090625

 

Still bloated & hurting this morning. I just realized something like this happened at the beginning of LAST month too, with the milk reaction. That lasted at least a solid week. I hope this stops soon too.

Blue dress for Mary on First Saturday today! Mom will finally get to see it too.

Also MORE HOUSEWORK WITH TURKISH POP today. I'm genuinely looking forward to it do much. It's a great workout haha. But really I just love helping my mom, and seeing how HAPPY she is that this labor is getting done.

First Saturday is tough because I have to eat FAST and EARLY.
I cannot fast though. I won't get to eat again for 24 hours.

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VOTD reflection today is VERY good

""What does God want?" “What is God's will for my life?” “What is my purpose and calling?” “What can I do to please God?”
...Jesus provides the answer to [all] those questions by telling His followers to love God and love people."
(That's amazing. It's literally EVERYTHING in a nutshell.)

"...the prophet Micah, empowered by the Holy Spirit, summarized God's will for Israel by saying:

1. Human being, you have already been told what is good and right... the Lord your God has told each of you what goodness is. His prophets have revealed this to you. He has shown you how he wants you to live. He has told you what he wants from you.
2. This is what God really wants, demands, and requires from you, no more and no less:
3. See that justice is done. Do what is just. You must do what is right and fair. Act with right judgment; act justly; act with justice. Be just. Promote justice. Carry out justice. Practice justice. Be fair to other people. Do what is right to other people. Do mishpat.
4. Let mercy be your first concern. You must love to show mercy. Love mercy, grace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and loyalty. Be faithful. Show constant love. Embrace faithful love. You must always be kind to other people. Love being kind to others. Diligently practice compassion. Stay close to God and others every day. Love loving-commitment and lovingkindness. Show chesed.
5. Humble yourself, setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness. Humble yourself to walk with your God. Walk humbly, lowly, in purity, with your God. Walk solicitous and carefully with thy God. Humbly obey your God. Live obediently before your God. Live in humble fellowship with our God. You must be careful to obey your God. You must be humble as you live in the sight of your God. Live humbly, trusting your God. Come last, not first, with God. Be busy for to walk with your God.

"But He's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don’t take yourself too seriously— take God seriously."

These words were penned during a time when God's people were trying to please Him with sacrifices, offerings, and going through religious motions— while living lives of deception, violence, and pride. But... God is after our heart motives, NOT our outward religious activity or begrudging obedience."

"As the prophet Hosea writes...
1. "I, the LORD Your God, desire and delight in/ am pleased by/ it makes Me happy when/ I want...
2. ...mercy, dutiful loyalty, kindness, goodness. I want your faithfulness in the covenant relationship, your steadfast love, loving-kindness, and loving commitment. Show love; I want your true and constant love, I'm after love that lasts. Stay close to me.
3. ...rather than [animal] sacrifice. I don't only want sacrifice; I don't want you to just offer sacrifices. I'm not asking for "more religion." I don't delight in slaughtering.
4. I want you to have the knowledge of God, to have acquaintance with God. Recognize me as God and acknowledge me. Know me as God. Know me as YOUR God.
5. ...more than burnt [whole] offerings, holocausts, sacrifices, and mechanical "prayer meetings."

"I'd rather for you to be faithful and to know me than to offer sacrifices...Your true love would be better than your sacrifices to me."

Let's break down what God desires of us:

⭐ DO JUSTICE. Doing justice requires faith and actions working together: helping the hurting, defending the weak, dealing fairly with the people we encounter, and speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves. In other words, to do justice, we must love others as we love ourselves.
(Another striking point = truly just actions require FAITH!! The solid ground of all human dignity & worth & rights is GOD.)

⭐ LOVE KINDNESS. The mercy of God is an extreme kindness. And because we've been shown undeserved kindness by Him, we can show [His] undeserved kindness to others. God desires these things more than endless “I’m sorry” speeches. God is kind to the grateful and the wicked, so we should be, too.

⭐ WALK HUMBLY. Be teachable. Be moldable. Remember: You're not God. You have limitations. You need a Creator and Savior. You’re only here because God spoke you into existence. So confidently embrace who you are, and who you are not, because it's when we live fully surrendered to God that He does incredible things through us.

We don't have to wonder what God wants—He's already told us.
Seeking justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly– that is what God wants from us. So in a world that's saturated with injustice, hatred, and arrogance, let’s be people marked by these three things.
Today, how can you make the world around you more just? How can you show mercy? How can you humble yourself and magnify God?

