Now to the King … be honor…
Summary: We owe our king everything.
Have you ever heard the expression, to “pay someone honor?”
When you come before a king and bow down, you are literally “paying” with your life. A person whose face is to the ground cannot see to defend themselves. Their necks are exposed, too. This is the exact posture a person would be forced to take if they were going to be beheaded.
The Greek word Paul used is “timḗ” (tee-may’). It is a word that is often translated as “honor,” but is also used to express value or cost. It can literally refer to the price paid for something, even a person’s life.*
When Paul writes, “To the King be … honor…” he is describing the value we attribute to our God.
Think about that for a moment.
What value do we attribute to God, and how do we do it?
With an earthly king, the real moment of danger is when we are physically in his presence (Esther 4:11). When we are out of sight, we are, generally speaking, out of mind — and safe.
With God, our heavenly King, we are never out of sight or out of mind. God is omniscient (Hebrews 4:13) and omnipresent (Proverbs 15:3). We are always before our King.
If we want to pay God honor, no time or place is not the right time or place. By the same token, there is no place to hide. If we dishonor God, he will know.
So what should we do?
Fortunately, Scripture provides us with an answer. In fact, Scripture provides us with an array of answers.
1. God says, “You shall have no other gods before me,” (Exodus 20:3).
2. His Word also says, “Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him” (John 5:23b).
3. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39)
4. “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)
5. “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27)
When we do these things, and all the other things that please our King, we pay him honor.
Application: We owe more than we can pay, but we can pay honor out of gratitude.
Food for Thought: What is the difference between paying honor and a righteous “work?”
*”G5092 – timē – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (NIV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 15 Feb, 2026. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5092/niv/mgnt/0-1/>.
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