Great Men Part 1

THE NAME OF GREAT MEN IS RARELY GAINED THROUGH HUMILITY -- "And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth."  --  2 Samuel 7:9 -- "And I have been with thee whithersoever thou hast walked, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee, and have made thee a name like the name of the great men that are in the earth."  --  1 Chronicles 17:8

"Great men that are in the earth" most often become men of renown for worldly, selfish, and proud, self-exalting reasons. Unlike such, David became great through his humility, and the story surrounding the above mentioning of his great name reveals this.

Feeling that it was unfit that he should dwell in a kingly house of cedar while the Lord dwelt in a tabernacle of curtains, David purposed to build the Lord a House worthy of His Divine Sovereignty. The prophet Nathan at first encouraged David to do so, but quickly God sent him back to the king with the message that such was not God's will. Then, after reciting to David how He [God] had raised him out of humble obscurity into high repute with a "name like the great men" on earth, the Lord stunned David by telling him that His Divine plan was quite the reverse of David's intention:-- David was not to build the Lord an House; the Lord was going to build David an House and Throne that would last forever -- (2 Sam. 7:16).

David's reaction reveals volumes about his character: "Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?" (2 Sam 7:18). Though one who now had a great name, David's humility is seen here, and it was through his humble spirit that God had elevated David to such heights. Saul started humbly but quickly became inflated with pride, was never greatly elevated by God, and fell amidst ignominy and reproach. David started humbly rose to greater heights, and stayed there longer because, except on one sad occasion, he stayed humble.

To a great extent, David's greatness through his humility foreshadowed Jesus, The Greater David, "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men" (Philip. 2:6-7).

King David was highly exalted through his humility, and because of His humility, we read of Jesus, the Son of David: "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philip. 2:9-11).

The route to real and eternally enduring greatness for King David, for Christ Jesus, and for all is not through worldly ambition and pride, but through humility. F. B. Meyer once said:  "I used to think that God's gifts were on shelves one above the other; and that the taller we grew in Christian character the easier we could reach them. I now find that God's gifts are on shelves one beneath the other. It is not a question of growing taller but of stooping lower; that we have to go down, always down, to get His best gifts."