The God Filled
Imagination
Proverbs 11:2, 1
Samuel 17
I know you're going to like this sermon. After all, I am a wonderful preacher. Not only that, but I happen to have quite a bit of personal, first-hand experience with today's subject. You might say that I know as much about today's topic as any person you will ever meet. Combine my knowledge with how wonderful I am as a preacher, and that's powerful stuff! But, of course, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know now am I? So hear the Word of God....
When pride comes, then comes
disgrace (Proverbs 11:2).
The fear of the Lord brings
wisdom, and humility comes before honor (15:33).
Pride goes before
destruction, and a haughty spirit before the fall (16:18).
Before a downfall one’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor (18:12).
The topic today is pride. And let me say first that pride is more than bragging. If all we had to worry about was avoiding the kind of petty bragging such as I indulged in before the Scripture reading, then we could all go home self-satisfied in our spirituality. Most of us can avoid such bragging, or at least keep it to a minimum. But biblical pride is a far deeper, far less honest, far more socially problematic reality than mere bragging.
The topic today is also humility. And let me say second that humility is more than groveling. If I had chosen to grovel instead of brag before the Scripture reading, I might have said how worthless and useless and every other kind of less I am, and I'm just so sorry that you have to listen to me, and how nice you are to sit there and be polite given what a lousy preacher I am. Groveling is not humility. Humility is a far deeper, far more truthful, far more socially liberating reality than mere groveling. And so we can define our subjects initially as follows:
• Pride is believing ourselves to be more than who we really are.
• Humility is seeing, accepting and living as who we really are.
These definitions focus us on who we really are. Are we ignorant to the truth about ourselves? Or do we see ourselves honestly, strengths and weaknesses, in such a way that we can embrace both our gifts and their shadows?
Life teaches us the truth of the proverb: "Pride goes before the fall, and a haughty spirit before destruction" (16:18). The Big Three car companies think they are impervious to outside forces so they build gas guzzlers without thought to the downsized car market. Then yet another oil crisis hits, and the Big Three suffer a fall. Genghis Kahn, Napoleon, and Hitler all think the greatness of their armies can defeat the weakness of the Russian army, but none of them account for the surpassing strength of the Russian Winter, and their armies fall. "Pride goes before the fall, and a haughty spirit before destruction."
Life also teaches us the truth of another proverb: “The fear of the Lord teaches one wisdom, and humility comes before honor" (15:33). President Truman was just an ordinary man from Missouri, but he knew what he knew. And he knew what he didn't know. He didn't pretend to be great; he merely accepted that "the buck stops here," and so he became a great president. Or consider the examples of Mother Teresa with her compassion and Billy Graham with his evangelism. They did not pretend to be great theologians, only that they knew the one thing to which they were called. And in accepting their call and living it out, they became instruments of God's peace. "The fear of the Lord teaches one wisdom, and humility comes before honor."
On a more personal level, also, we see how pride comes before the fall and how humility comes before honor. Pride can be an act of fear: what if they discover that I'm not as good as I say I am? Pride can be an act of faithlessness: can I trust God to help me stand when I am weak? Pride can be an act of folly: “I'm really not as great as I think.” Pride treats others as an object to be controlled and conquered; it treats others as an "It." Pride says to another, be they a spouse or colleague, a client or neighbor, "I really do know more than you." And in saying this, the pride-full person shuts down honest exchange and cooperation. The pride-full attitude creates resentment and conflict.
Humility, however, brings freedom: we don't have to hide the truth about ourselves for we have accepted it. Humility brings faith: we learn to trust God to help us go beyond ourselves. Humility brings fullness: God takes us beyond our own strength as we, according to our humility, give him permission to do so. Humility treats others as a person with whom to share; it treats others as a "Thou." Humility says to another, "I respect what you have to offer and say, just as I respect what I have to offer and say." And in saying this, the humble person opens the door to honest communication and trust.
Are we proud? Or are we humble? Do we believe ourselves to be more than who we really are? Or do we see, accept and live as who we really are? These are difficult questions, for they require that we explore all the nooks and crannies of our lives, those places we gleefully expose to all as well as those places we keep hidden in the shadows. To discern our fallenness to pride or our acceptance of humility is to undergo spiritual surgery. Here is a diagnostic tool. Where do we stand? How healthy or unhealthy are we?
· Pride over emphasizes one’s own strengths and is blind to one’s own weaknesses; humility is honest about both one’s strengths and weaknesses.
