He Remembers the Humble

This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. —Psalm 34:6

Time after time there is a theme that emerges, which I especially noticed in reading Luke this year... God lifts the humble, changes the paradigm, honors and respects and appreciate those in positions that are often passed by. This Psalm, for example is not what we typically think of when we think of the book of Psalms. It sounds more like a story than the poetry of the sheep and the pastures and the mountains. But this poor man cried out, but the Lord heard him. The Lord takes time to listen to not just those in authority... but the sincerely humble, the repentant sinner and his/her plea for forgiveness.


The Repentant Sinner

Ahab said to Elijah, "So you have found me, my enemy!"
"I have found you," he answered, "because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD. 21 'I am going to bring disaster on you. I will consume your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel—slave or free. 22 I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have provoked me to anger and have caused Israel to sin.'

23 "And also concerning Jezebel the LORD says: 'Dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of [a] Jezreel.'

24 "Dogs will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds of the air will feed on those who die in the country."

25 (There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, urged on by Jezebel his wife. 26 He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the LORD drove out before Israel.)

27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.

28 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite: 29 "Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son." -1 Kings 21:20-29

From this passage, it seems no sin is too great for God to forgive it. Just after the parentheses tell us that "there was never a man like Ahab," who was "vile" and "worshipped idols," we see God recognizing Ahab's humility... for he went around humbly.

No matter whether our sin is time mismanagement, being disagreeable with someone when that's not what they deserve, not appreciating God's good gifts, or something like worshipping idols, we should 'go around meekly.' A couple of years ago I read the book "When People are Big and God is Small." It points out a dilemma we have today in being meek and humble and recognizing that God is the one who is big and who we need to forgive our sins, and we are small, powerless. When we truly recognize His greatness, we are humbled, and further humbled by the fact that He chooses to listen to, to remember us.


The Humble Plea

2Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."[b] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

35The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."

36The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself."

38There was a written notice above him, which read:|sc THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

39One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"

40But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."

42Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[c]"

43Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." -Luke 23:32-43

While Ahab's plea for forgiveness came in terms of his change in attitude and his actions, the criminals on the crosses next to Jesus don't have enough time for any of that. But the one criminal recognizes Jesus as God and rebukes the other criminal... asking Jesus to remember him in His kingdom. And it was just that easy, with that honest open plea, Jesus forgave the man who might have done any number of wrongs. He recognized his faults and asked Jesus to look upon him.


Whether we have committed the sins of Ahab or the criminal that day on the cross, we are sinners. As Romans reminds us, all sin and fall short of the glory of God. But, that in itself is a beautiful thing, because it humbles us and reminds us that we cannot earn grace... it keeps us in our place and reminds us to honor Him who is holy and perfect and his amazing forgiveness for us.