Thank you for the interpretative question, “What is the meaning of honoring God in the Bible?”
There are two words that one might consider distinguishing between honoring God and glorifying God. It’s an important difference and a meaning one.
A. Thoughts on honoring God for one’s consideration.
When one hears the word, honoring, one might think of one of the Ten Commandments. That commandment is to honor one’s father and mother. The word, honor, has the idea of valuing or esteeming. It is giving that person or object the appropriate value that it is worth. It is recognizing or placing a certain value on it. It is showing the respect for the true value of that item or person.
As this relates to God, one must ask, “What is the true value or worth of God?” It is beyond any material or dollar amount. It is coming to understand that God is priceless. He is worth everything that we have and even more. One would place the value of God above everything that one possesses or the sum of all that one possesses is not greater than God.
One may think about it in this way that one would sell everything to have that precious and priceless pearl in the Parable of the Hidden Pearl. God is that Pearl so what will one give in exchange or the value of knowing or coming to know God. What would one withhold or keep in refusing to use what one has to “purchase” that pearl? I do want to make it clear that one can’t purchase God, but the concept of the immense value is worth selling everything, giving everything in hopes to obtain it. God is priceless and that is the value one places on him. All of creation is not equal to the worth of God.
B. Thoughts on glorifying God for one’s consideration.
When one hears that the worship and followers of God are to glorify God, one thinks of the Psalms or of the Apostle Paul when he exhorts the believer to glorify God with their bodies. Thus as one places a value on the object or person, then one declares what that value is to others.
When one buys something of value, what does one do? That person typically goes and shares that s/he purchased that item for that amount of money. To that person, that was the fixed valued s/he placed on it and then proceeds to tell others about it. Thus one has the idea to magnify, to make know, to publicly declare to others. It is boasting about, if I may use that term in selfless manner to declare what God has done for me or through me. It is giving God the praise and adoration of his action in one’s behalf.
The boasting of one’s salvation is not how that person saved himself but how the Savior saved him from his/her sin and death. It is unashamedly declaring what God has done for that person in his/her answer prayers. To failure to acknowledge what God has done is a sign of ungratefulness whereby that person may take the glory for oneself rather than attributing it to God. Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of Lights. Christians are to freely acknowledge it in whatever one receives or is able to purchase whether it is one’s food or a home. It all comes from God. The Lord’s prayer acknowledges that it is God who gives us our daily bread. One is to gratefully acknowledge that before one’s family instead of grumbling about what is cooked and how it is cooked.
SUMMARY: Honoring God is the value one places on the worth of God and glorifying God is the proclamation of that value to others. If our lips are sealed about God that speaks volume about the worth of God to us.
For more perspectives:
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-meaning-of-honoring-God-in-the-Bible