Pride Won't Heed

It's no secret that pride is a serious sin in the eyes of God.  In Proverbs 6:17 the first abomination of seven listed is a "proud look" and Proverbs 21:4 includes a "proud heart" as well.  It was being lifted up with pride that led to the condemnation and downfall of Satan (1 Tim. 3:6).  Pride is the first listed of the sins of Sodom, and these only begin to scratch the surface of how abominable pride is and how devastating the far-reaching consequences of it.  Whether it announces itself with haughty boasting or is subtle through silent censure and judgment, it is a deadly vice to be renounced and repented of.

This morning I read a passage in scripture that provided insight into a symptom of pride that can go unnoticed.  In Jeremiah 42, Johanan and Jezaniah came to Jeremiah with a seemingly humble request for him to pray for them and all the people.  They begged for God to direct them in what to do and promised to obey all God said.  Jeremiah 42:5-6 reads, "So they said to Jeremiah, "Let the LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not do according to everything which the LORD your God sends us by you. ⁶ Whether it is pleasing or displeasing, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we send you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God."  Their words showed commitment to humbly submit to God and do whatever He said.  Johanan and Jezaniah asked the LORD to be a true and faithful witness, even putting themselves under an oath to keep their word.

The problem was, all their words turned out to be bold-faced lies.  After 10 days Jeremiah held forth the word of the LORD and specifically prohibited them from going to Egypt in the hope they would be safe there.  God told them to remain in their land and serve the king of Babylon.  Jeremiah 43:1-4 says, "Now it happened, when Jeremiah had stopped speaking to all the people all the words of the LORD their God, for which the LORD their God had sent him to them, all these words, ² that Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men spoke, saying to Jeremiah, "You speak falsely! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, 'Do not go to Egypt to dwell there.' ³ But Baruch the son of Neriah has set you against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may put us to death or carry us away captive to Babylon." ⁴ So Johanan the son of Kareah, all the captains of the forces, and all the people would not obey the voice of the LORD, to remain in the land of Judah."  Notice verse 2 exposes the pride of those men who came to Jeremiah under the guise of humility and faith in God.  Those proud men would not heed the word of the LORD, accused Jeremiah of lying to them and thus would not obey.

Pride is revealed not only by what we say and how we say it but if we are willing to listen and obey God.  This passage shows how pride causes men to deny the truth of God's word and puts the deceptions of fearful and ungodly men in their place.  These men masked their pride at the beginning, but eventually the hypocrisy God already knew was displayed to all by their refusal to heed God's word.  It is a good question to ask ourselves:  am I willing to hear God's word and submit to Him?  This will involve taking steps of faith in obedience to Him, perhaps doing what is unthinkable and even repulsive to our flesh--like the children of Israel serving king Nebuchadnezzar!  The proud men of Israel spoke much and refused to heed the word of the LORD, and it is possible Christians can fall into this same snare.  Many talk a good game, but will we listen and submit to God faithfully?  Our response to God's word will supply the answer.

Witnesses to Jesus

"And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. ²⁹ Then Abimelech asked Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?" ³⁰ And he said, "You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be my witness that I have dug this well."

Genesis 21:28-30

When Abraham and Abimelech made a covenant together, Abraham set seven ewe lambs by themselves.  He directed Abimelech to receive them as witnesses they had made a binding agreement:  he would deal honestly and show kindness to Abimelech to his descendants, and Abraham would retain rights to the water of the well he dug.  These valuable female lambs were tangible evidence of their transaction and agreement simply by virtue of being lambs given and received.  These ewes would grow to be fruitful for years to come, symbolic of the prosperity and health that would flow from their enduring friendship.

As I consider these lambs set apart as a witness of the covenant Abraham and Abimelech made together, I am reminded of how Jesus has sanctified His followers as His witnesses of the covenant in His own blood.  In regards to when God would restore the kingdom to Israel, after His resurrection Jesus answered His disciples in Acts 1:7-8:  "And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. ⁸ But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."  It is amazing the everlasting God would choose lost sinners saved by the Gospel to be His witnesses.  We are fundamentally witnesses, not because of what we do, but due to what Jesus has done in purchasing and redeeming us with His own blood.

One result of the Holy Spirit regenerating and taking up residence within us is He makes us spiritually fruitful.  He gives spiritual gifts to each believer according to His will so we might glorify God and edify the church.  We are witnesses to the world of what Jesus accomplished on Calvary by transformed hearts and lives now lived for His good pleasure.  Like those sheep were witnesses Abraham dug the well, Christians are witnesses Jesus has died on the cross, rose from the dead, has ascended to the Father, and have given us eternal life by grace through faith in Him.

