On a recent adventure, a rock
climber saw something that taught him a valuable lesson on the subject of
humility. Two mountain goats stood facing each other on a narrow ledge, one
going up the mountain, the other coming down. There was not enough room for both
of them to pass each other at the same time so there they stood facing each
other in a silent confrontational showdown. Moments later the lesson was
learned.
Text: James 4:6-10; Proverbs 11:2; 22:4; Psalm 138:6
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Humility
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The climber watched in utter
amazement as the goat going up the mountain lowered itself down onto its knees
and then laid down further on its stomach and became perfectly still as it
allowed the other goat to walk over him on its way down the mountain. Once
passed over, the goat got to its feet and continued its journey up the
mountain. The lesson here is that when you humble yourself in the sight of the
Lord, you may sometimes be walked over and downtrodden but ultimately the Lord
will lift you up to success and victory.
On the other hand, prideful
people who walk over others are all heading downhill on the path to defeat and
destruction. The book of 1 Samuel tells the story of a humble young man who
personified the story of the one mountain goat who made it to the top of the
mountain.
The people of Israel wanted a
king. The sons of the prophet Samuel did not rule uprightly as their father
had. They were greedy and instead of judging honestly they took bribes from the
people. At the same time, the surrounding countries were ready to harass and
oppress them on all sides, so the people went to the elder Samuel and demanded
that he anoint them a king who would lead them in victory over their enemies.
They were turning from faith in
the invisible God in order to put
their confidence in a visible king. When approached by Samuel about this, God
told the prophet to “heed their voice and make them a king.” He also told the
prophet to forewarn the people and show them the ungodly behavior of the king who would rule over them. Still, the
people persisted and was therefore given a king whose name was Saul.
Saul was a tall man, head and
shoulders above every person under his rule. By outward appearances he seemed
to be the perfect man for the job but inwardly, Saul considered himself
unworthy and was ruled by low self-esteem. When told that he was chosen by God
to be king and that he was the desire of all Israel he replied, “Am I not a
Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of
all the families of the tribe of Benjamin?” (1 Sam. 9:21).
Saul lacked confidence in himself
and in the Godly heritage of his family. When the time came for him to become
king he ran away and hid. Saul was a deceitful, jealous, moody, and faithless
man who as king turned his back on God in willful disobedience.
The day soon came when God told
Samuel that He wanted a new king for His people. He told Samuel to go to
Jesse’s house and one of his sons would be the new king. When the prophet
arrived, a great feast was given and a sacrifice was prepared. All were invited
to the celebration. All, that is, except one. A humble shepherd boy named
David, Jesse’s youngest son, was left in the fields keeping sheep in submissive
obedience to his father. He was left in obscurity and contempt but God often exalts those whom men despise and
look down upon.
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Be humble and nothing will touch you
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One by one, the sons of Jesse
stood before the prophet and each time God revealed to Samuel that they were
not the one to be chosen king. When told of a younger son out in the fields
tending sheep, the prophet refused to let any-body sit down to eat until David
was brought in. He who was designed not
to sit at the table is now waited upon as the principle guest. David was
the last one called but he definitely was not the least of his brethren.
David had an honest look on his
face, sweet and lovely. He had a clean complexion, a good eye, and a lovely
face. His name means “beloved” for he was a type of the beloved Son of God. The Lord told Samuel when
David arrived, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” (1 Sam. 16:12). In the
midst of his brothers, David was anointed to one day be king. 1 Sam. 16:33
says, “And the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.”
A divine power went along with
the sign of being anointed with oil. Due to his humility and obedience, David
soon found himself inwardly advanced in wisdom, courage, and all the necessary
qualifications of being a king. David was a first-rate type of individual. He
was good looking, knew music, and was a skilled warrior. He had a genuine
concern for God’s people and was quick to learn and comprehend. He was humble,
obedient, submissive, and the Lord was with him. Everything that a king needed
for success David had. He humbled himself and God lifted him up (Matt. 23:12). And humble as he was, David did not
forget his obligations to his father and before long he was back in the fields
watching over his father’s sheep.
Throughout Saul’s reign, the
Israelites were continually at war with the Philistine army. On one occasion, the
two opposing armies were drawn up on facing mountains with a valley between
them. These armies had fought before but this time it was different. The
Philistine army brought with them a giant from the city of Gath. Gath was well
known as being the residence of a remnant of the Anakim, men of great stature. All their confidence was placed in
the prideful Goliath.
This fearsome giant was nearly
ten feet tall and had six fingers on his hands and six toes on his feet. He had
been a warrior since his youth and had the finest armor and the best weapons a
soldier could have. Daily, Goliath would go out into the valley and jeer at the
Israelite army. With arrogance and pride, he proposed a challenge for one man
to come out and fight him and the winner would determine the outcome of the
war. As king, Saul should have been the one to rise up to the challenge and fight
Goliath but like the rest of his army, he also cowered in fear and low
self-esteem. There was no person alive who could defeat this giant. Or so they
thought.
Three of Jesse’s oldest sons were
in the Israelite army and one day, David was asked to bring some provisions to
his brothers. David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper,
and went as Jesse had commanded him. While there, the Philistine champion, Goliath,
once again came out into the valley and challenged the Israelite army. All the
men of Israel fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. David saw this and
spoke to the men who stood by him, “For who is this uncircumcised Philistine
that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Sam. 17:26).
David was then brought to Saul to
whom he said, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and
fight with the Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:32). A little shepherd boy who just came
in from the field had more faith and courage than all the men of Israel. Notice
also the humility of David. Three times during this conversation with Saul he
refers to himself as “your servant.” Next, David tells the cowardly king why he
should be allowed to go out and face the giant Goliath. He tells of facing down
and killing a lion and a bear that came and attacked his father’s sheep. And,
most important of all, David gave God the glory for these two victories. That’s
humility!
1 Samuel 17:37 says, “Moreover
David said, ‘The Lord Who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the
paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of the Philistine.’ And Saul
said to David, ‘Go, and the Lord be with you!’”
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God lifts up the humble
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As the humble young shepherd left
the presence of the king to face the giant, he was in between a man of low
self-esteem and a man of pride. That’s precisely where humility should be. Unworthiness is wrong and so is ignorance.
When Goliath saw David coming out to meet him, he disdained the youngster and
began to curse him by his gods. “Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come
to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the
Name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel Whom you have
defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand’” (1 Sam. 17:45,46a).
With bold confidence, David ran
towards the towering giant and with skilled precision slung a smooth stone at
his adversary and struck him in the forehead. In an instant moment of time the
pride of the Philistine army lay motionless on the ground. “Therefore David ran
and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and
killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that
their champion was dead, they fled’’ (1 Sam. 17:51).
Humility had once again prevailed
over low self-esteem and pride. David humbled himself and was lifted up to become the greatest king
in the history of Israel. Lifting you up is what humility is all about. It
worked for David and a mountain goat on a rocky ledge. Surely it will work for
you as well.
When you become born again, God
gives you His Spirit (like the oil that carries you through the night but in
this case, through your life). This is His free gift to you. However, it is
your responsibility to keep yourself aglow and burning; not in your energy but
by the same Spirit you have received.
