Modesty

[Ronald Davis]

is Jehovah modest?

 

please explain your answer to the question thanks

Edited Monday at 07:15 AM by Ronald Davis

[Dages]

No.
Modesty is "an awareness of one’s limitations"

 

Since modesty includes an awareness of one’s limitations, Jehovah cannot rightly be spoken of as being modest. However, he is humble.

[TheKid23]

8 hours ago, Dages said:

No.
Modesty is "an awareness of one’s limitations"

 

Since modesty includes an awareness of one’s limitations, Jehovah cannot rightly be spoken of as being modest. However, he is humble.

Interestingly enough I recently came across an older article that talked about modesty and how the meaning varied depending on the context.

 

in that particular article it discussed modesty of Kingdom Halls. How we use modest buildings not lavish and extravagant to show off wealth. 
 

So I suppose in a way Jehovah is modest- because he doesn’t need to brag about what he has. 
 

 

edit: found the article- https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1962326?q=Jehovah+modest&p=par

Edited Monday at 03:44 PM by TheKid23

[MCTDonna]

Jehovah is not modest, but he is humble see *** cl chap. 20 p. 201 par. 7 “Wise in Heart”—Yet Humble ***

we need to be both.
 

 

[grain of mustard]

JJehovah has no modesty, for he has no limits, except the limits he imposes on himself due to his standards of justice, such as lying, for example. Jehovah also has no faith. At least the Bible does not say so.  

[Ronald Davis]

i really love all your comments and yes Jehovah is not modest because he has no limitations. 

 

research it

 

draw close to Jehovah

chapter  20

wise in heart yet humble

paragraph  6

[Beggar for the Spirit]

 

I like this good article Sister Hannah @TheKid23 found about modesty and humility. 👍 

I appreciate many of the older articles like this one from 1962.  And while we of course need to make sure when reading older articles that the teachings are in agreement with today’s current understanding, it seems most points in this article seem to still be current.

 

Now although the article mentions there are some different shades of meaning to “modest”, if we keep reading there is an important paragraph that gives an explanation that likely the FDS of today would very much agree with:

Quote

*** w62 5/1 p. 282 “Wisdom Is with the Modest Ones” ***
Since modesty means being aware of one’s limitations, it is a quality of persons who are finite. All creatures have their limitations, and therefore modesty is becoming to them. But the Creator, being infinite, has no limitations, and so nowhere do we read in his Word of his being modest, but we do read of his humility: “Your own humility will make me great.” “Who is like Jehovah our God, him who is making his dwelling on high? He is condescending to look on heaven and earth.”—Ps. 18:35; 113:5, 6.

 

Does this mean that God is immodest? Not at all. It merely means that modesty is a virtue that has no application to him.

 

Now a question some might have is,

“But how about 1 of the other shades of meaning such as, “Modest” and “modesty” are also used in the sense of chasteness, decency and propriety”,   Jehovah is chaste and decent right? So then couldn’t Jehovah be modest also in this sense?“

 

Yes Jehovah is chaste, upright, etc, but here is the reason why we shouldn’t define Jehovah as being “modest” in this other sense of the meaning:

Quote

*** cl chap. 20 p. 201 par. 6 “Wise in Heart”—Yet Humble ***
 Like humility, it is associated with wisdom. For example, Proverbs 11:2 says: “Wisdom is with the modest ones.” However, the Bible never speaks of Jehovah as being modest. Why not? Modesty, as used in the Scriptures, suggests a proper awareness of one’s own limitations.

• The Almighty has no limitations except for those he imposes upon himself because of his own righteous standards. (Mark 10:27; Titus 1:2)
• Furthermore, as the Most High, he is subject to no one. So the concept of modesty simply does not apply to Jehovah.

I put those 2 important points from that article in “bullet points” because while we might initially think that because Jehovah is chaste then He must also be “modest”. But the reason this is not correct is because we are “creations” of Jehovah and so we strive to be modest or display modesty in the sense of chasteness according to a “standard”, Jehovah’s standard.  But Jehovah is not subject to anyone’s standard as to what should be decent or chaste or modest.

 

So I believe that this is why we have not seen any explanation by the FDS that states something like,  “While Jehovah is not modest in the sense of having limitations, Jehovah can be considered modest in the sense of chasteness, decency, etc.“  No, this would seem to be an incorrect way of viewing Jehovah because He is subject to no one’s standards of what should be decent or modest. So as the article stated, “… the concept of modesty simply does not apply to Jehovah.”

Edited yesterday at 01:06 AM by Beggar for the Spirit