What comes to mind when you consider the words foolish, weak, base, and despised?
In 1 Corinthians 1: 26-28, Paul used these words to describe the sad condition that the Corinthians were in when the Lord found them. The pride displayed in the church was such that Paul had to call believers to remember who they were when the Lord set His affection on them and saved them.Their lack of humility and grace was evident in the way they treated each other and was proof that they didn’t have a sober estimation of self, but were instead thinking too highly of themselves and looking at others with disdain. In their own eyes, they had already become filled, rich, and superior, and were boastful in their condition (1 Corinthians 4:7-8). Forgetting breeds pride.
The Corinthian church was not unique in their lapse of memory. Old Testament Israel was constantly being exhorted to remember. The various festivals and keeping of days were given to them so that they would not forget God’s faithfulness in delivering them from Egypt and bringing them into a prosperous land (Exodus 12:14-17, 24-27). In Joshua 4, they were commanded to set up a memorial made of twelve stones, so that when their children asked about it, they would retell of God’s mighty deeds in bringing them through the Jordan river. A continual remembrance of God’s work on their behalf was meant to keep them humble and to recognize that every blessing and victory came from His hand. How could they remain proud when they recalled God’s undeserved kindness towards them?
Unfortunately, like the Corinthian believers, Israel was also proud. Their pride led them to presume on God’s goodness and to rush into sin without any regard for Him or the well being of the nation. Their sin was displayed in their rebellion against God’s commands often expressed in the form of idolatry (Exodus 32:1-6, 1 Kings 12:28-33, Jeremiah 9:13-14). In spite of the constant calls to remember, they were not mindful of where God had brought them from: four hundred years of harsh slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12:40). Instead “… the sons of Israel did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh and forgot Yahweh their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.” (Judges 3:7). Forgetting breeds pride and pride emboldens us to sin.
Sometimes, we need the same reminders the Corinthian church and Israel needed. We are also prone to forget where the Lord brought us from and who we were before He clothed us with the glorious righteousness of His Son. There are times in our lives when we look around and we find great satisfaction and pride in our work, our family life, our position in any given institution, our relationships, etc., and we forget that we owe it all to our Savior. We can be so proud of our walk with the Lord and how far He has brought us that we can become boastful in our knowledge, our influence, our accomplishments, our spiritual growth, our maturity, etc., and in our pride we can disregard our God and the well being of the church.
The Lord needs to remind us that all we have has been given to us by His doing and only by His grace. He found no merit in us that moved Him to bestow the blessings and gifts we enjoy. God could have chosen the wise, the mighty, the noble, and the strong, but in His wisdom He chose the lowest of the low to shame the great, “so that no flesh may boast before God” (v29), and all glory will be given only to Him. God has always operated in this way. He chose Moses, who was not eloquent but slow of speech ( Exodus 4:10), to lead Israel out of Egypt. He chose Gideon, the youngest in his family and from the smallest clan in Manasseh (Judges 6:15), to defeat Israel’s enemy. He chose a humble manger and a carpenter’s home to bring the Messiah to His people (Luke 2:7, Matthew 13:55). Jesus himself chose those no one would have chosen as disciples, some humble fishermen (Mark 1:16-20), to accomplish His mission on earth. We tend to forget that we are among the low that He has chosen. And when forgetting breeds pride, our hearts grumble and are dissatisfied, and just like in the Corinthians’ case, our pride towards God is expressed in our actions towards Him and each other.
But just as forgetting breeds pride, remembering can birth humility. Recalling that God chose us, the foolish, the weak, the base, and the despised, to proclaim the good news of the gospel can dispel our unwarranted pride. Remembering God’s past faithfulness, forgiveness, and restoration can bring us back to a place where our hearts have no choice but to bow low before Him in continual recognition of His love, mercy, and kindness towards undeserving sinners like us. How can anyone remain prideful before such a gracious God?
by Lil S.
