Tag-Archive for » humility «

The Politics of Jesus

Monday, August 08th, 2011 | Author:

Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Matthew 18:4  NASB

Humbles – The Kingdom is for children.    We are quick to acknowledge that we need the humility and attitude of a child in order to enter into the Kingdom.  But too often we fail to read this verse in its context.  We act as though the verse stands alone as some universal requirement for humility (tapeinos).  We don’t see that this verse is about a much more insidious issue – my evaluation of my own importance.

How important are you?  Eighty percent of people believe they are above average.  That gives us an indication of our self-delusions.  The same mistake occurred among Yeshua’s followers.  The context of this object lesson is the disciples’ question, “Who is the greatest among us?”  In other words, they wanted to know who would take over after Yeshua died.  Who would be the next movement leader?  Who would attract the attention?  Who would carry on the ministry?  Who would do the teaching?  Who would perform the miracles?  Who would be the most important?

Go back and read verse 1 in this chapter.  “At that time,” says Matthew.  At what time?  At the time following Yeshua’s announcement that He would go to Jerusalem to die.  You’ll notice that He also says “and rise again on the third day.”  But the disciples pay no attention to this “impossible” claim.  They are far more interested in carrying on the ministry after He is gone.  And to do that, they need Him to tell them who is important.

Yeshua provides the answer.  “Look at this child.”  We focus on the word tapeinos (humility) and think that Yeshua is speaking about the importance of lack of pride.  We should be focusing on meizon (greater).  That’s the issue at hand.

How is a child greater?  The answer is not found in the actual behavior of a child but in an adult’s perception of a child.  Adults see that a child doesn’t strive to take over.  Adults believe that a child should accept his or her place under the authority.  Adults think a child should go where he is told to go.  Adults expect a child to follow the guidance of her parents.  Tapeinos is related to meizon through the perception of expected behavior.  A child doesn’t concern himself with his own importance.  He doesn’t vie for position.  A child does what he is told to do (at least that is the expectation).

Who is important in the Kingdom?  The one who, like a child, leaves the question of importance to someone else.  Who is important?  The one who does what he is asked to do without regard to status.  Who is important?  The one who defers to another’s leading.

How important are you?  Ask those around you if you act like a child.

Topical Index:  greatest, meizon, humility, tapeinos, child, Matthew 18:4

Category: Today's Word  | Tags: , , , , ,  | 4 Comments

Na, Na-Na, Na

Friday, May 27th, 2011 | Author:

Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you will deal kindly with my father’s household, and give me a pledge of truth, Joshua 2:12  NASB

Please – So far everything about Rahab is just a little strange.  It’s almost as if the narrator left out all the nitty-gritty details on purpose.  Perhaps the storyteller is crafting this episode so that we, the readers, have to enter into the narrative in order to understand it.  That seems to be the case with this tiny addition to the Hebrew text – the particle na.

The particle na is often not even translated.  It is simply two consonants (Nun-Aleph) attached to a verb, in this case, as a suffix to shava, “to make an oath.”  With na attached to the verb, the meaning shifts from a demand to a request, from “Swear an oath” to “Please, swear an oath.”  Rather than compelling action, the supplicant invites a response.  The reciprocity is left hanging.

Na is sometimes attached to verbs expressing God’s actions.  Those rare occasions are quite remarkable. But this isn’t the word used for God’s covenant promises.  When God makes a covenant, the verb is karat, “to cut” a covenant.  The first time the verb shava appears is in the story of Abimelech and Abraham (Genesis 21:22).[1] The first time we find this verb with God as the subject is Genesis 22:16 where God declares His blessing on Abraham following the attempted sacrifice of Isaac.  Twenty-five times God swears an oath concerning the inheritance of the land.  None include the particle na.  None are conditioned upon the acceptance of the other party.

But that is not the case here.  Rahab’s request for a binding agreement can only take effect if the two spies concur.  Rahab asks.  She does not demand, even though hesed contains the reciprocal expectation.  Hidden in Rahab’s use of na is an indication of humility.  Na demonstrates Rahab’s character, the same character we find in other women who are outsiders.  Hagar demonstrates incredible obedience by returning to the abusive Sarah.  Ruth shows her intense loyalty in her statement to Naomi.  The Canaanite woman shows her humility in her reply to Yeshua.   Rahab is in good company.  She doesn’t barter her deliverance even though she might have called on the hesed protocol.  Instead, she begs.  This woman who is outside the fold, whose moral character may be suspect, who represents the enemy, beseeches the spies for mercy.  We should take note that she does not include herself in her request.  She begs for others.  She is the intercessor for the life of those she loves.  We can only stand in awe of her devotion, courage and faithfulness.  Perhaps Rahab, the woman of ill-repute, is a good deal closer to God’s heart than we imagined.  Perhaps Rahab teaches us what it means to be humble.

