Proverbs 22:1 contains one of the many proverbs of Solomon. He says: “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.”

What does it mean?

First, we need to see that having “a good name” is about having a good reputation. But it’s not about being well-regarded by people who couldn’t care less about God. This is the biblical book of Proverbs. The context is faithfulness to God. Therefore, we should strive to have a good name among the godly and especially in the eyes of God. If people who reject God think you’re crazy for believing in him (and drag your name through the mud as a result), that’s okay. Acknowledge it and give thanks.

Second, the proverb teaches us that a good name is valuable. It is “more desirable than great riches”; it is “better than silver or gold.”

If someone brought you to a room that was filled with silver and gold and asked you if you would rather have everything in that room or a good reputation amongst God’s people and in God’s own eyes, which would you choose?

It might be tempting to select option one, but the Bible teaches us that option two is the way to go.

Let me make a suggestion about why a good name has this kind of value: Your personal integrity is currency in the economy of good works.

For example, if you have a reputation for being trustworthy, you are more likely to be invited to help someone solve a personal, difficult crisis. If you have a reputation for being non-judgmental, you are more likely to be invited to help someone navigate their way out of a moral quagmire.

You get the picture.

You can’t control your reputation. In one sense, it is outside of you. But when you act with integrity consistently, God’s people will start to notice. You will please God. And the door of opportunity will continually open. This will allow you to enter and bless the people around you.

The Bible is full of surprises. One of them is that valuable things are closer than we think. “A good name is more desirable than great riches…”

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Notes:

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.