Topical Studies
What the Bible says about
Humbling Ourselves
(From Forerunner Commentary)
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Psalm 35:13
This verse presents us with a clear example in which anah is not in the niphal stem (reflexive case), but clarity is achieved by explanation: "But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled [anah] myself with fasting." In this case, the self-imposed affliction or humbling is by means of fasting. Ezra 8:21 is another example: "Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble [anah] ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions." Again, anah is not in the niphal stem, but the rest of the verse explains that the humbling comes through fasting.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Pride, Humility, and the Day of Atonement
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Daniel 7:27
Daniel 7:27 promises rulership to the saints in God's government, which is why an essential decision in our lives revolves around government. Government is the overriding issue in the Bible. Who will rule in our lives, God or Satan? It is that simple. Israel rejected God's rule. When Israel desired a king, it was because they did not want God to rule them (I Samuel 8:7). Will we do the same? That is the critical issue that must be resolved in our lives. How can we reject God's rule? By insisting on being our own general—by putting ourselves, not God, at the forefront of the battles we fight every day. We simply do not allow Him to be our King and Commander. The examples of the first and second Adam prove how vital the subject of government is. In the Garden of Eden, the test that Adam and Eve failed was the test of government. To whose rule would they submit—God's or Satan's? The Devil's temptation of Christ (Matthew 4; Luke 4) was the same test: Would He submit to God's or Satan's government? Jesus passed the test, rejecting Satan's offers for personal gain. Because God neither changes nor varies, He is a God of patterns. We, then, have the same test to pass. To which government will we submit? There is a direct connection between prayer and submission to God's government. When we pray, we are prostrating ourselves before Him, calling on His great name, and recognizing His power, omnipotence, omniscience, immutability, wisdom, mercy, and grace. Interestingly, Jesus called the Temple, in which God dwelt, "a house of prayer" (Luke 19:46). We now are temples of His Holy Spirit in which He dwells (I Corinthians 3:16), so we, too, should be houses of prayer. Prayer is a spiritual blessing God gives to us as a major tool for growth. Prayer at any time is an exercise in humbling ourselves, as it forces us to admit our humanity, inadequacy, dependence, and need. It is an admission that we are not self-sufficient. Those who humble themselves before His sovereignty are those to whom He gives His attention (Isaiah 66:2). We desperately need a vital relationship with God and all that He will give to us by His grace to achieve His purpose for us. His gifts flow to the humble because they will submit to His government and His will, and for that reason, God will withhold no good gift from them (Romans 8:32; Psalm 84:11). By prayer, and especially by striving to pray always, we are submitting every thought, word, and action to the scrutiny and governance of the great God. The Israelites did not want God to rule their lives directly; they did not want to submit to His rule. If we are not striving to pray always, we are making the same mistake. Their decision put them in the position of having to fight their own battles. If we make the same mistake, we get the same results—but worse. Why would God want anyone in His eternal Family who demonstrates an unwillingness to submit to His governance on every occasion?
Pat Higgins
Praying Always (Part Six)
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Matthew 18:2-5
The word "converted" means to change or turn. Specifically, it means to change from one way of life or set of beliefs to another. Sometimes it means "regeneration"—beginning to live a new spiritual life (Psalm 51:10-13, 17). Jesus tells the disciples that their attitudes of ambition are wrong, and they must change or have no part in His Kingdom. To do this, they must be like small children, who, for the most part, lack arrogance and pride. Children are characteristically humble and teachable (I Corinthians 14:20). According to Mark, Jesus teaches them that, "if anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all" (Mark 9:35). The most humble Christian will be the most distinguished, and he who is willing to be esteemed last and least will be esteemed first. To regard oneself as God regards us is humility. One who receives and loves someone with an innocent child's humble attitude, who may be weak in the faith, displays true Christian character and loves Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:35-40). "Receive" in verse 5 means to approve, love, or treat with kindness; to aid in time of need.
