12th of the 12th month 2016/2017
Shalom all,
Miḵah/Micah 6:8 “He has declared to you, O man, what is good. And what does יהוה require of you but to do right, and to love loving-commitment, and to walk humbly with your Elohim?”
What does יהוה require of us? Well, as we see from the text in Miḵah/Micah 6:8, He has declared to us that we are to do right, love kindness and walk humbly with our Elohim!
The Hebrew root word that is translated here as ‘walk’ comes from the root word הָלַךְ halaḵ – Strong’s H1980 which means, ‘to walk, to live, manner of life, cause to live’; and this word literally speaks of how one lives. It is used as a verb, indicating that it is an active expression of one’s life. We are to actively and continually be walking in Messiah, and as Miḵah tells us that we are required to walk ‘humbly’ with Elohim.
The Hebrew word that is translated here as ‘humbly’ comes from the root word צָנַע tsana – Strong’s H6800 which means, ‘to be modest or humble’, and this word can also be understood as meaning, ‘to show a humble action, act or behave carefully in a manner that is respectful and careful of another’s direction, implying wise behaviour’
The phrase ‘to walk humbly’ is written in the Hebrew text as follows: וְהַצְנֵעַ לֶכֶת ‘ve-ha-ts’nea leḵeth’, which literally expresses ‘a making humble to walk’ or ‘showing a humble walk’, which is clearly emphasising that our humility is to be seen in our walk – that is in our walk of obedience, as we see and understand the words in:
Yoḥanan Aleph/1 John 2:6 “The one who says he stays in Him ought himself also to walk, even as He walked.”
The Greek word for ‘walk’ is περιπατέω peripateō – Strong’s G4043 and carries the same meaning and that is, ‘to walk, behaviour, to conduct one’s self, to make one’s way, to tread with the feet, to make one’s life’. Why all the definitions? To clearly reiterate that to walk as Messiah walked involves action and that action is to be in complete line with His walk and that is a walk of total obedience – the greatest expression of humility!
As we consider these words and how יהוה certainly requires of us that which He has declared we recognise that we are to be a faithful people that hear, guard and do His Word, guarding our set-apart walk from becoming crippled through compromise that is caused by pride and arrogance and a stubbornness to submit as we should! If one is not walking humbly then they are walking arrogantly! Walking in true humility before Elohim is done properly as one continues to put their complete Trust in Elohim and His Word that teaches and instructs us in the way of set-apartness, being bold and confident and able to stand firm in the Master and fight the good fight of the belief!
In a message called, ‘BE CONFIDENT NOT ARROGANT!’ I would like to take a closer look at a few Hebrew and Greek words that we can gain some greater insight from in recognising how we are to walk humbly before Elohim and not allow pride and arrogance to be a stumbling block in our walk of obedience and loving-commitment!
We are continually encouraged and instructed in Scripture to be strong and courageous and be bold and trust in the Master, while we are also being repeatedly warned against arrogance and pride, stubbornness and rebellion.
As we go through some passages of Scripture and take a closer look at some of the Hebrew and Greek words that are associated with the meaning of confidence and arrogance, we would do well to be continually assessing our own lives, by looking intently into the mirror of the Word and make sure that we are being confident and not arrogant, especially as we consider the danger of how the arrogance of some may often be mistaken as them being confident, by their own estimation.
Mishlĕ/Proverbs 8:13 “The fear of יהוה is to hate evil. I have hated pride and arrogance, and the evil way, and the perverse mouth.”
The Hebrew word translated as ‘pride’ is the noun גֵּאָה geah – Strong’s H1344 which means, ‘pride and arrogance’, and is the only time this word is used in Scripture, and it comes from the primitive root verb גָּאָה gaah – Strong’s H1342 meaning, ‘to rise up, grow, lifted, risen, highly exalted’. The primary meaning of this root verb is to rise up and pride can be used both in a positive as well as in a negative way in Scripture. Here we certainly are able to see the negative use, which יהוה hates. This verb is only used 7 times in Scripture, and in a positive sense we see it being used in the victory song that was sung in Shemoth/Exodus 15:1-2 where this song declares that they were to sing unto יהוה who is highly exalted! There are various words used for pride that come from this root and we take note that יהוה is very clear in His hatred for anything that rises itself up against Him and His Excellency!
