FORGET NONE OF HIS BENEFITS, volume 8, number 28, July 9, 2009
Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground . . . Genesis 2:7.
Dignity and Humility
I have been following closely, with great interest, the public demonstration for freedom in the nation of Iran . Most Iranians are under the age of thirty, and have access to the internet and cable television, knowing “how the other half lives.” What causes people of every nation to yearn for freedom? Why do totalitarian regimes like Iran , Uganda under Amin, or China under Mao seek to suppress this innate desire for freedom? Why the genocide in Rwanda , Kosovo, and Nazi Germany? And on the other hand— why do we have this obsessive, narcissistic preoccupation with self-esteem teaching in the U.S. ? The parents of Baby Boomers imbibed deeply from Benjamin Spock’s writings and passed it on to their children. We have become a society of under achievers with weak men. When Simon on American Idol tells young men to give up the idea of a career in music, saying that they have no talent, and will never make it, many of them began to cry. Why? Their mothers had been telling them for years how good they were, and the stark reality of being told that they “don’t have it” is devastating to them.
These problems persist in our culture because we have failed to strike the proper balance in Genesis 2:7, that the Lord God (Yahweh Elohim) formed adam (the Hebrew word for man) from the adamah (the Hebrew word for ground). This Hebrew play on words is significant and a proper understanding of it unlocks the key to the proper balance of dignity and humility, giving us a Biblical perspective on how we are to view ourselves and others. On the one hand, man is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26ff) and this speaks of him being the crown of God’s creation (Psalm 8), a vice regent for God. Moses further drives home this point in Genesis 2:7 where he says that God formed (the Hebrew word is yatsar, used in Jeremiah 18:2 to speak of the potter molding the clay) man from the dust (Luther rightly translates it “the clay”) of the ground. A potter takes great care, using his skill to produce a beautiful and functional vase. So mankind has innate dignity. He is made in God’s image. He is fashioned from the clay of the earth by the Master Potter. This is why all men have an innate desire for freedom. Our forefathers had it right, “We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights . . .life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The dignity of man also requires that we treat all men with respect. There is no room, whatsoever, for racial bigotry. There is no room for white supremacy, black supremacy, or tribalism. Genocide is a horrible sin.
On the other hand man being formed from the dust of the ground by God also means he is to have humility. After all—we still are mere dust. Isaiah 40:15ff says that all the nations are like a drop from the bucket, that we are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales, that all the nations are as nothing before God. We came from the dust and to the dust we return. While Genesis 1 uses Elohim as the name of God, the transcendent Creator God (see Isaiah 6:1ff, Revelation 1:8, 4:7) and focuses on God as the Creator ex nihilo of all things; Genesis 2 uses Yahweh Elohim (used twenty times in Genesis 2, 3) which refers to His immanence. He is intimately acquainted with all our ways (Psalm 139:1ff) and the Word became flesh and dwelt (or pitched His tent) among us (John 1:1ff). In light of God’s transcendent glory, majesty, dominion, and power we ought to humble ourselves under His mighty hand. In light of His gracious and kind immanence we ought to move lovingly toward Him, calling out to Him in times of need, knowing that He will deliver us so that we may glorify Him. If our sinful tendency, in connection with man’s dignity, is to move toward pride and self-exaltation, then our bent, in connection with man’s humility, is to walk toward self-loathing and racial bigotry. On the one hand we cause our children to think more highly of themselves than they ought to think. We tell them how wonderful they are though they cannot spell or put sentences together cogently. We congratulate them on mathematical prowess though they know not their multiplication tables. On the other hand we verbally abuse them, in anger castigating them as worthless. Both are sinful and harmful. We need a balance between dignity and humility.
How do we get there? Paul tells us in Colossians 1:13ff that God delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, He who is the image of the invisible God, the first born from the dead, being given first place in everything, the One who has reconciled us to the Father through His fleshly body in death, we who were alienated, hostile in mind, and engaged in evil deeds. Though you, and all mankind, have dignity, being made in God’s image, that image is terribly marred due to original and indwelling sin. You are a mirror that reflects God’s image but the mirror is severely cracked and rather opaque due to the ravages of time. But in Christ you are a new person who is being made in righteousness and holiness of the truth (Ephesians 4:24).
You need the Biblical balance between dignity and humility when looking at yourself, your children, and others. Note how Jesus dealt with the Samaritan woman as a prime example. He, a Jew, spoke to a woman, a Samaritan woman (the Jews long hated them), who was alone, at the well, in the heat of the day. The other women in the village apparently stayed clear of her. Jesus engaged her, asking her for a drink of water. This must have stunned her. He then spoke of having water that would forever quench her thirst. He said that He was that water. He then told her of her sin as an adulteress. She believed on Jesus and went to tell the others in town about Him. Jesus showed her respect, in spite of her sin. He did not play the “race card” like other Jews. At the same time He humbled her. He caused her to look realistically at herself, showing her that only in Him could she be made whole. So, view yourself with dignity and humility. Expect others to honor you according to your age and lot in life, while refraining from demanding that honor and respect. View others, regardless of their station in life, with kindness, respecting the Imago Dei in them; but at the same time refuse to be intimidated by their money, intellect, or race. And view your children with dignity, but be realistic about their performance and behavior. Be truthful. Don’t cause your children to think more highly of themselves than they ought to think; but don’t do the opposite either. Give an honest assessment. Find what they do well, and encourage them in those gifts and interests, but be realistic. You will need constantly to force yourself not to buy into the world’s man-centered self-esteem. Your children are the Imago Dei but they are marred by sin. They can do nothing apart from Christ. They need regeneration by the Spirit. They need to be challenged, corrected, and rebuked. You are not their “best buddy.” You are in control, not them. Treat them with dignity and demand humility of them.
FORGET NONE OF HIS BENEFITS is a weekly devotional by Reverend Al Baker, pastor of Christ Community Presbyterian Church in West Hartford, Connecticut.
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