Pride Comes Before the Fall
Daily Old Testament Reading: Psalm 82-83; Obadiah; 2 Chronicles 23
Daily Focus Passage: Obadiah
The Minor Prophets is a collection of short prophetic books with a major message. These prophets served as the voice coming from the Lord to call people back to the Lord through repentance. These prophets challenge people to listen to the Lord's warning and return to the place of obedience. Obadiah, more specifically, addresses the coming doom of the Edomites. These people live in the area of Edom in the hill country and come from the line of Esau. They lived in a state of pride that separated them from the Lord and placed a target on their backs to receive the punishment of the Lord. The main issue plaguing Edom was pride. Pride still plagues humanity today, and Obadiah continues to voice the call to repentance.
THE PRESENCE OF PRIDE
Pride has a way of closing our eyes to our weaknesses. Pride encourages us to lie about our goodness, worth, and ability. This occurs because the center of pride is the self. We begin to think of the self in a greater manner than we should and tend to rest in “our” achievements. Thus, we ignore our faults and promote our strengths.
When we ignore our weaknesses and rest in our strengths, we continue to fuel pride through various false securities. We live in the false security of our safety because we ignore the places of vulnerability. False guarantees create a false sense of hope and often rest on a false narrative of reality. Thus, pride attempts to provide a sense of hope without foundation.
When we ignore our weaknesses, we develop a false sense of strength. A false sense of strength leads us to believe we do not need anyone else because we can do it all ourselves. Pride blinds us from the reality of our limitations and often pushes us to misunderstand the genuine source of strength.
THE PROCLAMATION OF PRIDE
Pride becomes manifested in boasting. Boasting occurs when an individual attempts to draw attention to the self and give off a sense of greatness and importance. Thus, the focus of the proclamation is on the self. We desire to boast to announce our greatness so that others will acknowledge it. The boasting in pride comes from the inflated ego and seeks only to build the self.
Boasting that comes from pride declares the perceived self-sufficiency of the individual. We use boasting to show that all is okay and that we can accomplish things without anyone’s help. This boasting is like the toddler saying, “I will do it myself.” The boast attempts to convince others that we are strong enough in and of ourselves to accomplish everything we need to.
Boasting occurs because individuals attempt to elevate the self in the eyes of others. Boasting becomes the instrument by which others declare self-perceived greatness. The boasting centers on creating a false reality you hope others will believe.
THE BATTLE AGAINST PRIDE
People must combat the threat of pride. The first act must be the development of a humble attitude. The attitude of humility means that we do not think more highly of ourselves than we should and see others as more important. At the same time, humility is about seeing the self compared to the holiness of the Lord, which will always reveal our unholiness.
Second, people must hold and develop an honest assessment and value of themselves. An honest evaluation occurs when we stop believing the lie about our ability. When we gaze through the lens of the Lord, we recognize how weak we are and how much we must depend on the Lord. Thus, we must take an honest view of the self to overcome pride.
Third, people must pursue holiness by seeking to live in the ways and manners of the Lord. When we adopt a proper view of the self, we seek to live according to the Lord's ways. When we live in this manner, we come to the place striving to abandon the ways of the flesh and to seek the Lord in faithfulness.
Obadiah warned of the coming destruction because of the pride in the lives of the Edomites. They elevated the self and trusted in their strength and ability, not that of the Lord. The Edomites boasted of their strength and achievements and refused to live in humility and honor before the Lord. When you consider your life, do you find pride or humility?
