THE BOOK OF JAMES
(“James’ Ten Commandments”) (Part 5)
James 4:1-10 (NASU)
“Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” (James 4:10)
(A) THE PROBLEM OF PRIDE
(1) Scripture has a great deal to say about pride – and most of it isn’t good. For example, Jesus listed “pride” as one of the “EVIL things” that proceeds “out of the heart of (fallen) men” (c.f. Mark 7:20-23). Solomon said, “Everyone who is proud in heart is an ABOMINATION to the Lord” (c.f. Proverbs 16:5). David said, “… the Lord … (will) PAY BACK (the proud) in full …” (c.f. Psalm 31:23, NIV) – and he didn’t mean that in a good way.
(2) There is a good kind of pride. Paul told the Thessalonian Christians he spoke “PROUDLY” of them among the other churches, because of their “perseverance” in the midst of affliction (c.f. II Thessalonians 1:4). Scripture also says King Jehoshaphat “took great PRIDE in the ways of the Lord (by) remov(ing) the … places (of idolatry) from (the land of) Judah” (c.f. II Chronicles 17:6).
I think having pride in one’s county can be a good thing – or being proud of our children – or taking pride in our work, by doing the best job we possibly can. But, I also think this kind of pride can easily slip over into that which God hates (c.f. Proverbs 8:13) if we’re not careful.
(3) Synonyms for the wrong kind of pride include (but are not limited to) words like “arrogance, conceit, and haughtiness. Hence, in an example of Hebrew parallelism, the Book of Proverbs says: “PRIDE goes before destruction, and a HAUGHTY spirit before stumbling” (c.f. Proverbs 16:18). The Book of First Samuel says: “Boast no more so very PROUDLY, do not let ARROGANCE come out of your mouth” (c.f. I Samuel 2:3) (this verse also tells us “boasting” is a sure symptom of pride). Elsewhere, Paul was speaking of pride when he warned churches not to elect new converts to the ordained office of elder, lest those men “become CONCEITED” (c.f. I Timothy 3:6) – or “puffed up with pride”, as the NKJV says.
(4) Examples of what pride looks include Satan, who once said: 13“I WILL ascend to heaven; I WILL raise MY throne above the stars of God … I WILL sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. 14I WILL ascend above the heights of the clouds; I WILL make MYSELF like the Most High” (c.f. Isaiah 14:13-14). Examples of what pride looks like include King Nebuchadnezzar, who was once walking on the roof of his palace, overlooking the capital city of Babylon, when he said to himself: “Is this not Babylon the great, which I MYSELF have built as a royal residence by the might of MY POWER and for the glory of MY MAJESTY?” (c.f. Daniel 4:19). Examples of what pride looks like include a man named Lamech in Genesis chapter four, who once told his wives: 23“… Listen to my voice … give heed to my speech, for I have killed a man for wounding me; and a boy for striking me; 24 (So) IF (the death of) CAIN IS (to be) AVENGED SEVENFOLD, THEN (the death of) LAMECH (SHOULD BE AVENGED) SEVENTY-SEVENFOLD” (c.f. Genesis 4:23-24).
(5) If we inquire as to what these three examples have in common, the answer is SELF (c.f. Jeremiah 48:29) – self-absorption, self-importance, self-promotion, self-interest, self-indulgence. Pride is self on display – what the apostle John once called “the BOASTFUL PRIDE of life” (c.f. I John 2:16) (which he also said came from the world, and not from God the Father).
Regarding this morning’s Scripture lesson (c.f. James 4:1-10), pride was probably a contributing factor to all the “quarrels and conflicts” (vs. 1-2) the Christians to whom James was writing were experiencing. Pride was also a contributing factor to the “lust and envy” they were exhibiting toward each other (v. 2) – as well as the “wrong motives” behind their prayers (v. 3). It was pride that led these Christians to believe they could “be friends with the world and friends with God at the same time” (v. 4) (i.e. others might not be able to do it, but they could). It was pride that made them think they had no need to “cleanse their hands or purify their hearts” (v. 8) – hence, it was pride that kept them from “mourning and weeping” over their sins (v. 9).