Martin G. Collins
Parables of the Millstone and the Lost Sheep
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1 Corinthians 11:28
The Bible presents a tool that can benefit our approach to God. This tool is an act that many in ancient times did physically, but we must do spiritually: put on sackcloth and ashes in mourning, humble ourselves, and repent. God tells us in Isaiah 66:2, "But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word." Such a person is truly humble. Some scholars believe that sackcloth was originally woven by people in Mesopotamia at a very early time in recorded history. Sackcloth fabric, a coarse cloth, was woven from several kinds of fibers: camel hair, goat hair, hemp, cotton, or flax. Sackcloth is generally considered rough and itchy, like the abrasive and loosely woven potato-sack material that most of us today are familiar with. The first mention of sackcloth appears in the story of Jacob being deceived by his sons. Genesis 37:33-35 describes how Jacob reacted upon seeing the shredded and bloody coat of many colors and hearing that his beloved son, Joseph, had supposedly died: And he recognized it and said, "It is my son's tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces." Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, "For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning." Thus his father wept for him. In this age of progressive degeneration, we, too, mourn and weep, physically at times, but more so spiritually, for the wickedness in our society. Murders, hatred, and growing immorality all run rampant. We mourn also because of the many brethren who have to fight perpetually, as we do, against the attractions and distractions of carnal lifestyles. We mourn for the mistakes we have all made. Putting on a spiritual garment of sackcloth in mourning seems relevant and necessary in humbling ourselves as a part of examining and scrutinizing our lives. In II Corinthians 13:5 (New American Standard Bible), Paul writes, "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?" This is part of a continuing process that we as Christians must follow to draw closer to God and please Him. We need to do this continually, not just once a year. There are several biblical examples of this kind of mourning. The one that may come to mind first is God's command to the angel to "go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it" (Ezekiel 9:4). Putting on the uncomfortable spiritual garment of sackcloth reminds us of the abuses and pain of sin in society. Daniel is another example. Judah and Israel had transgressed God's laws and rejected Him. In Daniel 9:3-19, the prophet, after preparing himself by fasting and donning sackcloth and ashes, confesses all the sins of the people in supplication to God for mercy. From his words, it is clear that this preparation humbled him and enabled him to revere God properly, giving him an attitude of proper sorrow and repentance. We are advised and encouraged in Joel 2:12-13 to come before God in humbleness of mind and heart, with a repentant attitude and mournful spirit. Like Daniel, we can do this through fasting and putting on spiritual sackcloth. Our Christian walk is not always filled with sunshine and rainbows. We can expect times filled with troubles, periods of stress, and mourning. Through them, God wants us to remain loyal, perpetually striving to overcome. We need to put on spiritual sackcloth, come before God in humility to seek the understanding and wisdom we lack, repent as necessary, and strive to overcome the works of the flesh, the enticements and attractions of our society, and the constant attacks by unseen spiritual forces. At our weakest moments, the enemy will try his hardest to sabotage and deceive us. Many people have left the church during times of severe strife, testing, and personal hurt. The enemy will stop at nothing to try and subvert God's plan for us. But we have assurance from Jesus Himself, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). As we face our trials, let us put on our spiritual sackcloth and remember that Christ is both for us and in us. He knows what we go through. We have a responsibility to do our very best to obey Him. When we realize that we have fallen short and must repent, remember that God sees through our façade; nothing is hidden from Him, as He sees into the very depths of our hearts (Hebrews 4:13). We need to make better use of this spiritual tool of sackcloth. God understands that we will sometimes fail, but He expects us to rend our hearts before Him, trusting that He is working out all things for our good (Romans 8:28). He does not desire religion as much as a loving relationship with His children. "So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness" (Joel 2:13).
Gary Montgomery
Sackcloth: A Spiritual Tool
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Colossians 3:12
Unlike pride, humility does not come naturally; it must, in the Bible's terminology, be "put on." It must be added to our character by means of God's Spirit and consistent, conscious decisions to submit to God because we love Him, because we are sincerely seeking to be like Him, and because we greatly desire to glorify Him. In this manner, by God's power and our cooperation, humility is created as part of our character, enabling us to grow stronger toward overcoming pride's evil influences. Because of exposure to Satan and this world, pride is within us almost from birth. Humility is most definitely not that way but is a created attribute of character. A carnal humility can be created within a child living under the supervision of loving parents who are making the effort to train their children in good character qualities. In like manner, spiritual humility is most definitely a developed characteristic because of contact with God and our willing cooperation. James 4:6-10 asserts: But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. Once we understand some of the Bible's instruction regarding spiritual humility, this clear series of commands becomes important. They must be commanded because these actions are not natural to human nature and because the pride dwelling within us is so strong and influential. Humbling ourselves is commanded just as surely as resisting the Devil, cleansing our hands, purifying our hearts, lamenting, mourning, and weeping. This means that humbling ourselves in submission to God is a choice that can—indeed, must—be exercised. Humility is important enough that God repeats this command briefly in Proverbs 3:34 and in I Peter 5:5-6. Humility is dealt with somewhat differently in each testament, but at the same time, there is a tight similarity between the two treatments. In the Old Testament, it is shown less as a good quality of an honorable person's character than as a condition or situation an individual finds himself in because of poverty, affliction, or persecution. In this approach, a humble person is one in a humble circumstance. In other words, the humble person has been brought low in a social sense. This perspective provides an understandable illustration that visibly portrays the more important spiritual attitude of the heart. People in a humble circumstance project degrees of attitude and conduct that may even approach obsequiousness, portrayed to an extreme in the movie Lord of the Rings, when the conniving counselor, Wormtongue, is confronted and embarrassingly corrected by Gandalf.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Living by Faith and Humility
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