Humility

Humility what is it?

What’s it mean to have humility or to be humble?

According to Holman’s  Bible Dictionary

Humility : A personal quality in which an individual shows dependence on God and respect for other persons.

Humility : hu·mil·i·ty

   [hyoo-mil-i-tee or, often, yoo-] Show IPA

noun

the quality or condition of being humble;  modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance, rank, etc.

 Synonyms
lowliness, meekness, submissiveness.

Antonyms
pride.

The Hebrew meaning 1)   be humbled, be subdued, be brought down, be low, be under, be brought into subjection of Humble, to bow down.

Greek: Lowliness of mind, humility of mind, gentleness, meekness

Often in the OT humility was associated with affliction.  Duet 26:5-9

Duet 26: 5 "And you shall make response before the LORD your God, 'A wandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. 6 And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor. 7 Then we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. 8 And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders. 9 And he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

Subtitled: David’s song of deliverance. 2 Sam 22:28-31

2Samual 22: 28 You save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down. 29 For you are my lamp, O LORD, and my God lightens my darkness. 30 For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. 31 This God--his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. 32 "For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God

Psalms 51 is a good passage of King David asking God to forgive and give him a humble heart.

What does God require In the OT?

Answer Micah 6:6-8

Micah 6: 6 "With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" 8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Bowing down is a form of humility. God ask that they do Justice, love and kindness, and to walk humbly with him..

What’s it mean to walk humbly with God?

In faithfulness.  God is in control, God is greater than you, God knows things you don’t.

What can be the benefits of humility?

Prov 11:2 Wisdom

Prov11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. 3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. 4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.

Prov 22:4 The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honor and life.

Is this verse speaking of worldly riches?

I have a commentary on the OT I call my commentary by two Germans. It’s wordy and kind of hard to follow  ,but the jest of what I think they were saying is :that the riches received when fearing the Lord is humility ,or you can’t fear the Lord without humility ,Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom  the riches spoken of.

Psalms 111: 10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!

Side Thought.

Maybe humility, fear of the Lord and wisdom are all connected in some way or fashion.

Another benefit of humility  :Honor

Prov 15: 33 The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Humility turns away God’s wrath 2 Chron32:26 read this last week Hezekiah and Jerusalem humbled themselves and it turned away God’s wrath.

With the thought of God’s wrath being turned away by being humble, can someone come to Christ without humility?

Also in 2 Chron  Amon didn’t humble himself and he incurred more guilt.

2 Chron 33:23 And he did not humble himself before the LORD, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself, but this Amon incurred guilt more and more.

Why does guilt increase just for not being humble?

What first verse that comes to mind when thinking of humility?

One of my favorite verses. 2 Chron 7:14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.

Does God hear the prayers of those who don’t seek him?  Sure but this verse states that his ears will be attentive to the prayers of those who humble and seek him.

Examples from Jesus Life

Matt 11: 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Lowly in heart is the same as humble NASB ,NIV use humble.

What does Christ mean when he said I come gentile and lowly in heart or meek and humble as some translations use? This Question might be answered in Phil 2:1-11

Philip2: Christ's Example of Humility

1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant,being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Is he saying something like I come as a servant to you?

What does Matt 23:11, Mark9:35, Luke 14:11, 18:14 have in common?

Matt 23: 11 whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Mark 9: 35 and he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all."

Luke 14: 11 for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Luke 18: 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

What’s the common theme?

Don’t be looking down on others.

Kingdom standards Matt 18:1-4

Matt 18:1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

What is it about a child that Christ would use them as an example?

The child’s complete trust in who is to take care of them.

Continuing with some OT theme of humility

James 4:6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

1 Peter 5: 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

The NT church spoke of humility and meekness as a worthy characteristic to have.

2 Cor 10:18, Col3:12, Eph 4:2 All speak of having humility and compassion and meekness with each other an attribute of  Christ.

So through all of this how good are we at practicing meekness/ humility?

Pride Good or Bad

What is Pride/ Humility?

What is Pride?

On line dictionary

1.

a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.

2.

The state or feeling of being proud.

3.

a becoming or dignified sense of what is due to oneself or one's position or character; self-respect; self-esteem.

4.

Pleasure or satisfaction taken in something done by or belonging to oneself or believed to reflect credit upon oneself:   

10.

a group of lions.

How does pride affect our lives, personnel relationships and our relationship with God?

How has pride affected mankind?

Isa14: 12-15, 12 "How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star ( KJV NKJV “Oh Lucifer” ), son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! 13 You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' 15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.

Ezekiel 28 also seem is relating to Satan.

This is a lament over the King of Tyre

Ezekiel 28:11-17  11 Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me: 12 "Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord GOD: "You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire,emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. 14 You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. 16 In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you,O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17 Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you.

According to Grudems Systematic Theology 

It wasn’t uncommon for Hebrew prophetic speech to pass from descriptions of human events to descriptions of heavenly events that are parallel to them and that earthly events picture in a limited way. If this is so then the sin of Satan is described as one of pride and attempting to be equal to God in status and authority.

In John 8:44 it states that Satan Is the Fathers of lies  John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Just a thought!

Could it be safe to say that Satan is also the father of pride?

If one of the mightiest angels falls to pride how devastating can pride be?

2Chron 32:24, 24 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death, and he prayed to the LORD, and he answered him and gave him a sign. 25 But Hezekiah did not make return according to the benefit done to him, for his heart was proud. Therefore wrath came upon him and Judah and Jerusalem. 

What is about pride that Judah and Jerusalem had to feel the effects of the wrath?

26 But Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

Another thought !

(What about Judah?)

What is God able to do with the proud?

 Dan 4:37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Prov 10: 10 By insolence (pride) comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom.

Pride can equal strife.

Proverbs has many statement on the negative effects of pride

Mark 7 20 declares “20 And he said, "What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."

Is there positive pride?

1 Cor 15: 31 I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day!

NASB I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

 NKJV I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

Paul often reproved the Corinthians, yet he always boasted of their faith in Jesus Christ.

2Cr 7:4 I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In our entire affliction, I am overflowing with joy.

 As their Spiritual father, Paul is justifiably proud of the Corinthian believers. He is able to boast about them to anyone who wishes to listen.

I think when pride is properly directed is OK and credit given where credit is due ,then I think its OK to have pride in something ,but if its to build you up then NO! next week Humility

Ezra practices compared to Paul and James teaching.

Often I have said, "The Bible is it's own best commentary" and once again as I look at the OT I see support for the NT ,and the NT support for the OT.
So how does Paul's and James teaching compare to Ezra's practices .

Romans1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith,as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."
James 1: 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing

We can see in just these few verses that we as Christians should not be ashamed or embarrassed of Gods Word ,we are to  live it and share it .
So you may ask what does this have to do with Ezra? 
Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and  to teach its statutes and rules in Israel.

Ezra set his heart to the study of Gods Law,He was not ashamed, He practiced Gods Law :he was a doer, and he taught Gods law. he shared Gods law.

Ezra did what the NT writers tell us to do. Kind of amazing how Gods Word supports it self .

Ezra set the example ,the NT writers said this is what we should be doing , its past time for us as Christians to take a stand and not be ashamed of the Gospel ,to live it like it really matters ,and share it like it really makes a difference.
Just a thought .