Topical Index:  Rahab, humility, na, shava, swear, Joshua 2:12

[1] Some sources suggest that God swears an oath after the flood, but careful examination reveals that shava is not used in that instance.  The phrase uses amar (God said), not shava.

 

Category: Today's Word  | Tags: , , , , ,  | One Comment

Covering The Bases

Friday, November 12th, 2010 | Author:

As for me, the nearness of God is good to me; I have made my refuge in the Lord YHWH, to declare Your works. Psalm 73:28

God/ Lord/ YHWH – Before we look at the deeper implications of this verse from Asaph, we must notice that he includes three designations for the Holy One of Israel in a single sentence.  The first is elohiym – God.  Asaph begins this line with a declaration that being in the presence of the one true God, the only God, is good.  Then he immediately adds that he takes refuge in Adonai YHWH.  The one true God, Elohiym, is his Lord (Adonai) who is YHWH.  There can be no confusion here.  There were many “el” gods in the fertile crescent during the 10th century BC.  But there is only one Elohiym Adonai YHWH.  Asaph wants us to know that he has only this one God in mind.

What does Asaph say about this one true Elohiym Adonai YHWH?  He says something quite remarkable, if we slow down long enough to read it without our added theology.  He says that being in the presence of Elohiym Adonai YHWH is all that matters.  Asaph is not longing for “heaven.”  He is not waiting for the escape hatch or for death to sweep him out of a world of turmoil.  He is not looking for blessings from on high or a comfortable ride here below.  He wants only one thing:  to be where YHWH is.  That is enough.  That is good.

Step back a moment and reconsider Asaph’s insight in light of your own attitudes and circumstances.  Are you able to say with Asaph, “The nearness of God is my good”?  It’s a powerful statement.  It means that trials and troubles are of no consequence if they bring us near to God.  It means that the encounters and experiences of my life really don’t matter unless they draw me near to Him.  It means that I stop looking for a way out and start looking for the Engineer who arranged it for me.  It means that I seek Him in everything He brings across my path.  My life pursues His presence.  My attitude adopts contentment.  It’s good to be where God is.

Brother Lawrence wrote a tiny book called Practicing The Presence Of God.  He lived what Asaph declared.  My good is to be in His presence.  Where doesn’t matter.  With whom matters.  If you and I examined our lives on the basis of this simple distinction, do you think we would need to make some changes?  Would our attitudes need correction?  Would our “vacation” plans and “retirement” dreams be altered?  Would we need to take another look at our current location?

“Nearness” is a very unusual Hebrew word.  Qirbah is used only twice in Scripture.  It is tied to the verb qareb, to draw near, to approach.  The pictograph is quite revealing.  It is “the least (or last) person in the house.”  Ah, now we see it.  Drawing near is a function of humility!  The last shall be first.  God’s presence is found where we are humbled, and in Scripture, that usually means suffering.  But that’s for another day.

Topical Index:  nearness, qirbah, humility, Psalm 73:28

Category: Today's Word  | Tags: , , ,  | 8 Comments

Duty Calls

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 | Author:

He has declared to you, man, what is good; and what does YHWH require of you, but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

What Is Good – Pilate asked, “What is truth?”  He didn’t realize that he was asking the wrong question.  The question he asked is deeply rooted in Hellenism.  Greeks search for truth.  Hebrews search for the good.

Abraham Heschel clarified the difference when he said that the real question of life is “What does God require of me?”  No other question matters much until this one is answered.  And no man is able to give the answer to this question.  The answer must come from God Himself.  Only God is able to tell us what He requires.  Fortunately, He has not been silent about the matter.  Micah voices God’s answer as clearly as possible.  What does God require?  Justice, mercy and humility.

Did you notice that the “truth” is not one of the requirements?  Does that seem odd to you?  Haven’t we heard one thousand times that God wants us to have the right answers to the right questions.  Are you saved?  Should you be baptized?  Does the Bible teach a literal seven-day creation?  Should women be pastors?  Is hell a real place?  Just tune into the Bible answer man and get the truth.  You’ll have all your information correctly cataloged, systematized and certified.  But God asked for something else.

Justice, mercy and humility.  Ah, those with a storehouse of “truth” might still miss the point of it all.  Having the correct answers is not the same as the behavior exemplified by doing justice, loving mercy and walking humbly with God.  You might notice that all three of these requirements are verbs.  Propositional truths are nouns, but God is looking for verbs.

So, here’s the little self-examination, a reasonable test of your “truth” quotient.  If you asked someone who really knows you, what kind of score would you get on the scale of doing justice, loving mercy and walking humbly with your God?  I am quite sure that Micah would have expected you to deal with these issues before he pointed you to doctrinal integrity.

