The Law of Humility and Exaltation

“And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are com­manded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’” Luke 17:7-10. Servants like this have humbled themselves in their heart. No pride has been able to find a place in their thoughts. Without doubt, they will be exalted in their time!

“Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. And He said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called “benefac­tors.” But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is great­est among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.’” Luke 22:24-27. The greatest are those who are to be served. How many rulers of this world do you think have had this understanding and atti­tude? “Yet I am among you as the One who serves,” said Jesus. He took that place voluntarily. This attitude had also become deeply established in Paul’s heart, and he exhorts in Philippians 2:3. “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”

“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the lat­ter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” 2 Tim. 2:20-21.

“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edify­ing of the body of Christ . . . .” Eph. 4:11-12.

The way we relate to the servants whom God Himself has placed in the church is not an insignificant matter. It has great significance for us, our family and everyone who has confi­dence in us. If we are superficial and have proud thoughts about ourselves, we can be led astray in our thoughts and speak about the servants of God in a lighthearted way. King Belshazzar used the vessels in God’s house in a lighthearted way, and this grave episode from the days of Daniel is written for our instruction:

“Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone. In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other. The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, ‘Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; and he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.’” Dan. 5:1-7.

None of the king’s wise men could give him any help. God had weighed him in the balances and found him wanting. Belshazzar knew how his father’s heart had been lifted up, and how his spirit had been hardened by pride. He knew that he had been deposed from his royal throne and that his glory had been taken from him: “Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.” Even though Belshazzar knew all this, he did not humble himself in his heart: on the con­trary, he exalted himself against the Lord of Heaven, and the God who held his breath in His hand and owned all his ways he did not glorify. Dan. 5:20-27. “That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain.” Dan. 5:30.

Solomon too, warns against relating to holy things in a lighthearted manner—in our words or our thoughts. “Do not curse the king, even in your thought; do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom; for a bird of the air may carry your voice, and a bird in flight may tell the matter.” Eccl. 10:20. This presumptuousness and arrogance have always been in­fluenced by the one who sought to be like God, he who is a frightening example of what happens to those who exalt themselves in their heart.

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit. Those who see you will gaze at you, and consider you, saying: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world as a wilderness and destroyed its cities, who did not open the house of his prisoners?’” Is. 14:12-17.

The prophet Ezekiel also writes about him with the same powerful warning to us about how dangerous and destructive arrogance is: “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned; therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; and I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you be-fore kings, that they might gaze at you. You defiled your sanc­tuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trading; therefore I brought fire from your midst; it de­voured you, and I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; you have become a horror, and shall be no more forever.”’” Ezek. 28:12-19.

Jesus emphasizes this simple and extremely important law of life: “And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Matt. 23:12. This is the only true way to exaltation according to the Scriptures. Oh, how much suffering could have been avoided if people had only taken heed to this law! God pays careful attention to the way each one thinks in his heart—whether he exalts himself or humbles himself. Using colorful words and acquiring speaking skills is of little help if there is no humility in the innermost parts of one’s heart. We must never forget that we are dealing with God. He sees the hearts, and He is the One who gives grace or withholds it, all in relation to His own laws.