"Though the LORD be high, yet hath He respect unto the lowly: but the proud He knoweth afar off."
Psalm 138:6
Part 2
Yesterday:
“Though the LORD be high.”
No one is higher than God! And…
“Yet hath He respect unto the lowly.” (a)
Though overlooked by men, He watches over those who are low.
Today:
“Yet hath He respect unto the lowly.” (b)
Here is how God looks at the humble,
“He views them with pleasure, thinks of them with care, listens to their prayers, and protects them from evil. Because they think little of themselves, he thinks much of them. They reverence him, and he respects them. They are low in their own esteem, and he makes them high in his esteem” (Spurgeon).
“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isaiah 57:15).
“But the proud He knoweth afar off.”
God knows all men, all His creatures. Just as the lowly are never overlooked, He has his eye on the haughty, arrogant, and proud. But He watches them from afar. Nothing they say or do escapes God’s knowledge. Like the proverbial ostrich with his head in the sand, they think that because they cannot see God, He cannot see them. They believe that if they can get far enough away from God, He will never know what they do.
“Distance from him is no protection for them; nor can the wicked hope to escape notice from the fact that God reigns over distant worlds”[1] (Barnes).
“The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day” (Isaiah 2:11).
The judgment of the proud is coming. God, in His grace and mercy, grants them plenty of time to repent and turn to Him. God’s delay makes them think He does not see or know, they think they are safe.
“For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish” (Psalm 1:6).
How sad, those that are so proud that they think they’re higher than God, are sadly mistaken and will face God’s judgment if they do not repent.
Believers, be encouraged for “the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous…”
Quote: “Through pride, the devil became the devil. Pride leads to every vice, it’s the complete anti-God state of mind” (C.S. Lewis).
[1] Albert Barnes, Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.