Imitate Jehovah’s Humility

1. Why is Jehovah’s humility remarkable?

WHEN you observe people in power today, does the quality of humility come to mind? Likely not. Yet, Jehovah, who is almighty, is humble. (Ps. 113:5-8) Humility permeates Jehovah’s personality; there is not a trace of haughtiness in him. It will benefit us to consider four aspects of Jehovah’s beautiful personality and discover how his humility is reflected in each of them. We will also consider how Jesus imitated his Father’s humility. By examining these facets, we will be helped to draw closer to Jehovah and to imitate his humility to a greater degree.

JEHOVAH IS APPROACHABLE

2. What does Psalm 62:8 reveal about Jehovah? (See also picture.)

² Proud people are not usually approachable. Their inflated egos cause them to act in ways that make others hesitate to go to them or cause others to avoid them altogether. How different Jehovah is! Because our heavenly Father is humble, he invites us to approach him and tell him about the things that are weighing on our mind and heart. (Read Psalm 62:8.) Just as a caring father readily listens to his children’s concerns, Jehovah welcomes and listens to the prayers of his worshippers. In fact, he had many of these prayers recorded in the Bible. That shows how approachable he is. (Josh. 10:12-14; 1 Sam. 1:10-18) But what if for some reason we at times feel unworthy to approach Jehovah?

3. Why can you be certain that Jehovah wants you to approach him regularly in prayer?

³ We can approach Jehovah in prayer even if we feel unworthy of his love. Why can we say that? In Jesus’ parable of the lost son, he likened Jehovah to a tenderhearted father whose repentant son felt unworthy of being accepted back into the family. How did that father react when his son returned home? Jesus said that as soon as the father caught sight of his son, the father “ran and embraced him and tenderly kissed him.” (Luke 15:17-20) Jehovah is like that father. As soon as he hears the prayers of individuals whose hearts are broken and crushed by the burden of guilt or worry, his humility moves him to give them his full attention. (Lam. 3:19, 20) Jehovah is moved with compassion, and he runs to them, as it were, to comfort and reassure them of his mercy and love. (Isa. 57:15) How does Jehovah “run to us” today? He often does so by means of the elders, believing family members, and other fellow worshippers. (Jas. 5:14, 15) Jehovah provides this help because he wants us to be close to him.

4. How did Jesus show that he was approachable?

⁴ Jesus imitates his Father. Like his Father, Jesus is humble. As a result, while he was on earth, people felt comfortable approaching him. They felt at ease with asking him questions. (Mark 4:10, 11) So when he invited their comments on a matter, they would tell him what they truly felt. (Matt. 16:13-16) And when they made mistakes, they did not cringe in fear; they knew that Jesus was kind, merciful, and patient. (Matt. 17:24-27) It is significant that because of how well Jesus imitated his Father, Jesus’ followers came to know Jehovah better. (John 14:9) They learned that Jehovah was nothing like the harsh, proud, and aloof religious leaders of the day. Rather, he was humble and approachable.

5. How can humility help us to be more approachable?

⁵ How can we imitate Jehovah? By cultivating humility, we will become more approachable. Humility will prevent us from being envious, prideful, and unforgiving​—traits that push others away. But humility will help us to be kind, patient, and forgiving​—traits that draw others to us. (Col. 3:12-14) Elders must especially strive to be approachable. Of course, in order to be approachable, they need to be visible. This means that they endeavor to attend congregation meetings in person, preferring that to attending via videoconferencing unnecessarily. And as their circumstances allow, they try to work along with the brothers and sisters in the house-to-house ministry. As these ones get better acquainted with the elders, they will feel comfortable confiding in them when the need arises.

JEHOVAH IS REASONABLE

6-7. Give examples of how Jehovah has yielded to the requests of his servants.

⁶ Many proud people are unreasonable in their dealings with others. But because Jehovah is humble, he is reasonable, or yielding​—even though he is superior to everyone in every way. Consider how he dealt with Moses’ sister, Miriam. She, along with Aaron, murmured against Moses, who was Jehovah’s representative. So Miriam was, in essence, showing disrespect for Jehovah. As a result, Jehovah was furious with Miriam and struck her with leprosy. But when Aaron pleaded in her behalf and Moses begged Jehovah to heal his sister, how did God respond? God did not proudly hold to the judgment he had brought on her. Because Jehovah is humble, he yielded by healing Miriam.​—Num. 12:1-15.

⁷ Jehovah also showed humility in his dealings with King Hezekiah. By means of His prophet, Jehovah informed the king that he was going to die. Hezekiah tearfully begged Jehovah to heal him. In response, Jehovah mercifully added 15 years to the king’s life. (2 Ki. 20:1, 5, 6) Yes, humility moves Jehovah to be compassionate and yielding.

8. What examples demonstrate that Jesus is reasonable? (Mark 3:1-6)

⁸ Jesus imitates his Father. While on earth, Jesus did not withhold good from others when it was reasonable to help them. For example, he healed people on the Sabbath despite the objections of his hardhearted opposers. (Read Mark 3:1-6.) Jesus continues to be reasonable as head of the Christian congregation. For instance, when someone in the congregation commits a serious sin, he is patient with him, giving him ample opportunity to correct his course.​—Rev. 2:2-5.

9. How can we cultivate and show reasonableness? (See also pictures.)

⁹ How can we imitate Jehovah? We must humbly work to cultivate Jehovah’s reasonable way of thinking and acting. (Jas. 3:17) For example, reasonable parents, while not permissive, do not expect more from their children than the young ones can give. That is well-illustrated by Jacob, as seen in the account found at Genesis 33:12-14. Humble and reasonable parents should also try to avoid unfairly comparing one child with another. Christian elders too must be reasonable. One way they can do this is by yielding to the decision of the majority on the body when doing so does not violate Bible principles. (1 Tim. 3:2, 3) And all of us can try to understand the viewpoint of others even if we see things differently. (Rom. 14:1) Yes, everyone in the congregation should strive to let his “reasonableness become known to all men.”​—Phil. 4:5.

