For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist,” says the Lord. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.
Isaiah 66:2 NKJV
The Lord Jesus gave a parable in Luke 18:9-14 about two men who went to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. “The Pharisee took his stand ostentatiously and began to pray thus before and with himself: God, I thank You that I am not like the rest of men–extortioners (robbers), swindlers [unrighteous in heart and life], adulterers–or even like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I gain. But the tax collector, [merely] standing at a distance, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but kept striking his breast, saying, O God, be favorable (be gracious, be merciful) to me, the especially wicked sinner that I am!” (v11-13 AMPC) Jesus emphasized that it was the tax collector who went home justified. He was not justified because he was a tax collector, but because he knew and acknowledged that he was spiritually poor.
Like the Pharisee, many of us are too full of ourselves and our religious activities. The Pharisee thought himself to be spiritually rich. He thought he was righteous. In fact, he was so confident of his righteousness that he forgot to thank God or ask for anything. Instead, he bragged about his religious activities which is of no value because his heart was not right with God. He even went as far as scorning the other man who was praying. So, the Lord Jesus said that the Pharisee was only exalting himself. He was too proud; therefore, he would be abased. If I may ask you, ‘are you not like this Pharisee?’ Do you not think you are in right standing with God, while God is only seeing a man/woman on the way to destruction? What is the basis of your righteousness?
The Heart Disposition of the Spiritually Poor
Meanwhile, the tax collector did not even think himself worthy to come into God’s presence. So, he stood at a distance and could not dare look up to heaven. He realized that unless God showed him mercy and grace, he would never be made right with God. His offerings and other religious activities were nothing of worth to make him right with God. He did not have anything of himself to make him right with God. This, according to the Lord Jesus Christ, is humility. Knowing that you are spiritually poor must precede possessing the kingdom of God.
While it is true that true religious activities are shown by the righteous. The spiritually poor experience the blessing. Therefore, to know that you are spiritually poor is to be humble, to tremble at God’s word. It is to be of a lowly heart. It is not thinking that you are more important than you really are.
Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!
Matthew 5:3 GNT