Is It Worth It?

In a small group one of the pastors asked the question, “Who is the humblest man in the Bible?” I thought I knew the answer, so I said Moses. The pastor said, “That’s correct.” The reason I said Moses was that I remembered,

Numbers 12:3 “Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.”

But wait a minute, think about it. Who is supposed to be the author of the book of Numbers? How can the humblest man on earth talk about how great his humbleness is?

There are at least three possible reasons this verse appears here:

1. Moses is not the author

2. Someone added it to his book later

3. God told him to do it. It does not have to conform to man’s logic but to God’s purpose.

As you read Moses’ writings and about his life, Moses truly was a very humble man of God. I don’t believe he started out that way, but after God’s basic training he became a man of great humility.

The Lord says, "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” Isa 66:2b

I was happy that I got the right answer in the small group. But then as I read the book of Daniel I was truly impressed with Daniel’s humility. I thought Daniel seemed to be more humble than Moses. For example, when the Lord gave Daniel the ability to interprete dreams and mysteries and the king asked him, “Are you able to tell me what my dream is and what it means?”

Dan 2:27-28

“Daniel replied, "No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you lay on your bed are these.”

When Daniel finished giving the king the meaning of his dream, who did the king give glory to?

Dan 2:47

“The king said to Daniel, "Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery."

God received all the glory because Daniel didn’t take even a small portion for himself. Daniel interpreted another dream for the king and we find the kings response in

Dan 4:37

“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”

Again, Daniel was not even mentioned. All the glory went to the King of Heaven. When offered a great reward for interpreting a mystery, Daniel said,

Dan 5:17

"You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.”

Let’s look at anothers king’s response to Daniel.

Dan 6:26-27

"I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. "For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions."

The king did not order the people to reverence Daniel, but the living God. Daniel always pointed men to the Most High God.

Ps 149:4 “For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation.”

There are so many truly humble servants of God in the Bible like Abraham, Joseph, Ruth, Hannah, Esther, Job and John. In fact, since humility is necessary for salvation, then a great number of the people mentioned in the Bible, were humble. I don’t think that we will know anything about the majority of God’s humble servants until we reach His Kingdom.

Oswald Chambers the author of “My Utmost For His Highest” said,

“Humility is the result of living in right relationship to God.”

“The conscious eye of a humble person is not on his service, but on his Savior.”

“Jesus did not lift up humility as an ideal. He lived it.”

But it is so difficult to live humility, isn’t it? We have to die to our old nature and that is very hard. Only in that daily walk of true surrender to our Savior can we know true humility. Are you and I walking there today?

Ps 25:9 “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.”

Is it wise to be humble?

James 3:13 “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”

Is humility worth it? It is not only worth it, it’s the only way to get where we need to be as a person and a nation. Notice the first thing we have to do.

2 Chron 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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Getting back to the question we started with, “Who is the humblest man in the Bible?

Phil 2:5-8 “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!”

No other man gave up as much as Jesus did to honor His Father and to save us. No other man served others as Jesus did.

Jesus said,

Matt 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Is our soul resting in our Savior today?

Have you ever realized that our desire for the Lord and our faithfulness to the Lord come from Him? So does that mean we don’t have to do anything, that God is going to do what God is going to do?

No. I believe that God gives us that desire in our heart for Him, to see what we will do with it. What choices are we going to make knowing that we should stay close to the heart of God?

And if we are faithful to the Lord, is that because we find the strength within ourselves to be faithful?

No. Our faithfulness comes from His strength in us, because we make the choice to be close to His heart and turn away from our old nature.

Do we somehow imagine that if we keep choosing the things that God tells us are worthless, that we will have any inheritance in His Kingdom?

Matt 18:4 “Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “

Are we child-like before our God, or are we seeking great things for ourself?

Do we want to be in charge?

Do you have a desire in your heart today to be close to the heart of God?

What is God’s Spirit saying to you today?

Mic 6:8 “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Is it Worth It? Our life depends upon it!