“For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:13)
Picture a person walking into a formal dinner wearing their finest clothes. But halfway through the evening, they excuse themselves and return wearing torn, dirty rags. The other guests would be bewildered. Why would someone exchange beautiful garments for shameful ones?
Yet this is exactly what Jeremiah describes when he says God’s people “have changed their glory.” The Hebrew word for “changed” suggests the deliberate act of exchanging one garment for another. Israel had traded the glory of knowing and serving the living God for the shame of worshiping lifeless idols. This exchange reveals a pattern that runs through Scripture and straight into our own hearts: the choice between humility before God and the pride that leads to spiritual poverty.
The Lament of Missed Blessing (Psalm 81:1, 10-16)
Psalm 81 reads like a father’s heartbroken letter to wayward children. God reminds Israel of His past faithfulness: “I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt.” He had provided everything they needed, promising to fill their mouths when opened wide in dependence on Him. But Israel “would not hearken” and “would none of me.”
The consequence was not immediate destruction but something almost worse: God gave them what they wanted. “So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.” They had exchanged the glory of God’s guidance for the shame of self-reliance. The psalm aches with what could have been: subdued enemies, abundant provision, honey from the rock. Their pride had cost them covenant blessing.
The Wisdom of Taking the Lower Place (Proverbs 25:6-7)
Solomon captures a principle that governs both earthly courts and God’s kingdom: “Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men.” True wisdom recognizes its proper position. Those who promote themselves risk public embarrassment when asked to move to a lower place. But those who take the humble position may be invited higher with honor.
This proverb reveals how humility protects us from the shame that comes with presumption. It teaches us that glory comes not from self-promotion but from being recognized and elevated by others, particularly by those in authority.
The Prophet’s Call to Consider the Exchange (Jeremiah 2:4-13)
Jeremiah confronts Israel with the absurdity of their spiritual adultery. Through a series of rhetorical questions, God challenges them to find any fault in His character that would justify their abandonment: “What iniquity have your fathers found in me?” He had led them through the wilderness and brought them into a good land.
But they had defiled it through idolatry. Even their spiritual leaders had failed: priests didn’t seek the Lord, those who handled the law didn’t know Him, and prophets served Baal. The result was the exchange of glory for shame. They had forsaken God, “the fountain of living waters,” and instead “hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” Their pride had led them to trust in things that could never satisfy, leaving them spiritually destitute.
The Kingdom Principle Revealed (Luke 14:1, 7-14)
Jesus takes Solomon’s wisdom and reveals its deeper, kingdom significance. Watching guests scramble for places of honor at a Pharisee’s dinner, He teaches that God’s kingdom operates by different principles: “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
But Jesus goes beyond personal advancement. He calls His hearers to invite those who cannot repay them: “the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.” This reflects the heart of God, who chooses the humble and lowly. The promise is clear: “thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.” Kingdom humility extends itself to others and trusts God for ultimate vindication.
The Church’s Response to Christ’s Example (Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16)
The writer to the Hebrews shows how Christ’s unchanging character should shape the church’s life together. Because Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever,” His people can live with humble confidence. They can show hospitality to strangers, care for prisoners, and live content with what they have because of God’s promise: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
The sacrificial system has been transformed. Christians now offer “the sacrifice of praise” and the sacrifices of “doing good” and sharing with others. This reflects hearts that have learned humility through Christ’s example. They no longer need to grasp for position or security because they rest in God’s unchanging faithfulness.
The Reward of Humility (Psalm 112)
Psalm 112 paints the portrait of the person who fears the Lord and delights in His commandments. This individual shows favor to others, lends generously, and disperses gifts to the poor. Their righteousness endures forever because it flows from a right relationship with God.
The psalm concludes with a sobering contrast: while the righteous are remembered and honored, “the wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away.” This anticipates the final judgment when all accounts will be settled. Those who have walked in humility will rejoice in Christ’s record credited to them, while those who trusted in their own righteousness will face the shame of their spiritual poverty.
The Garment That Matters Most
Sunday morning finds us standing before our closets, choosing what to wear to worship. We consider the weather, the occasion, what others might think. But there is a garment that matters far more than any physical clothing: humility. This is what God sees when His people gather to worship, and it is what the watching world sees when we scatter into our Monday lives.
The pattern is clear: pride leads to spiritual poverty, while humility leads to blessing. But this is not merely about behavior modification. The call to humility flows from the gospel itself. Christ, who was equal with God, “made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7). He exchanged the glory that was rightfully His for the shame of the cross so that we might be clothed in His righteousness.
When we gather on Sunday morning, humility is the garment that allows us to worship authentically. We come not as those who have earned our place but as those who have been given grace. We sit wherever God places us, knowing our worth comes from Christ, not from our position. We sing and pray and listen to God’s Word with hearts that acknowledge our need for His mercy.
But humility is equally essential when we leave the church building and enter our Monday world. We can serve difficult coworkers, love ungrateful family members, and show kindness to those who cannot repay us. We can choose the lower place in our marriages, friendships, and communities because we know that in Christ, God has already elevated us.
The question each of us faces is the same one Jeremiah posed to Israel: What will we exchange our glory for? Will we trust in our own broken cisterns, or will we drink from the fountain of living waters that is found in Christ alone? The garment we choose to wear both in worship and in the world reveals our answer.
Points to Ponder
- What “broken cisterns” are you tempted to trust instead of God’s provision?
- How does knowing that Christ took the lowest place free you to do the same?
- In what relationships or situations is God calling you to humble yourself?
- How can you extend Christ’s kingdom to those who cannot repay you?
- What does it mean practically that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and for ever”?
Prayer
Father in heaven, You are the fountain of living waters, and we confess that we are often tempted to dig our own broken cisterns. Forgive us for the pride that leads us to trust in ourselves rather than in Your faithful provision. Help us to see the beauty of Christ’s humility and to follow His example in our relationships with others. Give us hearts that delight in taking the lower place, knowing that You will lift us up in due time. Make us generous toward those who cannot repay us, trusting that You will repay us at the resurrection of the just. Thank You that in Christ, You have clothed us with His righteousness and made us Your beloved children. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments… He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.” (Psalm 112:1, 9)
Josh Cehulik 