Modern society is increasingly mocking purity, yet God is pleased with those who endeavour to keep themselves pure before marriage. Increasing temptations combined with the declining standards concerning courting have made purity a rarity rather than the norm. Regardless of this trend, young people with a deep and abiding love for the Lord will continually strive to overcome these obstacles and remain pure. Those who have failed in the past will renew their commitment to the Lord seeking to prevent further regrets. This must be accomplished with a firm resolve. A young person must determine that he or she is going to respect the commandments of God and the other individual with whom he or she is courting. Beyond this, each young person must determine to build fences of protection to keep from entering into tempting situations. The Devil does not need much room to rob a youth of his or her purity (Ephesians 4:27).
Like other callings upon a person’s life, God prepares men and women for marriage. Obviously, God prepares the heart, but He also prepares other areas in order to provide for a strong home. When God created Adam, He could have immediately created Eve, but He chose to allow Adam to experience the sense of being alone. Perhaps there are other reasons, but God may have thought it wise to prepare Adam for marriage. He needed to experience life without Eve. Adam needed to come to the place where he desired companionship. He needed to be alone before he could truly appreciate a wife. In addition to the preparation of Adam’s heart, the Lord gave him a job, a means by which he could provide for Eve (Genesis 2:8-9, 15). All of these preparations were necessary for a strong marriage relationship.
The godly choice of whom to marry likely will never again be as obvious as it was for Adam and Eve. Yet, the wrong choice can and will usually bring disastrous outcomes along with lifelong consequences. Wise counsel to avoid pitfalls related to bad choices is vitally important! Samson’s choice was ultimately of the Lord, but not because it was wise. His parents knew that his decision was fleshly and attempted to redirect him. Esau rebelliously sought a wife that would never meet his parents’ approval (Genesis 28:6-9). Throughout the Old Testament, parents were involved in the process of choosing the right spouse for their children. It may not be a direct command from God, but it remains a wise principle to follow. Parents are not always right, but the Lord is pleased to use them in this decision-making process.
God made man with the natural desire for companionship. Similar to all of God’s other creation; the world, the flesh, and the Devil have corrupted the method by which this desire is consummated. God created Adam as a single man. As time elapsed, it became obvious that Adam did not need to be alone but needed a wife. Although the details do vary from situation to situation, the principles of God’s provisions for companionship for Adam provide superior guidelines for someone seeking the same relationship today. Adam found a wife when the Lord brought Eve to him and not the other way around. Adam too did not go searching for a wife, but God brought her to him. Though times have changed, God can and will do the same today for those who faithfully love and serve Him.
The Bible associates several qualities to the truly humble person. The book of James lists a few of these prominent traits as follows. The humble man submits to the will of God (James 4:7). Additionally, he repents of his sins (James 4:8) and mourns over his disobedience (James 4:9). He refuses to speak evil of his brother (James 4:11), but rather chooses to leave judgment to the Lord because He is the righteous Judge (James 4:12). He refuses to boast about what he is doing (James 4:13-16) because he knows that his failure to do right is a sin (James 4:17). Yet, the greatest truth concerning the humble man is not what he does or gives for God, but what God gives to him. The Bible says that God gives grace to the humble and resists the proud (1 Peter 5:5-6). Think about this profound truth. God gives a man what he needs if that man will simply remain humble.
The Bible repeatedly emphasizes that honour follows humility! But how does this work? According to our passage, “whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Abased means to be brought low, while exalted means to be elevated. Matthew 23:12 and Luke 18:14 reiterate the truth found in Luke 14:11, yet none of the verses expound upon how this takes place. What or who is at work behind the scenes to make this principle true? The answer is found in James 4:10—“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” Man’s finite mind-set leads him to think that the way up is up and the way down is down; but according to the Bible, the opposite is true. The way up (to be exalted) is down (through humility) and the way down (to be abased) is up (self-exaltation). Those who seek to be exalted by others will find themselves frustrated through their own efforts; yet those who seek humility will be exalted by God.
Following the victory of a battle, the victors generally divide the spoil. The soldiers triumphantly go through the enemy camp removing anything they desire. The act of dividing the spoil indicates a time of victory and intense celebration as a result of winning the battle. Yet, the Bible reveals that there is something far better than dividing the spoil with the proud: being “of an humble spirit with the lowly.” This can only pertain to those looking at life from a godly perspective. Man would naturally rather celebrate a victory with the proud than to be humbled through defeat. The context of the passage quite possibly could indicate that the lowly refers to those who have suffered the defeat; therefore, it is better to be humbled by defeat than to be proud in victory.
It seems that far too many men seek to be honoured by others whether deserved or completely unwarranted. However, few men understand the proper biblical path for being rightfully honoured. One would naturally think honour comes to those who are confident and proud, but the Bible reveals the opposite. Proverbs 15:33 and Proverbs 18:12 both declare that humility precedes honour. This means that a person desiring to receive honour must first possess the character trait of true humility. Conversely, the Bible points out that a haughty heart precedes the pathway to destruction (Proverbs 18:12). Moreover, the Bible couples humility with the fear of the Lord and shows that it yields riches, honour, and life (Proverbs 22:4). Desiring these good things is only reasonable, yet they are only derived through God’s prescribed means and not man’s self-styled means.
Careless Bible students often make wrongful assumptions for the purpose of God’s interaction with man. One such example involves the reasoning for Israel’s wilderness wanderings. Several alternative explanations might be supposed, but the Bible emphasizes one primary purpose, that of humility. Moses declared this truth to the people when he said, “thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee . . . to humble thee.” He quickly added that God “humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna.” Deuteronomy 8:16 reemphasizes this truth: “Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee.” The Lord selected Israel’s trials and troublesome path in order to humble them. Truth is frequently that simple but missed by those who read the Bible with preconceived philosophies and concepts.
Humility moves God to action. This common theme runs throughout the Bible; however, our passage reveals some truth otherwise hidden. According to Second Chronicles, the people of God are responsible to humble themselves. While doing so, they must also pray, seek God’s face, and turn from their wicked ways. God’s use of the word then in the passage reveals that God’s actions result from the actions of His people. Their humility will move the Lord to action. If, or when, they humble themselves, God hears from heaven, forgives their sin, and heals their land. God takes note when people display humility (Isaiah 57:15; Isaiah 66:1-2). Though some things have changed concerning Israel versus the church, God remains constant and is still looking for humility in the lives of His children.
