In a certain pond on one of the farms in the East were two ducks and frog. Now these neighbors were the best of friends; all day long they used to play together. But as the hot summer days came, the pond began to dry up and soon there was such a little bit of water that they all realized that they would have to move. Now the ducks could easily fly to another place, but what about their friend the frog?
Finally, it was decided that they would put a stick in the bill of each duck, and then the frog would hang onto the stick with his mouth, and they would fly him to another pond. And so, they did. As they were flying, a farmer out in his field looked up and saw them and said, ‘Well, isn’t that a clever idea! I wonder who thought of it!’ The frog said, ‘I did.’[i]
We may chuckle at this humorous little antidote, but it is simply illustrating for us a profound truth as expressed in the wisdom literature of the Bible. “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18).”
One of the most subtle temptations is the insidious nature of pride. It can easily rear its ugly head and capture those who have so much going for them. In the book of Daniel, we have a contrast between Daniel, a slave who had been taken captive, and the king, who is asking for an interpretation of a troubling dream that he had. King Nebuchadnezzar became the most powerful man alive in his time. He was a world conqueror. He amassed incredible wealth and power. One expression of that wealth was that he had built two of the wonders of the ancient world, one being the walls of the city and the other the hanging gardens of Babylon, which was a magnificent garden for his wife because she missed the vegetation of her homeland.
One day while strolling on his palace roof, musing over his own personal greatness, he was struck down by God, Almighty. He lost his sanity and spent ‘seven times’ (a season of his life), groping about like an animal, without the capacity to understand and reason. The biblical text speaks of how his restoration came about.
At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever.[ii]
God restored to him what his pride had strip him of, which was the sanity needed to lead his people. He later confessed. “And those who walk in pride he is able to humble (Daniel 4:37b).”
What is pride? It is living as if God does not exist. It is believing that we can be self-sufficient. It is trusting in anything or anyone other than God. The only remedy is a deep sense of reverence toward God.
The fear of the Lord is the kind of emotion that rids of pride and self-sufficiency. This is not the kind of fear that as John tells us is ‘perfect love that casts out fear’. The word fear here is hard to translate. Respect is too weak, awe is better, but there is no word in our language for it. The idea is that we are humbled by God.[iii]
Pride is at the root of every other sin. So, how do we go about addressing this root issue in our sinful nature? Two weeks ago, we started to look at the power of submitting to God. I explained that submission is one key to building healthy relationships. Today, we are going to look at humility which is another characteristic needed for healthy relationships. But how do we go about walking in humility? As believers, God has placed within our lives His Divine nature, so we must submit to the work of His Spirit living within us. Paul speaks of this very thing to the churches in Galatia.
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.’[iv]
James challenges us that we need to begin by looking within to see how we may be contributing to the problems in our relationships (Jam. 4:1-3). It is easy to see one reason why pride is problematic in relationships because it is self-focused, rather than others focused. We are going to look at two steps in building healthy relationships as they pertain to humility.
THE FIRST STEP IN BUILDING MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS IS RECOGNIZING THE NEED TO WALK IN HUMILTY
Humility is demonstrated by submission to God’s will as it is revealed through his word. We need to understand that we will not submit unless we are humble enough to acknowledge that we need to.
In the previous blog on healthy relationships, part 1, we considered the issue of our sinful nature at length, so now we turn to other pressures that we are facing. The battle is not just within us but is an all-out conflict. We are also struggling against a strong tide of human culture that is in rebellion against God. To stand, we need to have a strong foundation, which is found in Christ. James states that the work of the Spirit within our lives helps us receives God’s grace. “But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).”
We must be willing to acknowledge our need for God’s help. We need to cry out, “I cannot do this without you, Lord!” We need to daily realize that we must live in total dependency on God. So, what does that mean on a practical level? We must daily spend time with God, opening the Word of God daily to hear what He wants to communicate to us. As we reflect on the texts, may we understand how we need to walk with those instructions upon our minds.
We must learn to apply what we are reading and considering from God’s word. James has challenged us earlier in this letter that we must be doers and not hearers only, thereby deceiving ourselves. If we don’t do what we are told it will not bring about the desired transformation needed within us. When we move about our day, without a thought for God’s enabling help, we find that we are prone to make poorer decisions that affect many areas of our lives.