“What is good?”  Actually, in this Hebrew verse, it’s not a question.  It is a declaration. higid lekha ma-tov.  “You have been told what good is.”  Are you a “good” person?  Then you will find yourself doing justice (ah, now what does that mean?) and loving mercy (and how does this manifest itself?) and walking humbly.  Did you realize that each of these are public?  Others will see them and glorify God because they know you well enough to know you could not do any of these on your own.

It’s not the Good, the True and the Beautiful.  Those are Greek ideals.  God is interested in justice, mercy and humility.  Those are Hebrew ideals.  The Good, the True and the Beautiful may exist in some eternal, ethereal heavenly domain, but justice, mercy and humility have to happen right here.  If you want to know the sum of all duty before YHWH, look no further than Micah.  I’m guessing that we all have quite a bit of work to do.

Topical Index:  good, justice, mercy, humility, ma-tov, Micah 6:8

Category: Today's Word  | Tags: , , , , ,  | 20 Comments

Anti-cultural

Wednesday, July 08th, 2009 | Author:

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself;  Philippians 2:3

Humility – Aristotle established the spirit of our age with his declaration that whatever prevents the development of virtue makes a person tapeinos (humble).  Just read that once more.   Aristotle is arguing that humility works against human development.  If we want to become someone, we need to get rid of tapeinophrosune (humility).  No wonder the gospel was cultural revolution.  It literally turned the world upside-down.  No educated Greek would ever imagine that God wanted people to become servants, slaves and lowly of heart.  By the way, neither do any of the icons of our contemporary culture.  We are the tail end of the Greek civilization, and the worldview hasn’t changed.  The world wants its day on the stage.  Fame and fortune are the most sought-after goals of the population.  The media saturates us with fame and fortune addiction.  If Christians are going to be salt and light, they will need to take large daily doses of humility.

It’s important to note that the LXX (the Septuagint – Greek translation of the Hebrew Scripture completed about 200 BC) uses the word tapeinos and related derivatives more often than the Greek literature itself.  Hundreds of times we find a Hebrew word translated by tapeinos or a related word.  Humility is at the very core of Hebrew thought while it is barely at the edge of Greek thinking.  If you really want an instant assessment of the difference between someone with a Greek-based worldview and someone with a Hebrew-based worldview, just ask yourself if tapeinophrosune (humility) is visibly present.  I said “visibly” because in Hebrew thought humility is not so much a state of mind as it is action.  Humility shows itself in the way we behave.  Claims of humility mean nothing unless there is visible demonstration.

Why is there such a disparity between the Greeks and the Hebrews on this characteristic?  It’s simple – and perhaps a bit surprising.  The Greeks believed that the goal of humanity was freedom.  Therefore, they despised anything that seemed to restrict freedom.  Since humility was associated with subjection, being made lowly and under authority, they rejected it.  So does the culture of this age.  Freedom for the Greeks, and for this age, means individual self-will.  Whatever restricts my freedom is abhorrent.  To put myself voluntarily under bondage to another is unthinkable.  This same revulsion is part of the post-modern culture and is one of the reasons why a return to Torah-obedience is so often rejected.  Even Christians refuse to accept the place of Torah-obedience, not because they are sinful but because they are really a product of the post-modern world.  They truly believe that freedom means making up my own mind about my life.

The Bible, on the other hand, places all humanity under God.  He is King of the Universe.  We are His subjects.  Therefore, humility before God sets us in proper relationship to Him.  This reversal of worldly values is to be a consistent, demonstrable characteristic of a follower of the Way.  It is almost an oxymoron of Christian existence.  We are to be active proponents of humility.  The only reason this isn’t self-contradictory is that our humility is not a personal showcase but rather a quality recognized by others.  In God’s upside-down Kingdom, the humble are hidden until someone else notices their display of God’s character.  The heroes of humility never wear “notice-me” name badges.

Topical Index:  humility, tapeinos, tapeinophrosune, post-modern, Philippians 2:3

Category: Today's Word  | Tags: , , , ,  | 5 Comments

ANONYMOUS

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009 | Author:

 

Name one hundred important Biblical people.  I’ll bet you can’t.  I’ll bet that after you get past the New Testament writers, the patriarchs, a few of the prophets, some of the recognizable women and maybe one or two others, you’ll get stuck.  If I asked you to name two hundred, you would certainly fail.  This fact raises an interesting observation.  Over the course of God’s plan for humanity, there have been millions of believers.  Yet only a very, very small percentage are known.  Most of God’s children are anonymous.  And that’s probably the way God intended it to be.

 

As individuals, we find anonymity difficult.  Ego wants recognition.  We want to be known for something.  We may not pursue worldwide fame (although I don’t think many of us would turn it away if it were offered), but we do want our own 15 minutes worth.  In this world, we want to feel as though we are recognized for our efforts.  We want to be important. 

 

I am not sure that God’s view of recognition is anything close to ours.  The more I discover what God asks of me, the more I realize that humility means anonymous.

