His giving of this sacrament, the sharing, is the opposite of envy. Our spirit is strongly carried to envy, but God gives more grace . . . There is enough in God to help the creature in its worst conflicts. Whatever your sin this morning, if you repent, God s grace covers. Then the end of v. 6 underscores that God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
Grace is the introduction of virtue to the soul.
Evidently, God wants us to be reminded of this need in our own lives repeatedly. This resisting of the proud and lifting up the humble is the very business of providence. In perfect consistency with this, as you approach this table today, God wants you to do so fully aware of your own inability and lack of sufficiency. Also, remember that God s spirit envies to have us in close communion with him. That, in fact, is tied with vss.