Day 242, Year 1

Be a Humble and Teachable Person

“He leads the humble in justice, And He teaches the humble His way.” (Psalm 25:9 NASB)

The word “humble” in today’s verse, ‘anav in Hebrew, also means “poor, or meek.” God leads the humble and the meek according to His justice. The word “justice” in the verse, mishpat in Hebrew, basically means “judgment,” and also infers “act of deciding a case in court, legal decision, execution (of judgment), rectitude (attribute of man), right, due (legal), ordinance, custom, manner, or plan,” etc. Previously, it was mentioned that the disciples were humble and spiritually poor. The Gospels show how they always consult Jesus’ opinions and judgments on various matters after following Him. Similarly, we nowadays should do the same. And if we dine with Jesus, we will probably talk to Him about everything.

Today’s verse speaks of the Lord’s willingness to guide the humble according to His justice and teaching. Are you, then, humble enough to accept His judgment and teaching? This verse tells us that there are two levels of learning.

First, receive God’s fair judgment. As we can see from the above, the Lord’s justice has a legal connotation. Spiritual poverty makes us unable to affirm our own opinions. More accurately, it is a lack of opinion, and a yearning for the better opinions of the Lord in us. Or, even if we have our own opinions, we can readily set aside our own judgments and follow the Lord’s due to our humbleness and gentleness. This is where believers can begin to receive various opinions and judgments of the Lord. Indeed, we can ask Him about His judgment in everything, starting with waiting for and making clear His guidance for major decisions.

Second, know the way of God. “Way,” in Hebrew, is derek, and here it refers to the meaning of “direction, or habitual way.” After receiving and following the Lord’s advice and judgments many times, we will slowly discover His customary ways, that is, His just way. This change, brought by believing in the Lord, is often the result of understanding His customary judgments. This means that we will slowly change our various habits as we follow the Lord’s fair judgments. When we understand His usual ways, we can then understand His underlying will. Therefore, those who truly believe in the Lord will learn and follow His habitual way of justice, and our lives will surely become increasingly filled with His justice. This is one of the meanings for believers to live in the Lord, and believers will be greatly blessed by the Lord.

Reflection questions:

1) How easily could you know the opinions or judgments of the Lord Jesus from the Bible or other sources, and do you find yourself willing to follow His opinions and judgments? Why?

2) Could you strive to change all the habits that are not in line with the Lord Jesus’ will and step by step follow His guidance in your life? If you encounter any difficulties, how would you rely on the Lord to resolve them?