When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.
This reminds me of something Jesus said.
“I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.”
In Matthew Chapter 11, Jesus talked about the refusal of the proud to repent. He said that if the same works that He had done were done in other sinful cities, they would have repented.
Failing to repent of sin and turn to Jesus is pride. To make matters worse, many praise their sin to the extent that sin is no longer considered to be sin and those who say otherwise are mocked and hated by many.
However, this is the Father’s doing and it is “good in His sight.”
God has His way of laying low the proud. Those who flaunt pride in their sin will face a great shame, and if the Lord is dealing mercifully with them, then they will face this shame before they face Him so that they might repent, turn to Jesus, and be healed.
As it is written concerning the Day of the Lord, “the day of the Lord of Hosts shall be upon everyone that is proud and lofty and upon everyone that is lifted up, and he shall be brought low.”
Knowing this, lowliness is wise.
It is wise to fear God and to glorify Him, not man.
Fear is a form of worship. If fear of the pride of man causes us to cower in fear instead of standing up for what is true, then we are not fearing God properly. If fear of the pride of man causes us to fall into an overwhelming despair, then we are not fearing God properly. If fear of the pride of man causes us to join in with those who would take vengeance into their own hands instead of waiting on the Lord, then we are not fearing God properly.
There are many proud. This does not only extend to movements such as LGBTQ pride. It’s easy to pick on certain groups of sinners, but all things that we exalt above Jesus is a form of pride. There is much pride within secular society as well as Christian society. There are many things that need to come down, and they will, according to the perfect ways of the Father—ways that often mean giving the proud over to the hands of their enemies for a time.
Christians are often concerned because our nation seems to be given into the hands of our enemies. Why do we suppose this is the case? What areas of pride do we need to repent of within the household of the faith? Many of our works are to be “tried by fire” and though the soul is saved, this is going to be a troublesome time indeed. It already is.
Yet, just as God sent the Assyrians first and then the Babylonians, there is more to come. I believe another enemy will come to destroy our current enemies—and this enemy will bring even greater temptation for believers. The King of Babylon and the Great Whore of Mystery Babylon are proud indeed.
As Christians, we should be low. The lower we are, the better, even if it means surrendering our lives. Jesus will resurrect those who are so low as to die for His sake.
Do not fear the proud. Instead, fear God and know that He is in control. He reveals life-saving truths to those who are lowly, those who see their sin and repent, and those who know that there is no salvation from condemnation and death apart from the salvation of Jesus Christ.
This is part of a series of articles considering the Proverbs from a Christian mindset and applying these lessons to present-day events. You can find all of the Considering Proverbs writings here. Subscribe to receive future posts by email.
Jesus Alone 