- Thy King cometh unto thee, Meek - In Matthew 11 we find a two-fold description of the Savior: “… meek and lowly in heart…”. The two donkeys pictured here represent the true believers who have been made “meek” or “saved” by their King. He sits upon them as He rides triumphantly into Jerusalem, typifying the "new Jerusalem from heaven". To “sit” is figuratively associated with “ruling”, or “reigning”, as Christ most certainly does over His eternal church. We must bear in mind that when the Lord speaks of Himself as “meek” and “lowly”, we are talking about eternal God the Creator, His Eternal Majesty, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords! Here we see to what extent Christ had to empty Himself of His divine glory as He humbled Himself by taking on a human nature and their sin and shame on the Cross.
Heb 1:8-10 “But unto the Son he [God the Father] saith, Thy throne, O God [the Son], is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee [Christ] with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord [Christ], in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands.”
Rev 19:16 "And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."
Rev 17:14 "These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful."
Isa 57:15 "For thus saith the high and lofty One [Jehovah God] that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."
Psa 113:6 “Who [Jehovah God] humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!”
Mat 21:5 “Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.”
Matt 11:29 "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."
Psa 138:6 “Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.”
- In His [Christ's] Humiliation His Judgment was Taken Away - The mission of the Lord Jesus is crystallized in Matthew 1. As we have just considered, in order to be the only Savior for sinners the Lord Jesus had to first take on a human nature. Secondly, he had to became sin, as 2 Corinthians 5 so emphatically announces, Thirdly, He had to suffer the equivalent of spending eternity in Hell for every single child of God. In Acts 8 we are faced with the account of the Ethiopian eunuch who asks Phillip to explain a passage in Isaiah 53. These passages substantiate the infinite degradation that the Lord Jesus subjected Himself to in experiencing the “lowest Hell”. With these verses in mind, may God give us an even greater appreciation for the thrust of Christ's Humility.
Mat 1:21-23 “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
2 Cor 5:21 “For he [God the Father] hath made him [God the Son] to be sin for us [the elect], who [that is Christ] knew no sin; that we [the elect] might be made the righteousness of God in him [or in Christ].”
Acts 8:30-35 “And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 32The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. 34And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 35Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.”
Isa 53:8 “He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.”
Isa 53:5 “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
Isa 53:10 “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.”
Php 2:5-10 "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
- God "revives" “… the spirit of the humble, and… the heart of the contrite ones” - Lord Jesus indeed manifested a “…contrite and humble spirit…” In turn, those whom God has elected to salvation will be “humbled” and will be “made contrite” as God gives them a new resurrected soul and saves them by His grace and for His glory. Before salvation God has to “break us down” spiritually, and humble us because by nature we are so proud and arrogant as we disdain God and His Word, the Bible. Isa 55:1-4, which is a beautiful declaration of the Gospel: This passage explains how God “revives”, or “makes alive”, “… the spirit of the humble, and… the heart of the contrite ones”: 1. God has to “incline” our ears, or give us spiritual understanding, in order for us to “hear” the Gospel. 2. He will give the true Christian the “sure” (or faithful) mercies of King David, who typifies the Lord Jesus. 3. Those whom God has elected to salvation will “come to Him”. Thus, the “humble” are God’s elect. The meek are those who have been “made beautiful” (or clothed) with salvation. We will be greatly aided in this study by keeping in mind this definition of the “meek”. Additionally, 1 Pet 5 speaks of each Christian as being “clothed with humility”. Notice how God associates “humility” with the “fear of the LORD” in this passage that details the wonderful blessings of the kingdom of God: “… riches, honour, and life…”
Isa 57:15 “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”
Psa 34:18 “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”
Isa 55:1-4 “Ho, every one that thirsteth [after God's Righteousness], come ye to the waters [Gospel of Christ], and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good [Word of God/Gospel of Christ] , and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant [or Gospel] with you, even the sure [or faithful] mercies of David [David typifying Lord Jesus]. 4Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people.”
Jam 4:6 “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”
Psa 149:4 “For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.”
Psa 132:16 “I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.”
Pro 15:33 “The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.”
Pro 22:4 “By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.”
- Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven - One of the main themes in the Bible is the pride of Satan and man, which underlies all sin. Moreover, 1 John 3:4 maintains that sin is “…the transgression of the law…”, and the “Law” that is being disobeyed is God’s Word, the Bible. On the other hand, the trait of humility, which the Savior so perfectly demonstrated, is also found among His people as they reflect His character of being “…meek and lowly in heart…” The contrast between pride and humility is found throughout the pages of Scripture; and one such example is the historical parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, or tax-collector, found in Luke 18. Notice in verse 16 that the Lord pinpoints “little children”, who in their naiveté represent those who have become “children of God”. We see the same “little children” in Matthew 18. The context of this chapter will help us to discover who those “little ones” are. Thus we see that the term “little ones” refers to God’s elect children whom He saves from eternal damnation.
Luke 18:9-16 “And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified[or saved] rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 15And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer [Allow] little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”
Mat 18:3 “And [Jesus] said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
Mat 18:4-6,10-14 “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. 6But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea… 10Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. 11For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. 12How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? 13And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. 14Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.”
- Humble Yourselves under the Mighty Hand of God - After God saves a believer, humility begins to manifest itself in the life of this individual who truly has become a “new creature” (or creation) in Christ. While unsaved man is after "... the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life", for the believer in Jesus Christ, God establishes a new set of directives that are exactly opposite of those found in the world, out of which the Christian has been redeemed, contentment, obedience and humility. Pride also prevents many from coming to the Truth of the Word of God. For each child of God, humility is not an option but a way of life.
1 John 2:16-17 "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."
1 Pet 5:5-7 “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
2 Chr 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Num 12:3 “Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.”
Rom 12:16 "Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits."
Phil 2:3-5 "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:"
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