Deuteronomy
9:1–10:22; 2
Corinthians 3:1–8; Psalm
35:1–11
This morning I thought about God’s goodness in setting me
free from the bondage of sin, and then feeling good about myself, that I was
now better able to serve Him and to pray. I didn’t realize what was happening
to my heart until I read these verses . . .
Do not say in your heart,
after the Lord your God has thrust
them out before you, ‘It is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to possess this
land,’ whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out before you . .
. Know, therefore, that the Lord your
God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness,
for you are a stubborn people. (Deuteronomy 9:4, 6)
No matter that God has done great things for good in me, He
still requires obedience. He says to Israel, “Now .
. . what does the Lord your God require of you, but to
fear the Lord your God, to walk in
all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the
commandments and statutes of the Lord,
which I am commanding you today for your good.” (Deuteronomy 10:12–13)
Obedience is for my good, not so I can boast or be
exalted, but so I can do what He says and be blessed. That blessing is not
earned for apart from Him, obedience is impossible. So much for my sinful
pride.
The NT reading follows right along with what God says to
me in the OT. Paul is writing to the Corinthians and asks, “Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we
need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? You yourselves
are our letter of recommendation . . . you show that you are a letter from
Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living
God . . . . Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not
that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but
our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a
new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit . . . .” (2 Corinthians 3:1–6)
Paul could have justified pride. His ministry to the
Corinthians had born fruit. This was marvelous, but he knew that whatever Christians
do that is good and a blessing to God and others is because God makes us
sufficient. By myself, I can do nothing. Even a little bit of pride is sinful
and robs God of His glory. So much for my sinful pride.
Psalm 35
is a petition of David asking God to contend with his enemies that he might
rejoice in the Lord. Verse 10
says, “All my bones shall say, ‘O Lord, who is like you, delivering the
poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs
him?’” (Psalm 35:10)
He sees himself in the same category as those who are poor
and needy and being robbed, yet David is a wealthy and powerful king, not at
all poor and needy. This is a strong example of humility. He had every reason
to be proud (I don’t) but was humble (I’m not).
So much for my sinful pride.
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