(6) Pride is Eve eating the forbidden fruit because she thought it make her as wise as God (c.f. Genesis 3:5-6). Pride is the rich man forgetting God, and giving himself credit for the wealth he has been able to accumulate (c.f. Deuteronomy 8:11-14). Pride is King Hezekiah begging God to spare his life and heal his sickness, and then not honoring God when his prayer was answered (c.f. II Chronicles 32:24-25). Pride is the women of Israel walking along the streets with their heads held high, flirting with their eyes, and taking mincing steps (c.f. Isaiah 3:16). Pride is David thinking he can commit adultery and cover it up. Pride is Peter telling Jesus, “(No matter what anyone else does) I will never fall away” (c.f. Matthew 26:33). Pride is King Herod accepting the praises of the people when they said he was a god and not a man (c.f. Acts 12:22). Pride is the rich man building bigger barns to store all his goods, so he can consume them (c.f. Luke 12:17-21) – instead of following the example of Zaccheus who, upon his conversion, immediately gave half his possessions to the poor (c.f. Luke 19:8).
Pride is saying, “WE built this church!” Pride is thinking we DESERVE a higher rank, or a bigger raise, or (in the case of pastors) a larger congregation. Pride is believing WE are more important than our brothers or sisters in Christ – or that OUR interests are more important than the interests of others (c.f. Philippians 2:3-4). Pride is always wanting to BE served instead of being willing TO serve (c.f. Mark 10:45). Pride is putting secular things first, while anything pertaining to God – like worship, or prayer, or serving where needed in Christ’s church – is put on the proverbial back burner (c.f. Matthew 6:33). Pride is putting our comfort, our troubles, our wants, our likes and dislikes ahead of anything and everything else.
(7) Pride is the opposite of humility. In fact, the cure for sinful pride is Christ-like humility. Looking at our Scripture lesson, we can say that one of the requirements for peace within any visible church is the humility of its members (c.f. James 4:1-2). Effective prayer requires humility before God on our part (c.f. James 4:3). “Friendship with God” requires humility on our part (c.f. James 4:4) “Submission to God” requires humility on our part (c.f. James 4:7). “Drawing near to God” requires humility on our part (c.f. James 4:8). Genuine repentance requires humility on our part (c.f. James 4:8-9).
The Book of Colossians says God’s elect are to “put on a heart of compassion, kindness, (and) HUMILITY …” (c.f. Colossians 3:12). First Peter chapter five says we Christians are to “… clothe (ourselves) with HUMILITY toward one another …” (c.f. I Peter 5:5). The Book of Ephesians says part of “walking in a manner worthy of our calling in Christ” includes “HUMILITY” (c.f. Ephesians 4:1-2). In the Book of Acts, Paul said he “serv(ed) the Lord with all HUMILITY” (c.f. Acts 20:19) – thereby setting an example for pastors and other church leaders to follow. Jesus described Himself as “gentle and HUMBLE in heart” (c.f. Matthew 11:29) – thereby setting an example for all His disciples to follow, regardless of whether or not they hold an official position in the church.
(8) In verse six of today’s Scripture lesson, James said that, “God is opposed to the proud, but (He) gives grace to the humble” (c.f. James 4:6). Now in this morning’s text, which is the tenth and final command given by James in the last four verses (c.f. James 4:7-10), he says: “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He (i.e. the Lord) will exalt you” (c.f. James 4:10).
(B) A PRINCIPLE AND A PROMISE
(1) We see, then, that our text contains both a principle and a promise.1 The principle is: “humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord …” (c.f. James 4:10).
(a) In other words, humility before God should be a normal part of every Christian’s life – just like worship, and prayer, and reading the bible. Humility before God should be as evident in our life as other graces like compassion, and love, and forgiveness, and self-discipline. Every Christian in this church ought to be characterized by humility before God, just as surely as we ought to be characterized by other qualities things like kindness, and goodness, and gentleness, and self-control (c.f. Galatians 5:22-23). As Scripture says elsewhere: “… what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to WALK HUMBLY WITH YOUR GOD” (c.f. Micah 6:8).
(b) The Greek word in our text translated “humble yourselves” (“tapeinoo”) literally means “to make low”,2 or to be lowly. Hence, humility is the opposite of elevating ourselves, or lording it over others, or thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to think (c.f. Romans 12:3). Nor are we talking about the self-deprecating put downs some people use to try and induce others to build them up2 (i.e. “I’m so stupid!” – “No you’re not. You’re actually very smart!” Oh, you’re just saying that. No, I’m not. You really are smart!) We’re not talking about that kind of pseudo-humility – rather, we’re talking about (what one writer called) a genuine realization of how helpless and insignificant we are apart from Christ.2
Jesus once said: “I am the vine, you are the branches … APART FROM ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING” (c.f. John 15:5). (That’s not what proud, self-sufficient people want to hear! But, it’s what we need to hear!) Elsewhere Paul said: “OUR ADEQUACY IS FROM GOD” (c.f. II Corinthians 3:5) (i.e. He’s the One who makes us sufficient for any task – otherwise, left to ourselves, our efforts will be completely ineffective). In another place Paul said: “… BY THE GRACE OF GOD I am what I am …” (i.e. as opposed to being self-made man) (c.f. I Corinthians 15:10). And once more: “… WHAT DO YOU HAVE THAT YOU DID NOT RECEIVE? …” (c.f. I Corinthians 4:7) – the answer being, “Absolutely nothing!” And then, just for good measure, John the Baptizer once said: “A man can receive nothing unless it has been GIVEN HIM FROM HEAVEN” (c.f. John 3:27) – which means “from God” – hence, there’s no room left for personal pride.
