The Treasure of a Good Name (Proverbs 22:1)
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Proverbs 22:1
A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
and favor is better than silver or gold.
This is one of those verses that preaches, ya know? The kind where you hear it and go, "Mmm, that’s good," and everyone nods along. But here’s the real question – do we actually believe this?
Because when push comes to shove, I’m not so sure we do.
Let’s be real. If I walked up to you right now and said, “I’ll give you a million dollars—cash, no taxes, no strings attached—but in taking it, your reputation will be compromised and potentially tainted or ruined,” would you do it?
Most of us would at the very least hesitate. We’d consider it.
And even if we wouldn’t take that exact deal, we do this in smaller ways all the time. People cut corners in business to make more money. They sacrifice integrity for better grades, believing that will lead to a better job, more money, or more status. The lives of many in our world, and even we ourselves at times, might preach that great riches are to be chosen rather than a good name.
And yet Proverbs tells us that’s not true: a good name is more valuable than riches. Favor is better than silver or gold.
But what exactly is a ‘good name’?
Well, I’ll tell you off the bat it’s not popularity. It’s not being liked by everyone. In fact, Jesus warns against that. In Luke 6:26, He says, “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you.” That’s not the goal.
A good name is about godly character.
It’s about consistency in that. It’s being known as someone who reflects the heart of God. David is a great example – he was called “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22). And yet… David had plenty of enemies. Saul wanted to kill him. His own son betrayed him. But despite all of that, David’s name was tied to his pursuit of God.
That’s a good name, and that’s what Proverbs 22:1 is pointing us to.
But that said, we need to be careful, because reputation too can become an idol. Seeking the favor of others can become an idol.
While it’s true that a good name is more valuable than money, we can fall into the trap of living for our reputation instead of living for our God.
That’s why this quote from theologian Charles Bridges is so powerful:
“While it is true that reputation and the affection of others are more desirable than great riches, we must not forget that they may be in themselves vanity and a snare….The only honor that is safe is that which comes from God.”
Think about that.
The only honor that is safe is the one that comes from God.
Because if we make our reputation the goal, we’ll do anything to protect it. We’ll hide our flaws. We’ll perform for approval. We’ll cut corners for it. We’ll fear people’s opinions more than we fear God.
But Proverbs 22:1 isn’t telling us to live for reputation – it’s telling us to live for God, to have a good name and favor with Him first and above all, and to let a good name and favor among men be the fruit of that life.
So, to use language from yesterday’s devotional: what are you actually pursuing? A good name, great riches, something else, or God?
What do you value more – how others see you, or how God sees you?
What would it look like today to live for God’s honor instead of man's approval?
Above all, this verse points us to Jesus, the one not just with a good name, but with a name above all names, whose name is great, and greatly to be praised. His name alone is worth living for. And when we truly live for Him, He shapes our name and gives us favor in ways we never could on our own.
Let’s pray.
