“And there we saw the giants…and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” (Numbers 13:33)
Inferior means “low in quality, value, rank, or importance.”
What do you think of yourself? What do others think of you? Your answer to the second question will depend on your answer to the first. In other words, do others simply see you the same way you see yourself?
Inferiority is self-judgement, which produces bad feelings. You only feel inferior when you think you are, or when you agree with someone who says you are. Inferior is one step above infernal. (Inferno is the Spanish word for hell.) I repeat: no one can make you inferior unless you agree with that person’s poor judgement.
Jesus died for you, then rose and ascended “far above all” (Ephesians 4:9,10). So, identify as having been crucified with Christ, and in baptism as having been buried with him. When Jesus rose again you rose with him (Romans 4:25). You ascended with him, and in God’s eyes are seated with him in heavenly places. So, why squirm in hellish feelings of inferiority?
Inferiority results from unwise superficial comparisons. (2 Corinthians 10:12) Our strengths and weaknesses are not determined by appearances. (1 Samuel 16:7) The young stripling David saw the uncircumcised Goliath as being outside of God’s Covenant, and therefore unprotected and vulnerable.
When we feel inferior we shrink in self-esteem. This puts our problems out of proportion. The lower our self-esteem, the bigger our problems appear. We perceive opportunities as dangers and challenges as threats.
Who turned the 10 princes of Israel into “grasshoppers”? They did! They said of the giants: “They are so tall!” and then of themselves: “We are so small!” The giants saw them as they saw themselves — as inferior. The scornful judgement of those we see as greater or smarter than ourselves uncovers our inner fears.
But big isn’t everything. Instead of majoring on the difference in height, the soldiers of Israel should have majored on the benefits that go with being small. Small means harder to hit. Small means shooting arrows from a distance instead of wielding swords up close. The ten lepers, who were not permitted to get close to Jesus, compensated by raising their voices and shouting to him over the distance. The short Zachaeus, unable to see over the heads of the crowd, did likewise by climbing a tree. Great challenges can surface secret fears that manifest as inferiority.
The 10 princes shrank in self-esteem (adopted a ‘grasshopper’ mentality) and permitted their problems to grow out of all proportion (their problems grew as they shrank). Those who followed them then misused their emotions (cried over their fears), developed a bad attitude (grumbled about the opportunity), reacted negatively (“God is punishing us!”), misjudged the Lord (“He wants to destroy us!”), despised their original dream (freedom in their own land), manifested blatant unbelief, and wanted to return to bondage in Egypt.
Finally, they talked of stoning their leader! (Numbers 13:33; 14:1, 2, 4, 10, 25, 31; Deut. 1:26, 27)
How others see you limits them, not you — unless you join with them in seeing yourself as inferior. So, reject the negative assessments of others and instead see yourself as God sees you: as one willing to challenge issues that those who feel inferior shy away from. When you feel equal to anyone or anything in life, no one or nothing will ever be able to stop you.