HUMILITY!
Prov
22:3-4
3
A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on,
and are punished.
4
By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.
A
prudent man becomes aware of danger and takes steps to avoid it. He first must
identify the source of the danger. Did he cause the problem himself by breaking
some inviolable rule or is he the victim of some enemy plot? The word “evil”
here is the little Hebrew word ra’ which simply refers to
something that is naturally or morally bad. Here it properly means calamity.
Seeing
the calamity clearly,
the prudent man makes contingency plans. He prepares. In verse three the plan
is to hide. The literal translation is “he is hidden” which seems to indicate outside
action. Someone or something covers him and protects him from the
calamity. Ah! There is the believer’s hope!
Ps
27:4-5
4
One thing have I desired of the Lord , that will I seek after; that I may dwell
in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of
the Lord , and to inquire in his temple.
5
For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of
his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
Ps
64:1-2
Hear
my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
2
Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers
of iniquity:
Two
things shield the believer from calamity and insure God’s favor. The first is
humility “
for
God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5). Humility
is not easily defined but we know it when we see it and it is even more evident
when it is absent. A humble self evaluation paves a way to God.
The
second shield for the believer is “the fear of the Lord.” The word “fear”
in our text is the Hebrew yir’ah and refers to “moral reverence.”
The one who honors God and respects His position and power will garner “riches,
honor, and life.”
Dear Lord, hide those humble
souls who trust in you today. Tuck them under the shelter of your wings. AMEN
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