Bible Study
Bible Definition of Humility
The NIV Bible translation provides us with a direct definition of humility.
“Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.” ‘ Proverbs 22:4. NIV
First Corinthians 13:4 tells us love is not proud.
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud.“
1 Corinthians 13:4 ERV
If we flip ‘love is not proud’ we get; pride is not love. Meaning that love is humble.
Therefore my working definition of humility is the fear of the Lord and walking in love (Proverbs 22:4, 1 Corinthians 13:).
From the original translated words, humility means; to make low, to bring low, to level, of low degree, to reduce to a plain, to have a modest opinion of one’s self, devoid of all haughtiness.
Interestingly, one consistent translated meaning for both humility and humble is “lowliness of mind“. We also find humility commonly associated with meekness, gentleness and being lowly.
Notice the focus of this Bible definition of humility on oneself. In my opinion, this somewhat contrasts the dictionary definition as seen in Part I where much emphasis was on others, with added relativity to worth, achievements, accomplishments etc. While I do not think that this observation outrightly makes humility an individual centred thing (not having reference to others), I am more inclined to thinking that it communicates the importance of humility as a virtue to be desired and exhibited by all irrespective of social, educational, cultural (or whatever) standing. I believe that if we are meek, lowly, gentle, humble in and of ourselves, we will no doubt express same in our relationships (with God and man).
So, no matter who or what you are, be humble. No matter your exposure or lack of it, be humble. You are educated or uneducated, be humble. Rich or poor, be humble. Black or white, be humble. High or low, be humble. Humility is a godly virtue to be desired by all.
We do not let our ‘having’ or ‘not having’ define us. Be ‘confidently humble’ as a way of life and as a nature. Neither intimidated, timid, shy, inferior nor prideful, superior, haughty. Having a beautifully sweet stable balance of self-worth. For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind.
Now we know that it is almost impossible for the natural mind to live this way. Hence the need to recognize the 2 drivers for expressing humility in our relationships; the fear of the Lord (relating to God) and walking in agape (relating with others).
When the Bible says ‘be humble’, this means; to have a modest opinion of oneself, to bring oneself low, to depend on God, to trust Him, to act in love towards others, putting them before us.
“In whatever you do, don’t let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble, and honor others more than yourselves.“
Philippians 2:3 ERV
“Don’t trust in your own wisdom, but fear and respect the Lord and stay away from evil.”
Proverbs 3:7 ERV
As straightforward and simple as humility may sound, it can be tricky working it out or living it.
Question: how do you bring yourself low?
Below, we look at instances in the Bible where God thought someone or a group of persons behaved humbly..
Example of Humility #1: Second Chronicles 12:1-7
“Now it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had strengthened himself, that he forsook the law of the Lord , and all Israel along with him. And it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the Lord, with twelve hundred chariots, sixty thousand horsemen, and people without number who came with him out of Egypt— the Lubim and the Sukkiim and the Ethiopians. And he took the fortified cities of Judah and came to Jerusalem. Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah, who were gathered together in Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, “Thus says the Lord : ‘You have forsaken Me, and therefore I also have left you in the hand of Shishak.’ ” So the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, “The Lord is righteous.” 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.”
II Chronicles 12:1-7 NKJV
Rehoboam allowed his achievements and worth to define him. They became a stronghold on him. God’s laws and commandments didn’t mean anything to him any longer. And to make matters worse, all of Israel, God’s own people, followed Rehoboam’s leading. Shishak was just God’s way of bringing Rehoboam and Israel back to their senses.
Humility is the fear of the Lord. To fear the Lord is to reverence Him, recognize His supremacy, to trust Him, rely on Him, depend on His wisdom, to walk in His statutes, to be submitted totally to God.
Example of Humility #2: Daniel 12: 4-12
“Now on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, that is, the Tigris, I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz! His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude. And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength. Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground. Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling. Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.”
Daniel 10:4-12 NKJV
Daniel’s display of humility was simply to bow his heart in prayer. To seek to understand, to bring himself low to be instructed and directed by God.
Example of Humility #3: Numbers 12:1-16.
“Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. So they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it. (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!” So the three came out. Then the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. Then He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I , the Lord , make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face, Even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the Lord . Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant Moses?” So the anger of the Lord was aroused against them, and He departed. And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper. So Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my Lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. Please do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb!” So Moses cried out to the Lord , saying, “Please heal her, O God, I pray!” Then the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again. ” So Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again. And afterward the people moved from Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran.“
Numbers 12:1-16 NKJV
My first thoughts reading Numbers 12:1-16, were to try to remember under what circumstances Moses could fit a ‘humble man’ description. I would personally not judge Moses as humble. However when one reads Numbers 12:1-16 again and again, it becomes easy to see reasons why Moses could have been haughty and prideful if he wanted to but he remained lowly.
Then He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I , the Lord , make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face, Even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant Moses?”
This was God actually attesting to Moses’ humility, … if you ask me. Probably, up until then, no other human had seen God face to face!! None other had experienced the kind of intimacy Moses enjoyed with God and yet, he seldom rubbed it in other people’s faces, neither did it affect his estimation of himself. Moses remained Moses, God’s chosen vessel of honor despite all his encounters with God. That’s humility! This reminds me of Paul saying that the thorn on his flesh were sent to humble him considering the depth of revelations on GRACE the Lord gave to him (like no one else had received). As stated in one of my blogposts, “It’s Not About the thorns“, I do not fully understand Paul’s claim, however, this Moses’ case just reminds me of it.
Notice again that Moses’ humility wasn’t only towards God. I mean, he effortlessly prayed for the Lord to heal Miriam despite her disrespect and competitive tendencies. Can we be like that? I never understand when people pray for their ‘enemies’ to die or fail. Actually, I have a big problem with that. First, a Christian has only one enemy (satan), second, agape doesn’t work that way. People who silently wish or pray in their hearts for another person to fail (or die) are not humble and do not know God (for he who does not love does not know God).
Example of Humility #4: Second Chronicles 34:27
“because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you, ” says the Lord . II Chronicles 34:27 NKJV
Example #5: Second Chronicles 7:14
“if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” II Chronicles 7:14 NKJV
Example #6
“So Ahab sold himself out to do what the Lord says is evil. There is no one who did as much evil as Ahab and his wife Jezebel, who caused him to do these things. Ahab committed the terrible sin of worshiping those filthy idols, just as the Amorites did. And that is why the Lord took the land from them and gave it to the Israelites. When Ahab heard what Elijah said, he tore his clothes to show how sad he was. Then he put on sackcloth and refused to eat. He even slept in these clothes. He was very sad and upset. The Lord said to the prophet Elijah from Tishbe, “Look, Ahab has humbled himself before me. So I will not make that disaster happen during his lifetime. I will wait until his son is king. Then I will destroy his family.”
1 Kings 21:25-29 ERV
Example #7
“Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Mathew 18:4 NKJV
The example of humility Jesus picks on here is that of a child’s innocence and naivety. One useful display of a child’s innocence and naive nature is trust. A child trusts because his/her thoughts, impressions, ideas are unadulterated by external factors of negative experiences or doubt. A child believes that daddy will return with a box of candies ‘just as he promised’. In addition, a well brought up child believes, obeys and follows.
Example #8
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:5-11
Reading Philippians 2:5-11, my thoughts are, one, I do not think Jesus was of no reputation. Well in hindsight and from where I am standing from, I can see that His reputation was unparalleled (forgive my bias). But think back to Jesus’s time, nobody knew him, well, I mean not like celebrity or a revered personality. So whatever reputation Jesus had, was to Himself and among His followers. Two, how does God Himself (Jesus) condescend to becoming man? Love for mankind and reverence for God the Father. Jesus’s humility was to God, His love was to man (selah). So any form of humility outside of these 2 drivers may not be appropriate and could very well be false humility or yielding to manipulation/control.
From these examples, Bible meaning of humility point to; godliness, trusting fully in the Lord, fear of the Lord, unconditional love, obedience and submission to God, leaning on God, praying to God, turning to God for help, being lowly and meek,
Someone may just say; most of the cited examples are God-related, is humility mainly God-centred? ….
Please join me next time as we deal with 1. Who to be humble to. 2. False humility. 3. Relationship between humility and submission.
Stay blessed and love always.