The Hebrew word translated as ‘arrogance’ is גָּאוֹן ga’on – Strong’s H1347 which means. ‘exaltation, arrogance, eminence, excellence, pomp, proud’, and comes from the primitive root גָּאָה gaah – Strong’s H1342 meaning, ‘to rise up, grow, lifted, risen, highly exalted’, the same root that the word we just looked at for ‘pride’ comes from!
Arrogance, according the Merriam Webster’s Collegiate dictionary, is described as, ‘an attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions’. There are so many today who have adopted an attitude of superiority in their claims of knowing Elohim while they have neglected to submit to His Torah, and this יהוה hates! Westernised Christianity has a presumptuous claim that they have the Truth and they do so with great arrogance, which is clearly revealed through their constant disregard for a proper submission to the Torah and this simply reveals that they have an attitude that יהוה hates!
Sha’ul warns against the arrogance of having an attitude of superiority, when describing how the natural branches were cut off so that the wild branches could be grafted in that we must stand firm in the belief and not be cut off in unbelief, like the natural branches were:
Romiyim/Romans 11:20 “Good! By unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by belief. Do not be arrogant, but fear.”
Sha’ul certainly understood the wisdom of the proverbs of Shelomoh as he echoes the clear fact that the way of pride and arrogance is a way that is hated by יהוה and that the true fear of יהוה hates evil… showing us that pride and arrogance is evil!
The Hebrew word גָּאוֹן ga’on – Strong’s H1347 is translated as ‘pride’ in”
Mishlĕ/Proverbs 16:18 “Before destruction comes pride, and before a fall a haughty spirit!”
The Hebrew word translated as ‘haughty’ is גֹּבַהּ goḇah – Strong’s H1363 which means, ‘height, haughty, lofty, proud, raised platform, excellency, exaltation, grandeur’, and comes from the root verb גָּבַהּ gaḇahh – Strong’s H1361 which means, ‘to be high, exalted, pride, build high, haughty’, and can also give reference to one being proud and lifting themselves up, instead of humbling themselves in complete submission to the Torah of Elohim!
In a psalm of Dawiḏ we see the root verb גָּבַהּ gaḇahh – Strong’s H1361 being used and translated as ‘proud’ in the following declaration being confidently sung:
Tehillah/Psalm 131:1 “O יהוה, my heart has not been proud, nor have my eyes been haughty. Neither have I concerned myself with great matters, nor with those too wondrous for me.”
Mishlĕ/Proverbs 16:5 “Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to יהוה; hand to hand: he goes not unpunished.”
This is a severe warning against pride! The Hebrew word translated as ‘proud’ is גָּבֹהַּ gaḇoah – Strong’s H1364 which means, ‘high, exalted, haughtiness, lofty, very proud’, and comes from the root verb גָּבַהּ gaḇahh – Strong’s H1361.
יהושע Messiah tells us in:
Mattithyahu/Matthew 23:12 “And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”
The proud in heart are an abomination to יהוה and the Hebrew word for ‘abomination’ is the noun תּוֹעֵבָה to’eḇah – Strong’s H8441 which means, ‘abomination, abominable thing, detestable thing, object of loathing’.
In a Tehillah that calls for Elohim to render punishment on the proud we see from the following verse a clear characteristic of a wrong one who is proud and haughty:
Tehillah/Psalm 94:4 “They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly; all the workers of wickedness boast in themselves.”
The wrong speak with arrogance!
The Hebrew word that is translated here as ‘arrogance’ comes from the root word עָתָק athaq – Strong’s H6277 which means, ‘forward, arrogant (of speech), arrogance, insolent, unrestrained and impudent’.
The Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines the word ‘impudent’ as, ‘lacking modesty’, as well as, ‘marked by contemptuous or cocky boldness or disregard of others’. The reason for me mentioning this is that I felt that this definition certainly expresses or explains a clear example of what we see in many arrogant people today, as they have absolutely no regard for others and walk about with a cocky boldness that looks down on others while vainly exalting themselves into an assumed position of prominence!
