Humility, the Sign of Greatness

“Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God: Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee: With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches:” (Ezekiel 28:2 - 5)

Here God is talking to Tyrus. God says, "Thou art wiser than Daniel." Daniel is known to be a wise man. The prince of Tyrus was very wise. How wise? To become wealthy and proud. All his wisdom is used to exalt himself and make himself equal to God. What a contrast to Christ! "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:" (Philippians 2:6,7). Jesus was willing to relinquish His equality with God. He relinquished His position and became a humble man and accepted the death of the Cross.

"Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire" (Ezekiel 28:14). Satan was a perfect cherub in the sight of God. But he wanted to be equal with God. "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High" (Isaiah 14:14). Pride! Pride was the ruin of the first angel in Heaven. God is very generous. He wants to give us equality with Him. The created beings were raised to near equality with Him. Jesus was ready to give up His equality with God, and come to the earth and be born in a poor manger. Humility is the sign of greatness. Christianity is a religion of paradoxes. One who loses his life for Christ gains it. He who humbles himself most is exalted highest. He who does not think of his earthly needs but seeks His kingdom is provided with everything. But worldly wisdom is different. The prince of Tyrus was wise for himself. Daniel was wise but not for himself. Every true child of God is filled with true wisdom. This wisdom makes one humble. Riches, name and fame are never the aims of a true Christian.