JEHOVAH IS PATIENT

10. In what ways has Jehovah shown patience?

¹⁰ You have probably noted that proud people do not like to be kept waiting. Pride makes them impatient. What a contrast that is to Jehovah, who is the very epitome of patience! For instance, in the days of Noah, Jehovah stated that He would wait 120 years before destroying the wicked. (Gen. 6:3) Noah had time to raise his children and build the ark with the help of his family. Later, Jehovah’s angelic representative listened patiently as Abraham questioned him about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. A proud person might have responded, ‘How dare you question me!’ But in imitation of Jehovah, that angel was patient with Abraham.​—Gen. 18:20-33.

11. As stated at 2 Peter 3:9, why is Jehovah showing patience in our time?

¹¹ Jehovah is humbly showing patience in our time too. He is waiting for his set time to arrive to bring the end. Why is he patient? “Because he does not desire anyone to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance.” (Read 2 Peter 3:9.) Has Jehovah’s patience been in vain? No! Millions of righthearted ones have drawn close to him. And we hope many millions more will yet do so. Nonetheless, Jehovah’s patience has limits. Jehovah loves people, but he is not permissive. He will not let wickedness continue forever.​—Hab. 2:3.

12. How is Jesus imitating Jehovah’s patience?

¹² Jesus imitates his Father. For thousands of years, Jesus has imitated Jehovah’s patience. Jesus has watched Satan slander both Jehovah and faithful humans. (Gen. 3:4, 5; Job 1:11; Rev. 12:10) Jesus has also witnessed unspeakable suffering. Imagine how much he must long “to break up the works of the Devil”! (1 John 3:8) What helps Jesus to wait patiently for Jehovah’s approval to destroy the Devil’s works completely? For one thing, Jesus’ humility moves him to leave the timing of matters where they rightly belong​—in Jehovah’s hands.​—Acts 1:7.

13. How and why was Jesus patient with his apostles?

¹³ When on earth, Jesus was also patient with his apostles. For example, when the apostles argued time and again over who was the greatest, Jesus did not throw his hands up in despair. Instead, he continued to be patient. (Luke 9:46; 22:24-27) He trusted that in time they would make the needed changes. Have you repeatedly made the same mistake? If so, are you not grateful to have such a humble and patient King ruling over you?

14. How can we cultivate patience?

¹⁴ How can we imitate Jehovah? When we develop “the mind of Christ,” we put ourselves in the best position to think and act like Jehovah. (1 Cor. 2:16) How can we better understand Christ’s mind? There is no shortcut. We must read the Gospels. Then we need to take time to reflect on how the accounts we read reveal Jesus’ thinking on matters. And without a doubt, we must ask Jehovah to help us reflect Jesus’ humble way of thinking. As we develop the mind of Christ, we will become more like God by showing greater patience both with ourselves and with our fellow believers.​—Matt. 18:26-30, 35.

JEHOVAH DIGNIFIES LOWLY ONES

15. How has Jehovah lived up to the words found at Psalm 138:6?

¹⁵ Read Psalm 138:6. What an honor it is for humble ones to be acknowledged by the Sovereign of the universe! Consider just a few examples of lowly people whom Jehovah has dignified over the centuries. Some of them might not readily come to mind, but they are included in the Bible record. Jehovah inspired Moses to record the name of a nurse named Deborah, who lived during the time of the patriarchs. She served faithfully in both Isaac’s and Jacob’s households for a total of some 125 years! Though not much is known about this loyal woman, Jehovah made sure to note in the inspired record how beloved she was. (Gen. 24:59; 35:8, ftn.) Centuries later, Jehovah raised up David, a shepherd boy, and made him king of the nation of Israel. (2 Sam. 22:1, 36) Shortly after Jesus was born, God sent angels to honor humble shepherds by letting them be the first to know that in nearby Bethlehem the future Messiah had been born. (Luke 2:8-11) And when Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the temple, Jehovah dignified elderly Simeon and Anna by pointing out His Son to them. (Luke 2:25-30, 36-38) Yes, “though Jehovah is high, he takes note of the humble”!

16. How did Jesus imitate the way his Father treats others?

¹⁶ Jesus imitates his Father. Like his Father, Jesus dignified humble people. He taught “uneducated and ordinary” people truths about the Kingdom of God. (Acts 4:13; Matt. 11:25) Jesus also healed the sick and treated them in ways that restored not only their health but also their dignity. (Luke 5:13) On the final night before his death, Jesus took on the role of a servant by washing his apostles’ feet. (John 13:5) And prior to ascending to heaven, he dignified all his humble followers, present and future, by giving them the most important work any human can have​—helping others to gain everlasting life.​—Matt. 28:19, 20.

17. How can we dignify others? (See also picture.)

¹⁷ How can we imitate Jehovah? We dignify people when we share the good news with all who listen, regardless of their background, skin color, or level of education. And we dignify our brothers and sisters when we consider them superior to us, regardless of any abilities or privileges we may have. (Phil. 2:3) Jehovah is pleased when we humbly “take the lead” in showing honor to one another in these and in other ways.​—Rom. 12:10; Zeph. 3:12.

18. Why do you want to imitate Jehovah’s humility?

¹⁸ As we strive to imitate our loving heavenly Father’s humility, we will become more approachable, more reasonable, and more patient. And we will dignify others, as Jehovah does. May our efforts to draw closer to our humble God make each of us even more precious in his eyes!​—Isa. 43:4.