Pride, what does the Bible say?

Two incidents happened in my life that I witnessed and experienced how “pride” caused a person’s life upside down and hurt the people around them. I was saddened and hurt by the incidents. Pride has kept them from admitting their sin and acknowledging that in our own strength we cannot do anything by ourselves, but thru the Lord Jesus Christ. They are blind by their own pride that they refused to acknowledge Jesus Christ’s answer as the solution and to humble themselves before God.

Pride is all about “me”,”myself”, “I”. Look at the word “Pride” is centered upon an “I”, so is sin, itself is also centered upon “I”.

There are various forms of “Pride”:

A. Self-admiration - "Look at me!

"B. Self-aggrandizement - "Don't I look good/great?"

C. Self-attention - "Listen to me!"

D. Self-justification - "I am right!"

E. Self-sufficiency - "I can do it!"

F. Self-aspiration - "Let me win!"

G. Self-seeking - "Give me mine!

"H. Self-exaltation - "Praise me!”

Unfortunately the two incidents happened were all centered upon the various form of pride mentioned above. Thru these incidents, I began to look seriously at pride and was caution that I shall not follow the footsteps of pride.

What does the Bible say about pride?

Proverb 28:25 – “He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strike…”

Proverb 11:2 – “When pride cometh, then cometh shame…”

Proverb 16:18 – Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverb 29:23 – A man’s pride shall bring him low…”

Proverb 6:17 – A proud look…

Proverb 16: 5 – Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

Proverb 21:4 – An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.

Proverb 8:13 – The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the forward mouth, do I hate.

In the bible, God has given us the story of King Nebuchadnezzar. How He hates pride and He truly destroyed anyone with pride. He has also given us this story so that we will learn and not let it happened to ourselves.

Nebuchadnezzar did not acknowledge God for what He had given him the throne upon which he sat. Instead he gave himself credit for his success.

In Daniel 4:30, King Nebuchadnezzar looked out across the great city of Babylon and said in his pride,

“Is not his great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power and for the honour of my majesty?

Noticed the “I” and “my” in his word. He has not acknowledged the achievement to God, instead to himself.

While the words were still in his mouth, a voice from heaven saying.

“O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; the kingdom is departed from thee.” (Daniel 4:31)

“And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will (Daniel 4:32)

In Daniel 4:33, The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar…”

Before King Nebuchadnezzar could finish his word, God’s judgment was caste immediately upon the king. We could see how serious God take pride as is it.

Leviticus 26: 18-21 – “And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. And I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass: And your strength shall be spent in vain; for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits. And if ye walk contrary unto me, and I will bring seven times more plagues upon according to your sins.

In the above verse, the punishment is seven times more than your sin. It frightens me to know the punishment they will get. In Daniel 4:34-37, we read that Nebuchadnezzar was later given the opportunity to repent and upon doing so he was given back his kingdom by God’s grace. It show that God still give chances to those who repent and humble themselves before God. Will the person that I know humble himself? I do not know the answer. They are now too deep into their sin that they are blind to see, to listen and to acknowledge their sin. They kept fighting for their own right and doing their own way. I wonder what message God is going to give them so that they will acknowledge their sin.

(Daniel 5:18-30) We came to learn about Belshazzar, grandson of Nebuchadnezzar. He was so arrogant and foolish as to deliberately insult and provoke the God of Universe (Daniel 5:3-5) that he has not humbled his heart although he knew all this, and he has lifted himself up against the Lord of heaven. The result of it, at that very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain.

Belshazzar suppose to learn the mistake from his grandfather, but he fail to do so. Is God warning us that He will not spare one who do know the answer, yet make the mistake?

Till todate, the person are still in sin and I can only pray that the day will come soon that they will humble themselves in front of God and listen to God’s instruction rather than man’s instruction.