“…all of you, CLOTHE yourselves with HUMILITY toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”-{1 Peter 5:5-7}.
Regarding the phrase “Clothe yourself” it came to be identified as Humble Service… From 1 Peter 5:5-7,
“The term Peter uses here denotes the action of tying a garment around yourself. We might think of Jesus’ action in John 13:4:after laying aside His outer garment he tied a towel around His waist. With that action, He presented Himself as a slave. Such outward clothing gave expression to His inner garment of humility as Jesus began to wash His disciples’ feet.”-{voxviva app}. The greatest in God’s kingdom is the SERVANT! “But the greatest of you shall be your servant.”-{Matthew 23:11}.
Jesus demonstrates what greatness looks like in God’s Kingdom. The one who stoops to serve others unreservedly, wholeheartedly through denying themselves and preferring others, for God’s glory! Humility! Where there is no Humility there is an absence of love! But Humble people do love. They are the only ones who do. Like Jesus they take the towel and stoop to wash the feet of others- not literally perhaps but in their loving service to others. Denying themselves and preferring others, for Jesus sake {Read 2 Cor 4:5}. Looking out for the welfare of others.
Peter writes to these dear believers and in the Pagan day they lived in, Humility was looked down on as weakness and cowardly for like today Humility is not a virtue to be desired where the one who “looks out for number one,” is. The one who is continually exalting him or herself up has to do so by looking down and talking down to others. Pride is ugly. Pride is sin and God is opposed to the proud!
God values Humility for it reflects His Son. Peter in 1 Peter 5 tells the people to clothe themselves in humility. It is a command! And we can see some aspects of the beauty of Humility…
We can say,
Humble people Serve others. -“…clothe yourselves with humility toward one another.”
Humble People Submit to God. -“…humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, ”
Humble people have Hope in God -“…that He may exalt you… ”
Humble people Trust God’s Timing. – “…that He may exalt you at the proper time, ”
Humble People Give All of their Anxieties to God. -“…casting all your anxiety on Him,”
Humble People Believe God Cares for them. – “…because He cares for you.”
Proud people Don’t! At times we exhibit pride as His people…and upon realizing it, we need to humble ourselves to Him, confess our sins, and begin afresh.
“God is opposed to the proud,”-Pride was the sin of satan in Isaiah 14:12-15. Pride sees itself as in the top seat and if not, then desiring, striving to get there and sees pride’s plans, opinions, and desires as uppermost and grates against the Sovereignty of God and His plans and chaffs at anything that opposes its will.
Pride is a breathing ground for anxiety. And God is opposed to the proud.
The word “opposed” means- to set an army against, lining up in battle order. The idea is to resist, oppose, to be hostile towards! But, “God gives Grace to the humble.”
Humility is manifested…identified… through adopting the attitude of others first before self, placing others before yourself, and serving them… motivated for Jesus sake! God blesses the Humble!
God bless and encourage us all to choose to take the place of humility as a servant of Christ.
Aidan.