Humility is power. It is our human and divine weapon vs. pride. But the devil has made the world feel and believe that humility is weak and inferior. He made humility as an impossible virtue in the political and business arena and cunningly instigating arrogance among the self-righteous and hurting Christian in the Church. He is sugarcoating pride and arrogance as being smart, competitive and winner in any situation for survival and dominance in any field. So one has to exert his rights, and even fight for it. That one who allows a bully to rule over you is foolish and appalling. Humility seems to be out of fashion in a fast pace society whose system and norm is dominated by arrogant people. The Church is not spared of such sin.
What is humility? Is it weakness and inferiority as the world sees it? How does it work with oppression and hostility? How does it work in a rat race with arrogant people?
Cheer up! God knitted us with a garment of humility. This spiritual garment protects us from the shattering oppression of arrogance in the world. The insults and shame inflicted by the devil on us is his ploy to provoke our humility to become arrogant. Arrogance is agitating and it agitates. But humility stays cool. Arrogance scolds but humility keeps quiet. One who applies humility knows his worth is in Jesus, in quietness and in trust is his strength. (Isaiah 30:15)
Jericho was arrogant. Their soldiers mocked Israel who were not clad in armor.
Israel did not have the splendor of the Assyrian army or the chariots of Egypt. They were like a crazy bunch of untrained villagers in civilian clothes with pruning forks as their spears and plowshares as their swords. But Israel marched in humility. Their hearts were filled with faith in the word of their God who commanded them to take Jericho. They graciously took the insults, the mockery of proud Jericho. For six days, there was silence. Why? This is God's wisdom. This is the benefit of hearing from God. The response and attitude come from the command of the Lord. God's people must not respond according to human choice or standard. Response must always be a rhema and logos word of God. The seventh day is the day of plunder, of receiving wealth, and of feasting and rejoicing. This is the reward of humility, the attitude that God wants for his people. Israel's shout of victory is a shout of humility, faith, victory and joy. Then Jericho crumbled. ( Joshua 5:13; 6:27 )
Tooth for tooth, blood for blood, this is the way of the proud and wicked. The most sinister people who carry out this mission believe that they are doing it for a cause, for God. When the sheep of God's pasture meet this people, history recorded meekness of those who died under such ruthlessness. The devil thought he had the edge and the power to annihilate God's people. No. He did kill some of the sheep but it was a time when there was backsliding, sin and wickedness in the camp of God's people. King Ai was not a threat at all. But Israel was put to shame. Ai humiliated them with a defeat hard to accept. We cannot mock God's laws; we must uphold them. Sin defiles our camp and it humiliates us. Sin opens us to the devil to trample on us. But righteousness and holiness make us trample the serpent under our feet and turn it to Jesus, who turns it to the Father.
We don't have any image to protect, name to lift up, honor and life to preserve. We are dead to these things. Insults and death cannot kill us because we are already dead. We are already dead to ourselves ( Gal.2:20). Death to self is our strength, our authority, our power against death, which we must put under the feet of Jesus. ( 1 Cor.15:26 )
A husband who hits a wife or a wife who nags and bites is a picture of arrogance and pride. A couple boiling with madness are really crying for help like little helpless children longing for love and a bear hug. This drama at home hidden from people who admire us and regard us as godly couple and a perfect match can be corrected when humility takes root in the heart of any or on both husband and wife. No amount of madness can provoke humility because it does not respond to pain or rejection. Humility knows where he stands; he stands in righteousness and truth. Even if liars stand as his accusers, humility does not speak in defense. Take Jesus as our model. His accusers were met with his quietness. They lied; they were mad. They crucified him. He died in humility and then live in eternity. How about you? Would you rather receive the punches and live to see the power of humility or hit back and die arrogantly? Choose humility and enjoy life; you will inherit the earth. Under the feet of Jesus, you will rule and reign. That's the power of humility.
02/22/02 02:31 PM
Leo & Zeny Calderon