There are many today who speak with a ‘cocky arrogance’ and love to boast in themselves, as almost every conversation that is had with them will always revert back to what they have done so wonderfully while shunning any attempts of others!
Kěpha tells us that we are to be girded with humility as יהוה resists the proud!
Kěpha Aleph/1 Peter 5:5 “In the same way, you younger ones, be subject to elders. And gird yourselves with humility toward one another, for “Elohim resists the proud, but gives favour to the humble.”
The Greek word that is translated here as ‘gird yourselves’ is ἐγκομβόομαι egkomboomai – Strong’s g1463 which means, ‘be clothed, gird oneself, put on oneself (as a garment)’ and also carries the understanding of ‘putting on humility, show your subjection one to another’. What Kěpha is basically teaching us here is that we are to make humility our essential characteristic of true set-apartness! Anyone who is proud and arrogant and thinks only of themselves shall be resisted by Elohim and find no favour with Him!
The Greek word that is translated as ‘proud’ is the word ὑπερήφανος huperēphanos – Strong’s G5244 which means, ‘proud, haughty, arrogant, presumptuous’. In its literal sense, from the two words that this word is contracted from, it can carry the meaning of, ‘going beyond one’s appearance’, in other words it is a lifting up of oneself to a higher position than what one actually is – and we know that the Scripture is clear in telling us that that those who exalt themselves shall be brought low!
In Romiyim/Romans 11:20 where Sha’ul tells us to not be arrogant but fear, as already quoted earlier, we take note that the Greek word that is translated as ‘arrogant’ is ὑψηλοφρονέω hupsēlophroneō – Strong’s G5309 which means, ‘to be high-minded, conceited, proud, arrogant’. In his letter to Timotiyos we see Sha’ul giving Timotiyos a clear instruction to charge those who are rich to not be high-minded:
Timotiyos Aleph/1 Timothy 6:17-18 “Charge those who are rich in this present age not to be high-minded, nor to trust in the uncertainty of riches, but in the living Elohim, who gives us richly all for enjoyment, 18 to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share”
We often find that when people get into a position of having riches and wealth that they become so self-consumed in their lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and pride of life that they forget about anyone else and have no concern for others at all.
While we take note that arrogance is clearly evident in selfish people we also recognise that arrogance is often a compensation for insecurities and weaknesses! An arrogant person will never admit that they have been wrong or that they do not know someone as they tend to be ‘know it all’s’ and puff themselves up in the assumed knowledge that they have and speak down upon others as a means of not allowing their weakness or lack of knowledge to be uncovered before others! Arrogance relies on self and is the complete opposite of the one who is humble and trust in and relies upon Elohim for all!
True humility is marked by confidence in the Master and can be bold without being arrogant! Arrogance is often a mark of cowardice as they proud and arrogant will not let any weakness be shown and will put on an assumed appearance of excellence while inwardly they are coward who refuse to admit their wrongs and submit to Elohim!
Sha’ul expressed his confidence in Elohim, as he makes it clear in his letter to the set-apart ones in Philippi that he was confident/fully persuaded that Elohim shall complete a perfect work in the true set-apart ones!
Pilipiyim/Philippians 1:4-6 “In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy, 5 for your fellowship in the Good News from the first day until now, 6 being persuaded of this, that He who has begun a good work in you shall perfect it until the day of יהושע Messiah.”
The KJV translates this verse 6 as, ‘being confident of this …’ and the Greek word that is used here for ‘being persuaded, being confident’ comes from the primary root verb πείθω peithō – Strong’s G3982 which means, ‘to persuade, to put confidence in, to follow, have confidence and rely upon’.
How confident/fully persuaded are you in the work that Master has begun in you? Are you confident in the Truth of His Word that equips and trains you in righteousness or do you find yourself doubting this at times and end up resorting to do things your own way in arrogance rather than walking humbly before Elohim and being confident in His Word?
