May the mumbling commence!
Humility is good… when it is genuine. False humility is no better than pride. Let’s look at the story of the first human
king of Israel, Saul. Read a couple of
passages from First Samuel chapter nine and ten:
Just then Saul approached Samuel at the gateway and
asked, "Can you please tell me where the seer's house is?"
"I am the seer!" Samuel replied. "Go on up
the hill ahead of me to the place of sacrifice, and we'll eat there together.
In the morning I will tell you what you want to know and send you on your
way. And don't worry about those donkeys
that were lost three days ago, for they have been found. And I am here to tell
you that you and your family are the focus of all
Israel's hopes."
Saul replied, "But I'm only from Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and my
family is the least important
of all the families of that tribe! Why are you talking like this to
me?" (9:18-21)
Saul and his family is the source of hope for
Israel. That was the message delivered
by Samuel. That is a lot of
responsibility on one set of shoulders!
It must have been staggering for Saul to hear this
statement. That may explain his
answer. “I am least important among the
least important tribe of Israel.” But
that is not quite so. Read earlier from
First Samuel chapter nine:
Kish was a rich, influential man from the
tribe of Benjamin.
He was the son of Abiel and grandson of Zeror, from the family of Becorath and
the clan of Aphiah. His son
Saul was the most handsome man in Israel – head and shoulders taller
than anyone else in the land. (Verses 1-2)
Saul was from a rich and influential family… and he had
good looks and height. It is almost
unfair the blessings that he has. How can
he rightly say that his is least among the families of Benjamin? Say “hello” to false humility it would be his
eventual downfall. Saul showed this
false humility again when he was chosen among all the tribes of Israel to be
the first human king of Israel. Read
from First Samuel chapter ten:
So Samuel called the tribal leaders together before the Lord, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. Then he brought each family of the tribe of
Benjamin before the Lord, and the
family of the Matrites was chosen. And finally Saul son of Kish was chosen from
among them. But when they looked for him, he had disappeared! So they asked the Lord, "Where is
he?"
And the Lord
replied, "He is hiding among the baggage." So they found him and brought him out, and he
stood head and shoulders above anyone else.
Then Samuel said to all the people, "This is the man the Lord has chosen as your king. No one in
all Israel is his equal!"
And all the people shouted, "Long
live the king!" (Verses 20-24)
Saul hid among the baggage. How often do we hide behind the baggage that
we carry? We use past experiences and
the perceived realities of the present to keep us for the task the Lord has
given to us. Leave your baggage
behind! Jesus will take it away. Be free to be the wonderful creation that God
has made. If you do, no one will be your
equal among the people. Claim Jesus as
Lord with conviction and honesty. Leave
false humility behind and simply serve the Lord. Take a lesson from Thomas. Read from John chapter twenty:
One of the disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was
not with the others when Jesus came. They
told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he replied, "I won't
believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them,
and place my hand into the wound in his side."
Eight days later the disciples were together again, and
this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before,
Jesus was standing among them. He said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands.
Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer.
Believe!"
"My Lord and my God!" Thomas exclaimed.
Then Jesus told him, "You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven't seen me
and believe anyway." (Verses 24-29)
The other disciples needed to be calmed a second
time. Thomas was calmed only once and
recognized Jesus for who he is. Thomas
was humbled before the Lord.
Enough
mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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