There is also another front to this battle which affects our relationships. We have an actual adversary in our struggle. This decision to submit to God with our time is critical if we hope to overcome the strategies of the enemy that tries to defeat us in our lives. Often, we struggle with our attitude and emotions which stem from our neglect of submitting to God, which in turn opens us up to the strategies of the devil. “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7).”
Paul talks about the spiritual battle that we are engaged in. It is a daily battle in which we need proper armor.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes [strategies]. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.[v]
The devil is called the tempter. That is one of his methods of defeating the believer. We all battle with temptation. What we need to understand is that temptation is not a sin. Jesus was tempted. Matthew and Luke’s gospels record the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’[vi]
How did Jesus overcome the temptation here? First, He knew who He was as seen earlier at his baptism. He did not need to prove anything, rather He needed to be obedient to His Father in Heaven. Secondly, Jesus knew that the essence of the temptation was to make the temporal life the priority over that which is eternal in nature. Remember, worldliness is living as if God does not matter. Jesus quotes the Scriptures from Deuteronomy 8:3 and maintains the proper priority of life. “Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God”’ (Matthew 4:4).”
In other words what sustains life is not just the material provisions but the spiritual realities that God’s word reveals to us.
Some might ask, why did the Holy Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted or tested by the devil? You may remember how the Israelites were 40 years in the wilderness. Notice how they complained. Their focus was on the material provisions. They longed for other food than what God had provided for them. When Moses left to receive the ten commandments, they fashioned the golden calf and worship it. Idolatry is to worship Satan.
The very structure of Jesus’ ministry parallels the experience of the children of Israel coming out of Egypt. Whereas they failed, Jesus succeeded in doing His Father’s will. Jesus’ baptism mirrors the crossing of the sea; then he goes into the wilderness for 40 days and nights and experiences the temptations that the Israelites experienced in the 40 years in the wilderness. The same temptation of the Israelites who were tempted by food and complained, Jesus overcame. The third temptation is to worship Satan as a false god, and the Israelites failed as they worshiped the golden calf.[vii]
In other words, Jesus did what they and us are unable to do successfully. Notice the contrast between Christ and the Israelites.
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of this world and their splendor. All this I will give you, he said, if you will bow down and worship me. Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”’[viii]
Jesus is quoting from Deuteronomy 6:13. The need for each of us to know and do God’s word is critical. God’s spirit is living within us to empower us to obey.
THE SECOND STEP IN BUILDING MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS IS THE NEED TO REPENT FOR OUR SELF-SUFFICIENT ATTITUDE AND ACTIONS
It is one thing to understand the problem; it is a totally different thing to act on what we know.
A. It begins by humbling ourselves.
Pride is what keeps us from doing the right thing and becoming the right kind of person. Why do we need to humble ourselves? God’s grace only is given to the humble. Pride resists God. Pride resists help. Pride is expressed in our self-sufficiency.
It is interesting as we read through the O.T. One of the great lessons is that less is often more. When you look at the weapons used in battle, they are usually inferior to that of their enemies. The idea is that God is the One who is winning the battle on behalf of His people. What or whom are we putting our trust in? Are we trusting in human resources or God’s grace? We need to consider the incredible contrast between David and Goliath. He comes with all the armor for battle. David comes with no armor, just a sling shot and five smooth stones. But a careful reading of the text tells us the key to victory was his faith and confidence in God.
David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’S and he will give all of you into our hands.’[ix]
In David’s remarks we find that his confidence was in God to address the giant, not only in his life, but facing his people.
Later in time, God spoke to the great challenges to those returning to the promise land after the exile. They could not overcome the challenges that faced them with their own strength and ingenuity. To the new governor of Judah, Zerubbabel, the prophet Zechariah gives this message from God.
So he said to me, ‘This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the LORD Almighty.’[x]
What needs to be done, can only be done through and by God’s Spirit. We need God! We need to humble ourselves to Him in order to receive what we don’t deserve, His grace.
B. Submit to God.
When we submit to Him, we overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Blomberg and Kamell, quoting Michael Townsend in their commentary on James explains the nature of this submission toward God.
Submitting to God proves diametrically opposite to the world’s self-assertion, autonomy, and power. Even Christians crusading for a good cause or zealous in their altruism can become so fanatic in promoting their own personal agendas that they unwittingly wind up resisting God rather than the devil.[xi]
One of the ways we resist the devil is by submitting to God. This requires humility.
