Insidious Pride

While pride is championed according to the wisdom of this world, God exposes it as sin that always leads to more sin--and ultimately severe judgment.  Concerning Sodom and the surrounding cities He destroyed, God identified pride as the first sin on the list through the prophet in Ezekiel 16:48-50:  "Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. ⁵⁰ And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit."   One could easily make a case (from a biblical perspective) that pride was a sinful root from which other sins sprang.

Pride is insidious, and Webster defined it this way:  "properly, lying in wait; hence, watching an opportunity to insnare or entrap; deceitful; sly; treacherous; 2) intended to entrap."  Pride is a skilled shape-shifter, able to be invisible to the human eye or assume a form impossible for our senses to recognise.  Without insight from the Holy Spirit and conviction of sin, we could easily justify us because it seems to always act for our benefit.  Pride is a sin against God that reveals itself by love or hatred of self, arrogant boasting and self-pity, condemnation of others or self-righteousness that lifts us up.  In a fundamental sense, pride is rebellion against God, exalting ourselves rather than humbling ourselves before Him as we ought.  Deceived and blinded by pride, effectively we live a lie that leads us to careen dangerously towards destruction.

God used the destruction of Sodom to illustrate the danger of pride and rebellion to His people Israel, for He was faithful to chasten and correct them when they sinned without repentance.  Though God's people broke His covenant, God said in Ezekiel 16:60-63:  "Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. ⁶¹ Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed, when you receive your older and your younger sisters; for I will give them to you for daughters, but not because of My covenant with you. ⁶² And I will establish My covenant with you. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, ⁶³ that you may remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame, when I provide you an atonement for all you have done," says the Lord GOD."  Judgment for sin would result in remembrance and shame for their sins that would benefit them in the future.  Knowing they had greatly sinned and received atonement by God's grace through a new covenant, they would know God is the LORD, embrace their sanctification, and accept others.

Peter exhorted elders in the church in 1 Peter 5:2-7:  "Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; ³ nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; ⁴ and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. ⁵ Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." ⁶ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, ⁷ casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."  The antidote for pride is repentance of sin, a relationship with God by faith in Jesus Christ, and humbling ourselves before God and people.  God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.  We ought to live honourably in God's sight without seeking or receiving honour from men, and live to honour Christ!