1 Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.
2 Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.
3 Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and for ever.
We have the faith of little children, even nursing babies that trust their mothers for their lives.
When a little six-month-old child has finished nursing, he contentedly rolls over and closes his eyes for a little nap. No worries. No fears. No sorrows. He has all that he needs at least for the moment, and he trusts his life in his mother’s arms. We are humbled as we identify with this six-month-old child.
Verse 1
There is nothing more winsome than a genuine humility. There is nothing more approachable than humility. Scripture tells us that God Himself is attracted to this grace: “God resists the proud, but giveth grace to the humble” (Jas. 4:6). Humility is seeing ourselves as God sees us, as we really stand in relation to God and the rest of reality. As a two-year-old wanders through a crowd of adults, all he can see is a sea of big shoes, socks, and knees. He know these are big people and he is a little person. He does not understand the adult conversation going on. All of this adult life is literally over his head. If we were honest with ourselves, we would admit that there is much going on around us that we do not understand. There are problems in the universe that we cannot possibly solve. There are apparent paradoxes we will never resolve.
There are limits to our understanding. For example, a two-year-old may have learned to hit a switch to turn on the lights in the living room. But he doesn’t know how electrons flowing through a wire lighten the filament, and he certainly doesn’t understand what excites these electrons and enables them to travel through the wires. Scientists are still trying to understand the nature of the electron itself. Albert Einstein was one of the most brilliant men of our times, yet he was known for his childish antics. He had something of a picture of the incomprehensibility of God’s universe when he would say, “The human mind, no matter how highly trained, cannot grasp the universe. We are in the position of a little child, entering a huge library whose walls are covered to the ceiling with books in many different tongues.”
The more we learn of the universe, the more we should exemplify the heart attitude that David brings to this psalm. Generally, a two-year-old child is content to not know everything there is to know. He takes it as a given that adults are smarter than he is. However, as we grow up, many of us face the temptation to explain mysteries beyond our level of comprehension. This temptation is the basis for all of the false philosophies and cults that man has concocted through the ages. The Russellites of the 19th Century could not explain the unity of God, the deity of the persons, and the distinct personalities of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So they handily “fixed” the whole problem by taking the deity of the persons away. They gave in to the temptation. Human rationalism exercises itself in great matters, things too high for man. The root problem with the cults is pride. May God obliterate every vestige of pride that plagues the church! When it comes to the matter of the doctrine of God, we must be very careful never to go beyond what God has given to us in His Word.
Denominationalism within the church is rooted in the pride of men, especially in this area of knowledge. In doctrinal disagreements with another party, we should first acknowledge what we do not know—the unexplained mysteries and apparent paradoxes of our systems. Then, together with the other party, we must reaffirm what we know for certain and the things we can agree upon. Only after these exercises are complete, should we gingerly work into some of the perceived disagreements. If this process is used, there will be far less fracturing in the unity of the organized church.
Verse 2
Following this confession of childlike humility comes this wonderful picture of a childlike faith. Faith brings a contentedness, a sense that all is right in our world. We are well taken care of. We are in good hands. We have all that we need, because it is the Lord who determines what we need.
Anxieties arise over those things with which we have no ultimate control. Actually, nothing is under our absolute control. We cannot possibly guarantee the outcome of a single endeavor—not one. A nursing child understands this. He doesn’t understand much of anything else. But he knows that he is entirely dependent upon his mother for his very sustenance. He cannot wash his clothes. He cannot plant crops. He cannot find the bathroom. Even a Christian corporate president or a great political leader should realize his limitations. If he trusts in God with the outcome of every situation and every decision, he should be free of all anxiety and fear of the future. Although we take responsibility for the work God gives to us, we cannot guarantee the outcome of any one thing we do. We cannot control all of the forces in the universe that act upon us. That is God’s job.
Verse 3
This simple little psalm closes with the basis of contentment, the hope of Israel. A little child can see his mother and he can feel his mother. The believer however, hopes in the God who keeps His covenants and holds true to His promises. We read His promises as a child receives his mother’s milk. Then, we hold on to that promise as we fall asleep. If we carry these promises in a tight grip, all will be well with our souls as we approach the final judgment day. He has promised that He will save those who believe in Christ, and He cannot possibly break that promise. Every other person in the whole world may let us down, but not so this covenant-keeping God. “Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and forever!”
When it comes to knowledge, we are called to be good children. When Dad tells us to turn on the lights, we turn on the lights. We don’t need to know everything about electricity to act on the knowledge that Dad has given us. This is the essence of the Christian view of knowledge. God teaches us some things about Himself and His creation. We are content with what we receive, and our responsibility is to be obedient children with what we do know.
Humility is the most basic requirement in the worship of God. If we cannot picture ourselves as 20 two-year-olds sitting in a circle, learning about Jesus for the first time, we have lost perspective. The spirit of pride will utterly ruin the worship service. This is especially true for the pastors and elders who lead. Where there is the spirit of preeminence, an unwillingness to submit to one another, or a hesitation to confess sins one to another, the Spirit of worship is quenched.
1. What is humility?
2. Why are children humble (at least in the area of knowledge)?
3. What is a good way to handle doctrinal disagreements?
4. How does a little baby feel after nursing?
5. Why is sleep a good test of faith?
1. If we could quantify all of the knowledge in the universe, what percentage of that knowledge do we possess right now? What percentage will we obtain before we die?
2. Are we filled with anxieties and unable to rest, or are we able to sleep without fear or worry