blessed, gifted child of God. And no one can take that away from me.

I have repeatedly pointed out in this blog that translation is a bit of an art form. And it can be an inexact science as translators are challenged with the task of trying to get to the heart of the passage. And different translators can come up with very different interpretations. So sometimes, reading a literal translation, such as Young's Literal Translation, can help us understand the phrase's meaning. With that in mind, this is how Young's Literal Translation handles this verse in Proverbs. "Better [is] the lightly esteemed who hath a servant, Than the self-honoured who lacketh bread" (Proverbs 12:9). The idea seems to be that it is better to be someone who is not considered to be important but who can provide for their own needs than it is to be honored but without the ability to afford even our most basic needs.

But it might even be deeper than even that. It is better to be left on the margins of society but with the integrity of knowing our own importance and the ability to put food on the table than to be famous for being famous but without the ability to do anything. I live in a world that seems to be filled with people who are famous for no real reason other than that they have worked hard at self-promotion and made themselves famous. Nineteenth-century preacher and theologian Charles Bridges (1794-1869), writing on this verse, argued that "Nothing is so despicable as to be proud when there is nothing to be proud about" (Charles Bridges). It is a comment that seems to include a great percentage of the people we consider to be proud and famous today.

I might be an unknown. But I am okay with that. Because I am secure in the knowledge of who I really am. I know that "I am a graced, blessed, gifted child of God." And because that is true, I have all that I need.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Proverbs 13