The term "humiliates" refers to the act of lowering someone in dignity or pride, often through shame or disgrace. In the biblical context, humiliation can be both a consequence of sin and a tool used by God to bring about repentance and spiritual growth. The Bible provides numerous examples and teachings on the theme of humiliation, emphasizing its role in the divine plan and the believer's journey toward humility and righteousness.

Old Testament Context

In the Old Testament, humiliation often comes as a result of disobedience to God. The Israelites frequently experienced humiliation at the hands of their enemies when they turned away from God's commandments. For instance, in Deuteronomy 28:37 , God warns the Israelites that if they disobey Him, they will become "an object of horror, scorn, and ridicule among all the nations to which the LORD will drive you."

The account of King Nebuchadnezzar in the Book of Daniel serves as a poignant example of personal humiliation. Nebuchadnezzar's pride led to his downfall, and God humbled him by driving him away from human society to live like an animal. Daniel 4:37 records Nebuchadnezzar's acknowledgment of God's sovereignty: "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are true and all His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride."

New Testament Context

In the New Testament, the concept of humiliation is closely linked to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself experienced the ultimate humiliation through His crucifixion, a death reserved for the most despised criminals. Philippians 2:8 describes Jesus' humility: "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross."

Jesus taught His followers the importance of humility and warned against the dangers of pride. In Matthew 23:12 , He states, "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." This teaching underscores the biblical principle that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).

Theological Implications

Humiliation in the Bible is often a precursor to spiritual renewal and transformation. It serves as a means by which individuals recognize their dependence on God and their need for His grace. The process of being humbled can lead to a deeper understanding of one's own limitations and the greatness of God's mercy.

The Apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 , speaks of his own experiences with weakness and humiliation, stating, "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me. That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Practical Application

For believers, the biblical perspective on humiliation encourages a posture of humility before God and others. It calls for a recognition of one's own sinfulness and the need for repentance. The believer is reminded to seek God's strength in times of personal humiliation and to trust in His redemptive purposes.

Humiliation, when viewed through the lens of Scripture, becomes an opportunity for growth and a deeper relationship with God. It is a reminder that true exaltation comes not from self-promotion but from submission to God's will and reliance on His grace.3637. kalam -- to be humiliated
... 1), confounded (1), disgraced (1), dishonored (7), embarrassed (1), feel ashamed
(1), feel humiliated (1), humiliated (10), humiliates (2), humiliating (1 ...
/hebrew/3637.htm - 6k

Letter xvi to Rainald, Abbot of Foigny
... But I should, perhaps, represent more truly what I feel if I say that he who exalts
me really humiliates me; and he who humiliates me, exalts. ...
/.../letter xvi to rainald abbot.htm

Letter v. --Distractions in Prayer.
... all sorts of trials. He strikes them, humiliates them and makes them
contemptible in their own eyes. But how superabundantly does ...
/.../abandonment to divine providence/letter v distractions in prayer.htm

That the Ruler Should be Pure in Thought.
... And such fear indeed purges, while it humiliates, the mind of the ruler, guarding
it against being either lifted up by presumption of spirit, or defiled by ...
/.../leo/writings of leo the great/chapter ii that the ruler.htm

How those are to be Admonished with whom Everything Succeeds ...
... Let, then, those whom temporal adversity humiliates take joy from hope of an eternal
inheritance, since Divine Providence would not curb them in order to ...
/.../leo/writings of leo the great/chapter xxvi how those are.htm

Hebrews x. 13-Aug
... Let no man then be humiliated on account of his poverty: It is not poverty which
humiliates, but wealth, which compels us to have need of many, and forces us ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of st john and hebrews/homily xviii hebrews x 13-aug.htm

Divine Destruction and Protection
... confirm the general current of history, and illustrate the fact that the Lord, even
the Lord of hosts, always cuts down the high tree, humiliates the creature ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 62 1916/divine destruction and protection.htm

The Third Part of the Articles.
... Yet he was pointed to his own works, and comforted thus: The more fully [sincerely
and frankly] one confesses, and the more he humiliates himself and debases ...
//christianbookshelf.org/luther/the smalcald articles/the third part of the.htm

Concentration in Prayer
... "And thy Father, Which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly." There is nothing
that more humiliates us; there is nothing that more makes us blush for ...
/.../whyte/lord teach us to pray/xix concentration in prayer.htm

On the Theophany, or Birthday of Christ.
... Are you then to be allowed to dwell upon all that humiliates Him, while passing
over all that exalts Him, and to count on your side the fact that He suffered ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/oration xxxviii on the theophany.htm

Second Sunday Before Lent
... for which reason the clog is bound to the dog; that is, the many dangers and
misfortunes with which the angel of the devil buffets and humiliates my body will ...
/.../luther/epistle sermons vol ii/second sunday before lent.htm

Humiliates (2 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Humiliates (2 Occurrences). Proverbs 25:8 Do not
be quick to go to law about what you have seen, for what ...
/h/humiliates.htm - 6k

Humiliation (16 Occurrences)

/h/humiliation.htm - 13k

Humiliated (25 Occurrences)

/h/humiliated.htm - 13k

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