Don't Taint Your Love for God by Your Pursuit for a Good Name

" 'They took Absalom, threw him into a big pit in the forest and piled up a large heap of rocks over him . . . During his lifetime, Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King's Valley as a monument to himself . . . He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom's Monument to this day.' 2 Samuel 18

It has been said that every man lives for a funeral — that is, a man's funeral often tells what kind of a man he has been. Absalom had already built a splendid monument, which he meant should mark his grave. Instead, however, of being laid away to rest in honor by a weeping nation, beneath the shadows of a noble monument — his mangled body was hurled in dishonor into a pit in the forest, and covered with a large heap of rocks.

It was still true, however, that Absalom built his own monument. His own hand dug the grave of shame into which his body was cast. Sin's harvest is sure and terrible!"  

- J.R. Miller

Bible Scholars attribute the authorship for book of Proverbs to King Solomon, the world’s wisest man. In Proverbs 22:1 we are informed that a good name is to be more desired than great wealth because favor is better than silver and gold. Earlier in this book, he recounts his own father’s teaching him the importance of the values of truth and kindness, as he was instructed to “not let kindness and truth leave you” in order for “you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man.” (Proverbs 3:3-4).  In the book of Ecclesiastes, also largely believed to be authored by Solomon in his old age, we find “a good name” to be better than a good ointment and the day of one’s death, better than the day of one’s birth. (Ecclesiastes 7:1)    

Though the Bible clearly speaks of the great value and benefit in possessing a good name, all human endeavor towards accomplishing this end isn’t as equally good and acceptable to God due to our inner motives that drive our efforts.  We can too easily taint our love for God by our efforts to obtain a good name for ourselves.

Romans 12:9    teaches us that love is to be genuine, without hypocrisy.  Genuine infers real, authentic, and pure. Hypocrisy infers counterfeit, fraud, and corrupt.

As quoted by John MacArthur in (What Does Love Without Hypocrisy Look like?) theologian John Murray writes, “If love is the sum of virtue and hypocrisy is the epitome of vice, what a contradiction to bring the two together.”  



John Piper, in considering this above verse (in Let Love Be Genuine) states, “Think of it. Of all the things he could have said that love should be (Let love be great, earnest, joyful, constant, bold, etc.) he says, “Let love be without hypocrisy.” Why is that even on his mind? I think it’s on his mind because it is the dead opposite of verse 3. Verse 3 says not to think of ourselves too highly, but to think with faith, that is, to think with our minds and hearts looking away to Christ for our peace and satisfaction. Verse 3 is about a wonderful self-forgetfulness in the service of Christ. And the exact opposite of that is hypocrisy. Why? Because the hypocrite is totally concerned about himself. How will I appear? is his driving question. How can I create a good impression of me? is the consuming desire.”

He also states, “The reason we look to Christ as the foundation and model and goal of the Romans 12 way of living is that the Holy Spirit is sent into the world to glorify Jesus Christ (John 16:14). If we try to live like this for our glory—even with the help of the Holy Spirit—it will not work. The Holy Spirit is not sent to give us glory, but to give Christ glory. So we pray for the help of the Holy Spirit, and we look away from ourselves to Christ for the purchase and the example and the goal of this new way of living. When we look to Christ, the Holy Spirit empowers us to live the Romans 12 way.”

We can too easily shipwreck our faith like the first century Pharisees who not only didn’t recognize Jesus as the anticipated Christ that was to come but also actively resisted him time and time again because of their self-confidence in their own efforts and knowledge of the Scripture:

John 5:39-45 (NASB)

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. I do not receive glory from men; but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope.

Or like Judas, happy to be closely associated with Christ, but all too willing to sell Him out for the first seemingly better offer that is presented to us. 

Or like Simon, the former Samarian magician (Acts 8:9-11) we too can unwittingly attempt to acquire God’s love and favor using the currency of our own good works instead of the cash he offered the apostle. (Acts 8:18-23).

Maybe we like the late day Israelites are treating God disrespectfully by short-changing Him by not giving Him our very best of what we have to offer. (Malachi 1:8-10)? Or worse, maybe we are like the Israelites of Isaiah’s day, whose worship consisted only of the established routines of heartless tradition and lip-service, devoid of any true, honest, and sincere essence of our very own souls (Isaiah 29:13-14).


May we be cautioned and take heed to avoid this counterfeit worship that serves to mask our insidious sin in service to the idol of "Self."



May we recollect the wise words of Hannah More, found in "PRACTICAL PIETY" (1811, Chapter 13):
"The idol Self," says an excellent old divine, "has made more desolation among men than ever was made in those places where idols were served by human sacrifices. It has preyed more fiercely on human lives than Molech." To worship images is a more obvious idolatry, but scarcely more degrading than to set up self in opposition to God. To devote ourselves to this service is as perfect slavery, as the service of God is perfect freedom. If we cannot imitate the sacrifice of Christ in His death, we are called to imitate the sacrifice of Himself in doing His will. Even the Son of God declared, "I came not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me." This was His grand lesson, this was His distinguishing character."


Also, please consider Arthur Pink’s words in his work “The Scriptures and Prayer,” in regards to the ten lepers of Luke 17:11-19  who have cried out to Jesus from their felt need.  Maybe we’re like the ungrateful nine who only “howled” instead of the grateful one that truly “prayed” and followed through by taking a moment to stop and express his heartfelt thanks and gratitude.  

Here’s the quote:

“We are profited from the Scriptures when we are made conscious of our need of the Spirit’s help. First, that He may make known to us our real needs. Take, for example, our temporal needs. How often we are in some external strait; things from without press hard upon us, and we long to be delivered from these trials and difficulties. Surely here we "know" of ourselves what to pray for. No, indeed; far from it! The truth is that, despite our natural desire for relief, so ignorant are we, so dull is our discernment, that (even where there is an exercised conscience) we know not what submission unto His pleasure God may require, or how He may sanctify these afflictions to our inward good. Therefore, God calls the petitions of most who seek for relief from external trials "howlings," and not a crying unto Him with the heart (see Hos. 7:14). "For who knows what is good for man in this life?" (Eccles. 6:12). Ah, heavenly wisdom is needed to teach us our temporal "needs" so as to make them a matter of prayer according to the mind of God.”
- Arthur Pink 1932

Therefore, I pray that all we who call on Him today, do so from deep within our hearts and not just only our lips. Yet, if by chance,  we’re truly only offering up a mere animalistic howl, that we may find ourselves as  grateful dogs who’ll gladly be contented to receive the crumbs which graciously fall from our Master’s table (Matthew 15:27)!! May we further then say with St. Augustine, “Command what you will and grant what you command,”  as we trust in God to work all things after the counsel of His will (Philippians 1:6, 2:13) for our own sincere, true and complete repentance so that no trace of hypocrisy remains in our love for God.