“You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
I Peter 5:5-7
God gives grace to the humble. What does that mean?
One way we define things is by their opposite. We do that from the time we are little children. One way to show a child what “short” means is to contrast something “tall”, or contrast something “big” to define what “small” is, etc. Here, we have the contrast of “humble” and “proud”. Carrying the contrast over in the same sentence, then “opposed” is contrasted to “gives grace”. Another word some translations use for “oppose” is “resists”. God “turns his face agaisnt” or “does not listen to” the proud. We see that concept in I Peter 3:12. The opposite of “resists” is “receives” or “accepts”.
God is God. God is a supreme being that has a knowledge and intellect far beyond our comprehension. His power and presence is more than we can fathom in the flesh. He is pure and holy. He is light. We may think no thing of it to be in His presence, but as Paul experienced on the road to Damascus, to stand before the Lord is to bow in overwhelming fear/reverence. Who can stand before the Lord?
To be received by the Lord, it is done by His grace. And He does not extend that grace to the proud, but to the humble. We cannot be proud against our brethren and humble towards God. That is impossible. We can only be humble toward God if we humble ourselves before our fellow man as well. This concept is seen several times throughout scripture, such as the sermon on the mount or the parable of judgment in Matthew 25.
How do you think one must “dress” to approach God? When we meet earthly royalty, there is an expectation of how one should dress. Even Jesus tells a parable along these lines, of dressing appropriately for the authority and occasion. If you were going to visit the King, the Lord, how should you dress? Is it about men adorning themselves in a tux and ladies wearing the finest of jewels? Was Jesus impressed by any of that when He was walking the earth?
Imagine one dressed in their finest clothes, ready to meet the Lord. He has lived “successfully”, and has the bank account and threads and bling to prove it, and now he has adorned himself to stand in the presence of the King. And then there is another, dressed in tattered clothing because he has given his life in service to others. He comes bearing no gift outside of his humble and contrite heart before the King. Which one has dressed himself in humility? Which one will God receive?
God gives grace to the humble. He receives us. He hears our prayer. He knows who we are. We are welcome before His throne. Clothe yourself with humility so that you might experience the grace and presence of the Lord. No greater success will you have in life, than that. Humble thyself.
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