So reverent of God were the
Old Testament Jews that they would not even utter His name. Certainly, this high view comprises a
proper respect and even fear of the One to whom we answer in both this life and
the next. “O LORD our Lord,
how excellent is Thy name in all
the earth, who hast set Thy glory above the heavens” (Psalm 8:1).
Most of the Jews of old,
however, missed the truth that God can only be truly known if we also include a
low view in our understanding and response.
“Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me;
for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:28-29).
The high view of God
prepares us to recognize our need and unworthiness. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). The low
view of God, as revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ, assures us that we approach a
“throne of grace” unto which our Creator beckons us (Hebrews 4:16). Upon our arrival there, we shall
discover that our great and glorious Master bears the heart of a Father, a Lamb,
and a Dove.
“One of the
elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root
of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in
the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain” (Revelation
5:5-6).
I am sure that the
majesty of God known in Heaven will often cast us to our faces in reverent awe,
wonder, and the sense of joining the prophet Isaiah who “saw the Lord high and
lifted up” (Isaiah 6:3). “I am
undone!” declared Isaiah. I
suspect, however, that our most devoted response will result from the enraptured
gaze upon God’s loving humility. I
often make the comment, “The only One who has anything to be proud of, is not. No trace of arrogance or
self-importance exists in the heart of the God so high that He can safely and
comfortably be lowly. Nothing more
humbles us, or motivates love in us than the recognition of One glorious in
humility, and humble in glory.
Christians’ high view of
ourselves is based solely upon God’s presence and working in us. Proper response to the Bible’s teaching
regarding this most vital of matters makes possible the genuine lowly view of
ourselves that must exist concurrently with the high view. Affirming the person we are in Christ so
secures and fulfills our hearts that we can joyfully follow our Lord down those
paths that lead to the joy of His humility. Yes, the high view makes desirable the
low view, and the low view causes us to affirm the high view that so exalts and
honors the Father, the Lamb, and the Dove.
“Let
this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: ho, being in the form of
God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and
took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He
humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross”
(Philippians 2:5-8).
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