It is from this root verb πείθω peithō – Strong’s G3982 that we get the Greek word πίστις pistis – Strong’s G4102 which means, ‘faith, faithfulness, pledge, conviction of the Truth’! How confident is your belief in the Master?
Qorintiyim Bět/2 Corinthians 5:6-9 “Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Master – 7 for we walk by belief, not by sight – 8 we are of good courage, and are well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Master. 9 So we also make it our aim to be well-pleasing to Him, whether being at home, or being away from home.”
The words ‘good courage’ is translated as ‘confident’ and the Greek word that is translated as ‘good courage/confident’ is θαρρέω tharreō – Strong’s G2292 which means, ‘to be of good courage, be bold, have confidence’ which comes from the the verb θαρσέω tharseō – Strong’s G2293 which means, ‘be of good courage, be of good comfort, be of good cheer’; and this verb is translated as ‘take courage’ in:
Yoḥanan/John 16:33 “These words I have spoken to you, that in Me you might have peace. In the world you have pressure, but take courage, I have overcome the world.”
The encouragement that our Master gave His taught ones here was that they were to take courage amidst the pressure they would have in the world, for in Him they would have peace for He has overcome the world. These words are still very much alive and applicable to us today as it was for the taught ones back then!
It is written in the ‘imperative mood’ which could also be expressed as ‘take heart’ or ‘cheer up’ and is a word that is spoken by way of encouragement! When facing intense pressures we need to be reminded to be of good courage and cheer up and not let pressures get us down!
Being confident in the Master does not allow circumstances to affect our boldness and courageous stand of belief, yet arrogance will rob one of confidence and resort to selfish ways of the flesh that lead to destruction, despite their short lived appearance of relief!
We confidence must not be in self… for then that is arrogance! Our confidence must be in the Master!
Iḇ’rim/Hebrews 13:5-6 “Let your way of life be without the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. For He Himself has said, “I shall never leave you nor forsake you,” 6 so that we boldly say, “ יהוה is my helper, I shall not fear what man shall do to me.”
The Greek word that is translated here as ‘boldly’ is θαρρέω tharreō – Strong’s G2292! We are to be confident in our declaration of who our Helper is and never be afraid of the arrogance of others who try to put down rather than build up!
The one with true confidence/boldness/ good courage relies upon יהוה, whereas the arrogant and proud rely on self!
We are not to lose our confidence/boldness:
Iḇ’rim/Hebrews 13:35-37 “Do not, then, lose your boldness, which has great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the desire of Elohim, you receive the promise: 37 “For yet a little while – He who is coming shall come and shall not delay.”
True confidence/boldness in Messiah will be evident in those who earnestly seek Him and are caused to stand and be confident in their belief and not break down before the arrogant and proud of this world!
If you are afraid to always have a bold and confident answer for the hope you have in Messiah, because of the arrogance of others and the way they treat you then you are not being confident as you should and are arrogantly buckling under the arrogance of evil!
It is a proper meditation, study and obedience to doing what the Torah and commands of Elohim instructs is to do that will give us the ability of being confident and be caused to stand armed in the Truth and not be moved by arrogance and the evil way! In order to be confident and not arrogant we must recognise our need to be continually meditating upon the Torah of Elohim. In the instructions given in the Torah regarding the requirements of a king, we are able to glean a very important truth in this regard:
Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 17:18-20 “And it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his reign, that he shall write for himself a copy of this Torah in a book, from the one before the priests, the Lĕwites. 19 “And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, so that he learns to fear יהוה his Elohim and guard all the Words of this Torah and these laws, to do them, 20 so that his heart is not lifted up above his brothers, and so as not to turn aside from the command, right or left, so that he prolongs his days in his reign, he and his children, in the midst of Yisra’ĕl.”
The requirement of the king was that he was to write a copy of the Torah so that he would meditate day and night on it and be prosperous and successful in all he does as he would learn to fear יהוה and do according to the Torah and laws of Elohim. יהושע is the Living Torah – The Word made flesh and in His Blood He has written His Torah upon our hearts and minds – and so by Him putting His Torah in us, He has, in His own blood, written for Himself a copy of the Torah on us, which He ‘reads’ daily as we are living letters that He reads!!!