The humility of which James speaks, then, is that attitude of heart and mind whereby a person (by the grace of God) does NOT think “more highly” of themselves than they ought to think (c.f. Romans 12:3). Rather, they think soundly, and soberly, and biblically – realizing they have nothing to boast about, except in regard to Christ and whatever gifts or blessings He chooses to give them.
(c) The question is, can a pride-filled man actually “humble himself”? Can a woman whose heart is filled with pride just up and decide one day to be humble – and then pull it off? Can a person who’s been used to behaving in a prideful manner suddenly stop and become humble? (Not by themselves – not apart from Christ’s enabling grace!)
Several examples in Scripture seem to indicate people can “humble themselves” (c.f. II Chronicles 12:5-8; 32:24-26; 33:10-13) – however, a closer looks reveals the Lord actually had a hand in their decision to do so. For example, Scripture says King Ahab “humbled himself” at one point by tearing his clothes, putting on sackcloth, and fasting (c.f. I Kings 21:27-28). But before we give him too much credit – as though he managed to do this on his own – we need to read the larger context, which tells us Ahab was responding to the word of the Lord that came to him through Elijah the prophet regarding the judgment God had vowed to bring upon Ahab and his house (c.f. I Kings 21:17-26). Hence, it was actually God who humbled Ahab’s heart (for a time) through the preaching of His word – and not Ahab doing so all by himself.
(d) Here in our text, the phrase “humble yourselves” (c.f. James 4:10) is in what’s called the passive voice – which means the phrase literally says, “be humbled”. Grammatically, the point is that the power to “be humble” comes from outside ourselves – which means, in turn, that it comes from God, through whatever means He chooses to use. Practically speaking, the point is that we can’t even boast about our humility, because it’s a gift from God (just like everything else in life is) – what one writer called, “the gracious work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.”3
So, whenever we encounter Scriptures that command us to “humble ourselves”, or to “be humble” (c.f. II Chronicles 7:14; Ezra 8:21; Proverbs 16:19; I Peter 5:6), we need to take them seriously – BUT, we also need to remember that we can’t do it on our own. Hence, our prayer ought to be that the Lord would enable us to do what He has commanded us to do – and/or to be what He has commanded us to be.
(e) Notice, James says we are to “humble ourselves” (or, “be humbled”) “IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD” (c.f. James 4:10). Think about this for a moment. Since God is omnipresent – i.e. since there’s no place we can go where the Lord is not presence in all His fullness and all His glory (c.f. Psalm 139:7-12) – James must be talking about exercising humility at all times and in all situations – because the Lord is present at all times and in all situations.
Those of you who are familiar with R. C. Sproul’s devotional magazine Table Talk know he has a monthly section called “Coram Deo”, which is Latin for “before the face of God”. The idea behind the phrase “coram deo” is that (whether we realize it or not) we live each moment of every day in the presence of God4 – before His face, as it were – right in front of His eyes, if you will. Hence, God says of the wicked that: “… their ways … are not hidden from My face …” (c.f. Jeremiah 16:17) – and again: “they do not consider in their hearts that … their (sinful) deeds … are before My face” (c.f. Hosea 7:2). In other words, when we sin – be it some form of adultery, or murder, or greed, or idolatry, or coveting – when we sin by skipping worship, when we use foul language, when we get drunk, when we bad mouth the boss or commander behind his back – (i.e. when we sin in any way) we always sin right in front of God’s face – we always sin in His presence, no matter where we are, or how dark it may be.
James would have liked the phrase “coram deo”, because that’s what he’s essentially telling us in our text (c.f. James 4:10) – i.e. that we live every day in God’s presence – that we live every second right before His face. And, since that’s true, the realization of His presence ought to act as an incentive to live every moment as humbly and selflessly as we possibly can.
