Isaiah 25:1
“O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.”
Praise and exaltation is an area many people don’t know how to do properly. I recall years ago a man who took a pulpit and many of his peers praised him, not because he had done anything, but because he was the pastor in a revered pulpit. I have watched presidents of a country get elected, and people idolize the man before he has done anything. They praise and exalt him because of the position he holds and not for anything he has done.
When praise and exaltation are given for the wrong reason, it can be very destructive to the person who holds the position and for those who follow the person. It is destructive because the person holding the position can easily be filled with pride from all the praise. It is destructive for the person who gives the praise because they begin to idolize the person.
Isaiah said, “I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for…” Yes, God is worthy to be exalted and praised for Who He is. God is the only One Who deserves to be exalted and praised for Who He is. Yet, Isaiah did not choose to exalt and praise God for Who He is; rather, he chose to exalt and praise God for what He had done and is doing. Isaiah understood that the works of God are worthy of exaltation and praise.
A very valuable lesson can be learned from this principle. First, learn to only praise and exalt the works of a person. Notice, Isaiah praised God because He destroyed evil, strengthened the poor, gave strength to those in distress, protected those who were in the storms of life, was a refuge for those facing the heat of trials and He wiped the tears away from those who were in sorrow. These were the works that Isaiah saw as worthy to be praised and exalted.
These same works are the works for which you should honor and exalt a person. Notice, praise the work, not the person. Sinners have no reason to be praised because we are sinners, but when sinners do these good works, then their works should be praised and exalted.
Second, praising and exalting the good works of a person motivates them and others watching to do the same works. Not everyone can hold one position; so, to praise a position is to set unrealistic expectations for many who will never hold that position. Yet, when you praise the good works someone does, then you motivate everyone to do something that they can achieve. Anyone can do the works for which Isaiah praised God.
Parents, learn to praise and exalt your children for what they do and not for their physical attributes. A child has nothing to do with their own looks. When you praise a child for their physical attributes, you are giving them praise for something that only belongs to God. When you praise a child for getting good grades, helping other children, serving the LORD and doing right, they can always do these things again.
Leaders need to learn to praise the works of people and not the position the person holds. When honoring someone, be careful to put the emphasis on what they have done. Be careful about giving someone praise when they have just achieved a new position. Praising works and not position sets a mindset for good works to be done.
As a follower, be careful you don’t praise a person simply because they hold a position, rather praise the works a person does. There are certainly positions we should honor, but the person in those positions should only receive praise when they do good works.