Bits of Torah Truths – Torah Concept in the NT: Let the Humble Rejoice – Episode 562
James 1:10
וְהֶעָשִׁיר שֶׁיִּתְהַלֵּל בְּשִׁפְלוֹ, כִּי כְּצִיץ חָצִיר הוּא יַחֲלֹף.
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James 1:10
1:10 and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. (NASB)
https://www.matsati.com/index.php/category/bits-of-torah-truths/
The phrase from James 1:10 “Let the rich boast in his humiliation,” is part of a paradox: the lowly are exalted, and the exalted are humbled. The idea that the humble should rejoice is deeply rooted in the Torah, though often expressed through narrative and covenantal logic rather than direct exhortation. For example, God Lifts the Lowly in Deuteronomy 8:2–3 “And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you… humbling you and testing you… that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone…” Here the Humbling in the wilderness was not punishment, it was preparation. The people were to rejoice in their dependence on God and not in their self-sufficiency. This anticipates James’ idea: humiliation is not shameful—it’s sacred. Note this concept of Humility as the Path to God’s Favor (Numbers 12:3) Moses’ humility is not weakness—it’s the very reason God speaks to him face to face (Num. 12:6–8). The point is that his exaltation (as leader and prophet) flows from his lowliness. Note also Deuteronomy 7:7 “It was not because you were more in number… that the LORD set His love on you… for you were the fewest of all peoples.” Israel’s smallness is the reason for divine election. This is a Torah-shaped version of James’ paradox: boast not in strength, but in being chosen despite weakness. Note that the humble rejoice because they know their help comes from the Lord, not from status, strength, or wealth. So, when James says the lowly should rejoice in their exaltation, he’s not innovating—he’s simply echoing the Torah’s moral architecture, where God lifts the lowly and humbles the proud. This is how the NT and James taught Torah, the Torah has not passed away!
