To have humility is to recognize that you don't deserve anything, yet The Most High still gives you everything you need.
Don't forget who the real prize is. Remember that The Most High doesn't owe us anything! I had to be reminded of this while reading Ezekiel 16. My heart was shattered learning the magnitude of what we've done to our Father.
Why we need to have humility: My take on Ezekiel 16
You were walking through the city one day and came across a young lady who was in bad shape. Her hair was unkept, she didn’t have any clothes, and she was covered in blood. You were unsure the last time she had a bath, and it looked like she hadn’t eaten or drinken any water in a long time.
Many people saw her condition and ignored, shook their heads, and mocked her. You had compassion, and decided to help her out. You knew that there was no way she could pay you back for your kindness but still, you found it in your heart to take her in. It wasn’t about repayment for you. It was about love.
So you took her in and cleaned her up. You made a covenant with her that she would belong to you. You meant every word of that promise and vowed to never break it. You gave her clothes of fine linen and silk to wear. You gave her fine jewels and turned her into royalty. She had the best food to eat. She lived in the best home. You taught her many things that increased her self-confidence and value. The same mockers that walked past her and scoffed at her recognized her beauty. This went to her head.
The same woman that you provided a new life for forgot that she used to be nothing. Forgot that she was nothing to marvel at. Forgot that she was one that nobody wanted. And she forgot that she would be nothing without you. She actually started to believe that she didn’t need you. She let all of the compliments from the same men who ignored her before get to her head. She trusted in her own beauty more than the covenant you made with her.
So she left. She slept with all of the men that once ignored and mocked her. All of the beautiful gifts you gave her, she gave to them. She had children with these men, and they had no knowledge of you. Her kids wanted the man’s love. But they didn’t belong to him. They were bastards in the world who had no honorable upbringing. And she didn’t care. She was unbothered by the hurt and anger she caused you. How you felt didn’t matter. Because you were just a simp in her eyes. So she continued in her filth. She did unseemly things with these men, yet her appetite could never be satisfied. Instead of being paid for the services she provided, she started paying them to sleep with her. She actually gave gifts to men to sleep with her; whereas a normal whore would be paid for services. She became delusional and forgot where she came from.
She continues in this life of disgust and disgrace. Eventually, all of the men joined together and destroyed every good thing she had. She was just a whore. A woman undeserving of respect or security. A woman who would rather be in the streets than to be kept by the man who saved her from the same people that used her up and sought to destroy her. What she once had of value, she freely gave to them. So the men took every other material thing she had that she ever valued. She loved the things she was given by the man that provided everything to her more than the salvation he gave her. Her greed and lust got the best of her.
After everything she had was gone, she no longer had anything to give to anyone. She became the same woman she was before. The woman with unkept hair, no clothes, full of dirt, covered in blood, unable to bathe, and no food or water. The men that you tried to save her from were the same men that returned her back to her dejected state. Silly woman. Unable to see that the covenant you made with her was sent from God. That you were the only one who ever cared or loved her. Other men heard how dirty and low-down this woman was. They talked about her and rumors spread throughout the city of her ways. It was told that other whores similar to her that died due to their prostitution were more righteous than her. Yet she still had a chance.
She started to remember who was always there for her. She remembered that there was only one man who ever did right by her. Who provided everything for her, even though she’d never be able to pay him back. Was it self-sabotage? All the man ever asked of her was her loyalty, respect, and devotion. Was that so hard to give to a man that has provided everything to her? It seems as if it was.
The woman was ashamed at the damage she caused. She tried returning back to the man as if nothing had happened. She showed up to his house in her wedding gown, holding one of his favorite meals. She broke their covenant, but wanted to be accepted back. As if she didn’t have bastard children that she now wanted this man to take care of. As if all of these other men hadn’t been inside of her. As if she wasn’t now used, abused, and washed up. But the man is unlike the men of this world. The man is honorable. He keeps his word. He honors his promises. Despite the fact that the woman he still loves provoked him to anger and jealousy and sadness.
The man kept his end of the bargain. But the woman should never forget what she has done. Her arrogance in thinking that she should be welcomed back without working for it is despicable. She really expected the man to just be happy that she was back. There was no real apology. There was no real effort to right the wrongs. She has so much work to do, but the man is willing to accept her back. To ensure that she’d never forget, the man hired all of her past lovers to work in their home. He deserves so much better, and the woman does not seem to acknowledge it. The saddest part of this story is that it is more than just a story. It is the reality of The Most High and His children, His nation, the seed of Avraham, Isaaq, and Yaacov. It is the story of Yisrael.
Having humility is understanding we deserve less than nothing.
After I wrote the Ezekiel 16 adaptation, I finally understood why our nation is in the place we're in. We did the most abominable and treasonous things to our Creator, yet we expect immediate restoration from Him just because He chose to reveal this truth to us. If anything, He revealed this truth to us so that we could exemplify humility and repentance, not to gloat at the act that we're the people of the book. Learning that we're the reason the world is out of balance should be the most embarrassing thing we could ever learn. But we look at it as if it's something we should brag about to everyone we know. Who brags about being a nation when that nation is trifling and undeserving of salvation? Who brags about being a nation that abandoned their home for the homes of heathens? Who brags about a nation that would rather worship creation than their own Creator? It seems as if we've gotten this thing backward.
Humility is how we'll be restored.
One of the first steps to being restored is having humility. There's no way around it. And given the circumstances, there's no reason why we shouldn't be humble. The Most High has done nothing to us to deserve the mistreatment we give Him on the daily. We should be running to humility and repentance if we truly do want our Father to restore us again. He has an inheritance waiting for us, but it's only reserved for those who actually have a new mind, heart, and spirit. We must remain humble and remind ourselves often that we wouldn't have to seek His face if we had just respected and loved Him from the beginning.
Watch The Israelite Girl's Guide Season 2 Episode 4 | Humility is Your Strength
Listen to The Israelite Girl's Guide Season 2 Episode 4 | Humility is Your Strength
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