God, please show me how to love You and Your people.
Align my heart with Your will, and help me to make decisions that bring You glory and honor.
Help me to see myself accurately so that I CAN love others fully.
Help me to act justly, to love mercy, and walk humbly with You, preferring others above myself.



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The Lord your God was training you as a man trains his child. Keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and so follow his ways and reverence him.

℣. The fear of the Lord is holy, abiding for ever.
℟. The decrees of the Lord are truth and all of them just.


they have already been reconciled by Christ’s death and resurrection as first-born from the dead. But they still need to persevere in their project. In one sense salvation is already accomplished by the action of Christ’s death and by the resurrection which signalled God’s acceptance of that loving act of obedience. In another sense, however, this salvation is still being worked out in every individual believer, and will be finally accomplished only at the Parousia. Paul says on many occasions that we have been reconciled. By this he must surely mean that the estrangement between God and the human race brought about by the disobedience of Adam (that is, the persistent, habitual disobedience of the human race) has been healed by the loving obedience of Christ.
    But only once does Paul say that we have been saved – and that is qualified by ‘in hope’, which makes it future again. There is still work to be done, progress to be made. The restored relationship of love still needs to be developed and enriched.
   
"What does Paul mean by saying that "the gospel has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven?" It cannot be an exaggerated claim that the gospel has already been proclaimed all over the world. More likely Paul is referring to the openness of the proclamation: it is no secret cult, like the many mystery religions which were in vogue at the time, but the salvation so proclaimed is available to everyone."


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https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6800.htm

6800 tsana: To be humble, lowly, modest; to humiliate

"...an inner orientation of modesty, reserve, and lowliness before God and others. It portrays a quiet, self-effacing posture that neither courts attention nor seeks exaltation.
Rather than mere external meekness, it expresses a heart disposition that acknowledges the Lord’s supremacy and one’s own dependent creatureliness."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Proverbs contrasts boastful self-reliance with the restrained spirit that invites divine insight.
Wisdom... is more than intellectual attainment; it is skill for godly living... "tsana" [is paired] with wisdom, teaching that teachability and spiritual perception flourish only in a soul free from pride. By placing humility opposite “pride” and “disgrace,” the proverb warns that arrogance blinds, while modesty opens the eyes to reality as God defines it."


⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Micah summons Israel to covenant faithfulness summarized in three concise duties: justice, mercy, and humble fellowship with the Lord. Here "tsana" depicts the manner of one’s walk— daily conduct marked by quiet submission to divine rule. The setting is a courtroom scene where Israel’s empty ritualism is exposed. True worship is relational, not performative.
The prophet thus elevates humility from private virtue to national obligation, binding social ethics (justice, mercy) to personal piety (humble walk)... uniting practical ethics with covenant loyalty."


"In the Ancient Near East, kings and warriors celebrated self-exaltation. In contrast, Israel’s Scriptures present the Lord as the unrivaled Sovereign, and call His people to a counter-cultural self-abasement. Humility was not weakness but covenant realism: only the Lord saves, guides, and exalts. The humble acknowledge this; the proud resist it."
(Pride exalts the self by trying to guide and rule itself, rejecting all external law and direction. Pride also insists it can save itself– that is, if it would ever admit it needed to be saved.)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Humility" intersects with =
“afflicted, humble,” emphasizing low status;
“to bend, subdue,” focusing on surrender;
“to be low,” contrasting lofty pride.
Together they build a composite picture:
1. humility begins in the heart,
2. is expressed in attitude toward circumstances,
3. and results in willing submission,
4. lived out in a lowered stance."

Humility embodies reverent awe, the starting point of knowledge.

Micah links humility to justice and mercy, demonstrating that right relationship with God produces right treatment of neighbor.

Scripture repeatedly shows God opposing the proud but giving grace to the humble. Humility signals the pathway to divine favor... modest hearts attract God’s intervention.

David, refusing to seize Saul’s throne, trusted God to elevate him.
Hezekiah, who “humbled himself” after prideful error, received extended life and deliverance .
Josiah, with tender heart, repentance, and humility, delayed God's judgment.
The virtue embodied in "tsana" is fulfilled and modeled in Jesus Christ... [in] the self-emptying of the incarnate Son... “I am gentle and humble in heart.”
...Shepherds lead from a basin and towel, not a throne... Justice and mercy become credible when offered from a lowly posture that esteems others.

“Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another… humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.” ...the humble walk enjoys divine companionship and ultimate exaltation.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Personal Discipleship: Cultivate daily practices that silence self-promotion— secret prayer, unseen generosity, and grateful confession.

In Corporate Worship: Liturgy and song should aim at God’s greatness, not human display.

⭐⭐⭐‼️‼️‼️"In a culture of self-branding, the biblical call to "tsana" invites believers to resist performance spirituality. It frees the church from the tyranny of "image", anchoring identity in the Lord’s assessment rather than public acclaim. Ministries that embody modesty gain authenticity and power, for God “dwells… with the contrite and humble in spirit”."

""Tsana" [is] the quiet strength of those who know their place before God. It fuses reverence, restraint, and relational fidelity, guiding individuals and communities into wise living and prophetic witness. Wherever humility thrives, wisdom blossoms, justice is practiced, mercy is loved, and fellowship with God deepens."


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https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6035.htm

6035 anav = humble, lowly, meek, poor, afflicted, afflicted ones... depressed (figuratively), in mind (gentle) or circumstances (needy, especially saintly)

"Anav" denotes those who, by choice or circumstance, live in lowliness before God and others. Scripture links this condition with teachability, dependence on divine aid, and a promised future exaltation... the "anaw" embodies the ethical center of the covenant community and foreshadows kingdom realities fulfilled in Jesus Christ."

Moses’ meekness is recorded at the narrative point where his authority is challenged. The text teaches that spiritual authority flows from submission to God rather than self-assertion, a standard later personified perfectly by Jesus Christ.

Psalms and Job portray humility in praise, lament, and ethical instruction.
Psalms repeatedly pair humility with poverty and oppression... assuring the afflicted worshiper that God hears, teaches, vindicates, and ultimately grants inheritance. Jesus links the Old Testament "anaw" to New Testament beatitude.

Prophetic Books... employ the term in eschatological promises and social indictments.
The coming Davidic King rectifies injustice and centers the humble in His renewed creation. 
Zephaniah summons the "anaw" to seek humility so as to be “concealed on the day of the LORD’s anger,” showing that lowliness is both a present posture and an eschatological refuge.
Isaiah anticipates the Spirit-anointed Messiah who proclaims good news “to the poor” (anaw). Jesus applies this passage to Himself, identifying the humble as first recipients of the Gospel and anchoring Christian mission in service to them."

Amos exposes covenant violations against the anaw: “They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the earth.” Such passages condemn systemic injustice and affirm God’s advocacy for the marginalized— a perpetual standard for ethical governance and community life.

Across the canon God consistently:
• Hears their prayers (Psalm 10:17)
O LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them. You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear to hear, You encourage them. You pay close attention to them.
You listen to the longings of those who suffer. You offer them hope, and you pay attention to their cries for help. Your ear has listened to the preparation of their heart.
LORD, you have heard the request of the oppressed; you make them feel secure because you listen to their prayer.
You will listen, O LORD, to the prayers of the lowly; you will give them courage. The Lord has heeded the desire of the poor.

• Provides material relief (Psalm 22:26)
The humble, poor, and afflicted will eat and be satisfied; Those who [diligently] seek Him and require Him [as their greatest need] will praise the LORD. May your hearts live forever!

• Grants instruction (Psalm 25:9)
He guides the humble in doing justice, He teaches His ways to the meek and poor.
You lead humble people to do what is right and to stay on your path.

• Confers honor (Psalm 149:4)
For the LORD takes delight & pleasure in His people; He is well pleased with them. He adorns the afflicted with salvation; he will honor & beautify the meek & lowly with salvation; he crowns the humble with victory. He exalts the oppressed by delivering them. He gives salvation to the poor.

• Protects in judgment (Zephaniah 2:3)
Seek the LORD [Look for Him, search diligently for Him and regard Him as the foremost necessity of your life], All you humble of the land Who have practiced His ordinances and have kept His commandments and worked his justice and observed His Law... all you who are humble, and who follow his commands... all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice and performed His judgment and obeyed His words. Seek the Lord's favor.
Strive to do what is right! Strive to be humble and live humbly! Seek righteousness, seek humility, seek meekness [regard them as vital]. Perhaps you will be hidden and concealed [and pardoned and rescued] In the day of the LORD’S anger. Perhaps even yet the LORD will protect you— protect you from his anger on that day of destruction.
If you humbly obey the LORD, then come and worship him. If you do right and are humble, perhaps you will be safe on that day when the LORD turns loose his anger.
...doubtless you shall find refuge in the day of the wrath of the LORD!

