Stepping Down

(Psa 113:6 KJV)  Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!

As I was reading this chapter my mind went into “get through it” mode and I just read through this verse.  The Holy Spirit checked me and made me go back.  I had assumed that this was either a question or referring to a man speaking.  No, it was God speaking and that struck me as odd.

When you read scripture, keep your mind engaged including your baloney meter.  I am ot saying you will find baloney in the Bible but the awareness will wake you up to tensions in the text.  The NASB takes this as a question and the KJV a statement of fact.  I imagine you can take it either way so we might have another both/and situation.

How does God humble himself and why does this means He humbles Himself?  I think this is a clue to the difficult question of the relationship between God and time and comes into our daily investigations when we try to reconcile God’s foreknowledge and man’s free will.  The word “humbled” (8213) has the idea of stepping down.  There is a real sense in which God must step down to deal with our universe.  We are familiar with the idea that we cannot look into the face of God without being consumed by His glory.  Is it possible that the same principle applies to all of creation?

So?  However you want to look it it God is involved with His creation I hope we don’t bore Him too much.