No need to Toot Your own horn

READ PSALM 75

Psalm 75:4-5(ESV)

^4 "I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn; ⁵ do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with haughty neck.’”

We've all said something like this before, "Well, I don't mean to toot my own horn, but..." and then we list one of our great accomplishments. I did a little research on where this American figure of speech came from and the great Google told me it likely originates from medieval times.

Really?

To me it kind of looks like the Bible just told us not to toot our own horn!

In Scripture the horn is often seen as a symbol of power, and in Psalm 75 we're told not to let our own power and accomplishments go to our head. Once we start to think too highly of ourselves it's only a matter of time before we start telling others how great we are.

Back in the late 90s one of my favorite rock groups was Matchbox Twenty. They had a song called 'Real World' where the lead singer declared, "I wonder what it's like to be the head honcho. I wonder what I'd do if they all did just what I said. I'd shout out an order, 'I think we're out of this man, get me some. Boy don't make me want to change my tone!'"

Our sinful flesh loves to hold the power, and we love when other people sing our praises to others. And if no one is going to acknowledge us? Well, I guess we just need to 'toot our own horn.'

Let's go to another Scripture for some wisdom on this.

Proverbs 27:2(ESV)

² Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.

What happens when we ignore guidance from the Bible? We end up like King Saul.

Saul was the first King of Israel. Saul was chosen by God, but the people loved him because he was the tallest and best looking. (I'm not joking, 1 Samuel 9:2) At first, Saul had a full understanding that he had done nothing to deserve the crown. Through Samuel, God had placed Saul in power and authority over Israel. He felt so ill-equipped for the calling that he hid behind bags when the time came for his inauguration. But a funny thing happened the longer he was King. He began to ignore God and God's instructions.

By the time a young David came along, Saul had become an ego-driven, pride-filled leader. When David defeated Goliath Saul became insanely jealous that David was receiving high praise and he was being relegated to a lower position.

1 Samuel 18:7 (ESV) "Saul has killed his thousands, and David his tens of thousands."

Saul's pride became his downfall, and when you think about it, our fleshly need to toot our own horn and/or be acknowledged for our accomplishments is really a pride issue. And pride issues are a heart issue.

A great exercise in prayer is to ask the Lord to examine your heart. Ask Jesus to remove any pride that is in you, and begin your day in a place of thankfulness to God. Acknowledge that all of life's blessings and all that you have accomplished is because of God. He is all that matters.

The beginning and end of Psalm 75 do just that. They direct all honor and glory to God, and that's exactly where it should be. Your horn should be lifted high and blown loudly. Not for yourself, but with a heart posture of thankfulness.

Let's close with Psalm 75:9-10 as our reminder: "But I will declare it forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up."

Josh Huisman is the senior pastor of Crosswalk Church in Brentwood, TN. If you would like to support this website and make it possible for this page to stay active and these devotions to reach a wider audience, CLICK HERE

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