For His Name's Sake

Oh, the things God does to keep us humble. He does it for our own good, you know. Would you set a saddle on the back of your five-year-old? Would God let you be saddled with arrogance? No way.

This is one piece of luggage God hates. He doesn’t dislike arrogance. He doesn’t disapprove of arrogance. He’s not unfavorably disposed toward arrogance. God hates arrogance. What a meal of maggots does for our stomach, human pride does for God’s.

“I hate pride and arrogance” (Prov. 8:13 NIV).

“The LORD despises pride” (Prov. 16:5 NLT).

God says, “Do nothing out of … vain conceit” (Phil. 2:3 NIV). And, “Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth” (1 Sam. 2:3 NASB). And, in the same way that he gives grace to the humble, “God opposes the proud” (1 Pet. 5:5 NIV). As humility goes before honor, “pride goes … before a fall” (Prov. 16:18 NIV).

Ever wonder why churches are powerful in one generation but empty the next? Perhaps the answer is found in Proverbs 15:25: “The LORD will tear down the house of the proud” (NASB).

God hates arrogance. He hates arrogance because we haven’t done anything to be arrogant about. Do art critics give awards to the canvas? Is there a Pulitzer for ink? Can you imagine a scalpel growing smug after a successful heart transplant? Of course not. They are only tools, so they get no credit for the accomplishments.

And the message of the Twenty-third Psalm is that we have nothing to be proud about either. We have rest, salvation, blessings, and a home in heaven—and we did nothing to earn any of it. Who did? Who did the work? The answer threads through the psalm like a silk thread through pearls.

“He makes me …”

“He leads me …”

“He restores my soul …”

“You are with me …”

“Your rod and Your staff … comfort me …”

“You prepare a table …”

“You anoint my head …”

We may be the canvas, the paper, or the scalpel, but we are not the ones who deserve the applause. And just to make sure we get the point, right smack-dab in the middle of the poem, David declares who does. The shepherd leads his sheep, not for our names’ sake, but “for His name’s sake.”

Why does God have anything to do with us? For his name’s sake. No other name on the marquee. No other name up in lights. No other name on the front page. This is all done for God’s glory.

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