Be Careful

“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but people are tested by their praise” (Prov. 27:21, NIV).

I’ll be honest: I sometimes find it hard to find the balance between toxic humility and boastful arrogance. I’ve found myself deflecting compliments and rejecting kind remarks because I thought that accepting such words from others would mean that I was being self-indulgent. It is not a good mindset. It even caused me to view myself as worthless because I thought that was how God viewed me.

If you resonate with that outlook, you couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s an extremely toxic form of humility that God Himself—who made you fearfully and wonderfully (see Ps. 139:14)—doesn’t approve. The Bible also warns us about something equally toxic on the complete opposite side of the spectrum: In Scripture we are commanded to guard against our God-given blessings, leading to arrogance and pride. There is a level of balance in humility that we should all possess—and its absence can have long-lasting effects.

In Deuteronomy 8:10, 11 the Bible says, “When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day” (NIV). Moses refers to eating and satisfaction to point out that God can and will supply all our needs. He also points out the importance of acknowledging God, and the dangers of forgetting Him when we focus on the gifts.

It always surprises me how easy it is to fall into the trap of forgetting the giver of blessings Himself.

It always surprises me how easy it is to fall into the trap of forgetting the giver of blessings Himself. It’s also interesting that the one piece of practical advice Moses gives to avoid this pitfall is to “be careful.” No step-by-step process nor disciplinary actions; he simply says to be careful.It reminds me that it’s up to us: It’s our responsibility to take note of the posture of our heart as God reveals it to us. It’s our duty to daily remember that it is God who has given us what we acquire, and that we are to acknowledge Him for every good and perfect gift (James 1:17).

Hezekiah’s Example

The story in 2 Chronicles 32:24-31 (also recorded in 2 Kings 20) will further clarify my point. This passage perfectly depicts both receiving blessings and the importance of being careful to acknowledge God for them. When Hezekiah falls ill, the prophet Isaiah tells him that he will not recover, so he prays to God, who hears him. Isaiah relays God’s response to Hezekiah, assuring him that he will be all right, and as a sign to assure the king of a healthy recovery, God causes the sun to move backwards (2 Kings 20). In response to this astronomical sign Babylonian envoys visit Hezekiah, bringing letters and gifts.

Second Chronicles 32:27-30 tell us that Hezekiah had been blessed with everything he needed. The Bible points out:

• Hezekiah had very great wealth and honor (verse 27).

• He owned much silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and all kinds of valuables (verse 27).

• He made buildings (verse 28).

• He built villages and acquired great numbers of flocks and herds, for God had given him very great riches (verse 29).

• He succeeded in everything he undertook (verse 30).

The peak of the story, and in my opinion the most important part, is found in verse 31. The Bible says, “However, regarding the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, whom they sent to him to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land, God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart” (verse 31).

This seems odd. The Bible teaches that God will never leave nor forsake us (cf. Deut. 31:6), yet in this story God “withdrew from” Hezekiah. A reason is given for why God does this—it was to “test him, the He might know all that was in his heart.” Apparently, God may give us room to make decisions to see how we act. God didn’t ultimately abandon Hezekiah, because that would be going against His own Word. Yet He does not micromanage our decisions.

After the Babylonians left, God sent Isaiah to Hezekiah once more, to ask him who his guests were and what they had seen. Hezekiah explained that he had shown them all his treasures, hiding nothing from them. Because of Hezekiah’s actions that day—and directly linked to his boastfulness and a willingness to flaunt his wealth—Babylon would eventually invade Jerusalem, burn the Temple, and carry the Israelites captive back to Babylon, along with the wealth of the city (2 Kings 20:16-18).

Acknowledge God

Can you recall a time you knew you’d been blessed by God, but when others saw what you had received, you got in the way of God’s glory? I’ve been there. Sometimes we allow praise belonging to God to go to ourselves. Moments such as these may expose our feigned praise and gratitude to God as something that wasn’t all that genuine. God may have blessed us with a new car, a house, a job, or even a healthy relationship, but when people start to take notice, we sometimes take the credit to ourselves.

Everything that we have has been given to us.

Perhaps God uses the moments when others praise us to expose what’s really in our hearts. Hezekiah was given a chance to be a witness to a foreign nation: He could’ve introduced Babylon to the one true God of Israel, but he instead took the opportunity to shine the spotlight on himself. His actions brought lasting ramifications. God might be moving the sun backwards for us, and we must becareful to acknowledge Him as the one deserving the credit.

In 1 Corinthians 4:7 Paul writes, “For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” Everything that we have has been given to us.

To stay humble, we must guard ourselves, because humility goes against our fallen human nature. On our own, it’s difficult to do—which is why the Holy Spirit helps us. The Spirit produces fruits of righteousness in us (Gal. 5:22, 23). It’s the Spirit who conforms us to the image of Jesus, inside and out. It’s also the Spirit who gives us gifts—as He sees fit—for the benefit of others (spiritual gifts are intended to help others).
The greatest gift given by God is salvation through Jesus Christ. Because our sins have been forgiven, we can have peace with God; He saved us from the inevitable eternal death, and our lives on this earth can have meaning. When people see our joy, let’s tell them how we can keep smiling amid the chaos. Share how God has blessed you, so that others can have the same hope as you. Keeping our eyes focused on Jesus helps us avoid both false humility and boastful arrogance.