Psa 131:1 A Song of degrees of David. LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.

This psalm seems to me was written when David was charged for being a proud person. He put forth his case to the LORD who knows all men and defended his innocence: “LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me” (v.1). Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty - Where there is a proud heart there is commonly a proud look (Proverbs 6:17). We recall the prayers made by two men, one a Pharisee and the other a publican (Luke 18:9-14). The Pharisee prayed standing up (probably his haughty eyes looking up into heaven in a proud look of self-righteousness) and boasted of his righteousness. Whereas, the humble publican was kneeling down and would not so much as lift up his eyes. God knows the hearts of men and He declares the publican went down to his house justified by God. It means his prayer was approved by God and He granted his petition. The Pharisees, with his proud look and haughty eyes, was condemned. The publican was humble.                                                                              When a young David volunteered to fight Goliath, his eldest brother accused him of haughtiness. He said: “I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle” (1 Samuel 17:28). We know it wasn’t pride in David; just pure patriotism. David gives evidences to show he isn’t a proud person. He said: “Neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me” (v.1b).  What he meant was he was not ambitious. He neither aimed for high position, nor was he desirous of making a figure in the world. He was contented to be a shepherd boy. It was God who called him to a higher order. Things too high for me- Some men’s ambitions are greater than their ability. Would you apply for the position of CEO after only having one year of experience after graduation? Some might! Solomon says “the eyes of man are never satisfied” (Proverbs 27:20). And the haughty eyes are never satisfied at remaining at the bottom of a hierarchy. This is not to say that one should not aim for promotion. The proud person is overly ambitious. We see it in two of the disciples of Christ, well, maybe it was their mother. She came to Jesus and made this request for her sons: “Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom” (Matthew 20:21). It’s a mother asking a king that her sons should hold the post of prime minister and deputy prime minister. The Scripture speaks about contentment as a Christian virtue (Luke 12:15). We need to search our heart. If we were to lose everything we own, but have food and covering, will we be content, thankful, and happy? I’m not trying to discourage God’s people from setting goals, or seeking to improve their quality of life. However, we should take a hard look at the heart, and honestly evaluate what is really important to us. Because, as a result of trying to upgrade our standard of living, our lives can become filled with stress about things that are totally insignificant! And the root cause is pride: we don’t want to lose up to the masses. We call it “Keeping up with the Joneses.” David said his contentment was his proof he was not proud. If all in your graduating class are now at the top of their career while you are still at the middle management level; be content. If they are living in their big houses and driving big cars while you are in your HDB flat and taking public transport; be content. Paul says: “But godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6). And the greatest gain is eternal life. What do you prefer? Gain the world and lose your soul or lose the world and gain the soul? (Matthew 16:26).