 

Yesterday I had an offer to write an important book.  It is a book that will definitely get publicity.  It will make a mark.  But my offer was to be the ghostwriter, the one who does the work but does not get the credit.  Only a few people would really know whose words ended up on the page.  The rest of the world wouldn’t recognize me.  As I thought about this offer, I realized that my personal struggle was not about doing the work.  It was about the recognition for doing the work.  And then I realized that my ego was getting in the way of God’s arrangement.  If God asks me to be the unrecognized ghostwriter so that this book will affect the lives of millions, isn’t that recognition enough?  My wife reminds me often that I write for an audience of One.  And if He is happy, that is all the recognition I need.

 

It’s a difficult transition to make, isn’t it?  We are so anxious to be acknowledged by others.  We complain often when we are overlooked at work, when someone else gets the kudos for something we did.  My wife has pointed out more than once that being a mother at home is the most unrecognized job in the world.  She may be right.  Acknowledgement is psychologically necessary.  But far too often, we get more love from a dog than we do from other people (that line is from Oswald Chambers).  Can you imagine what changes would occur in your mental character if you really played only for the audience of One?  Let me give you a hint – you might look quite a bit more like Jesus.  He seems to have incorporated this attribute of humility into every aspect of his life.

 

A week ago I accidentally (?) observed a spiritual mega-rally on television.  The stadium was packed.  The cameras were rolling.  The band was blasting.  The singers were gyrating.  And the preacher was playing – to an audience of thousands.  It was anything but anonymous.  And anything but humble.  It was the “Glory Show” on primetime.  I wonder if Jesus decided to stay home. 


If the greatest among you shall be a servant of all, then being anonymous must become the hallmark of a servant.  Sometimes God scoops up His anonymous children and pushes them into the spotlight.  They usually end up there complaining to the Lord that they are ill equipped.  They usually have this deep sense of not being the right person for the job.  Others are more qualified.  Others have the necessary gifts.  But God likes to pick on the weak and the feeble.  Those characteristics allow Him to demonstrate His power instead of our prestige. 

 

Today is a great day to discover just how anonymous you are.  Are you willing to be God’s ghostwriter?  Are you ready to have your life completely overlooked by this world in order to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant”?  If you look closely at the lives of those who are on your one hundred names list, you will probably find that they didn’t get there because of their own efforts at recognition.  Jesus had a lot to say about this too.

 

Millions of followers have faded into history without any worldly recognition.  But God knew every single name.  Are you ready to be counted with them?  I would rather have God know my name and be His anonymous servant than have everyone on earth give me a round of applause.

Category: Articles  | Tags: ,  | 10 Comments

Abraham Lincoln on Humility

Sunday, June 21st, 2009 | Author:

One of our community submitted this article to me.  I thought we all needed to read it.

A Message from Abraham Lincoln 
Yosef Ben Shlomo Hakohen 

In an article on religious trends in America during the 1980′s, Newsweek wrote: 

“A group affirmation of self is at the top of the agenda, which is why some of the least demanding churches are now in greatest demand…In their efforts to accommodate, many clergy have simply airbrushed sin out of their language. Like politicians, they can only recognize mistakes that congregations are urged to ‘put behind them.’ Having substituted therapy for spiritual discernment, they appeal to a nurturing God who helps His (or Her) people cope. Heaven, by this creed, is never having to say no to yourself, and God is never having to say you’re sorry.” (Religion: Shopping for a Church, Newsweek, December 17th, 1990) 

Around the mid-nineteenth century, there was a different spirit among religions in America – one which stressed individual and communal responsibility. An example of this spirit can be found in President Abraham Lincoln’s “Proclamation of a Day of Prayer and Fasting” which was issued at the beginning of the Civil War: 

Abraham Lincoln Aug. 12, 1861 (This is written in an older style of English.) 

Whereas a joint Committee of both Houses of Congress has waited on the President of the United States, and requested him to “recommend a day of public humiliation, prayer and fasting, to be observed by the people of the United States with religious solemnities, and the offering of fervent supplications to Almighty God for the safety and welfare of these States, His blessings on their arms, and a speedy restoration of peace:” – 

And whereas it is fit and becoming in all people, at all times, to acknowledge and revere the Supreme Government of God; to bow in humble submission to his chastisements; to confess and deplore their sins and transgressions in the full conviction that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and to pray, with all fervency and contrition, for the pardon of their past offences, and for a blessing upon their present and prospective action: 

And whereas, when our own beloved Country, once, by the blessing of God, united, prosperous and happy, is now afflicted with faction and civil war, it is peculiarly fit for us to recognize the hand of God in this terrible visitation, and in sorrowful remembrance of our own faults and crimes as a nation and as individuals, to humble ourselves before Him, and to pray for His mercy, — to pray that we may be spared further punishment, though most justly deserved; that our arms may be blessed and made effectual for the re-establishment of law, order and peace, throughout the wide extent of our country; and that the inestimable boon of civil and religious liberty, earned under His guidance and blessing, by the labors and sufferings of our fathers, may be restored in all its original excellence: – 

Therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do appoint the last Thursday in September next, as a day of humiliation, prayer and fasting for all the people of the nation. And I do earnestly recommend to all the People, and especially to all ministers and teachers of religion of all denominations, and to all heads of families, to observe and keep that day according to their several creeds and modes of worship, in all humility and with all religious solemnity, to the end that the united prayer of the nation may ascend to the Throne of Grace and bring down plentiful blessings upon our Country. 

