Do Not Sound a Trumpet

2021-08-07

When reading the Sermon on the Mount, you read these verses:

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. (3) But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: (4) That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. (Matthew 6:2-4)

Our Father wants for our good works to glorify Him and bring people to His Son. However, there is a tendency for us to want to use good works to receive applause from others. I have seen this tendency in myself, and many others do the same.

Here, we see the Lord’s specific abhorrence of religious activity used to glorify ourselves. Alms, prayer, and fasting are all things that are supposed to help others and glorify God. When we usurp the glory that is rightfully God’s, it is fruitless for all, including ourselves: “They have their reward.”