This pattern displays the moral order of the kingdom: exaltation follows humility.

...Jesus’ self-description as “gentle and humble in heart” draws on the anaw ideal. Thus the virtue crosses covenants unchanged.

Rabbinic commentary viewed the "anaw" as the righteous remnant. Early church fathers extolled humility as the chief monastic virtue. Reformers tied it to "sola gratia", insisting that salvation leaves no room for boasting.


Disciples must cultivate teachability and dependence on grace.
Leaders must model Moses-like meekness, letting authority arise from obedience.

The church must defend the rights of the economically and socially humbled, aligning with prophetic priorities.

In Worship: give voice to the lowly in congregational prayers and songs, mirroring the Psalms. Encourage sufferers with God’s promise that “The humble in need will see their God at work and rejoice; the poor and oppressed will be glad. Let all who look to God for help be encouraged and take heart... You who seek God [requiring Him as your greatest need], let your heart revive and live."

"I am suffering and in pain. Rescue me, O God, by your saving power... I am poor, dejected, and sorrowful; I am hurting and afflicted... I am mistreated and in distress. Protect me, God, and keep me safe! May Your salvation, God, set me safely and securely on high. I am in despair; lift me up, O God, and save me!
I am poor and sorrowful; but the salvation of thy countenance has helped me."
"For the LORD hears the cries of the poor; the LORD listens to the needy; The LORD will listen when the homeless cry out, and he will never forget his people in prison. He does not despise His captive people."

"Anaw" encapsulates a posture cherished by God, exemplified by Moses, championed by the prophets, sung by the psalmists, and fulfilled in Christ. Scripture promises that those who embrace such humility will be taught, sustained, and ultimately inherit the renewed earth.

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https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7817.htm

7817 shachach: To bow down, to be brought low, to humble
bend, bow down, bring cast down, humble self, be bring low, stoop

...bending low— whether bodies, cities, or spirits... to describe anything that must yield: lions crouching in their lairs (the instinctive lowering of beasts dependent on their Creator’s provision), arrogant nations bowing under judgment, or a believer’s soul sagging under grief. In every setting, the downward motion highlights helplessness before a stronger force, setting the stage for God’s supremacy or His promised reversal.


Even when human history seems to contradict it, divine wisdom guarantees that unrighteousness must ultimately stoop before righteousness.
We have Assurance of Divine Justice: Scripture promises that evil’s current ascendancy is temporary; righteousness will be vindicated.

On the Day of the Lord... God’s purpose is twofold: to topple human arrogance and to display His unrivaled majesty. The fall of ancient fortified cities stands as historical proof that no societal structure can resist His hand.
...oppressors will “come bowing at your feet,” a future acknowledgment of Zion’s divinely granted honor.
National or congregational pride invites divine lowering. Shachach texts warn leaders to shepherd with contrition, not presumption. Corporate Repentance is necessary.

The term frequently registers inward collapse. David confesses, “I am bent and brought low; all day long I go about mourning”. The Sons of Korah cry repeatedly, “Why are you downcast, O my soul?” These laments show that external enemies are not the only force that can press one down; sorrow, guilt, and unanswered questions can make the soul bow as surely as divine judgment.
Yet there is Comfort for the Crushed: The repeated refrain “Why are you downcast, O my soul?” licenses honest lament while steering the sufferer toward hope in God.

Psalm 107:39 balances humiliation with hope: “When they are diminished and humbled by oppression, evil, and sorrow.” The psalm immediately moves to God’s deliverance, revealing that He humbles in order to restore... those once bowed down will be honored, and former oppressors will bend... the larger biblical rhythm: God brings low that He might raise up.


Though the verb often depicts involuntary collapse, it also invites voluntary submission. Job 9:13 notes that the “helpers of Rahab cower beneath Him,” yet the wise choose that posture willingly, turning disaster imagery into a model for worship!
A bowed heart recognizes God’s sovereignty, aligns with His purposes, and becomes the soil in which grace flourishes.

In the Incarnation the eternal Son “emptied Himself” and “humbled Himself” unto death... the Messiah accepts the downward path that sinners and proud nations resist.
His voluntary "shachach" secures the exaltation promised in the Hebrew prophets, guaranteeing that every knee “in heaven and on earth and under the earth” will one day bow.
Believers are urged to choose now what every creature must eventually perform— bow before the Lord.

"...true security and honor lie not in resisting the downward pull but in embracing humility under the mighty hand of God, who in due time will lift up the lowly."

