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
noun
the quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance, rank, etc.
Synonyms
lowliness, meekness, submissiveness.
lowliness, meekness, submissiveness.
Antonyms
pride.
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?
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