Clive Staples Lewis, (C.S.Lewis) a British writer and lay theologian once remarked: “A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.” Luke 14:11 and Matthew 23:12 both agree that: “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
There is a recurrent saying: "Pride goes before a fall." This is, in fact, a variant of the text in Proverbs 16:18 (NIV) which states: "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."
There are several cataclysmic examples quoted in the Bible of significant figures including King Saul, Nebuchadnezzar, Nimrod, and even Satan, attaining their downfall as a direct result of self-generated pride. In Luke 10:18 Jesus proclaims: "And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." The devil's own lack of forethought and inherent self-pride caused him to foolishly attempt to become equal to the Almighty and reduce His eminence without success.
Pride has been referred to as "The sin from which all others arise" and is listed as one of the seven deadly sins. It can cause interminable problems for people who otherwise could be considered intelligent human beings. Pride can cause self-destruction to the extent that, in effect, a large barrier can be generated that people are unable to see through. It can make them blind to all reasoning and rational thinking because some imprudently believe that they know everything, are the only ones that are right, won't listen to the thoughts of others and in stark reality, if the unvarnished facts are examined, it can be found that nothing could be further from the truth. It can create extremely perilous situations that are difficult to recover from and can sometimes even lead to death.
No-one enjoys the company of an egotistical person and that includes God. This is verified in James 4:6 which states: "But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Our self-generated pride, if we allow it, can reject the need for God in our lives. However, we should also consider that pride is not always a bad thing, it does have a valid place in society. To give just two relevant examples: People should take pride in everything they do, especially if it is for the benefit of others. Plus, it is not wrong for parents to be proud of the righteous efforts of their children. It is only when our ego gives us a formidable sense of self-pride that the real problems occur, we should remember that without God in our lives, we are nothing. We need to appreciate how much we require and depend on Him. Proverbs 29:23 confirms: "One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor."
There once lived a rabbit who sincerely believed that he was the most attractive and intelligent amongst his species. He was extremely proud of his looks and knew that all his fellow rabbits greatly admired his beauty. He had the most perfect and smooth fur on his body that one could imagine, it was pure white with a silky shine that would glow in the twilight. He stood out amongst them all. His ears were faultless, both in the ability to hear perfectly but also protruding upright at the ideal angle. In his own opinion, he was, without doubt, a truly magnificent creature.
He would proudly boast that he was the perfect specimen and everyone should follow him because he was the only one who knew the best course of action in any particular situation. Even though he was not particularly well-liked as others looked on him with disdain, because of his belligerent attitude, they did however reluctantly respect him as a great leader who knew exactly where to search for the right food to provide the richest nourishment and adopt the correct safety standards necessary to survive in comfort.
He was an intolerant natured rabbit with a short temper, who looked down on the others, he was far superior to them, even though he was often praised for his particular assets, he would accept them as the norm and as rightly justified. If there were ever any signs of danger the other rabbits would follow him, as a matter of course, as they trusted his good sense of survival and well-being. They lived in the grounds of a large estate owned by the Lord of the Manor who allowed them to have the freedom to roam wherever they wished in relative safety and to hopefully live in peace and harmony with each other.
However, one day, several poachers arrived in the village and decided that the grounds of the Manor would make an ideal opportunity to provide a source of income by selling slaughtered rabbits in the local marketplace to prospective buyers for food. They decided to pounce on their intended prey at dusk when the rabbits would be at their most active. They had monitored the rabbits for a few days so that they knew exactly where the entrances to their warrens were.
Because of his inner self-pride, the rabbit firmly believed that he had become invincible and could not be harmed by either man or beast. Sadly, he was mistaken and when the poachers arrived on the estate in search of their prey, he found himself to be the prime target due to his magnificent stature and appearance. In the twilight, he stood out like a beacon and was easily identifiable wherever he hopped on his retreat back to security. When he realized the intentions of the poachers, he decided to lead many of his companions to safety and told them to follow him. But, no matter how fast he hopped he could not outrun the foresight of his predators and soon found himself in the hands of his killers. A large net had been placed over a selected escape route and he, and several of his followers soon found themselves caught up in it.
They were trapped with nowhere to go. Their individual lives were to be short-lived from this point on. Instead of leading his companions to safety, he had become the beacon for their trap. He had, in effect, paved the way for their demise. As luck would have it, as he was about to be slaughtered, he was laid flat on the ground for the final killer blow, and for a split second the firm grip on him was relaxed. He grasped the opportunity to make his escape, broke free, and darted across the field into the safety of darkness. He thanked his lucky stars for the reprieve and thought to himself that perhaps his lovely shiny fur coat, in which he had so much pride, hadn’t been such an asset after all. His inner pride had ultimately led to disgrace as he had sent many of his fellow companions to their certain death. It had been a stark lesson in reality. Not everything in life is as rosy as it appears, danger lurks around every corner and you never know when it will strike. Proverbs 11:2 confirms: “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.”
Amen.