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https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8213.htm

8213 shaphel: To be low, to be abased, to humble
abase, bring (cast, put) down, debase, humble (self), be (bring, lay, make, put) low(-er)

"...the act of being made low or bringing low, both literally (topographic depressions) and figuratively (humbling persons, nations, and pride)... God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

...what is low is easily overrun unless the Lord protects. Geography becomes parable; the land’s position mirrors the spiritual posture God requires.


The humbled person is the one whom God delights to exalt. Israel’s praise is inseparable from her confession of smallness, teaching worshippers that true exaltation begins with self-abasement before the covenant LORD.
The downfall of proud Babylon, the humiliation of Egypt, and the warning to Edom, all show that every power that magnifies itself will be levelled.

Proverbs frames shaphal as the wiser course of life... Pride courts downfall; humility secures honor... the verb urges voluntary self-abasement now to avoid enforced humiliation later— a principle Jesus will later recast in parable form.

In divine paradox, the Messiah's kingdom belongs to the “poor in spirit”... the One marred and despised becomes high and lifted up. The trajectory from shaphal to exaltation culminates at the cross and resurrection, validating the Old Testament pattern.

God still chooses the foolish and weak to shame the strong. Shaphal warns leaders against self-reliance and encourages dependence on grace.

Congregational worship should model humility—confession, lament, and lowliness— before petition and praise.

Discipleship entails embracing low estate now, trusting divine vindication later. "Humble yourselves [with an attitude of repentance and insignificance] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up, He will give you purpose]."

Social ministry reflects God’s heart when it lifts the down-trodden, embodying the "divine reversal" of worldly circumstances embedded in shaphal.

...every height not founded on reverence for God will be levelled, while those who willingly take the low place will be raised up by His mighty hand.


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https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8214.htm

8214 shephel: humbled, humble, subdue.. the act of bringing low, humbling, or abasing.

...decisive reversals of human pride effected either directly by God, or by rulers acting under divine permission.

Nebuchadnezzar...  exercised unchecked power: “those he wished to humble he humbled.”

"He was driven from human society... until he came to understand that the most high God rules over and controls all human kingdoms, and he appoints over them whomever he wishes; He can give them to anyone he chooses.
"But you, his successor, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this.”

The verb underlines the precariousness of imperial power and highlights divine sovereignty amid Gentile domination.

...humility is a Divine prerogative... something God alone finally enforces. Humility is a Moral obligation; God indicts deliberate refusal to accept that prerogative... God warns against pride and calls for repentance before enforced humbling occurs.

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. The consistent biblical witness is that human elevation without reference to God invites inevitable reversal... the prophetic pattern continues with eschatological certainty until God’s kingdom prevails... proud kingdoms are abased; the humble Messiah is enthroned. The humbling of arrogant kings anticipates the ultimate exaltation of the Son of Man, who, though truly exalted, first humbled Himself.

Earthly authority is a stewardship; leaders must consciously “humble themselves under God’s mighty hand” and guard against positional pride.

Personal testimonies of divine humbling encourage transparent confession and God-exalting worship.

Believers live in societies fascinated by power and status. But Scripture reminds the faithful that genuine security lies not in asserting greatness but in surrendering greatness to the King of Heaven Who “lifts up and brings down”.

The divinely governed cycle of pride and abasement in world history is a concise theology lesson: God’s kingdom alone stands secure; all proud hearts and thrones will be humbled unless they voluntarily bow.

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https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8215.htm

8215 shephal: lowliest

“the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom He wishes, and sets over it the lowliest of men”. The term describes an individual or class viewed as socially insignificant, yet sovereignly elevated by God. Proud rulers are warned that the God who installed them can just as easily enthrone one society calls “low.”
The Almighty still “sets over it the lowliest of men.” Therefore, “humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time”

Divine Sovereignty reigns over Status, placing earthly rank beneath divine prerogative... every authority is derivative and accountable.

Humility is the Path to Exaltation. Reversal motifs run through Scripture. It is a gospel pattern.

God brings Judgment on Pride with inevitable eventual humiliation... arrogance invites divine opposition, while repentance restores honor.

Babylonian monarchs styled themselves “kings of kings.” By calling attention to the “lowliest of men,” Scripture deliberately contrasts the swagger of imperial propaganda with the reality that Yahweh alone installs and removes rulers... true kingship transcends empire.

“Though the LORD is on high, He attends to the lowly, [and] sets the lowly on high... He mocks the mockers but gives grace to the humble."