Today there are differences of opinion of the exact location where Jesus was buried because He is not there; He is risen!  Instead of an empty tomb being strong evidence of Christ's resurrection and redemptive work, it is the lives of Christians filled with the Holy Spirit that are His witnesses, adopted into His everlasting kingdom as beloved children.  Praise the LORD for the new covenant in His blood, and how He has separated us unto Himself to be His fruitful witnesses now and forever.

Effective Correction

"Rebuke is more effective for a wise man than a hundred blows on a fool."

Proverbs 17:10

When it comes to cleaning products and countless other items, we want to use what is effective to do the job.  I remember as a kid cleaning the same window over and over.  It seemed no matter how many paper towels or sheets of newspaper I used, a greasy film stubbornly remained visible in direct sunlight.  Then in my adulthood I picked up a few tips watching a commercial window cleaner and noticed a completely different system in use:  instead of soggy paper and spray bottles an applicator and a squeegee was used.  This new system was better in every conceivable way because it allowed access without a ladder, took far less time, was far less labour intensive or tiring, and the superior results spoke for themselves.

Everyone would agree washing windows is far more simple and predictable than how a child will respond to the discipline of a parent or how we will handle stinging rebuke.  Christians are blessed to know the God who created mankind and gives us wisdom concerning how to humbly wield authority as we submit to Him.  Proverbs 3:11-12 says, "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor detest His correction; ¹² for whom the LORD loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights."  Because God loves us He chastens us to correct us, and parents ought to be faithful in correcting their children in an appropriate, God-honouring manner.  He has provided us the ability to encourage, to reason with, to warn, enact consequences, and use the rod of correction in love.

It would be a great shame to cease correcting our children or to forego a needed rebuke of a friend because we are convinced it will be ineffective.  As Proverbs 17:10 points out, a rebuke or discipline may be completely ineffective--not because it is an illegitimate or foolish means of correction--but because of the foolishness in the unwilling recipient.  Parents can make the mistake of taking things too far because previous attempts have been ineffective.  Because they do not believe the message is getting through they raise the volume, and this sadly can lead to sin and abuse.  When our correction is refused, a warning ignored or a rebuke scoffed at, our own pride and folly can often be brought to light.

A hundred blows does not make a fool wise, yet the wise are revealed when they respond to rebuke without requiring them.  A child may not realise a parent corrects or displeases them out of a heart of love, and a parent or friend may not understand the receptivity (or lack thereof!) to reproof indicates the presence of wisdom and folly in the heart.  In seeking to correct others we can stand corrected, and for our negligence to speak up the LORD reproves us out of love.  Let us not lose heart when our best efforts to walk uprightly seem fruitless, for we will reap if we faint not.  The prayers of a righteous man are effective and avail much.  Praise the LORD for His patient and gentle way with us, to extend grace and mercy with warnings and correction.

Identifying Sin

The Bible describes sin as transgression against God, the failure to measure up to His righteous standards, whether it be due to a rebellious heart or in ignorance.  While some sins are clearly defined, in practice distinguishing sin can be tricky.  Because the root of sin grows in our heart, basing our answers only on what we see can miss the point.  Pharisees who kept the letter of the Law of Moses were condemned for their pride by Jesus who knew the hearts of men.

It is a good question to ask when we are personally convicted by our conscience:  is this sin?  God's word often prompts us to consider and judge ourselves according to God's standard of righteousness rather than conform to the values of the world which justifies sin for countless reasons.  The flip side of identifying our sin is to repent and do what pleases God instead.  Avoiding sin is half the struggle:  we need to look to God in faith to be strengthened to do what He says is right.  If we only look at what we do or avoid doing we can miss the necessity to examine our own motives and intentions completely.  We will be forever chasing down symptoms of sin rather than rooting them out at the source.

Another important point is to understand there are things that are not sinful in themselves but are sin for you.  Boasting, for instance, often has a negative connotation because it is often evidence of pride.  Yet it is possible with a humble heart like David and Paul to make their boast in the LORD.  It is in this context of boasting in what we will do James wrote in James 4:17:  "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin."  It is sinful not to acknowledge our complete need for reliance upon God for our lives.  We can sin by what we do and also by leaving what we know is good undone.  There are things that are legal but not helpful, activities which are not sinful in themselves but do not edify.  We are unwise to submit ourselves to what harms us and undermines our relationship with God (1 Cor. 6:12).

Even though Christians are not under the Law of Moses and our sins have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus, this is no excuse to treat sin as without consequence.  See how James ended his epistle in James 5:19-20:  "Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, ²⁰ let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins."  The implication here is brethren can wander from the truth.  This is not speaking of evangelism but the restoration of misguided believers who are going their own erroneous way.  Our salvation is assured by the Gospel, yet sin continues to retain its deadly consequences.  As we walk in the truth let us do good, repent of our sin and walk in humility before God and man.