Psalm 25:8-9 Good and upright is the Lord;
    therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
 He guides the humble in what is right
    and teaches them his way.

I got the immediate impression that this was an acrostic poem, with each verse starting with a succeeding letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and when I checked, I was right. That doesn’t mean it isn’t inspired, but rather that David was choosing to exercise his gifting focusing on God. These two verses actually express important truth. The first is that God teaches sinners, and not just “good” people. We tend to expect God to not have anything to do with sinners, but if that were the case, He would have abandoned mankind a long time ago! The second point is that God teaches sinners precisely because He is good and righteous. He doesn’t avoid us because we are not good and righteous, He wants us to become like Him, so He teaches us how to do that. However, for us to receive that instruction we have to be humble, and that is the third major truth here. Some translations render that as “poor,” but I think “humble” fits better. It is very much in line with the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” If we think we are self-sufficient, that we don’t need God, then we aren’t going to listen to Him. That’s the very definition of foolishness! As both Psalm 111:10 and Proverbs 9:10 proclaim, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” One definition of “the fear of the Lord” is simply knowing that we are nothing without Him. It is when we grasp the reality that even the atoms that comprise us wouldn’t stay together without His will that we get serious about listening to Him, desiring that He show us the way we should go. That doesn’t violate free will, because we are actually capable of ignoring God and even actively rebelling against Him, but doing so guarantees an eternity cut off from Him, and that is more horrible than words can express.

I am frequently reminded that I have walked in pride more than I like to remember. That reminding is part of God’s mercy toward me! I have coasted on the gifts God has given me, as though I had somehow generated them myself, and that has been foolish indeed. I need to rejoice in my dependence on God, and that He is utterly dependable. I am to rejoice in the privilege of teaching others about God, so that they too may open their hearts to Him to walk in fellowship with Him. I am never to think that I have all the answers, but I am to remember that He indeed has all the answers, whether or not I need to know them! I very much like to know stuff, and to be the “answer man,” but I’ve got to remember my extreme limitations and be at peace with that, learning all that God wants to teach me but never trying to be “the authority” on my own. That takes conscious choice on my part, but God can enable me to do it.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me let Your Spirit be my “input filter,” so that my mind and heart may be filled with You to the point of pushing out everything that doesn’t agree with You, so that I may be an accurate representation of Your character to those around me, drawing them to You for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!