When God came into this world, he came as a baby born to a poor carpenter in the line of David, the king. A stable was the place of His birth because there was no room for Him in the Inn. Therefore, God took a humble place among men because God is humble.
When King Solomon undertook to build a house for God, he began the wrong way. "Now King Solomon acquired forced laborers from all Israel, and the forced laborers numbered thirty thousand men." (1 Kings 5:13) By definition, the Hebrew "Mas" a body of forced laborers is from "macac," which is to say a burden that causes a person to faint.
Solomon was a man given wisdom; however, he was also responsible for living according to ALL God's decrees. "'Now if a countryman of yours becomes so poor with regard to you that he sells himself to you, you shall not subject him to a slave's service ...But in respect to your countrymen, the sons of Israel, you shall not rule with severity over one another." (Leviticus 25:39 &:46)
When Israel departed Egypt by God's mighty hand, God had Moses make for Himself a tent for His manifest presence from time to time. David prepared the materials and the men for worship, and Solomon completed the building in Grandios fashion. "Then the king commanded, and they quarried great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with cut stones." (1 Kings 5:17)
The Proud Heart of Men
In Matthew's Gospel chapter 11, after speaking about John the Baptist, the prophet sent to prepare the way for Jesus' arrival, He went on to reproach Chorazin and Bethsaida for their unrepentant hearts. Even John was a bit confused at the ministry of Christ. As Christ, Jesus was sent to be the Savior of all those who believe in Him. But, unfortunately, the two cities that Jesus reproached were too proud to repent of their sins even though Jesus proved Himself to meet the needs of sinful and burdened men by healing them of their outward infirmities with the promise of healing their souls.
The greatest need of sinful men is to see God for who He is and not what they want Him to be in their idolatry. We know the pride that hinders belief in Jesus' statement from verse 25, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from [the] wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants." Jesus said, "...whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." (Mark 10:15).
The burden that Jesus removes first and foremost from sinners is pride. It is man's arrogance that makes us all followers of men and not God. We believe ourselves to have the right to take charge of our destiny and discount the One True God. We hate everyone that takes control, which we all want to do, to one extent or another. There are greater evils and less in the world of differing consciences and cultural standards, but all men are evil before the God that tests the hearts and minds of men.
The Humble Heart of Jesus
Pride is the curse for man's rebellion against God. God took the curse and the iniquity that caused it and placed it upon His only and dearly beloved Son. For this reason, Jesus said, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. "For MY YOKE is easy and MY BURDEN is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)
There can be no greater rest than to no longer carry the weight of all our needs, the guilt of all our sin, and the pride that will not lay them down until it is broken before the sufferings of Christ. Hand them all over to God, repent of your sin, place your faith in the love of God who offered His dear Son as a sacrifice for those who believe.
For over thirty years, Jesus walked among men as a man. He knew human weakness, depended upon the Holy Spirit for what He could do. Jesus prayed to God the Father, for the things that His Father wanted Him to do, including the cross. There was no fleshly pride in the human Jesus, and for this reason, He is gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls in Him. There is no other way!
Four thousand four hundred years since the flood,
men are still trying to fix the world and accomplish absolutely nothing.
Corruption from world leaders grows worse every day,
and the problem of sin is never dealt with except at the cross.
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