man holding nose because something stinks

Humility

But He gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Yes, God is a god of paradoxes: the weak shall be strong, those with nothing will inherit all, the arrogant shall be abased, the humble shall be exalted. Each is a contradiction save for the participation of the Lᴏʀᴅ bringing strength out of weakness, grace to those dis-entitled, bringing down the proud while raising up the dependents. In each the deciding factor appears to be God’s manifest participation in the enabling of those without reason for pride.

In 1 Samuel 13, King Saul has been spoken to by God about obstacles ahead of Saul and how Saul is to wait upon God for the victories in God’s providence. Saul is not to take matters into his own hands but allow God to lead to the victory. But… Saul doesn’t wait, takes the priestly role into his own hands—after all, he is King—and forces himself to make God act on Saul’s timing. When the prophet/priest Samuel arrives shortly after Saul’s offering, he calls upon Saul to tell what Saul has done and why so King Saul answers:

‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lᴏʀᴅ.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.”
And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lᴏʀᴅ your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lᴏʀᴅ would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lᴏʀᴅ has sought out a man after his own heart…” 1

Pride and arrogance always have a reason for doing it their way, self-justification is part of the equation, there is always rationalizing that fits the reasoning of the perpetrator no matter what Truth says. ‘I forced myself’ is an acknowledgment that in my reasoning, I had no other option but to do what I deemed best.

‘The Lᴏʀᴅ has sought out a man after his own heart…’ must be a keystone for living in the presence of God, of being in communion with Him and in agreed participation with God’s desires expressed through our lives. The Bible is repetitious about the necessity of God’s followers not acting in their own strength to accomplish the purposes of the Lᴏʀᴅ but rather giving God room to accomplish in His time and means that He receives the glory and we do not become enamored with ourselves. Humility does not try to impress but rather submits and gives the glory to the One that is the Original of what is real and valuable. While we are created in His image, we are corrupted by sin and have a desire to be more than what we should be and take the credit that is rightly His. We like to demand importance if only in our own eyes.

Back in Moses’ time before Pharaoh—largely a battle of wills, the Lᴏʀᴅ versus Pharaoh—Pharaoh refused repeatedly to let God have God’s way, Pharaoh letting God’s chosen people serve God in the way God desired:

So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me.’” 2

Pharaoh’s insistence to resist the Lᴏʀᴅ is called what it is: “You refuse to humble yourself before me.” While agreeing with the Lᴏʀᴅ is not necessary except for relationship, submission to God’s will for His purposes is required. Refusal is not a long-term option as Pharaoh will discover before letting the Israelites exit Egypt.

The Lᴏʀᴅ does not appreciate those who would take His place as Lᴏʀᴅ of All, who would ignore Him and do life their own way. While that may seem unfair, if you were the Creator of everything that is, would you hold the position that your understanding and wisdom has supremacy over any of Your created beings? God expects recognition as being above all else and places a priority over living with that understanding in all things. The Apostle Peter reminds of this priority, first in general relationships of younger to older, then all disciples to each other but finally hones in on the ‘before God’ life:

Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you… 3

Societies occasionally have a person or group that become known as the king-builders, those behind the scenes but responsible for bringing individuals to positions of power and authority. Peter is reminding us that God is the One who ultimately ‘exalts’ those who cooperate with and agree with Him. Paul also points to the wisdom of humility as a significant part of the lifestyle character of Christ-followers:

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4

We are not to aggrandize ourselves but rather to serve God and others. We do not need to deprecate ourselves but simply be ‘servants’ of Christ and others. Humility does not mean being content-less, having nothing worthwhile but does mean that all we are is God’s as that which He has provided and that which He gives opportunity to express in ways that honor Him. It is the mindset Peter mentions,

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 5

Paul echoes that sentiment,

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 6

Humility is giving God His due honor, respect, glory, acknowledgment, allowing Him to receive the preeminence rather than taking it as our own. God’s perspective is clearly seen in the parable of Matthew 22 where the king gives a wedding feast for his son. Having invited guests, at the time of the feast the king sends servants out to the invited announcing that the time has come, the feast is ready and they are to come to the feast.

“But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business…” 7

… and to other activities. Lots of excuses, meaningful to the invited but dishonoring the king. Others are invited such that the feast is populated but when the king comes in, he sees another dishonor. One who has come in has not prepared for attendance,

“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness… For many are called, but few are chosen.” 8

Lest this seems unfair and harsh, the custom of kings was to provide the wedding guests with the enduement, the appropriate wedding garments. It was not the responsibility of the guest to provide appropriate attire but simply to accept and be clothed with what was provided. This guest ignored the provision and entered on his own terms thus dishonoring the king. In this parable we have those guests who ‘have something more important’ to do than fulfill the accepted invitation and then those guests who accept, come, enter but are self-contented with their own worthiness and refuse to honor the king by accepting the king’s enabling. Humility is accepting our relationship with God as that of a servant serving the desires of another with the equipping provided by God such that God receives the true honor.

So, do we want to go it on our own or are we willing to submit to the Lᴏʀᴅ and acknowledge our need of what only He can provide? Are we willing or would you rather be a Stinker?

FOOTNOTES:
1 1 Samuel 13:12-14 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/1sa/13/12-14/s_249012
2 Exodus 10:3 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/exo/10/3/s_60003
3 1 Peter 5:5-6 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/1pe/5/5-6/s_1156005
4 Philippians 2:1-3 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/phl/2/1-3/s_1105001
5 1 Peter 3:8 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/1pe/3/8/s_1154008
6 Romans 12:3 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/rom/12/3/s_1058003
7 Matthew 22:5 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/mat/22/5/s_951005
8 Matthew 22:11-14 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/mat/22/11-14/s_951011
All Scripture references from the
Blue Letter Bible, ESV
at https://www.blueletterbible.org
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016, 2025
by Crossway Books and Bibles, a Publishing Ministry of Good News Publishers.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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