God lifts up the truly humble. He specializes in exalting and raising those that are bowed and trodden down by the enemies (Isaiah 51:22-23). He desires to be God in their lives and because He is God, therefore, He avenges and pave way for their unbeatable emancipation through glorious lifting such that everyone will know that this is God at work. For instance, though Hannah was battered by her rival but when God decided to favour her, she received mercy to be the mother of a re-known priest in Israel. And her testimony rightly attest to it in 1 Samuel 2:3, 7b & 8. He is a boundless (limitless) God and when He decides to raise up those who are low, no one can query His audacity! When God decides to be gracious as Hannah remarked, He will lift up the beggar from the dunghill and makes him seat with the princes of His people. Because He alone lifts up, therefore the humble are lifted to safety. But He knows the proud afar off and He would not want to have any dealing with the lofty ones. This is the season for the humble souls as God never forgets any. The world system may do because it is not even tailored towards accommodating the lowly, poor, insignificant, and the needy. It is geared towards keeping pace with the seeming achievers and the lifted. No true place, consideration and meaningful provision is made for the lowly and if someone is not in the rat race such is often left out. But God showcases the lowly in their due season when selection of grace speaks for them.
With divine response the remnant of God's people are accommodated according to the election of grace (Romans 2:2-22. Yet, He warned that gentiles should not boast because God has graciously received them knowing that they are not qualified neither are they in His original plan. But He deliberately decided to accept them in order to woo Israel back to Himself (Romans 11:11), hence, there is no need for boasting or pride else they would be cut off (Romans 11:17-18. Though the Israelites were once cut off so that the gentiles can be grafted in, however, there is need for caution for those coming in else they may not be spared too (Romans 11:19-21). So, Paul, the Apostle, warned the gentile believers to beware because if God abandon the children of Israel in order to graft them in, they better not be pompous lest He spare but cut them off (Romans 11:22). Considering his stern warning in verse 20, "Do not be haughty but fear" Actually, nothing calls for pride because in the first instance, we are objects of His mercy, so why boasting as if we are the original olive plant, but we need to remember that we are grafted in only by grace. Grafting is an agricultural practice whereby a scion is inserted into a small hollow part of a tree. The graft has no root or branches of itself but it sprouts after receiving nourishment from the main plant, so why boasting? And that is why Paul, the Apostle, further warned against pride in Romans chapter 12 verse 16. James also buttressed the fact that God resists the proud but He gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). The gross sin of fleshly kind and sins of higher spiritual level are pride, self-confidence, refined unbelief, high mindedness, arrogance, worldly lust and these are very destructive and cannot be overlooked.
The Psalmist remarked that God will only guide and lead the humble (Psalm 25:9), but the proud are cursed because they strayed away from His commandment (Psalm 119:21). They also have God's judgment looming on them (Isaiah 5:15-17, 25:10-12). Isaiah's prophetic declaration of the day of the Lord against the lofty whose hearts are lifted up further reveals God's intent to deal with the proud ( Isaiah 2:11-12, 17, 19, 21&22). He therefore counselled that everyone should severe from a proud person whose breath is in his nostrils; for of what account is he? As long as he has his breath in his nostrils and his breath can only be sustained by God, he is nothing and he can never be equated with the Almighty. Even Jesus did not spare the scribes and Pharisees of his days. He gave a sober teaching on humility to these erring leaders because He detested their proud outlook and disposition (Matthew 23:2-12). For Jesus Christ our Lord is our perfect example of humility as recorded it in Philippian 2:5-11. Paul, the Apostle noted in his epistles to the Corinthians while admonishing them on what real love will never do (1 Corinthians 13:4b-5), genuine love is not proud and it is not puffed up. Also, in his admonition he charged the churches to seek spiritual gifts mainly for the edification of the church and not for boasting or bragging (1 Corinthians 14:12, 37, 1 Timothy 6:4, Philippians 2:3).
The bible is littered with examples of proud people and their aftermath. Amaziah was a king at a time in Judah, he conquered Edom and his heart was lifted up. His pride over his little success made him ignore the counsel of the king of Israel who carefully warned him in order to dissuade him (2 Kings 14:7-9, 14, 2Chronichles 25:11-12, 17-24), yet, he challenged Israel to battle despite Jehoash candid advice that " stay at home for why should you meddle with trouble, that you should fall-you and Judah with you?" Eventually, Amaziah was captured by the king of Israel who also emptied and stripped naked the house of God (2 Chronicles 25:23-24). Yet, Uzziah his son failed to learn from his father's error but his heart too was lifted up. During the days of Zechariah, Uzziah sought the Lord and he prospered as long as he sought the Lord. Uzziah was marvellously helped by God, in fact, verse 15 is worth noting because he became an unusual king who received divine help till he became very strong. God also helped him to fight all his enemies (2 Chronicles 26:5, 7-15). But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction as he went ahead to do what was not his duty to do. And he would not listen despite the priest's plea to him. Instead, he was furious and unbending, so he became leprous until the day of his death (2 Chronicles 26:16-21). But Jotham his son who succeeded him had learnt his lessons, he would not want a repeat of what happened to his father and grandfather. Though he too was mighty because he prepared his way before the Lord (2 Chronicles 27:6), however, he did not enter into the temple at all ( 2Chronicles 27:2), neither did he allow his heart to be lifted up against God and His priests. He feared for his life and did not allow pride in him.
Hezekiah too was lifted up with pride because of his victory over Sennecherib (2 Chronicles 32:25-26), but when he quickly repented of his pride, the Lord averted the evil intended against him. If Naaman had not heeded the counsel of his servants but allowed pride and ego of the beautiful rivers of Damascus Abanah and Pharpar to overwhelm him, he would not have been cleansed of his leprosy (1 King 5:11-14). Boasting Peter was ruffled by a little servant girl after Jesus was taken (Matthew 26:69), and again in Matthew 26:71, he denied his Master. Peter should have asked for grace, help and divine enablement to endure the trying moment that was about to befall them, instead he vaunted himself and told the Lord that even if all deserted him he would not as if he truly know what was ahead ( Matthew 26:31-35). They took lightly the prediction of Jesus about them, all of them forsook Him, and fled even Peter who was so full of himself and took the lead to say "Even if I have to die with you, I will not deny you! and so said all the disciples." And when a group of people approached him to bash his ego, again he denied his Lord with an oath (Matthew 26:72). And in verse 73-74, his reaction was absurd because he started to curse, then a cock crowed (Matthew 26:75) a reminder of what Jesus had predicted concerning him. But the Lord being merciful reinstated him.