Qorintiyim Bět/2 Corinthians 3:1-6 “Are we to begin to recommend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? 2 You are our letter, having been written in our hearts, known and read by all men, 3 making it obvious that you are a letter of Messiah, served by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living Elohim, not on tablets of stone but on fleshly tablets of the heart. 4 And such trust we have toward Elohim, through the Messiah. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to reckon any matter as from ourselves, but our competence is from Elohim, 6 who also made us competent as servants of a renewed covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit, for the letter kills but the Spirit gives life.”
We have no need of another earthly king as we serve with joy our True King and Messiah – יהושע – who has written His Covenant and Torah upon our hearts!
Having said that we are also ale to learn from the instructions given in Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 17:18-20 that we, as the body of Messiah, our King, are to meditate on his written Torah so that we do not turn aside from it in arrogant pride!
Arrogance assumes that it knows all and therefore causes one to stop learning and studying whereas the humble set-apart ones of Messiah are confident and bold in their witness through their daily study and meditation of His Word. We are to exercise great discipline in making sure that we never allow arrogance to set in by thinking that we do not need to learn, meditate, study and guard to walk in the Torah of Elohim, for by diligently studying, meditating and guarding to do His Word every day will keep us from the danger of falling into a state of arrogance and pride!
Yeshayahu/Isaiah 2:12 “For יהוה of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up, so that it is brought low”
While the arrogant may think that they are being prosperous and successful, their arrogant success will not last!
The one who continually being confident in the Master can be clearly displayed in their ability to properly trust in Him while the one who is arrogant will be marked by a complete lack of trust in Elohim as they seek alternative solutions in doing whatever they can to get whatever their flesh wants!
There is often a fine line between arrogance and confidence, as the arrogant will often come across very strong and appear very confident in their ways, however putting confidence in one’s self is a destructive path, whereas the one who humbles themselves before the Master and seeks His guidance in every way will be bold and confident in Him and be able to withstand the arrogance and loftiness of all evil!
Sha’ul warns us that in the last days men will be proud and we are to turn away from these!
Timotiyos Bět/2 Timothy 3:1-5 “But know this, that in the last days hard times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, thankless, wrong-doers, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, haters of good, 4 betrayers, reckless, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of Elohim, 5 having a form of reverence but denying its power. And turn away from these!”
What is very clear here is that the arrogant are lovers of self and not lovers of Elohim, despite them having a form of reverence!!! How can we identify the arrogant? How can we distinguish between the confident and the arrogant?
Well, we know that love for Elohim is to guard His commands and therefore those who reject the Torah and the need to walk in the clear instructions of Elohim are not confident but are rather arrogant in their assumption that their vain traditions and theologies of man are sufficient for reverence, yet their reverence has no power!
To put in plainly, those who reject the need to guard the Sabbaths and Feasts of יהוה yet claim to know Him, are not being confident in their belief but are arrogant and will be brought low when יהוה comes!!!
Those who add or take away from the Word to suit their fleshly desires are arrogant and not confident!
Those who compromise obedience and ‘cut corners’, so to speak, instead of taking a bold stand and always doing what is right in the eyes of יהוה are not being confident but arrogant!
I fear that many who claim to be believers today are making an arrogant boast in their lawlessness instead of a confident boast in Elohim as shown through their willing obedience to hearing, guarding and doing His commands!
We are called to look intently into the mirror of the Word and not forget what we look like, and in doing so we are to be confident and not arrogant, as we walk humbly before Elohim, do right and love loving-commitment!
The True remnant Bride of Messiah must be confident and turn away from the arrogant, lest their bad company corrupt your good character!
Will you be confident in the Master, trust in Him and take a bold stand, armed in His Truth and always ready to give an answer for the hope you have and be fervent in meditating daily on His Torah? Then be humble before our Elohim, fully persuaded in His love for you, and:
BE CONFIDENT NOT ARROGANT
יהוה bless you and guard you; יהוה make His face shine upon you and show you favour; יהוה lift up His face to you and give you Shalom!