Pastor Don’s Bible Bytes
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,”
1 Peter 5:6 ESV
So, what does it mean to “humble ourselves”? I’m always talking about how the words we use today don’t always mean exactly what they meant back in the 1600’s when the Bible was translated into English. Now, to be clear, I am far from a Greek, Hebrew or Aramaic scholar. But, I do know how to do some research with tools provided in some of the Bible programs I use.
Okay Don what’s our point! My point is this… I use the “YouVersion” Bible app to get daily verses that I read. I usually use those verses and expound on them for what I post on FaceBook each day. Well, not too long ago “YouVersion” decided to add a little video we can watch of various people explaining what the verse means to them. I decided to watch todays video clip and was less that’s pleased. The reason for my displeasure was because this pastor totally missed the mark. For those that care, the Old Testament was written in Hebrew for the most part. The New Testament was written in Greek. When this pastor wanted to explain what the word humility meant in the original language, he went to the Old Testament Hebrew word “‛ănâvâh”… “condescension, human and subjective (modesty), or divine and objective (clemency): - gentleness, humility, meekness.” instead of the New Testament Greek word “tapeinophrosunē”… “humiliation of mind, that is, modesty: - humbleness of mind, humility (of mind), lowliness (of mind).
Although these words are similar in meaning, the pastor went to say things like we are not to think less of ourselves. And, we are to take our rightful place in the world. To not think too lowly but also not too highly of ourselves. The prophet Isaiah says this about us… “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”
Isaiah 64:6 ESV
“But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”
Isaiah 64:8 ESV
Any confidence we have in ourselves comes from Jesus Christ. He is our confidence.
This my friends is the definition of being humble:
“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.”
Isaiah 53:4-9 ESV
Love ya,
Pastor Don