Proverbs 29:23--The Heinousness of Pride

                              Proverbs 29:23
"One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor."

    It’s a sin that goes back all the way to the Garden of Eden.  I’m talking, of course, about pride.  I’d like to take a quick look at pride and see three basic things: 1) why pride is so heinous; 2) how to identify it in our hearts; and 3) what the cure is.

    Pride is one of those sins that is mentioned throughout the Bible.  The book of Proverbs especially condemns it.  Proverbs 11:2 says, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.”  Proverbs 16:5 tells us, “Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.” And yet again, Proverbs 27:2 says, “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.”  Pride is the first sin mentioned in the 7 deadly sins of Proverbs 6:16ff.

    In contrast to the condemnation of pride we see throughout the Bible the constant theme of God using the weak, unimportant things to showcase his power.  1 Corinthians 1:27 says, “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.”

    So, why is pride such a heinous, evil sin?  Pride is so heinous because it is a personal affront to God.  It is a slap in His face.  It is a rejection of His sovereignty and an attempt to place oneself at the center of the Universe.  Adam and Eve had this sort of pride.  They refused to believe and obey God, but sought to be their own autonomous creatures.

    In Proverbs 29:23 we see the great irony of pride—it’s counter-productive.  The proud man tries to exalt himself above everyone else, but, in so doing, actually humbles himself—he brings himself low.  We can never truly be exalted if we reject the Creator/creature relationship with our God because God opposes the proud.  James 4:6 says, “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 

    Preacher D.L. Moody offered this pithy thought: “God sends no one away empty except those who are full of themselves.”  If we seek to exalt ourselves, we will be humbled.  The first will be last and the last will be first, as our Lord said (Matthew 20:16)

    Well, how can we tell if we have a pride issue?  Let me offer you a few questions that we must ask ourselves? 

1)    Are we overly critical of others?  Are we constantly nitpicking other people and looking down on them?  C.S. Lewis said, “A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you’re looking down, you can’t see something that’s above you.”

2)    Can we admit that we are wrong?  When someone shows us that we are or have done something wrong, even if it wasn’t a moral issue, can we admit that we were wrong or do we twist the facts to try and make ourselves look good?

3)    Can we take advice from other people?  Do we ask other people for their opinions?  When people give them freely, do we accept them or is our own opinion the only one that means anything to us?

4)    Can we say we’re sorry?  When we’ve hurt or offended someone, can we admit that we have sinned and say we’re sorry or do we justify our actions?

5)    Can we let other people have their way?  When there is a choice to be made, can we let someone else make it or do we have to have our own way all the time?  Is our way the only way that has any validity?

I think that if we honestly ask ourselves these questions, we will find we can’t answer them all as piously as we’d like.

    What is the cure for pride?  Let me offer three steps we can take to rid ourselves of this heinous sin.  Firstly, we need to get a good look at ourselves.  If we compare ourselves to God and to the standard of His Holy Word, we should be humbled immediately.  J.C. Ryle said, “Pride comes from not knowing yourself and the world. The older you grow, and the more you see, the less reason you will find for being proud. Ignorance and inexperience are the pedestal of pride; once the pedestal is removed – pride will soon come down.”

    Secondly, James 4:7 tells us to “submit yourselves therefore to God.”  In order to develop a humble spirit, we must submit our wills to God’s will.  God isn’t looking for the biggest, best, smartest people in the world.  He is looking for those who trust Him and who will be faithful.  He wants us to do what He says because we know that He knows best.

    Thirdly, we need to have the mind of Christ.  Paul describes this in Philippians 2:5-8.  He says, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”  The second person of the Trinity, the Son of God, humbled Himself.  He became a man.  He became a servant.  He became obedient to the Father and to the Law which He had given.  If Jesus was humble, we certainly need to be humble.

    In conclusion, Proverbs 29:23 doesn’t only warn about the debasing consequences of pride.  It also encourages us that honor awaits those who humble themselves.  If we are humble, God will exalt us.  This may not always be in this world.  It probably won’t mean riches or fame, but it will mean being honored in God’s eyes, and that is what is most important.  And if we humble ourselves, submitting our agendas to God’s, we may find that we are happier and more successful.  God will use us more powerfully in His Kingdom.  Humility is the path to exaltation in the Kingdom of Christ.