The Trouble With Pride

People may ask ... "What's wrong with a little pride?"  I guess in general, nothing as long as you don't have any more than just enough to make sure that you bathe often.  But basically, the type of pride I'm talking about, is the kind of pride that God does not want you to have.

It's the type of pride that keeps you from saying, I'm wrong or I'm sorry.  Pride can cause a person to become a narcissist ... someone with self centeredness, with a grandiose view of self, and a craving for admiration or attention.

Basically, I'm writing today about the Scriptural reasons as to why God hates it.

Pride is really the opposite of what God wants in our lives.  I'm thinking of the question in Micah 6:8 ... "What does the Lord require of me?"

Well, Micah goes on and tells us God's requirement, what He really wants our lives to be about ... "To do justly ... To love mercy ... To walk humbly with thy God."

I want to look at the Hebrew meanings of these four high-lighted words.

Require ... in Hebrew it is "darash" (pronounced daw-rash') a primitive root word that means, "to tread or frequent ... to follow as if in pursuit ... to participate in (specifically to worship) ... to carry out ... by implication, to seek or ask."

When Micah says God requires this of us, he is saying that we should often pursue God so as to be partners with Him in carrying out the plan He has for our life.  In doing so, including in worship, God is asking three basic things of us.

The 1st requirement: To do or live justly ... the Hebrew is "mishpat" (pronounced mish-pawt') meaning, "the act due ... follow divine law in a lawful manner ... to live right."

This word alludes to something like a judicial verdict or a formal decree, including the act or privilege to be just, to live in a right manner.  Have you ever thought about this ... by doing so ... God is allowing you to act like He does.

Even though Micah was required to live under the Law, today as Christians we aren't.  But, we are still required to live right under divine principles, (not the Mosaic Law) which includes our lifestyle, the act due to God ... not for salvation ... but because of our salvation.

The 2nd requirement: To love mercy ... the Hebrew is "chesed" (pronounced kheh'-sed) and means, "to show loving kindness ... favor ... and good deeds."

It's out of God's grace, that mercy usually follows.  Everything we have comes from His grace and it's through mercy that He shows His loving kindness.  So for me, Micah is simply saying ... act like Jesus.  He was merciful and showed kindness through His good deeds.

 The 3rd requirement: Walk humbly ... in Hebrew, "tsana" (pronounced tsaw-nah') which means, "to humble thyself to walk with God ... to follow continually ... to go forward humbly."  This word is actually a primitive root word that means ... to be willing to humiliate ones self.

Of all of the sins of mankind, perhaps the most devastating is ... the sin of pride.  It's the complete opposite of humility, the self-exalting attitude of heart that assumes that we do not really need God, and that our own strength or virtue is entirely sufficient to succeed in life.

Charles Spurgeon says ... "Humility is to make a right estimate of one's self."  In other words, you know the reality of who you really are. I like to say it this way ... "You know there is a God, and you're not Him."
God wants you to depend upon Him, not yourself.  Humility allows God to do it for you and through you.  Pride says ... "I can do it myself."

God also wants you to know that pride will get you into trouble.  It did with Solomon.  That's why he wrote Proverbs 16:18 ... "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."

I have noticed that many times a prideful person will also have this haughty spirit Solomon spoke of.  It seems like they go together, although that's not a hard and fast rule.  Of course I may be confusing two personalities here.  Sometimes a shy person can be prideful without being haughty.  They may not be the same ... but trouble follows them either way.

Psalms 138:6 ... "For the LORD is high, he sees the lowly, but the haughty He knows from a distance."

God knows the haughty soul ... "from a distance" ... because the haughty, willfully separates himself from God by closing his eyes to the truth of his inward condition and his need for God's love and mercy.  This verse in Psalms is telling me that God cannot get as close as He wants to be, because those who have this haughty spirit or attitude won't allow Him to.  The consequence for their action is on them, not God.

Haughty usually means an arrogantly superior attitude which the dictionary defines as ... "the quality of having an excessively high opinion of one's self or one's importance."

When your opinion of yourself is exaggerated, you're showing conceit, a word that combines pride with self-obsession.  And while I'm here, I might as well look at conceit's companion ... arrogance.

Arrogance is an overbearing pride, usually combined with disdain for others.  We could also touch on egotism ... self-centeredness or an excessive preoccupation with yourself.  Would it be okay for me to say that, conceit, arrogance and egotism are the offspring that are born out of pride?

If there is one good thing that comes from the right amount of pride, it is ... self-esteem ... which may suggest undue pride, but is more often used to describe a healthy belief in oneself and respect for one's worth as a person.  We generally need that.

I am of the opinion that God looks at pride and all the side issues pride causes, the same way He looks at the sinner.  God loves the sinner, but hates the sin.  God also loves the proud and haughty, but that kind of spirit keeps God at a distance.  It's like a spiritual wall they have built around themselves that God won't step over or knock down.  He could ... but He won't.

So, dear ones ... "Walk humbly with thy God."



Comments welcome.