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Friend, Move Up Higher

By Boaz Michael | Comments (1)
July 7, 2009

Have you ever noticed how the Kingdom of Heaven turns everything upside down? "Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted" (Mathew 23:12).

I believe that the greatest impediment to spiritual growth is spiritual pride. Those of us in the Torah movement seem particularly susceptible to the sin of spiritual pride. It's something I wrestle with, and we all need to wrestle with. When we begin to congratulate ourselves about our religious achievements, our righteousness, and our own corner on truth, then we are blinding ourselves to our true spiritual poverty and ignorance. The Master contrasted the Pharisee who stood praying in the Temple, congratulating himself, and the tax collector striking his chest saying, "LORD, have mercy on me a sinner." One man left justified, the other did not.

Modern pop psychology tells us to feel good about ourselves. The Gospel tells us to be honest about ourselves.

In Love and the Messianic Age, Paul Levertoff says, "When we know how far we are from God, just then He is near us. But when we think that we are near Him, then He is afar off." The accompanying Vine of David commentary offers a similar quotation from Reb Nachman, the founder of the Breslov Chasidim, who said, "When a person begins to realize how far he is from God, even if he feels he is at the farthest extreme from God, this should not be a reason for despair. On the contrary, it should be his consolation; through this he can be revived."

Think of it this way. It's like the addict who won't admit he has a problem with his addiction. So long as he denies his problem, he has no hope of improvement. But the moment he admits his weakness, then there is hope for healing.

It seems to be human nature to want to compare ourselves to others and prop up our self-esteem and sense of importance by putting others down. The Gospel says that the first will be last and the last will be first though. If we are pushing others back so that we can take the head of the line, we will find ourselves at the end of the line in the kingdom.

In Love and the Messianic Age, Levertoff says, "In our relationship to God we should be like servants who walk behind and follow their master, in order that we may be found worthy to reach the state of disciples, who walk with their master, later on." The Vine of David commentary points out that our Master Himself teaches us in the parable of the wedding feast, "But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher'; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you" (Luke 14:10). Note the words of the prophet Micah: "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8).

God has placed His Torah before us, and it is our privilege and duty to walk it out in faithfulness. But the overriding principles are justice, the love of kindness, and humility. May we all learn to walk with God in the true humility of our Master.

About the Author: Boaz Michael is the President and Founder of First Fruits of Zion.

Visitor Feedback:

This is such an issue of human sinfullness. I see it in ever pocket of faith. It is a trap we all indeed need to be mindful of. Thank you for the post.

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