Jesus embodies "shephal". Born in a manger, riding a colt, washing disciples’ feet, He fulfills Isaiah’s Servant ideal: "...He had no beauty or majesty [in our eyes]", yet the Father “highly exalted Him”. The principle of lowliness preceding exaltation culminates at the cross and resurrection.


Believers cultivate humility through service, confession, and dependence on Scripture rather than self-promotion.

Churches honor the overlooked— orphans, widows, immigrants, homeless, disowned, etc.— trusting that God often advances His kingdom through those society deems “low.”

Encourage prayer for rulers, with confidence that God can raise up unlikely governors– and convert unlikely ones too– when He wills.

Meditating on "shephal" reorients the heart from self-assertion to surrender. 

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https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8216.htm

8216 shephel: Low, humble

(shephel) denotes a state of lowness—social, emotional, or circumstantial. It speaks of being brought down to a humble or abased condition, whether through poverty, oppression, or humiliation.
The word does not carry the idea of moral inferiority; rather, it highlights position and status in contrast to exaltation.

1. Psalm 136:23 – “He remembered us in our low estate—His loving devotion endures forever.” This verse links "shephel" to covenant faithfulness. Israel’s “low estate” recalls bondage in Egypt, wilderness dependence, exile, and every season in which the nation lacked power. YHWH’s steadfast love bridges the gulf between divine glory and human weakness.
Psalm 136 was likely sung after the return from exile, when Judah was politically powerless yet freshly aware of divine mercy.

2. Ecclesiastes 10:6 – “Folly is set in many high places, but the rich sit in low positions.” Here the term exposes the upside-down realities of a fallen world. Social disorder places the unworthy in high office while the qualified are relegated to "shephel". The verse does not condemn wealth but laments the inversion of proper order. Ecclesiastes reflects later monarchic or post-exilic bureaucracy in which court intrigue and patronage could elevate folly and demote wisdom, leaving capable citizens in shephel.

"Shephel' underscores the biblical paradox that God champions the humble and opposes the proud... shephel is the platform upon which divine ḥesed (loving devotion) is displayed. The term therefore carries redemptive overtones: God stoops to rescue.

Israelite society was hierarchical— kings, priests, elders, warriors, and common folk. Catastrophic events such as invasion, captivity, or famine thrust entire populations into shephel. 

Shifts in fortune remind the faithful that dignity comes from the Lord, not from status symbols. We live in Reliance on grace.

In Social justice, Churches are called to advocate for those in contemporary forms of shephel— refugees, widows, orphans, the economically oppressed— mirroring God’s remembrance of the lowly.

Jesus the Messiah embraces shephel in the Incarnation: “He made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant”. His birth in Bethlehem, ministry among the marginalized, and execution outside the city epitomize the low estate. Yet resurrection exaltation fulfills the pattern—first shephel, then glory. In Him, the believer’s own lowliness becomes the stage for divine power.


Preaching can highlight God’s attentiveness to those in shephel, offering hope to congregants facing unemployment, illness, or social exclusion.

Counseling should affirm that seasons of lowness are not signs of divine neglect but opportunities for intimate fellowship with the Savior Who“learned obedience from what He suffered”.

Mission efforts thrive when servants willingly occupy low positions, modeling Christ’s downward mobility to reach the least and the lost.

Shephel captures the reality of human lowness, set against divine compassion and sovereign reversal. Whether depicting an entire nation or an individual believer, the word testifies that God remembers, redeems, and ultimately exalts those who reside in a low estate.

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https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8217.htm

8217 shaphal: To be low, to be humble, to be abased
depressed, literally or figuratively -- base(-st), humble, low(-er, -ly).

Shaphal consistently describes something “low,” “humble,” or “depressed,” whether in a literal, social, or spiritual sense.
It may portray (1) physical depth or indentation, (2) an individual’s self-abasement before God or others, and (3) the diminished status of a nation or ruler under divine judgment.
In every setting the idea of lowness stands in tension with height, pride, and exaltation, so that shaphal often functions antithetically to signal the moral or covenant implications of pride versus humility.

⭐⭐⭐‼️‼️‼️‼️"The first occurrences appear in priestly regulations for diagnosing skin disease. A “depressed” spot in the skin or a “sunken” place in a potentially infected wall signals impurity. The vocabulary of lowness here is literal, yet it carries theological overtones: even microscopic depths lie under Yahweh’s scrutiny. The priest mediates holiness by discerning what is “lower” than surrounding flesh or plaster, modeling meticulous concern for purity in the covenant community."

