Why Should We “Not Boast about Tomorrow”?

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips” (Proverbs 27:1-2).

The book of Proverbs is a go-to source for many desiring to live with godly insight and understanding. The author, King Solomon, provides us with spiritual guidance that leads us to make sound decisions and know whether we are being foolish or wise in a multitude of situations.

In Proverbs 27:1-2, we learn from King Solomon that we shouldn’t boast about tomorrow since we don’t know what the next day will bring. He also writes that we should not praise ourselves, but allow others – even strangers – to praise us.

But why shouldn’t we boast about tomorrow, especially when we know the Lord intimately? Why shouldn’t we celebrate our achievements ourselves? Why wait on others to do it for us, especially when the celebration may not be as timely as we would like?

First, let’s see what boasting is and how it relates to how we view our accolades and their connection to our purpose in life.

What Boasting Is All About

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, boasting is “a statement expressing excessive praise in oneself; to praise oneself extravagantly in speech: speak of oneself with excessive pride, to brag.”

In verse 1, King Solomon says to not boast or brag about tomorrow and what you will accomplish or what will happen to you.

The next verse, Proverbs 27:2, continues the thought on praising/bragging/boasting by stating that we shouldn’t praise ourselves for our efforts, making statements about how important you are. Letting others do this instead will be more impactful.

Telling people how awesome we are and how much we have accomplished is not Christlike. Although we shouldn’t be ashamed of our achievements, we shouldn’t look to them as more important than a relationship with God or focusing our life on giving to others.

We Shouldn’t Boast

We are instructed in Proverbs 27:1 that we shouldn’t boast about tomorrow because we do not know what the day will bring. This goes back to the understanding that every day should be seen as a gift from God, yet fleeting. We are just a mist that is there one day and gone the next (James 4:14).

We shouldn’t put off for tomorrow what we could do today, sharing the good news with others and taking time with God in prayer. We could go around telling others of all we are going to do tomorrow, where we are going to go tomorrow, but if we were to die today, nothing set for tomorrow will matter.

Which leads to the deeper question of if we were to die today, would we know where we are going, to heaven or hell? King Solomon is showing here that we need to keep eternity at the forefront of each day, letting God lead our day to accomplish is His will instead of our own.

Let Us Praise You

Proverbs 27:2 advises us that when we have done good deeds, we shouldn’t go around telling everyone about them. Instead, we allow others to celebrate our deeds. Basically, instead of doing a good deed and proclaiming it all over social media or telling everyone at your church or texting everyone you know, let others learn of these deeds from those who witnessed you performing them.

King Solomon’s reasoning for this insight is that when we proudly share with people what we have accomplished, what we have done, and the impact made, it is lessened significantly because those listening will think we only want to brag about what we did instead of what it did for others. This is especially true when it comes to sharing the gospel and living our lives as Christ followers.

The story of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14) is a good example of this. We see the Pharisee brag to all who could hear that he has done all these achievements, while the tax collector could only beat his chest and cry out for God’s forgiveness for his sins. However, the tax collector’s admission of his deeds was more pleasing to God, not the overblown deeds of the Pharisee that was more about him than God.

If you do something for God’s glory, know that you will be celebrated for it, even if it is by God and all the heavenly multitudes when you arrive in heaven.

Instead of Boasting, Praise God

So, if we shouldn’t proudly share with others what we have done, especially in the name of the Lord, what should we do instead?

When you perform good deeds for God, choose rather to recognize that God, and God alone, made this accomplishment possible, and you were just heeding His direction and guidance. Make it also a point, maybe through daily prayer, to give this day to the Lord to lead you in what He wants done today.

Whether it is sharing about Jesus with your coworker, taking part in a food drive at your church, or even asking to pray for a perfect stranger or a difficult family member, these are achievements God brings into our path. We are blessed when He uses us as vessels to bring Him to others.

Viewing these successes in light of this Proverb should encourage us to see it is more about God’s glory than our own because, as we saw earlier, we are just here on this earth for a moment but forever with God in eternity. So instead of trying to acquire as many accolades on earth as we can, we should instead focus on what we can do today that will bring both earthly and eternal rewards for God and ourselves.

King Solomon recognized society’s tendency to celebrate and boast of their own achievements instead of acknowledging who placed those opportunities in their paths. It is amazing to think this truth was as prevalent in King Solomon’s day as it is in our lives today.

Instead of being like the Pharisee from Luke 18, who only wanted people to see what he had achieved instead of what God had made possible through him, we should be more like the tax collector, recognizing that we need God and letting Him take charge of our lives.

Boasting of what we will do tomorrow or what others should see of our successes is always short-lived, but admitting what God has done through your life is what people will remember most from those deeds. People will appreciate seeing God in your life and taking a moment to see what God has done in their own lives that is just as memorable and for His glory.

So, take the time today to heed where God is leading you, not sharing what will happen tomorrow but letting your faith come through in your deeds. Only then will our legacy not be a vapor in the air but a lasting testament of our loving God, faithful Savior, and ever-present Holy Spirit.   

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Andrey Popov

Blair Parke is a freelance writer for BibleStudyTools.com and freelance book editor who wrote her first book, "Empty Hands Made Full," in 2021 about her journey through infertility with her husband. She previously worked for eight years with Xulon Press as an editor. A graduate of Stetson University with a bachelor's in communications, Blair previously worked as a writer/editor for several local magazines in the Central Florida area, including Celebration Independent and Lake Magazine and currently writes for the Southwest Orlando Bulletin. She's usually found with a book in her hand or enjoying quality time with her husband Jeremy and dog Molly. You can order her book at Christian Author Bookstore - Xulon Press Publishing and visit her website at Parkeplaceediting.