The mountains humbled even the greatest braggart.”
–Dave P. Fisher (Where No Man Rules)
“When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.”
–James 4:10 (NLT)
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“When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom.” –Proverbs 11:2, NKJV
Pride exalts self! It can be arrogant or it can be very subtle such as, “I’m so proud I’m humble,” or thinking they are too humble to accept a gift. Both are dangerous. Shame is waiting for the person who exalts self, or as the ESV translates it, “disgrace.” Bob Beasley writes, “God takes up the cause of the lowly and downtrodden and gives them wisdom. But to the arrogant and those who are exalted in their own minds, He brings shame.” Why did Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit? To exalt themselves, to be like God. The result–sin and shame, they hid themselves.
There have been numerous books written about both pride and humility, and I would suggest that you take the time to do a study on each one, perhaps a compare/contrast study. The Bible is filled with examples of pride and the results: the tower of Babel was built to make a name for humanity which God saw as human pride and disobedience. The result–man was scattered throughout the earth and was no longer unified in language. Uzziah, king of Judah, wanted more than the position of king and usurped the position and authority of the priests by offering incense in the temple. The result–God placed the shameful disease of leprosy on him and he lived in a separate house and could no longer come to the temple.
Pride causes all sorts of evils, troubles, and sorrows. Whenever man thinks or tries to be autonomous there is danger. Whenever man does what is “right in his own eyes” he attempts to usurp the authority and position of God. Thomas Adams said, “Pride is like the heart, the first thing that lives and the last thing that dies in us.” One of the greatest dangers of pride is that it fosters ingratitude. The man with pride has a wrong estimate of himself, therefore why be thankful? He did it, he made it, he…he…he, or I might put it this way, the danger of “I”. I am my own boss, I am my own person. J.L. Flores says this, “Ingratitude is a high road to shame before God and before man, because it prevents man from taking advantage of present opportunities.” It keeps man from refusing instruction, obeying lawful precepts and principles by being a law unto themselves. We see it abound in society, “I can do what I want to do and therefore I will do nothing because that is what I want to do.”
Read of the pride of Nebuchadnezzar, of Belshazzar, of Haman, of the rich ruler. “Pride,” says Samuel Miller, “is a mad vanity. Every morning we should rise with thanksgiving in our hearts; the first words we should utter should be in gratitude that the Lord has given us another day. Adrian Rogers reminds us to “be humbly grateful, not grumbly hateful.”
“When pride causes us to ignore danger and do what we feel we should not, it can result in terrible trouble. Wise is the person who knows his or her limits and acts accordingly. God wants us to use the talents we have, and the first talent to use is common sense.” (Dan Dick) The words of Micah are well worth remembering and that is to walk humbly with God. (Micah 6:8)