Friday, July 30, 2010
Pride's Conceit - Pride's Defeat
When Uzziah "became powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall" (2 Chronicles 26:16). What a sad commentary on the life of one who early in his reign "did was pleasing in the Lord's sight" (v. 4) and who "sought God" and "sought guidance from the Lord" (v. 5).
Perhaps many of us don't believe that this would apply to us because we are not in places of power or we have not experienced great success. But the principle remains and Solomon says it well in the Proverbs: "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (16:18) and again in 19:23 - "A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor."
Think about how pride debilitates... It separates us from others and places them (and the thought of serving them) beneath us. Pride deceives us into believing that we are better than we are. It deceives us by making us think that all that we are blessed with is the result of our own hard work or ingenuity. We become convinced of own inherent goodness and belive that we are above judgment. Ultimately, we may become too proud to admit we even need a Savior.
It is interesting to note that a not-too-distant descendant of Uzziah had the same issue with pride. The difference? "Then Hezekiah repented of the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem; therefore the LORD's wrath did not come upon them during the days of Hezekiah" (2 Chron. 32:26).
We need to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any pride within us; because the parts of us that resist God's rule and reign, that refuse to humble themselves in the sight of the Lord, will lead to our own downfall. 'When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom" (Proverbs 11:2). One more New Testament correlation: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." (1 Peter 5:6).
Perhaps many of us don't believe that this would apply to us because we are not in places of power or we have not experienced great success. But the principle remains and Solomon says it well in the Proverbs: "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (16:18) and again in 19:23 - "A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor."
Think about how pride debilitates... It separates us from others and places them (and the thought of serving them) beneath us. Pride deceives us into believing that we are better than we are. It deceives us by making us think that all that we are blessed with is the result of our own hard work or ingenuity. We become convinced of own inherent goodness and belive that we are above judgment. Ultimately, we may become too proud to admit we even need a Savior.
It is interesting to note that a not-too-distant descendant of Uzziah had the same issue with pride. The difference? "Then Hezekiah repented of the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem; therefore the LORD's wrath did not come upon them during the days of Hezekiah" (2 Chron. 32:26).
We need to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any pride within us; because the parts of us that resist God's rule and reign, that refuse to humble themselves in the sight of the Lord, will lead to our own downfall. 'When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom" (Proverbs 11:2). One more New Testament correlation: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." (1 Peter 5:6).
Labels: Pride
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
