“A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men” (Prov. 18:16).
Did you know that you can make room for yourself? The Bible says you can. Now let’s look at what it means to make “room” for yourself.
First of all, I want you to notice my golden text: “A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.” The Word “and” means also, so this verse is saying two things. Number one, it’s saying that your gift will make room for you. And, number two, it is saying that you’ll be brought before great men because of your gift.
So we see that two things happen because of the gift. But I want you to notice, first of all, that the gift “makes.” “Makes” simply means causes, implying that there is an action taking place.
Often I’ve heard people quote this verse and say it means something that it doesn’t really mean. I’ve even heard preachers wrongly teach this verse. You see, most people talk about this verse in regard to talent.
Essentially, what they say is that if you’re talented or have some gift or anointing, then eventually your place will be made for you, and people of great means will get to hear you or partake of your gift.
But that isn’t what this verse is talking about at all. In fact, when you look this scripture up in the original Hebrew, you’ll find out several things. First of all, you’ll discover that the writer is referring to financial things.
In fact, when you look it up, you will find that in the Middle East – and the Bible is an Eastern book – it was customary for a man to bring a gift to an individual in order to be heard by that individual. You had to present a gift before anyone would even discuss business with you.
Of course, we don’t have that tradition here in the West, but this is a Bible truth that we need to understand. The Hebrew word translated “gift” in our text means a present. And the word “room” means to broaden. So, it could read this way: “A man’s present will broaden, cause expansion, or create opportunity for him. And, on top of all that, a man’s present will bring him before great men.”
Finally, the New International Version reads this way: “A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great.” I like that.
Scripture References: Luke 6:38; John 3:16
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Keith Butler has been an ordained minister since 1974. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and holds diplomas from Canada Christian College and Rhema Bible Training Center.
He serves in ministry with the support of his lovely wife, Pastor Deborah L. Butler, and their children: Pastor Andre Butler (granddaughters Alexis, Angela, and April), Pastor MiChelle Ferguson and husband Pastor Lee (grandson Lucas), and Minister Kristina Jenkins and husband Pastor Joel (grandsons Andrew and Austin, and granddaughter Alyssa).