Why must I beware of pride? - Pride - TouchPoints

Psalm 18:27You rescue the humble, but you humiliate the proud.

Proverbs 16:18Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.

Our lives are ultimately governed by the sovereign God who created and sustains us. Our only peaceful path in life is to walk humbly with him. If we choose to go our own way, which is the first inclination of a proud person, we are headed for trouble. Prideful action invariably leads to rebellion against God and doing unjust deeds to others. Destruction always follows, whether through natural or societal consequences or God’s direct judgment.

Matthew 23:12“Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

God loves those who are humble but humbles those who are proud. Humbly recognizing our need for God’s rescue is the first step toward avoiding the ultimate humiliation of his rejection. If we arrogantly turn away from God’s offer of salvation, we are choosing his humiliation and ultimate judgment.

2 Chronicles 26:16-20When he [Uzziah] had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the Lord his God by entering the sanctuary of the Lord’s Temple and personally burning incense on the incense altar.

An inflated estimation of our success can lead to prideful behavior and, ultimately, to judgment. King Uzziah, in pride, thought his position and success as king made him immune from the standards to which all others were subject. God judged him for his presumption.

2 Kings 20:12-19Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent Hezekiah his best wishes and a gift, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been very sick. Hezekiah received the Babylonian envoys and showed them everything in his treasure-houses—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the aromatic oils. He also took them to see his armory and showed them everything in his royal treasuries! There was nothing in his palace or kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them. Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah . . . “What did they see in your palace?” Isaiah asked. . . . Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to this message from the Lord: The time is coming when everything in your palace—all the treasures stored up by your ancestors until now—will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. Some of your very own sons will be taken away into exile.”

2 Chronicles 32:24-31About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill. He prayed to the Lord, who healed him and gave him a miraculous sign. But Hezekiah did not respond appropriately to the kindness shown him, and he became proud. So the Lord’s anger came against him and against Judah and Jerusalem. Then Hezekiah humbled himself and repented of his pride, as did the people of Jerusalem. So the Lord’s anger did not fall on them during Hezekiah’s lifetime.

Hezekiah didn’t realize the envoys from Babylon were not only reconnaissance for a later invasion but also a test to reveal his pride. Hezekiah was showing off. When he was confronted about his pride and told that judgment would come to Judah after he had died, his response revealed he didn’t care what happened to others, even his direct descendants. For all the good Hezekiah did as king, he had a serious blind spot about his pride.

Acts 12:22-23The people gave him [Herod Agrippa] a great ovation, shouting, “It’s the voice of a god, not of a man!” Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God.

If left unchecked, pride will delude us into thinking we have almost God-like qualities that demand the respect and reverence of others. We are also in danger of setting ourselves up as god of our own lives. This sort of idolatry is especially unacceptable to God.

1 Corinthians 10:12-13If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

Pride over our spiritual development can blind us to our ongoing vulnerability to temptation and lead us to commit sins we never thought we could.

Numbers 22:22-23, 25, 29, 31As Balaam and two servants were riding along, Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road. . . . When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again. . . . “You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!” . . . Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand.

The next time your pride is hurt and you feel anger rising in you, don’t assume that you are right and everyone else is at fault. Balaam’s anger immediately flared up against his donkey. Balaam assumed that he was right and that the problem was with the donkey. Fortunately for Balaam, he finally realized that the donkey had saved his life. Instead of soothing our pride by justifying our actions, we should see whether we can justify our motives. This will show us if our anger is warranted and our pride overinflated.

Genesis 11:4Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”

Ezekiel 31:18“O Egypt, to which of the trees of Eden will you compare your strength and glory? You, too, will be brought down to the depths with all these other nations. You will lie there among the outcasts who have died by the sword. This will be the fate of Pharaoh and all his hordes. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”

2 Corinthians 3:5It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.

Power is intoxicating—with it comes recognition, control, and often wealth. Each of these feeds pride, and pride leads us away from God and into sin. This is why power so often corrupts. If you are in a position of power or authority, two things will help you use it wisely: accountability and service. Both of these require and generate humility. When you have to explain your motives to others, you will be more careful in what you do and say. When you determine to serve others with your power rather than be served, you will gain great support and loyalty from those in your care.