Hebrew Highlights 103 HUMILITY

Shalom, this is Yuval Shomron, coming to you from Jerusalem.

ROM 12:3, “For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”

The subject of my lesson today is humility. I can say to you humbly, that we can barely touch on the subject in 5 minutes, but let’s see what we can learn.

A good place to start is PRO 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.” This verse is mirrored in PRO 18:12, “Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, But humility goes before honor.”

I think everyone agrees that humility is a good thing. The question is, "how do we go about attaining it?"

Our first lesson comes from 1CO 4:1-6, “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. But to me it is a very small thing that I should be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God. Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that in us you might learn not to exceed what is written, in order that no one of you might become arrogant in behalf of one against the other.”

If anyone had the right to be proud, it was Paul the Apostle. Probably the greatest teacher and evangelist of all time, he still knew his place as a servant of Christ. Each of us should realize that, like Paul so aptly said, “the Lord comes to bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts”.

A second interesting statement in this passage is, “that in us you might learn not to exceed what is written.” If you study Paul’s letters, you will find that he often quoted scripture. He paraphrased it, intertwined verses, and explained difficult sections. But He never added to it. I’m suspicious that many Bible teachers today are guilty of exceeding what is written.

Paul himself reveals one of his secrets to humility in 2CO 12:7-10, “And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me-- to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Now I am going to assume that most of us would rather not ask our heavenly Father for a similar “thorn in the flesh”. However, we might want to examine our own weaknesses, accept them, and speak and act accordingly.

DEU 17:18-20 says, "Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. "And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left; in order that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.”

I don’t know about you, but personally, I would like to “continue long in this kingdom” of God. If that means not turning aside to the right or left, then I pray that the Lord will help me do so. I have to struggle not to let my heart be lifted up above my countrymen.

Who are our countrymen? They are our fellow citizens of the Kingdom of God who we are so ready to judge.

I’d like to close with this passage, MIC 6:8, “He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?”

I bid you a humble Shalom, shalom from Jerusalem.