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed, this 12th, day of August A.D. 1861, and of the Independence of the United States of America the 86th. 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 
By the President: 
WILLIAM H. SEWARD, Secretary of State. 

This was reprinted from NewsMax.com 

President Abraham Lincoln, in the above proclamation, expresses certain spiritual ideas which are rooted in Jewish tradition, such as the need for universal recognition of the “Supreme Government of God,” the need to recognize the “hand of God” in national calamities, and the need for confession, repentance, and prayer for “our own faults and crimes as a nation and as individuals.” 

There is a phrase within the ancient Aleinu prayer – a prayer which is chanted at the conclusion of the morning, afternoon, and evening services – that expresses the need for universal recognition of The Divine sovereignty: “To perfect the world through the Almighty’s Sovereignty.” And we add: “Then all humanity will call upon Your Name, to turn all the earth’s wicked toward You.” The prayer concludes with the following verse from our Scriptures: “Hashem will be Sovereign over all the earth; on that day Hashem will be One and His Name One” (Zechariah 14:9). 

Abraham Lincoln’s recognition of the “hand of God” in national calamities is expressed in the following proclamation of the Prophet Amos: 

“Is the shofar ever sounded in a city, and the people not tremble? Can there be misfortune in a city, if Hashem had not brought it?” (Amos 3:6) 

From the perspective of Jewish tradition, the arrival of misfortune in the land is a “wake-up call.” Our tradition therefore teaches that during a period of crisis and danger, we are to engage in a process of “teshuvah” – returning to the path of Hashem – the Compassionate One. For example, there is a mitzva to blow trumpets during a period of war or any other calamity (Numbers 10:9), and Maimonides offers the following explanation of this mitzva: 

“Such conduct is of the essence of teshuva, for when calamity befalls the people, and they offer up supplications concerning it – sounding also the trumpets – all are bound to realize that it is owing to their bad ways that misfortune has befallen them…If, however, they neither offer up such supplications nor sound the trumpets, declaring that what has befallen them is but a natural event, or that this misfortune is the result of chance and accident, then their course is one of wickedness, and causes them to persist in their bad ways; thus, their misfortune is bound to be followed by many others.” (The Laws of the Fast Days 1: 1-3) 

The following Divine call goes out to all peoples and all individuals: “Do I desire at all the death of the wicked person?… Is it not rather his return from his ways, that he might live? ” (Ezekiel 18:23) 

There is a comforting prophecy that in the messianic age, humanity will finally heed this call: “All the ends of the earth will remember and return to Hashem; all the families of nations will bow before You.” (Psalm 22:28 – This Psalm is also said on Purim.) 

In his commentary on the above verse, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch writes: “Defection from Hashem was never an inborn trait with individuals or with humankind as a whole. The unspoiled hearts of children are close to Hashem, and the same was true of humankind in its pristine state. Alienation from Him came much later. Therefore, through the stimulus emanating from Israel, they will all ‘remember’. Their ‘original’ consciousness of Hashem will come alive again, and they will ‘return’ to Him.” 

In this spirit, we, the Jewish people, pray: “Bring us back to You, Hashem, and we shall return, renew our days as of old.” (Lamentations 5:21)

Category: Articles  | Tags: , , , ,  | 2 Comments

Walk This Way (1)

Monday, May 18th, 2009 | Author:

Therefore, I, the prisoner of the Lord, exhort you to walk worthily of the calling in which you were called, with all humility and meekness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love; being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1

Worthily – Paul doesn’t leave us guessing. He is quite specific about the way we must walk if we are to exhibit the character of the Messiah. We are to walk worthily. The Greek is axios. It’s an adverb drawn from the noun axios (the spelling is different in Greek). This word is all about a measure of value. In other words, weigh what you do and see if it matches the character of the one who saved you. Measure up to Him! Then you will know you are walking worthily.

This little word gets some pretty significant use when it comes to walking the way of Jesus. Paul tells us in Romans 8:18 that suffering is part of the walk. Peter says the same. Jesus says that those who are worthy of Him put Him above all other relationships (Matthew 10:37). They display absolute humility and submission (John 1:27). Jesus is their one and only standard. His life is the example for their lives.

