Description
God Saves the Humble
This episode reflects on 2 Samuel 22:28 through three questions: what it shows about history, abou… (visit YouTube for more)
Transcript
What sort of qualities and characteristics do you suppose God is looking for in us as individuals and even in our corporate gatherings of believers? We get some insight into that in 2 Samuel 22:28, which says, “You save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.”
We’ll meditate on this through three questions. The first question: What does this tell me about history? If we look through the entirety of the Bible and see the themes that play out in the lives of people who follow God and fall, we can see the truth of this.
The verse says that God saves a humble people, but his eyes are on the haughty to bring them down. And we see that play out, don’t we? What happens to the Israelites? As long as they’re following God, as long as they are obeying him, as long as they are living humble lives of service to a God who deserves that service, they are saved. Their lives go well. He blesses them. He gives them success in whatever they do.
But then when they start saying, “Uh, we can do things our way. We’re gonna serve these other gods. We think we’ll get better outcomes through doing these things that you’ve ordered us not to do,” what then happens? Well, punishment falls on them. The inevitable consequence of living in a way that God says is bad for us happens to them, and God is watching them, and he allows that to happen to them.
He allows the Israelites to be taken out into exile because they’ve rejected God. And yet he’s still watching. He’s watching for their return to humility so that he can once again pour out love on them, pour out blessings.
History reflects this. History shows this principle to be true. Which is not to say that bad things happening in our life mean that we lack humility. No, we live in a fallen world and evil exists and befalls us.
But in terms of our entire lives end to end, the one who comes before God in humility, the history for that person will be that they are saved. Whereas the ones who live arrogantly saying, “There is no God,” or, “I choose not to believe in the true God,” they’re the ones who will be brought down.
Which would we rather be?
Question two: What does this tell me about God?
It tells us that His heart is to save. It tells us that He’s constantly looking. He is observing what we do individually, as collective groups, as congregations of believers. He is paying attention to us because He loves us. Actually, He wants to save us. He’s made that very, very clear through the sacrifice of Jesus. Which was a huge price for an immortal God to pay.
It tells us that He is observant. It tells us that He rejects haughtiness. He rejects arrogance. He rejects pride. This is a repeated theme in the Bible.
What is pride? Pride is saying, “I know better than God.” And that’s plainly foolish. He’s omniscient. It is not possible for us to be wiser than God. It’s not possible for us to be more loving. It’s not possible for us to know better than God.
And yes, God is intolerant of sin. The only reason we have not been obliterated from history is because God sent Jesus to take that punishment in our place. The wages of sin is death, but we receive life eternal through Jesus instead of that wage that we deserve.
So God is alert, He’s attentive, He’s intolerant of sin, but He’s oh so loving, and He wants to save His people.
And so our final question: Do I believe this? Do I believe that that’s God’s intention to save us? Because it makes a difference, doesn’t it, to how we live.
If we believe that God is good, and if we believe that He knows the best way for us to live, then we will pursue humility. And leaders, if you’re watching and meditating on this, this message is particularly for you.
Lead your people in a way of humility. Show them that it is important for us all to bow down before God. It’s important for us not to elevate ourselves.
As soon as we think our place, our position, our authority makes us special in some way, we are walking in pride. And we know that pride goes before a fall.
If we believe this, and we must, it changes the way we behave. It changes the way we think. You see, at the start of every single day, we can say, “God, you absolutely know best for me. You know how this day should go. You know how I can serve you best today. I ask that you guide me and I will look to you. And I will aim to live in a way that pleases you, my Father.”
That is the kind of attitude on which God smiles. And the smile of God is comforting indeed.
Lord God, thank you that you are inclined to save a humble people. Please help us to guard against haughtiness, pride, arrogance, because we do not want to be brought down. In fact, we want to be brought into your presence. We want to live with you, God, day by day.
Thank you that you are helping us through the power of your Holy Spirit, through the witness and the example of Jesus. Amen.
