1 These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied. 2 It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.  3 As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, so the heart of kings is unsearchable. 4-5 Take away the dross from the silver, and the smith has material for a vessel; take away the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness.

6-7 Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence or stand in the place of the great, for it is better to be told, “Come up here”, than to be put lower in the presence of a noble. Proverbs 25:1-7 (English Standard Version)

Hezekiah became King of Judah when he was 25 years old. The Bible's testimony to him is that “he did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God.” (2 Chronicles 31:20) He also had great respect for the prophet Isaiah so it's no surprise to read that he had his servants make copies of more things that King Solomon had spoken many years earlier. We do well to read the writings of wise people of the past, and to learn from them. What did Solomon teach Hezekiah was the most important thing any King should do? (vs 2)

Kings – or in our case, Prime Ministers and Presidents, should make it their ambition to understand something of the mind of God! Apart from asking God for wisdom to govern Israel, Solomon had also set out to investigate all God's works in creation. Psalm 111:2 says “The works of the Lord are great, studied by all who delight in them.” What a different world it would be if Governments spent more time seeking to know God's mind rather than building on man's limited wisdom.

Verse 3 implies that a ruler who did take God's wisdom to heart would soon reflect something of that in their own lives. All the good Kings of Israel's history were those who feared God, and sought to be faithful to His laws. Despite some lapses in their lifetime, David, Hezekiah and Josiah were examples of God fearing Kings. In fact, Josiah is a good example of what vs 4-5 go on to speak of. What was Solomon's advice for a ruler's reign to last?

Get rid of the dross! This is what King Josiah did. In 2 Kings 23:24-25 we read that “Josiah got rid of the mediums and spiritists, the household gods, the idols, and all the other detestable things seen in Judah and Jerusalem. He did this to fulfil the requirements of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had discovered in the temple of the Lord.  Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did - with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.” If only modern day leaders had the courage to get rid of the dross in their Parliaments, nations would be better off.

While verses 2-5 were for Kings to think over, verses 6-7 are for those who came into contact with such Kings. What was the wise advice there?

Humility is better than self advancement. It's human nature to try and curry favour with prominent people and we see it all the time in governments, as well as life in general. People try an impress others and promote themselves. But it can lead to great embarrassment when they are overlooked and someone else gets the position they had wanted. This humility isn’t just for politicians though. Jesus applied it in general when He noticed how people looked for the most important seats at feasts the Jews held in their homes. He said: “When you're invited to a feast, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honoured in the presence of all the other guests.” (Luke 14:10)

Humility in the presence of God is fitting for Kings – and for PM's and Presidents. And humility in the presence of people in general is fitting for Christians. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit”, said the apostle Paul, “Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3)