Of course, we don’t live in first century Israel. We don’t wear sandals every day (unless you live in Florida like I do). We don’t go to the Temple for festivals. We drive cars instead of walking. So, doesn’t that mean that a lot of things have to change in the way that we walk worthily? Fortunately, the character attributes and attitudes that we are to emulate are timeless. After all, they find their truest expression in God. We simply reflect what has always been true of Him just as Yeshua reflected what was always true of the character of the Holy One of Israel. Paul doesn’t leave us guessing. He gives us some great measurements for testing our conformity to the standard.

The first is humility. Actually, the word is not tapeinos, but rather tapeinophrosune. It’s not simply being humble. This word implies taking a deliberate mental attitude of low-mindedness. This is a clear realization of my immense unworthiness before the Lord. This is a deliberate posture of bringing myself to own up to the reality that I do not deserve any of His kindness – and that I am not one iota better than anyone else. This is the exact opposite of the human penchant for self-importance; the contemporary desire for individually determined destiny. The Bible demands that we estimate ourselves according to God’s view, not ours. To walk worthily I must first know my unworthiness. By the way, that does not mean we are nothing. To the contrary, God so highly esteemed us that He was willing to die for us. But it is His estimation that determines my value in this world, not mine. My reality is soaked in my lack of holiness. He lifts me from that real situation and it is only because of Him that I have any standing before His throne. Tapeinophrosune is the exact opposite of pride!

Interestingly, Paul combines humility with meekness. If you thought that this is a call to be a self-effacing wall-flower, you don’t understand the power in meekness. But that’s for tomorrow.

Topical Index: humility, worthy, axios, tapeinophrosune, Ephesians 4:1

Category: Today's Word  | Tags: , , , ,  | Comments off

A Year on the Ash Heap

Sunday, May 10th, 2009 | Author:

A Year on the Ash Heap: Travels with Job

The book of Job is considered the oldest book of the Bible. With this in mind, the story becomes even more challenging. After all, if this account is the oldest book, then it follows that all of the other stories, directions, prophetic utterances and guidance was not around when Job saw his life come apart at the seams. He did not have the chance of reflecting on the Psalms of David, the wisdom of Solomon, the accounts of God’s faithfulness is Genesis and Exodus, the history of God’s care in the prophets or the rules for living in the other books. Job had to go it alone.

The record of God’s interaction with Man reduces the devastation of our catastrophes. Perhaps God knew that those of us who were not “blameless and upright” needed to have a source of comfort and direction. God is merciful. We could have been born in Job’s world.

There is another tiny factor that we often overlook when we find ourselves in a Job environment. Job’s catastrophe continued much longer than it takes us to read the forty-two chapters. Disasters are quite different when they stretch along for month after month. Human beings show great courage and resilience when faced with sudden traumas, but it’s the daily grind of unresolved terror that eats up the soul. Just ask anyone who is dealing with a slow losing battle with cancer. Time squeezes the hope from us. We have no idea how long Job endured his suffering. Long enough for him to consider death a pleasant alternative. And Job dealt with the continuation of suffering without the comfort of words like, “I have overcome the world” or “I saw a new heaven and a new earth”. God is merciful in ways we sometimes do not recognize.

Job may not have had the reservoir of Biblical teaching and promises, but Job has some advantages. His interaction with God is not as cluttered as ours. He doesn’t have to sort through 5000 years of theological bickering to decide if some text really applies to him. His faith is first-hand personal communication (much like ours is supposed to be, I would guess). Job doesn’t need to go to the local bookstore and buy the latest thinking on God’s view of crisis, relationship management or career restructuring. Job deals direct. And, of course, Job knows that he is righteous. That is a big leg up. I personally know that I am a long way from righteous. My guess is that most of us will hesitate to raise a hand when God asks, “Who among you is blameless and upright?” God has redeemed me from myself, but He probably wouldn’t say, “There is no one on earth like Skip”. I am a terrible sinner rescued by grace, not deserving of any compliment by God. Job and I might be the same in some ways, but on this one, I don’t seem to be even close.

Uncluttered, blameless and personally connected. Job’s advantages. Of course, my life in Christ puts me in the same camp by adoption. So Job’s advantages become mine by inheritance. I don’t have to sort out the theology in order to know God. God counts me blameless because of His Son and I have a direct channel of communication with the Spirit Who lives within me.

Job’s disadvantages are a little different too. We share the same “friends”. We both have that group of “helpers” whose role in life is to remind us that terrible circumstances are curses directly related to our past performance. We both have the company of spiritual advisors who are anxious to propose solutions but who quickly dismiss our explanations or questions. We are blessed with the group consciousness of moral blame; the ones who are more than ready to point out why we deserved this calamity. And, of course, we are visited often by those who offer God’s advice but withhold substantive compassion. Do you recall any of Job’s companions bringing medication or money or means of support? They had lots to say, but the only thing they provided Job in his trouble was the tonnage of words. I wonder if he might not have appreciated a drink or a meal a bit more.

