Pride, the thoughts we have about ourselves and how wonderful we all are. A biblical definition would be to have an excessive belief or confidence in ourselves with little regard for the Lord, His biblical instruction, or His authority. The Bible is full of people that were living examples of Proverbs 16:18-19. “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide spoil with the proud.” I came across a bit of wit and humor about a young man named Hugh Gallagher. I don’t know if he was a fictious character or an actual person with a huge ego, but the answer is funny. I lean heavily toward the fictious, but I have known some young men this confident in themselves. The story goes he was seeking admission to New York University. On his application there was a question posed to him from the admissions board. They wanted to know had he had any significant experiences or accomplishments he would like to share with the admission committee. He replied, “I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row. I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru. I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. . .. I don’t perspire. . .. Children trust me. I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. . .. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me.
I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. . .. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis. But I have not yet gone to college.” (Literary Cavalcade, 1990).
When I first came across this essay, I knew you needed to have a good laugh, so I saved it for today. But behind good humor there is almost always a nugget of truth. We smile, perhaps even chuckle but let’s remember a prideful heart makes us do things and say things that lead us to a fall or a destruction.
I mentioned at the beginning that the Bible is full of examples of people who were lifted up with pride only to crash and burn. Nebuchadnezzar was prideful until God made him insane for a time (See Daniel). Haman was prideful in his manipulation of the Persian king Ahasuerus in his desire to be worshipped. A man named Mordecai, a Jewish man, refused to bow down and it sent Haman into a frenzy to kill all the Jews. He ended up dying, being hung on the very gallows he built to hang Jews (see Esther). There is another story I want to relate to you that isn’t about a person but a people. It is found in the book of Obadiah. Only one chapter but for this preacher it serves as a warning for America. We can be a prideful, arrogant bunch. I like confidence, I like it a lot and when I am doing something or saying something I want to know the material or the situation to have a good outcome. I love America! It is the last great hope for the world. The United States, the only country where some of its citizens hate it but none of them are willing to leave it. We trust in our military hardware and technology, which is according to most, the best in the history of the world but we better trust in God. Obadiah 1:3-4 serves as a warning to a people. “The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rocks, whose habitation is high: who shall bring me down to the ground?” Beginning from the church house to the White house to every outhouse we better be a people that trust in God more than our own ingenuity. The Edomites, the people that were related to Israel, had committed violence against Israel. Because of that transgression God said He would cut them off forever (1:10). The relation Obadiah makes is that of twin brothers, Jacob (Israel) and Esau (Edom). They had the same father and mother yet became mortal enemies. The land of Edom can be found today in the southern part of Jordan. A city called Petra is located on a high rock face with many caves for the inhabitants of Edom to live. This is thought to be the place the Jewish people will flee during the Tribulation Period. Why? Safety and security. Enemies can get to them without being exposed. They felt as safe as an eagle whose nest was high in the rocks protecting her little eaglets. Take two or three minutes and read Obadiah. Highlight or underline the times God says something like “I will destroy or I will bring them down.” Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.
My space is gone but remember that truth. It is a biblical truth with application to individuals but also to a people. James tells us to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and He’ll lift us up (4:10). Let’s not be an arrogant bunch but a humble people that trust in the Lord.