In 1988 Margaret Becker wrote a song titled Pico Boulevard. In it she expressed her failure to find the balance between need and desire, and thus fell right into line, this line:

“Let me be somebody someone else wants to be;”
lost my joy and humility down on Pico Boulevard.

This is a problem most of us have—we fail to find the balance between need and desire. More pointedly, we want to be somebody someone else wants to be! This was not only the gist of the Lucifer’s original sin:

Isaiah 14:12-14 How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! 13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit on the mount of assembly on the heights of Zaphon; 14 I will ascend to the tops of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High.”

But it was also what Satan tempted Eve with:

Genesis 3:4-5 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,

True humility consists of unselfishness, a life principle whereby one puts others first, as seen clearly in the life of Jesus:

Philippians 2:4-6 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,

Others, those who have closely followed God in the past, have adopted this principle as their own and lived it out. People like Prince Jonathan and John the Baptist:

1Samuel 23:16-17 Saul’s son Jonathan set out and came to David at Horesh; there he strengthened his hand through the LORD. 17 He said to him, “Do not be afraid; for the hand of my father Saul shall not find you; you shall be king over Israel, and I shall be second to you; my father Saul also knows that this is so.”

John 3:27-30 John answered, “No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. 28 You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.’ 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”

The Old Testament persistently warned people about the dangers of pride:

Proverbs 6:16-19 There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that hurry to run to evil, 19 a lying witness who testifies falsely, and one who sows discord in a family.

2Chronicles 26:16 But when he had become strong he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to make offering on the altar of incense.

The New Testament presented Jesus as the One who could give us a humble, that is, an unselfish heart, so we could put others first:

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Ellen White wrote:

Christ humbles the proud heart by giving it a view of Himself, His generosity, His great love. The Youth Instructor, September 28, 1899

Using sharp contrasts, Jesus consistently revealed the importance of humility:

Luke 14:7-11 When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; 9 and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. 11 For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Luke 18:9-14 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Ellen White wrote of a sharp contrast between God and Satan:

He [Satan] is directly opposed to God in his tastes, views, preferences, likes and dislikes, choice of things and pursuits; there is no relish for what God loves or approves, but a delight in those things which He despises…. Mind, Character, and Personality, Vol 1, 22:3

It is this sharp contrast between God’s humility and Satan’s pride especially that is the core of the Cosmic Conflict between Good and Evil.

Questions

Do you agree that humility is basically unselfishness? If not, what is humility?

How can we be humble?

What areas in your life today would be better if you were simply humble?

When you read the Bible do you see a sharp contrast between God and Satan? What would it take for you to see the sharpness of this contrast?