Job and I have been traveling together for a year now. During that time, we have seen the companions come and go. The first group rushed in to remind us of our failures to prepare. Life is full of potential disasters. You should have known this. Why were to so trusting, so open, or gullible? After they leveled the playing field to the common denominator of fate, they left. What more could they add? They were really Greeks, afraid of undeserved catastrophe. After all, if it can happen to you, it can happen to me. So, better to stay away from any chance that your bad luck will rub off on me. Give advice and get away. If I pretend it isn’t my problem, I won’t have to deal with the fragile nature of my life.

The second group is the “spiritual” advisors. These people mean well. They have good hearts. They truly sympathize. But they just can’t listen. They want to convey God’s direction to those who are suffering but they take the shotgun approach – “Let me tell you all that God can do”. Job and I don’t say much. We try to be polite. But inside we are sort of saying, “You really don’t understand what’s happening here.” They haven’t been on the ash heap themselves. They’ve read about it or heard about it or can imagine it. But that’s the end of the story. They forgot to listen. Kind of like a couple who haven’t had children talking about their plans for parenting. They all sound good. They just haven’t encountered the two-year old yet.

The next companions are those who really want to help but they don’t think that they have the means. The have forgotten something Job never knew. The story of the loaves and fishes. “I really wish I could do something to help you,” but what they really mean is “I would do something if it were big enough to matter.” So, they don’t do anything. Job could have used a tube of ointment for his sores, but because they could not heal him, they did not bring anything for the relief of a single infection. I am constantly amazed when I discover that someone I know who is in desperate trouble has not received a card or a plate of cookies or a ticket to a movie or an offer to do the cleaning. When life is a total disaster, every sign of care and relief matters. You don’t have to solve the big problem. You just have to solve a problem.

This seems to be an American problem. My friend wrote to me about his effort to raise money for housing for someone who needs a home. The total project is a lot of money. But he only needed $1.00 from each of the employees in several businesses. $1.00! Nothing. Everyone can give $1.00. But no one will. Why? Because they will think, “What will $1.00 matter?” What will a card matter? What will a tank of gas matter? What will paying for a babysitter matter? None of it will matter at all because people in this group will wait for God to do something big instead of doing something big with the very little God has already given them. It is the American view of individualism turned into spiritual dyslexia. You look at the situation and see only the total picture. So, you throw up your hands and say, “Well, only God can fix that” while the victim has the power shut off because the group would not give $0.25 each. The “church” in America is just a collection of individuals, not a community, until each individual makes a life commitment to the welfare of everyone else in the group.

Finally there’s the family. This is a mixed bag. Sometimes someone in the family actually understands. Patience, weeping, shared sorrow and shared encouragement. These people are priceless. They hold your hand, listen to you talk about the sorrows and the joys, say little, pray a lot. We need these people. Usually family also includes the other ones. These are the family members who tell you that whatever you did to deserve this, you need to confess and make it right. They ignore your protestations. They already know you too well to believe that you can change. They remember when you did this or that. They are your human judges, passing out God’s verdict on your life so that you will be brought to the proper place of repentance. They are focused on blame. But the motivation for assigning blame is not because they are anxious to have God relieve your sorrow. They want God to relieve the fallout that your disaster has had for them. Job’s wife comes to him with a plea. “Don’t be so stubborn. Admit that you sinned. Say you’re sorry so God will give us back everything that I lost because of you. Stop pretending it’s not your fault.”

As Job and I travel along this road, we discover that each step of progress is a step away from the expectation of return to the old life. Perhaps that’s the message in the lost children. I have always wondered how Job could ever return to joy no matter what God restored to him if he lived the rest of his life under the specter of the death of his children. But I am beginning to see that the restoration of his fortune is an after-thought. What Job really needed is exactly what I need. Not a return to a better life after collapse but rather a tighter, closer dependence on God so that no external circumstance alters my confidence in His care.

God had to take away the false security I enjoyed to show me the truth of my existence. I am one of the most fragile of His creations. A few degrees change in the global temperature and I am finished. A shift in biological balance, a tiny change in the food chain, a small disturbance in natural resources and my world reveals itself as a very hostile place – from which there is no real protection. The first lesson of life is dependence. It is not a once-learned lesson. It is a continuous reassessment of my daily direction. It goes hand in hand with finite and fragile. Death is not entirely tragic. The presence of death in my world is a very meaningful reminder that I am a totally dependent creature, deliberately designed that way.

