Pride goes before destruction

....  and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18).  Peter in declaring that if all others fell away he would not (Matthew 26:33),  was setting himself up for a fall (Jesus told him “before the cock crows you will deny Me three times” - verse 75). And we were talking about that yesterday.  Hebrew poetry, the essential repetition of a phrase with a subtle differences,  can help us to understand what is being said. This morning's verse is such an example. The pride that the Bible is talking about here and a haughty spirit,  go together. The dictionary defines haughty as scornfully and condescendingly proud, arrogant. But words are inadequate, because there is a pride that is not sinful,  as when we take pride in our work,  or we tell our children we are proud of them.  The pride we are talking about in this  sense, is  about taking satisfaction in, or highly valuing someone,  or something one owns. 

But even that can turn into the wrong kind of pride,  as when we arrogantly boast to others,  implying that “my children are better than yours,” or “look at what I have accomplished you inferior mortals.”  Paul would ask “What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it (1 Corinthians 4:7)?  Pride was the Devil's sin.  He told himself  “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14). It was behind the first temptation, and the first sin. In particular, in tempting Eve to eat the forbidden fruit,  the Devil told her "God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5). 


The Corinthians were acting out of pride in their knowledge that there was essentially nothing wrong in eating meat that had been offered idols. But they were causing their weaker brother to stumble. Paul told them knowledge puff ups (with pride like a peacock), but love edifies (1 Corinthians 8:1ff). So then pride is the opposite of love.  Pride says “it's all about me!” But love constrains us  so that we  should  no longer for ourselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again (2 Corinthians 5:14, 15). Finally,   Paul tells each of us “not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3). It's a good yardstick, I mean how much faith do you have, do I have? 

Father, I am remembering this morning,  that on my journey to being found by You,  I got angry when someone told me pride was a sin. What that tells me,  that pride disguises itself, it hides,  and when exposed it is denied (attack is the best form of defence). I suspect Lord,  that we are all susceptible to pride, but I guess I should speak only for myself. I do see a lot of it though, and I know that You hate it. So Lord please expose any vestige of it in me, so that I can confess and forsake it,  and I'll give You thanks and praise in Jesus Name Amen