John Blanchard put it like this – he said, “Remember, God is present in your home – when you sit down to eat – when you turn on the TV – when you open a book – when you converse with your spouse and children – or talk about a person who isn’t there. Always bear in mind that God is present in your family relationships – with your husband, or wife – with your parents, or children. Remember, God is also present at work – when you transact a business deal – pick up the phone – send an e-mail – speak to an employer, or employee – or deal with customers. God is present when you choose a movie to watch, or a restaurant to eat in – He’s present when you’re driving down the highway, or getting ready to board a plane. Remember, too, that God is present when you sit in church – when you teach a Sunday School class – when you serve on a board or committee – when you stand up to sing – when you greet a visitor – or when you rise to preach.5
(f) Living before the face of God – “in the presence of the Lord” (c.f. James 4:10) at all times – is such a serious and sobering thought that some people might be driven to despair. Some people might become overwhelmed, or demoralized, or even depressed – especially when they think about their own weaknesses, and sins, and frequent failures.6
So Blanchard offers a word of encouragement,6 by observing that David always seemed to be deeply conscience of God’s presence as well as his own weaknesses and sin – yet, in a psalm in which he contemplated the fact that God knew his every word, and thought and action, he called: “Such knowledge … wonderful …” – after which, a few verses later, he testified that God was present to “lead” him (c.f. Psalm 139:6, 10), not destroy him.
Blanchard then writes: “David did not despair at the Lord’s presence, he delighted in it, for he knew the Lord was present to strengthen him and sustain him.”6 Hence, David says in another place: “… in Your presence (i.e. God’s presence) is fullness of joy …” (c.f. Psalm 16:11) – while the prophet Isaiah wrote: “… they will be glad in Your presence as with the gladness of harvest …” (c.f. Isaiah 9:3).
(2) So – while the idea of living every moment “in the presence of the Lord” (c.f. James 4:10) may be sobering – and while it ought to stimulate us to live “humbly” – there’s also a joyful aspect to it. And that leads us to the promise part of this morning’s text, where James says: “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you” (c.f. James 4:10) – or, “He will lift you up”, as the NKJV and NIV put it.
(a) The idea here is that of being raised up to a position of honor, or greatness, or significance.7 Keep in mind that some positions are greater and more honorable than others. For example, the position of being President of the United States is greater than being Mayor of Alamogordo. Both are honorable – but one clearly has more honors attached to it than the other. Keep in mind, too, that each position of honor – be it great or small, earthly or spiritual – is “for those for whom it has been prepared by (the) Father” (c.f. Matthew 20:23). Hence, when God lifts us up – it’s always to a place He prepared FOR us to fill – and has prepared us TO fill.
(b) James doesn’t tell us what kind of exaltation he has in mind (although I think it’s primarily spiritual in nature). He simply states the principle – i.e. that humility always precedes exalting – that God lifts up the lowly, not the proud – that God grants honor to those who humble themselves before Him, not those who are full of conceit and EXALT THEMSELVES in His presence (like the Pharisee who prayed: 11“God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get” – c.f. Luke 18:11-12). As Jesus said at the end of that passage: “… everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted” (c.f. Luke 18:14).
Elsewhere, the Book of Proverbs says: “A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor” (c.f. Proverbs 29:23) – while the Book of Psalms says: “… You save an afflicted people, but haughty eyes You abase” (c.f. Psalm 18:27).
(c) Every Christian who humbles himself before God can expect His heavenly Father to exalt him in some manner (c.f. James 4:10) “at the proper time” (c.f. I Peter 5:6). What form that exaltation takes will vary. When that exaltation takes place will vary. But since God always keeps His promises, every Christian who humbles himself “in the presence of the Lord” can expect God to “exalt” them at some point (c.f. James 4:10).
(d) Someone may ask: “If God exalts us, are we not inclined to become proud?”8 I suppose the danger is always there. But if we continue to practice humility, then we will give Him the praise and glory for whatever exaltation we enjoy. As Scripture says: “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord” (c.f. I Corinthians 1:31) – and once more: 23“… ‘Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom … let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; 24but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,’ declares the Lord” (c.f. Jeremiah 9:23-24).
(e) In other words, our Heavenly Father delights in humility – and He also rewards humility.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1Blanchard: Truth For Life; p. 294.
2MacArthur: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary;
James; p. 213.
3Blanchard: Ibid; p. 296.
4http://www.geocities.com/Athens/forum/3505/
5Blanchard: Ibid; pgs. 297-298.
6IBID; p. 298.
7BCS: Strong’s Concordance; Word #5311 and #5312.
8New Testament Commentary: James, Epistles of John,
Peter and Jude; p. 142.