The second lesson I learned with Job is humility. Recognizing my inability to provide even the most basic needs of life has given me a new perspective on humility. My existence depends on grace – the grace of God and the grace of God through the hands of others. Desperation is the acid cleanser of pride. Proud people starve. Desperate people bow in humility in order to be fed. There is a reason why Jesus spent his time with the outcasts. They understood what it meant to be unable to care for themselves. Until we learn the lesson of humility, we will be unlikely to see God’s grace when it does come. We will still be shouting, “It’s my right” or “I am entitled.” I must have had a lot of pride because I had to take a great fall. Don’t ask me to be my own god anymore. I don’t have the stomach for it.

Number three at mile marker 365 is trust. The lesson here is simple: trust takes time. Abraham got up and followed God as a young man. Things looked promising. But over the decades that followed, Abraham learned dependence and humility (in some very stressful ways) until one day, a century after he left home, God said, “Now I know you really love me.” Trust takes time. My battle today is not about dependence. I learned that lesson in relatively short order. When you hit zero, you know it is no longer up to you. Humility took a lot longer. I always thought that if I just worked harder, was smarter, looked for all the angles and did all I could, I would find a way out. I had my pride. I would not take food stamps. But God can’t use a man with pride. Even in bankruptcy, that man is still claiming his own right to the world. Humility is giving up my way.

Trust is a lot more difficult. It is the positive side of the equation. What I have discovered is that trust requires failure. I have to learn through failure that I can’t trust anyone or anything except God and that the only reason I can trust God is because He says I can. Trust is not about being restored. It is about immersion in the character of the restorer, even if nothing ever gets restored. Trust is my learned confidence in who God is, not in what He does. Today, at mile marker 365, my expectations about life are being scraped away. I no longer know where I am going. My personal goal setting has lots of blank spaces. But I am learning to trust the one I follow, even if I don’t know where he is taking me. Some days it seems as though we are heading in the wrong direction. I complain, “But Lord, things looked like they were going to turn around. Why are we walking away now?” He rarely answers me. He just motions – come along. Those are difficult days. For a self-reliant, arrogant, planner like me, becoming a child who just follows along is a big assignment. I’ll need a lot of grace to complete it.

Category: Articles  | Tags: , , ,  | 9 Comments

Merit Badges

Tuesday, April 21st, 2009 | Author:

You have said to YHWH, “You are my Lord, I have no good apart from You.”  Psalm 16:2

No Goodness – It helps if we see the literal rendering of this verse.  “My goodness is not apart from You.”  Why is this important?  Because the difference in the word order shows us what is emphasized and what conclusions must be drawn. 

Notice that the first thought is my goodness.  The Hebrew is tovati.  The root is tovah (tov), means good, well-pleasing, proper, prosperous, convenient and morally correct.  That covers it, doesn’t it?  What else is there to goodness that isn’t captured in this word?  Nothing.  In other words, whatever claim I might have about being good, proper, prosperous, moral or beneficial – all of my goodness – is summarized under this word. 

But what does David says about my goodness?  None of it belongs to me!  In Hebrew, bal-aleika.  Apart from You, Lord, it means nothing!  Whatever I might claim as goodness depends entirely on You.  You are the source of my morality, my well-being, my proper actions and my prosperity.  My goodness is not separate from You.  I do not stand apart, claiming my own rights, proclaiming my own merit.  Unless you give me the merit badges, I have nothing at all.

This is a slave’s mentality in the mouth of a king.

Do we really think like this? When the most powerful human being in the land falls face down, expressing his worthlessness before the Sovereign Lord, we can hardly consider ourselves exempt from such humility.  The servant is not greater than the master.  And if the king is a servant, what does that make us?

It’s very hard to keep bal-aleika in the forefront of our thinking.  The world surrounds us with the seductive appeal of earned merit badges.  From the time we are able to walk, we are taught to stand on our own, make our own way and take life by the throat.  We give credit where credit is due.  We expect to be recognized for our goodness.  We pursue that recognition, extolling men and women of valor, integrity and virtue.  We are, above all else, self-made human beings.  To set aside all of this, to acknowledge our essential unloveliness and deep ego sin, is incredibly difficult.  Even when we say, bal-aleika, we have a tendency to take pride in our humility.  We might acknowledge that God really is the source of all goodness, but we want just a bit rubbed off on us so that we can hold our heads up, even if just for a split second.  We would settle for just a little goodness dust to fall on us.

But the Bible won’t allow it.  “There is none righteous, no, not one.”  How hard it is to come to terms with God’s judgment.

Let’s not be mistaken.  We have no goodness apart from Him, but He values us nevertheless.  In fact, He values us so much that John 3:16 is a reality.  My goodness is a myth, but His love is not.  It is His love that credits me with goodness, not my goodness that credits me with His love. 

Today, see if bal-aleika can sink just a little deeper into your thought.  Today, worship Him because He first loved us.

Topical Index:  goodness, tov, tovah, bal-aleika, apart, Psalm 16:2, humility, pride

Category: Today's Word  | Tags: , , , , , , ,  | 6 Comments