Psalm 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.”
There are certain characteristics of God’s people that just stand out in God’s Kingdom. David and Elijah were renown for their courage in the face of incredible odds. Noah could be characterized by a steadfast spirit, who persisted in being found faithful. Abraham was known for his faith, trusting God as he was lead into an unknown country. Moses patiently waited upon the Lord and demonstrated righteousness as he became God’s shepherd over His people. Sarah who trusted, Enoch pleased God, Mary whom God blessed with favor, Ruth and Rahab are those whom God also recognized and received blessing.
The list of God’s hero’s of the faith goes on and on, people who may have been mocked or ridiculed by the world are those whom God has exalted and will receive honor when His rewards are given.
There are certain characteristics of God’s people that are less obvious, but highly valued in God’s Kingdom. You will undoubtedly find these attributes underlying every great man and woman of God. People love the brave and the mighty, but that is not where they began. They began among the lowly, the broken, and they are the ones who sought the Lord with all of their hearts.
Humble Servants
Humility is a divine characteristic that means to have a proper view of oneself before God. In the Hebrew, it literally means to bend the knee. The process of subjecting oneself to God’s authority is to forsake one’s own pride and accept God’s will as your own.
Humility saved the people of Israel from God’s wrath on many occasions.
2 Chronicles 12:7 “Now when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance. My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.”
Every time a stubborn and obstinate people stood in rebellion against the Lord, His wrath was kindled against them. But God in His mercy and grace would relent from doing them harm when He witnessed a change of heart.
It was the pride of mankind that brought them down. Pride exalts oneself and places man upon the throne…a throne that God alone deserves. For those who stubbornly persist, who refuse to submit to God’s warnings then humility is only realized in judgement.
Isaiah 5:14-16 “Therefore Sheol has enlarged itself
And opened its mouth beyond measure;
Their glory and their multitude and their pomp,
And he who is jubilant, shall descend into it.
People shall be brought down,
Each man shall be humbled,
And the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled.
But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in judgment,
And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness.”
The Lord will be exalted, but God who is rich in mercy allows the rebellious an opportunity to know His goodness and to partake of His grace.
The hearts of the humble and contrite of spirit are highly prized before the Lord. It takes brokenness to realize the destructive nature of pride and when demonstrated before the Lord, He revives those who forsake it.
Isaiah 57:15 “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”
Receiving mercy from God is a tremendous reward, but the reward doesn’t end there, the Lord gives reward now and to come.
Living Humbly
Walking in humility is an attribute not natural to the flesh. For the man or woman of God who has excelled in this attribute, the insight for living grows substantially.
Psalm 34:1-2 “I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.”
Did you notice what David was saying regarding the goodness of God?
As he blessed the Lord, and boasted in God’s glorious revelation of His goodness, it was the humble who could hear. Those who walk in humility, recognize God’s faithfulness upon the earth. They can see God’s hand move among those whose hearts are turned toward Him…..and they rejoice with them.
The world does not see God, nor can they see Him. Their blindness keeps them from partaking of anything that is truly good.
Humility is not a natural human trait. The flesh relishes in pride, and it is pride that brings them down. Humility is gained through conviction of sin, by recognition of God’s glorious splendor and seeing all that Jesus did to redeem His people from darkness.
The Cry of the Humble
The humble cry out to God…and He hears them.
Psalm 34:17-18 “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit.”
Everyone has their share of trouble, but when the going gets tough, it is the humble who demonstrate wisdom. They know where to turn, they understand whether they have sinned and strayed from the path of righteousness, and the humble exhibit contrition.
A contrite heart is a heart that knows the path they had been leading is contrary to God’s ordained path and a course correction is made. The flesh continually tries to exert dominance and the enemy deviously lures the weak into trouble. Following the Lord requires humility, knowing that His ways are perfect, His righteousness is just, and He is faithful toward all who call upon Him.
James 4:9-10 “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.”
The Humble can See
There is calamity that comes by way of God’s testing, and there is calamity that comes by way of rebellion. Many people attribute trouble only to satan’s work and fail to look at themselves in the mirror of God’s holiness and recognize their sin.
Psalm 33:18-19 “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy,
To deliver their soul from death,
And to keep them alive in famine.”
The fear of the Lord has a depth to it that reveals the position of the heart. The fear of God’s wrath comes by way of understanding God’s sovereignty and position as judge. The fear of God brings honor and recognition in God’s Kingdom, knowing the Lord is Holy, and having a knowledge of God’s Word is to walk in Truth. Access to God is given to those who humble themselves before Him, and God delights in them.
Matthew 23:11 “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
In Jesus’ Kingdom you will see a great multitude of believers who understood the necessity to bow their knee before the King of kings. In so doing, He lifted them up and placed a crown upon their heads. The love of God is poured into the hearts of the humble and that love is returned back to Him.
A contrite spirit is the heart of repentance. God calls people to humility and to turn from their sin and believe. The work of Salvation is the work of God, even humility can be a gift. When the proud stand in defiance before the Lord, it is the Lord who often brings them down. Sometimes pride just leads to trouble and the proud in heart stumble by their own doing.
Psalm 51:14-17 “Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.”
How will you be found before God when your day comes? Will be standing in defiance against His holy throne or will your life be marked by a life of humility and contrition before a just and holy Savior?
Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
The Kingdom of Heaven is for such as these. Search your heart, ask the Lord to remove anything that stands against His Sovereign purpose and ask Him to lead you in His everlasting way…and He will. He loves it when His beloved seek Him, for His power is perfected in weakness.(2 Cor. 12:9)
U.T. 