When David tells Michal, “I will become even more undignified than this and will be humiliated in my own eyes”, shaphal reveals the king’s willingness to be regarded as low before the ark of the Lord. The text pairs physical posture (dancing) with an inner disposition. True worship resists self-aggrandizement, and David’s example remains paradigmatic for leadership that prizes God’s honor over personal prestige.

Proverbs 16:19 values “humility with the oppressed” above sharing plunder with the proud.

Ecclesiastes 12:4 uses the term for the fading sounds of old age, reminding hearers of mortality’s lowering effect and inviting dependence on the Creator before strength wanes.

“For this is what the high and exalted One says, who lives forever, whose name is holy: ‘I dwell in a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly in spirit’”. Here shaphal anchors a profound paradox: the God enthroned above the heavens chooses to inhabit the heart made low. The verse unites His transcendence with tender nearness, offering comfort to the repentant and warning the arrogant.

In Yahweh’s governance of history... the royal crown is removed “until He comes whose right it is,” echoing Messianic hope birthed through temporary humiliation... National or dynastic greatness is contingent on submission to the Lord, and Ultimate exaltation belongs to the future King who first embraces lowness.

Because the priests “show partiality in matters of the law,” the Lord makes them “despised and humiliated before all the people.” shaphal here signals covenant discipline: leaders who elevate themselves by corrupt judgment are rendered low, vindicating GOD’S righteousness and protecting His people.
Church Leadership must model integrity and impartiality, lest office be lowered.

In Worship: Encourage corporate expressions that highlight God’s glory rather than human performance... all self-exaltation is destined to be brought low, and especially among believers who should know better.

The Church must Embrace the contrite, reassuring them that God “revives the spirit of the lowly”.

Genuine "greatness" is defined by God, Who alone is worthy of glory– and so for humans, "greatness" only emerges through humility, as we submit and surrender ourselves under the mighty hand of God. True greatness in any man is therefore GOD'S greatness manifested IN him.
Again, this only occurs through humility, because only then is our selfish ego taken out of the way! 
Christians must live so as to teach, by word and example, the wisdom of welcoming humble circumstances, anticipating God’s promised exaltation in due time– even if it means waiting until heaven.

In her evangelical mission, the Church bravely and firmly confronts systemic pride in secular cultures and institutions– and in herself!– with the truth of the Gospel. She warns that the Most High will always reshape nations and kingdoms to magnify His sovereignty– either by giving them the grace to choose to repent and obey Him in love, or by bringing utter ruin and humiliation on the proud and self-congratulatory who scorn His offer of mercy. The Church is His humble instrument in BOTH these regards.

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https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8218.htm

8218 shiphlah: Lowland, low place, humble state

The term paints the picture of a place situated lower than its surroundings, whether a literal depression in the terrain or a figurative condition of being brought low. It therefore carries spatial, social, and spiritual overtones: a valley, a humbled state, or a divinely imposed abasement.

Isaiah 32:19 is the single canonical appearance: “But hail will level the forest, and the city will sink deeply into the valley.” Here shiphlah sets the physical scene for judgment—an urban center collapses into a "low place" as the prophet announces the swift, leveling power of God.

The complacent Judean aristocracy expected security through human alliance, but Isaiah insisted that only the "coming reign of righteousness" could safeguard the nation. Within that discourse, shiphlah sounds a warning: worldly fortresses fall when the Lord arises. Archeologists note that Jerusalem’s topography includes the Tyropoeon and Kidron Valleys; Isaiah may be alluding to such landforms to depict the humiliation of the city’s pride.

Scripture consistently couples God’s exaltation with human abasement, a pattern of the Divine humbling of human pride... arrogance, despite its force, ironically always meets a forced descent.

The valley image forms a corridor between downfall and restoration. Immediately after the verse, Isaiah proclaims the Spirit’s outpouring. The low place becomes fertile ground once the Lord intervenes. God gives Judgment That Prepares Renewal.
"There was, then, a fixed limit of the desolation then described... The expression "until" modifies the previous "forever," showing that the desolation was not always to continue."

Prophets picture end-time topographical upheaval; every mountain and island flee in Revelation... ultimate eschatological judgment will reorder creation to accommodate the reign of the Messiah.


Valleys are Places of Decision and Deliverance—Joel 3:14 speaks of the “Valley of Decision,” while Psalm 23:4 comforts believers walking through the “valley of the shadow of death.” Isaiah proclaims “Every valley shall be lifted up", fulfilled anticipatively in John the Baptist’s ministry. The uplifting of valleys mirrors the gospel pattern: humiliation before glory.

