“Who Are You?”

Many years ago, I was about to retire for the night at a rest house in the tropical rainforest of Guyana. Suddenly from the pitch darkness outside came a voice loud and clear: “Who are you?” I was obviously an intruder, but who was challenging my presence there? Again there came the insistent query: “Who are you?” This was no human voice; it turned out later that it was the typical call of the burrowing owl, busy about his nightly business. But the question had to be answered — who was I? It’s a question we all have to answer sooner or later. Are we who we think we are, or have we perhaps a split personality? The matter is important because it could affect our standing at Christ’s judgment seat. The Lord had some severe words to say about those who thought they were righteous and despised others:

“And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 18:9-14).

When Moses looked upon the burdens of his fellow Israelites in Egypt and felt moved to correct injustice, one of those same Israelites challenged his authority: “Who made you ruler and judge over us?” (Exod 2:14). As we would put it, “Who do you think you are?” Moses fled to Midian and spent 40 years learning to be a shepherd, after which God did appoint him to be a ruler and judge. This time it was Moses who asked, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exod 3:11), to which God replied, “I will be with you.” It was a humbler Moses who, when confronted with the people’s complaint about lack of food, said: “Who are we, that you should grumble against us?… Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord” (Exod 16:7-8). It was God who had brought them out from slavery and it was God who would provide for all their needs in the wilderness. Moses had learnt to trust God, “as seeing the invisible”, and he had no pretensions to greatness.

Later, when Miriam and Aaron criticized him, and accused him of high-handedness, God intervened and justified His servant. Significantly, the record adds, “Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth” (Numb 12:1-12).

So the first rule of self-examination is: are we humble? How do we react to criticism? If it is unjust, do we take it personally, or are we sad that others have misunderstood us? And then are we patient enough to explain matters carefully to avoid that same criticism being repeated? If it is a valid comment, then can we take it and do something about it? A great deal of 2nd Corinthians is taken up with Paul’s defense of his Christ-given authority, couched in terms that honor the Lord who called him but also sensitive to the criticism that he was exploiting the Corinthians for his own ends.

We are blessed with more examples in Scripture of those who have examined themselves and committed themselves wholeheartedly to God. Take David, the “man after God’s own heart”. After Nathan had revealed to him the wonderful covenant God was promising, David found it hard to believe that this was real. “Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?” (2Sam 7:18). He was overwhelmed by God’s grace. He didn’t see this as some kind of reward for his faithfulness but recognized it as part of God’s unfolding purpose: “For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing…” (v. 21). He then launched into a great paeon of praise and thanksgiving.

Let us ask ourselves the same question: who are we, that God should have made great and precious promises to us, sinful and erring as we are? Has time blunted the freshness and beauty of those promises? Or, are we still left breathless by God’s grace and rejoicing continuously in His mercy?