Day 2: What is Humility?

Fittingly, the first mention of humility in all the Bible comes in the escalating showdown between Egypt’s Pharaoh and Israel’s God, mediated through Moses.

Moses first dared to appear before Pharaoh in Exodus 5 and introduce him to “Yahweh,” God’s personal name revealed to him at the burning bush. Moses speaks on Yahweh’s behalf, “Let my people go.” To which Pharaoh replies “Who is Yahweh, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know Yahweh, and moreover, I will not let Israel go” (Exodus 5:2).

Mark that.

Pharaoh, swollen in his conception of self (pride), has miscalculated his status and abilities, as a creature, in relation to the Creator God. Through Moses, God speaks to Egypt’s head and calls for him to obey. And Pharaoh refuses.

Exodus 10:3 then describes this as a call to humility. After seven plagues, on the cusp of an eighth, God speaks to Pharaoh, “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?”

The piercing question, in the context of this extended power encounter, gives us this glimpse into the heart of humility: humility acknowledges and obeys the one who is truly God. Humility entails a right view of self, as created by and accountable to God —and this requires a right view of God, as Creator and as authoritative in relation to his creatures. 

Humility is not, then, preoccupied with oneself, and one’s own lowliness, but first mindful and conscious of God, and his highness. Humility becomes conscious of self only with respect to God.

Is God Humble?

Put another way, humility embraces the reality that I am not God. Pride led to humanity’s fall when Adam and Eve desired to “be like God” (Genesis 3:5) contrary to his command. Humility would have trusted him and obeyed his command.

Humility, then, is a creaturely virtue. It is a posture of soul and body and life that acknowledges and embraces the godness of God and the humanness of self. Which means that “Is God humble?” is a tricky question. The answer is no, but not because God is the opposite of what we would consider humble. He is not arrogant or prideful. Rather, humility is a creaturely virtue, and he is God—Creator, not creature. The essence of humility, we might say with John Piper, is “to feel and think and say and act in a way that shows I am not God." And genuine humility, as we will see, is not self-made or self-started, but a response to divine initiative and help.