Readings for today: Job 25-28
Father, help me to see myself as You see me. Created in the image of God. Set a little lower than the angels. Crowned with glory and honor. Fallen? Yes. Sinful? Undoubtedly so. Broken? Without a doubt. Loved? Beyond all measure.
I found myself getting tears in my eyes today as I read these words from Bildad. “How can man be in the right before God? How can he who is born of woman be pure? Behold, even the moon is not bright, and the stars are not pure in his eyes; how much less man, who is a maggot, and the son of man, who is a worm!” Tragically, I’ve known far too many Christians who’ve believed such lies. I’ve heard far too many preachers who’ve proclaimed such lies. I am quite sure I myself fell into these lies when I was young and foolish. Before I became acquainted with grief and suffering. The Bible is clear. Human beings are made in the image of God. (Gen. 1:27) Human beings are crowned with glory and honor and made a little lower than the angels. (Psalm 8:5) Human beings are loved beyond all measure. (John 3:16) As such, we must reject any theology that declares us to be something we are not. We are not maggots. We are not worms. We are not despised or rejected or scorned or shamed. We are beloved.
Now I know why the Bildads of the world believe such things. The Bible is just as clear that we are conceived in iniquity and born into sin. (Psalm 51) All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) None of us is righteous and even our good deeds, done with the best of intentions, are not pure. (Isaiah 64:6) Yes, the gulf that exists between us and God is vast and immeasurable. He is the very definition of holiness and purity and by comparison, one might indeed conclude that we are like maggots or worms. But this is not a helpful comparison! In fact, it’s not even a biblical comparison! Over and over again, the Bible declares the utter uniqueness of God. “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” (Ex. 15:11) God is wholly other. He stands alone without equal or peer. He is always separate and distinct from all He has made. He exists on a level we cannot fathom or understand. Nor are we intended to. Our role is to worship. Our role is to obey. Our role is to serve. We are not to seek to be like God. That was the original temptation in the Garden! Instead we are to seek to bring God glory. To honor God with our lives. To bear His image with humble and glad and obedient hearts.
C.S. Lewis once said that humility is not thinking more highly of yourself than you ought or less of yourself than you ought but simply thinking of your “self” less. We see this dynamic throughout the Bible. There are times when God’s people think more highly of themselves than they ought. Adam and Eve in the Garden. Many of the kings of Israel and Judah. The false prophets who claim to speak for the Lord. It never ends well. God’s judgment puts them in their place. Then there are times when God’s people think less of themselves than they ought. I think of the despair of the people in Egypt. Those moments when God’s people felt forgotten in exile. Jeremiah’s laments. This too is not good. In these moments we see God encourage, confront, and exhort His people to remember who they are and, more importantly, whose they are! You see, the key to humility is taking our eyes off ourselves and keeping them fixed on Jesus. He is the author and perfecter of our faith! He will bring to completion the good work He has begun in everyone who believes in Him!
Readings for tomorrow: Job 29-32