Leaning Into the Lord's Confidence - Henry Knapp

A Heep of Humility.

Growing up in my household, Uriah Heep was a prominent figure. More than once he was referenced in terms of my own upbringing. Uriah Heep is a fictional character in Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield. Heep plays a minor role in the storyline but is so well written that he stands out and is easily remembered—particularly for his insincere flattery. An oft-repeated line for Dickens is when Uriah Heep expounds upon his humility—“I’m a very ‘umble person,” “I am the ‘umblest person going”! Of course, the joke is Heep’s bragging on his humility: he is very proud of being humble!

Uriah Heep’s false humility was referenced in my household as a mocking corrective to my own incredible lack of humility. Like most people, I was (am!) very protective of myself, overly conscious of any slight and paranoid that my faults will show. Consequentially, again, like most people, pride rises up in very unsightly ways, frequently dominating, if not my outward actions, then certainly my inward attitude and thoughts. There is great reason why the sin of pride has consistently been identified in the church age as the cause of much, much harm and wickedness.

When we look critically at the presence of this sin in our lives and honestly face the pervasive presence of a proud self-image, we walk a hazardous road. The dangers of pride are self-evident. Rarely, if ever, are we as truly good or truly special as we think we are. Crossing from pride to arrogance, and haughtiness is quickly done. But excessive pride is not wrong simply when it is annoying—pride is opposed in Scripture simply because it so often misplaces us in relation to God. The proud forget that they are the creature, and so easily assume the role of the Creator. On the other hand, the alternative is not false humility, nor a degrading of oneself that denies our created grandeur. For, our Lord did make us “but a little lower than the angels” and “crowned us glory and honor” (Psalm 8). So, the corrective of pride is not false, deferential, self-effacing. The corrective to pride is… reality!

The Bible urges us to see ourselves as the Lord Himself made us, as our Savior redeemed us, and as the Spirit is transforming us. Yes, He created/redeemed/sanctified us to be glorious in His sight—and so we are! There is every reason in the world for the Christian to be proud of what God has done, to be in awe of what the Lord has made us into. However, every single ounce of that pride is located in heaven, in our God! Yes, we are marvelous, but we are marvelous “in His eyes” because of Him. All that is good comes directly from Him, and we can claim none of it.

And it is that self-image, that perspective of who I truly am, that the Scripture expresses. I am all that God says that I am, and not a lick less. To depreciate myself is to falsely condemn what God has done. But, to be proud in myself is foolishness and forgets that I am but a redeemed creature and not in any way the Redeemer-Creator.

In our culture, it is hard to maintain this perspective. It is easy to think too highly of oneself, as if it is deserved. It is also too easy to ground our self-identity in anything other than in God. And, it is too easy to be overwhelmed with our sin and brokenness that we ignore the Savior’s voice. But, listen! He speaks to us as we truly are—sinners, loved and redeemed by Jesus Christ.

Please read Psalm 131 in preparation for worship this week.

1. The sermon title this week is “Leaning into the Lord’s Confidence.” How is the greatness of our God expressed in this psalm?

2. There are a number of reasons to think/feel negatively or critically about yourself. What are some bad reasons? What are some good reasons? What “reasons” does the psalmist have for encouraging a humble approach?

3. What does the psalmist mean when saying that his “heart is not lifted up/eyes are not raised too high” (verse 1)? How would we phrase something similar today?

4. What is “a weaned child with its mother” like? Why is this image a powerful one for someone who has not lifted heart/eyes too high?

5. How does verse 3 connect? It almost looks like a non-sequitur, but I don’t think it is—if flows naturally from verses 1 & 2. How so?