...spiritual vitality begins where pride collapses.
Choose voluntary humility before compulsory humbling arrives.
Personal “valleys” of affliction are opportunities for deeper dependence on the Lord, trusting that He “gives grace to the humble". A humbled heart posture is what God esteems.

Isaiah shows national pride being driven into a valley. Prayer ministries should seek societal repentance that averts such judgment, making prayerful Intercession for all nations.

Cities are not invulnerable cultural idols. Christian planners and leaders must remember God’s sovereignty over all human structures. We must cultivate an "urban Theology"


a vital biblical principle: God brings the lofty down so He may raise up the lowly.
Valleys—physical or spiritual—are stages for both judgment and grace.

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https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3665.htm

3665 kana: To humble, subdue, bring low
humbled, subdued, humble, subdue, humbled yourself, becomes humbled, done

The verb conveys the image of bending something that once stood upright. Whether the object is a proud heart, a rebellious nation, or an entire people, the action always involves a decisive bringing-low accomplished either by the hand of God or through agents whom He appoints.

Occurrence and Distribution

About thirty-six times the verb appears across the Historical Books, Chronicles–Ezra, Psalms, and Proverbs. Two major clusters dominate the record:

1. Military contexts in Judges, Samuel and Chronicles where hostile nations are “subdued.”
2. Spiritual contexts in Kings, Chronicles and Ezra where leaders or communities “humble” themselves before the LORD.

Humbling of Hostile Nations

The first occurrences portray Israel’s early victories. “So Moab was subdued under the hand of Israel” (Judges 3:30). The same verb records God’s triumph over Jabin (Judges 4:23) and Midian (Judges 8:28). When David rises to power, the pattern continues: “David defeated the Philistines and subdued them” (2 Samuel 8:1). Centuries later David’s promise to Solomon echoes the theme: “I will subdue all your enemies” (1 Chronicles 17:10). In each instance the verb underlines that Israel’s success rests on divine initiative, not military prowess.

Covenantal Discipline of Israel and Judah

When Israel rebels, the action is reversed; God uses the same verb to describe covenant curses. “Their enemies oppressed them, and subdued them under their hand” (Psalm 106:42). The humiliation is not arbitrary but corrective, driving the nation back to covenant loyalty.

Personal Humility before God

Chronicles turns the military word inward, depicting kings and commoners who voluntarily bend low.
• National revival: “If My people who are called by My name humble themselves … then I will hear” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
• Royal repentance: Rehoboam (12:6–7, 12), Hezekiah (32:26), Manasseh (33:12), and Josiah (34:27) experience mercy because they “humbled themselves.”
• Royal refusal: Amon (33:23) and Zedekiah (36:12) refuse to bend and suffer ruin.
• Pilgrim dependence: Ezra gathers the returning exiles at the Ahava Canal to “humble ourselves before our God” (Ezra 8:21).

These narratives establish a spiritual principle: voluntary humility averts judgment and invites grace; stubborn pride hastens downfall (Proverbs 6:3 employs the verb in a personal dispute, urging immediate self-abasement to avert disaster).

Prophetic Hope and Eschatological Vision

Psalms projects the verb into the future. “How soon I would subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their foes!” (Psalm 81:14). The psalmist expects a day when divine subjugation of evil is complete and covenant blessings flourish unhindered.

Ministry Implications

1. Revival: True awakening begins with deliberate self-humbling (2 Chronicles 7:14).
2. Leadership: The chronicled kings show that authority is secured not by coercion but by contrition.
3. Intercession: Ezra’s fast highlights corporate humility as the prerequisite for divine protection.
4. Spiritual warfare: The same God who once subdued Moab still subdues spiritual enemies for those who bow to Him (compare Psalm 81:14 with Ephesians 6:10–18).

Intertextual Echoes in the New Testament

The Septuagint mostly translates the verb with ταπεινόω, the term adopted by James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:6. Thus the Old Testament call to “humble yourselves” finds direct continuity: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6). The cross, where Christ “humbled Himself” (Philippians 2:8), fulfils the pattern: voluntary submission precedes exaltation.

Summary

Across Scripture the verb paints a consistent storyline. God humbles the proud—whether pagan nations or covenant people—so that He might exalt the contrite. Military victory, national revival and personal salvation all turn on the same hinge: a heart willing to bend.