A Newborn Look on Humility
I longed to see my youngest son’s eyes for days after he was born. If I would hold him, he’d go right to sleep. Every. Single. Time. He’d stay awake for my husband, but not for me. I would wait as he slept and then hold him once he woke up, only to have him go right back to sleep again. It became a joke between my husband and I. Finally, I resorted to peering over my husband’s shoulder while he held our baby, just so I could see his eyes.
Babies can’t do much. Apparently, some can’t even keep their eyes open! Newborns don’t have skills. Most of their capabilities are involuntary reflexes or reactions. Babies require total care. At Christmastime we celebrate the Son of God being born as a human baby. We talk about it every year to the point that it becomes cliché. Let’s take a moment to breathe some life into this truth.
How far would you go to save someone? Would you be willing to become an infant? Think about what that would entail. No more coffee or favorite treats. You would relinquish your ability to eat or drink whatever you wanted when you wanted. Say good-bye to your favorite clothing, styles, and hair. You would no longer dress yourself or have any input on your clothing. Your vocabulary would be reduced to zero. All communication would be performed through raw vocalization of some sort. Your motor skills would be lost. You would not only need to learn how to walk again, but first you would crawl, roll over, and even hold your head up. You would also lose any respect or authority you have gained. It would no longer be recognized. You would be back at the bottom of the totem pole. Even what you know and understand would be erased. You would need to build vocabulary, skills, knowledge, and authority.
Think of any your favorite things or aspects in life. They would be gone. The more and more I dove into this line of thought, the scarier and more intimidating it became. Now consider this not from a human perspective, but from the divine; the God of the universe, creator of all things. For example, the creator of gravity submitted to it.
Our God is so confident, so secure, He could choose to let go. Jesus willingly let go of His abilities, rights, and authority. Our God is supreme in His humility. He is meek. Meek does not mean weak. The word means to be humble while under affliction or having integrity in times of trial. It is a quiet strength while submitting to suffering.
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor (humble). He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, Isaiah 61:1 (NIV)
Jesus humbled Himself and became poor (Luke 2:22-24, Lev. 12:7-8) in order to share the good news among the poor in spirit.
Luke 2:22,24: When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord… and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”
Leviticus 12:7b-8a: These are the regulations for the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl. But if she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons
He became brokenhearted (John 11:35) to bind those with broken hearts.
John 11:35: Jesus wept.
He became captive in human flesh (Hebrew 2:14-15) to set humanity free.
Hebrew 2:14-15:…he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Jesus submitted to chains (John 18:12) to set the prisoners free.
John 18:12: Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him
Praise be to our God, who laid down His rights, humbling Himself in order to save the lost! Our God is supremely humble and calls us into humility with Him. This Christmas season, let us discover and savor the strength and sacrifice in humility.
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Scriptures this week – a two-verse-a-day tour through Psalms focusing on humility. The Hebrew word anav (ענו) is most frequently translated as humble in English. However, at times translators/translations have chosen to use meek, poor, or afflicted. Each instance of anav (ענו) is underlined in the NIV verses below.
Psalm 147:6 – The Lord sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground.
Psalm 25:9 – He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.
– What does this teach about being humble/poor/meek/afflicted?
– How is this applicable to your life? How is it ultimately fulfilled in Christ?
Psalm 69:32 – The poor will see and be glad— you who seek God, may your hearts live!
Psalm 22:26 – The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him— may your hearts live forever!
– What does this teach about being humble/poor/meek/afflicted? (Note: “heart” is the inner self.)
– When you are afflicted, do you lose your appetite? Read the verses again, substituting “afflicted” for “poor”.
Psalm 37:11 – But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.
(Sound familiar?…)
Matthew 5:5 – Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
– What does this teach about being humble/poor/meek/afflicted?
– How is this applicable to your life? How is it ultimately fulfilled in Christ?
Psalm 149:4 – For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.
Psalm 76:9 – when you, God, rose up to judge, to save all the afflicted of the land.
– What does this teach about being humble/poor/meek/afflicted?
– The word “crown” is literally “to make beautiful.” NASB translates it as, “He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.” What mental picture does that paint? For you? For Christ?
Psalm 10:17 – You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
Psalm 34:2 – I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
– What does this teach about being humble/poor/meek/afflicted?
– Hearing and listening is repeated in these verses. Who is listening and what is the response?
Originally posted on December 16, 2019.
A new way to think about the glorious gift God gave us in His son. I have never thought about it from this perspective. Thank you Heather for this thought provoking devotion.
I still remember when I began to “walk around” in and explore this perspective. Oh, the deep, deep love and ultimate humility! It truly is mind-blowing. Thank you, Glenda. I appreciate hearing from you!
It would definitely be humbling if you had to start all over again. But we all seem to have humbling moments that result in a humbling moment. One for me is having been ill & having surgery. You have to depend on others to help you in areas you have never needed help before & I was. It was humbling & it resulted in me turning to God even more so than I a!ready was. Thanking God for small milestones I was making & being appreciative to the people who helped me. God puts us into situations to strengthen us, teach us something, or just to have humbling situations which makes us a appreciate what we are facing at the time & how we need to be more sensitive & understanding of others. I humbled myself before God in prayer thanking & praising him for people in my life that I was taking for granted! God knows what we need & who we need!
It’s true, we don’t understand or fully appreciate what we have until it is gone. When we go through difficult situations we become appreciative of the small things that we may have overlooked before. One of verse I like to savor is Zechariah 4:10, “Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the LORD that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel?” God is in the business of rebuilding and making whole. Every single stone is an important achievement. So good to hear from you again, Susan!
How fascinating Heather! I’d never considered the incarnation from this perspective. Becoming totally dependent is an act of great humility. Thank you for that insight.
We all have experienced humanity from infancy. However, the incarnation was not a start from zero, but restarting (although, one can’t technically “restart” that which is infinite – ha!). It was a sacrifice of unimaginable proportions; an epic display of humility. Once I personalized the experience, it became so much more meaningful to me. I’m so glad this was insightful to you as well. Thank you for sharing with me, Rod!