· Pride assumes; humility searches.
· Pride speaks more than listens; humility listens more than speaks.
· Pride knows; humility dialogues.
· Pride believes the rules don’t apply to me; humility believes respect is due to all.
· Pride seeks to accumulate control; humility seeks to accumulate character.
· Pride is focused on outward things; humility is focused on inward things.
· Pride pursues one’s own glory; humility pursues God’s glory.
We see examples of pride and humility in the biblical story of proud Goliath and humble David. When David arrived in the Valley of Elah that day, Goliath dominated the landscape. Seven feet tall, loud, arrogant, obnoxious and, most of all, fearful. Every day he would walk out to challenge the Israelite army to bring forth a champion to fight him. Every day the soldiers of Israel would cower before the challenge, becoming less human and more coward as day turned to day. For the soldiers of Israel, the Valley of Elah was a Goliath-dominated world. What they saw was what was real. Goliath was real: his power, his volume, his...everything! When they slept, Goliath filled their dreams. When they woke, he filled their lives. But not so David.
David lived in a different world, a world where God filled the imagination. David had spent years as a shepherd listening to the God-rhythms of this world: the babbling brook, the star filled sky, the wandering sheep, the ferocious lions who dared to prey upon his flock. Even more, David had spent years listening to the God-rhythms of his own soul: he knew his fears and his courage; he accepted his gifts as well as his lack; he recognized the impact of truth and beauty and goodness upon him. Most of all, David was clear of this one thing: Reality is made up mostly of what we do not see. Our humanness is rarely a function of what actually happens around us and almost always a function of how we respond to it. Do we seek out God, his ways, his will, his salvation? Or do we lose sight of God and allow Goliath to fill our imagination?
For David, the choice to fight had been made years before. David lived a God filled imagination, and so when David heard Goliath's taunts, there really was no choice: he, David, would fight the giant. "How can this be," we ask? "How can it not be?," David answers, for David was humble enough to know that he could not defeat the giant Goliath alone; and he was humble enough to know that he did not have to try. And in his humility, David became free to be faithful, free to be filled with God's fullness.
In my imagination I see David kneeling at the brook to select stones for his sling. The text doesn't say that he knelt, just that he "chose five smooth stones" from the brook (1 Sam. 17:50). But he must have knelt to select the stones. I see him kneeling-David kneeling, the one person that day who was spirit-healthy. Why did he assume this particular posture, kneeling at the brook? How was he capable of doing something so seemingly unsuited to the needs of the day? Kneeling, and therefore unable either to walk or run. Kneeling, and therefore defenseless. Kneeling, and so unable to see Goliath in all his supposed grandeur? Goliath is disdainful of this kneeling David. He mocks the Israelites.
While David knelt at the brook, the world was bounded on one side by the arrogant and bullying people of Philistia and on the other by the demoralized and anxious people of Israel. To the north of the brook the powerful and pride-full giant; to the south of the brook the chosen but deeply faithless people of God. Until David walked into the Valley of Elah and knelt at that brook, the only options seemed to be a bullying Might or a fearful Right. Take your pick: braggarts or grovellers, brutal Goliath or anxious Israel. But David, kneeling, unhurried and calm, opened up another option: God. How easily we lose sight-lose our awareness-of him!
Suddenly David is no longer kneeling but running. And not away but toward the giant! The people of Israel cannot believe their eyes. Goliath himself, lumbering in his clumsy giant footsteps, stops in surprise. The moment itself is so without precedent, so outrageous, that it hardly registers as possible. Two, three looping swings and one of the five smooth stones is hurled from David's sling and sinks into Goliath's forehead. Stunned, proud Goliath falls, his haughty spirit silenced forever.
David and Goliath show us the deeper, more spiritual meanings of pride and humility. In their story we see that,
• Pride is believing the world that we see is more determinative of reality than the world we do not see.
• Humility is having the courage to look within to discover the honest truth about one's person.
Where are we looking for what makes us who we are? Are we, like Goliath, looking at the outward things we see: our beauty, intelligence, status, power, wealth? Do we see these things as what is really Real? Or are we, like David, looking at inward things we cannot see: character, integrity, honesty in dealing with self and others, faithfulness in our relationship with God? What is truly most Real to us? How we answer this question in the still places of our souls, will lead us down the path of pride or toward the holiness of humility.
Pride goes before the fall; a haughty spirit
before destruction.
But the fear of the Lord brings wisdom; humility comes before honor.