BEING ESTEEMED BY GOD
The prophet Isaiah makes an interesting statement, “—-declares the Lord, ‘this is the one I esteem; he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word’”(Isaiah 66:2)
The first thought that comes to mind is ‘why should God esteem someone?’ Esteem is a connotation that implies deep appreciation and respect. If God has created man, why should he esteem his creation? A creator can take pride in his creation, but esteem carries it to another level. The only way to make sense of this description is to recognize that God created man with a free will, and what man does with his free will is, in a way, outside the prerogative of God. And so when man makes the decision to honor God with his free will and attach himself to the side of truth, that decision is worthy of respect and honor- even from God! In addition, the fact that he is born with a sinful nature, giving him a natural inclination to do evil makes it even harder to live a live of obedience to God- man has to go against everything within him and around him that nudges him to the contrary. Hence esteem is what God has for one who is truly on the side of truth and God.
Being humble and contrite in spirit goes to the core of man’s attitude in life. It is the basic attitude that is next to impossible for man. Pride is within man’s nature- it is the self that rules man. Man was created with the need for God to rule within him. When Adam sinned, sin entered the world and all his descendants, infecting mankind with a self-rule, overthrowing God from the throne. People often mistake humility as quietness, softness and calmness. Nothing can be farther than the truth. The difference between God ruling on the throne of man and self ruling on the throne of man is the difference between humility and pride. A proud man cannot submit to God; his life all about himself and he cannot give up his desires, ambitions and thought processes. Being humble is just the opposite and often goes along with being contrite.
Contriteness is a term that denotes a brokenness that comes from knowing that one has gone astray and an earnest desire to rectify it. Man pouts and puffs along life’s course till God brings him to a recognition of how sinful, awful and despicable he really is because of his sin. Repentance follows, wherein man takes a decision to follow God with an attitude of contriteness. He acknowledges God as his true Lord, recognizes Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross as the remedy for his sin and eschews a life of obedience. This obedience is borne out of fear and trembling for God’s word, a natural sequel of deep respect and awe for God, who is not just the epitome of truth but also of love, redeeming man from the pit.
Man spends a lifetime trying to earn the esteem of people around him. If he were to redirect his energy to earning the esteem of God, how blessed his life would be!