Instead of succumbing to the devil’s desire to separate us from God, we should come near to him. God, James promises, graciously responds by drawing near to us in turn. It should, of course, be obvious that James is not here talking about salvation, but about the repentance of those who are already Christians. Those who sincerely repent and return to God will find him, like the father of the prodigal son, eager to receive back his erring children.[xii]
Rather than run from God, we must run to God. Yet, failure is a part of growing. What do we do when we have failed? What do we do when we have sinned? What do we do to be restored into a proper relationship with God and others?
C. Repentance is in order.
Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.[xiii]
James tells us how to get back on track with God.
Double-minded translates the word dipsychos (‘two-souled’), which James earlier used to characterize the person whose faith is marked by doubting and instability (1:6–8). In the present context, the term brings forcibly to mind the ‘doubleness’ of the Christian who seeks to become ‘a friend of the world’ (v. 4). God and ‘the world’, the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of Satan, the age to come and this evil age—the Christian is pulled and torn between them. To allow ‘the world’ to entice us away from a total, single-minded allegiance to God is to become people who are divided in loyalties, ‘double-minded’ and spiritually unstable.
James’ readers, by exhibiting a jealousy and selfishness typical of this world (cf. 3:15), by failing to act on what they hear and say (1:19–2:26), in their ‘double’ use of the tongue (3:9–10) and in their violent disputes with one another (4:1–2), are guilty of this ‘double-minded’ attitude.
What is required of them is a repentance from both this external behaviour (wash your hands) and this internal attitude (purify your hearts). ‘Washing’ and ‘purifying’ stem from the Old Testament provisions for priestly purity in ministering the things of the Lord, but both had also come to be used of ethical purity (see esp. Isa. 66:17). The juxtaposition of hands and hearts to denote both deed and disposition also reflects the Old Testament. The psalmist required ‘clean hands and a pure heart’ for those who would stand before the Lord (Ps. 24:3–4); James asks the same of those who would ‘come near to God’.[xiv]
One of our struggles is that we are living in the tension between the world we see, and the world God is preparing us for. Many of us want what we will only experience when we get to heaven, the fulness of God’s great salvation which is freedom from the very presence of sin, and all that it means.
What, then, is God asking of us? Simply to humble ourselves before Him. It is then that His grace is sufficient for our lives. Yet, the temptation, like the Israelites on Mount Carmel, is to desire what the world offers, without losing what God promises. Elijah was trying to address their double-minded approach to life. They wanted what both worlds were offering.
Elijah went before the people and said, ‘How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him, but if Baal is God, follow him.’[xv]
Jesus addressed the same issue of being double minded in the Sermon on the Mount.
No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.[xvi]
When it comes to healthy relationship we must start with our relationship with God. It all comes down to submission to him and then to others. This requires that we humble ourselves. We must have confidence that God is in control. It is a battle of wills, my will or God’s will. God is calling for our surrender, our willing submission to Him and His will.
How does this apply to interpersonal conflict? It is not about winning the argument or getting our way. Rather, it is about humbling ourselves before God and walking in His grace. People who have to have their way are immature and filled with pride, which God resists. As we looking at our own heart this morning? Is this a description of our condition? How can that change? Only by humbling ourselves before God, can grace come into our hearts and bring about transformation to our souls.
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[i] Paul Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times, (Bible Communications, Inc., 1996), 1100.
[ii] Daniel 4:34, The New International Version of the Bible, Zondervan, 2011.
[iii] Tremper Longman, >Class Notes from Daniel & Jeremiah Course=, Ambrose University College, Calgary, May 19, 2011.
[iv] Galatians 5:13-17.
[v] Ephesians 6:10-12.
[vi] Matthew 4:1-3.
[vii] Tremper Longman, >Class Notes from Daniel & Jeremiah Course=, Ambrose University College, Calgary, May 19, 2011.
[viii] Matthew 4:8-10.
[ix] 1 Samuel 17:45-47.
[x] Zechariah 4:6.
[xi] Michael Townsend, The Epistle of James, 75 as quoted by Craig Blomberg and Miriam Kamell, James, Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, (Zondervan Academic, 2008), 201.
[xii] Douglas Moo, James: An Introduction and Commentary, E. J. Schnabel, Ed.; Second edition, Vol. 16, (Inter-Varsity Press.,2015). 189.
[xiii] James 4:8-10.
[xiv] Douglas Moo, James: An Introduction and Commentary, 189-90.
[xv] 1 Kings 18:21.
[xvi] Matthew 6:24.
