PRIDE’S JUST REWARD!!!

WHAT DOES PRIDE’S JUST REWARD MEANS?

Pride as defined on my post about, “PRIDE and RICHES” is the spirit of arrogance that enters a man lifting them to see themselves above others and to think that they are on top of the world. This self-exalting attitude of pride seeks to dislodge God as the center of all things and deny Him the glory that is due Him. But today, we will be seeing God’s just reward for such attitudes. What God has in store for such persons who lift themselves higher, regarding neither God nor fellow human beings.

THE JUST REWARD!

As human when God blesses us, we intend to lift ourselves up thinking that the wealth and riches we had acquired is because of our own efforts, putting God aside and being arrogant to others; seeing as though they have no value in life. Moses the servant of the most High God tells us thus (Deut. 8:18) “And you shall remember the Lord Your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” Abraham, Isaac and Jacob our fore fathers, were men blessed abundantly by God; but there was no day they failed to recognize God as their creator and lifter of men. And through their obedience to God, He did make a covenant with them. And through that covenant grace, God still establishes it for their sake and not that we deserve it in any way!(See the previous post about, “GOD’S NEW COVENANT”) Thus we are to remember the Lord always as our fore fathers, for it is God who gives us power to acquire this wealth. But man in his arrogance and ingratitude spirit says in their heart (Deut. 8:17) “My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.” Such acts and attitude displeases God and in return the proud men receive their just reward.

When the Israelites disobeyed and rebelled against God, God used other nations (i.e. Assyria, Babylon and Egypt) as a tool to humble them; but they went too far lifting themselves high against the chosen nation (Ezek. 29:6) “Then all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the Lord, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel. When they took hold of you with the hand, you broke and tore all their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you broke and made all their backs quiver.”  And because the Egyptians and Pharaoh their king lifted up themselves in pride against the Israelites, the word of the Lord came through Prophet Ezekiel  against them in this manner (Ezek. 29:2-3) “Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt. Speak and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Pharaoh king of Egypt, O great monster who lies in the midst of his rivers, who has said, ‘My River is my own; I have made it for myself.’  It is very easy for a nation, as well as an individual, to develop an exalted opinion of itself. Egypt had become wealthy and powerful. It used the smaller nations on its border as a buffer between itself and its enemies. From verse three of the same chapter, we learn that Pharaoh- meaning “Crocodile,” the great monster who lies in the midst of his rivers, a common name for all the kings of Egypt- was on throne at that time. For twenty-five years he had recovered much of the land that had been taken by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. Now he felt secure and boasted that no one could deprive him of his kingdom. He claimed that he had made the Nile and it was his. God compared Pharaoh to a crocodile with hooks in its jaws which was being pulled to shore where it would be left to die on the beach; its body would be consumed by wild animals and birds (V. 4) “But I will put hooks in your jaws, and cause the fish of your rivers to stick to your scales; I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers, and all the fish in your rivers will stick to your scales.” Pharaoh, like the crocodile being pulled from the Nile, would be pulled out of Egypt, and his body will be left in the desert without burial (V. 5) “I will leave you in the wilderness, you and all the fish of your rivers; you shall fall on the open field; you shall not be picked up or gathered, I have given you as food to the beasts of the field and to the birds of the heavens.” When humans reject God, God will in turn reject them and even the land will reject them in such a way that, there will be no grave to hold them but in return be food for the beasts, birds of the air and their remains will be as waste and a refuse on the face of the earth.  Beloved, who would have loved this to happen to them?  Consider and analyze this please. The psalmist wrote, (Ps. 62:9-10) “Surely men of low degree are a vapor, Men of high degree are a lie; if they are weighed on the scales, they are altogether lighter than vapor. Do not trust in oppression, nor vainly hope in robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.” Beloved, let us not set our heart on the worldly riches as they increase but always remember the giver of this riches; as He is the one who gives us power to acquire this wealth. In (V. 8) the psalmist says “Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.”

THE RESULTS OF SUCH PRIDE

1.       Pride deceives the heart: (Jer. 49:16) “Your fierceness has deceived you, the pride of your heart, O you who dwell in the cleft of the rock, who hold the height of the hill! Though you make your nest as high as the eagle, I will bring you down from there,” says the Lord.”

2.       Pride hardens the heart: (Dan. 5:20-21) “But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.”

3.       Pride produces quarrels: (Prov. 13:10) “By pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom.”

4.       Pride brings disgrace; (Prov. 11:2) “When pride comes, then come shame; But with the humble is wisdom.”

5.       Pride leads to destruction: (Prov. 16:18-19) “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.”

6.       Pride brings opposition from God: (Prov.3:34) “Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble.” See also (Jas. 4:6) “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

7.       Pride brings judgment from God: (Lev. 26:18-20) “After all this, if you do not obey Me, than I will punish you seven times more for your sins. I will break the pride of your power; I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze. And your strength shall be spent in vain; for your land shall not yield their fruit.” See also (Zeph. 2:10-11) “Therefore I as I live, “Says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, “Surely Moab shall be like Sodom, And the people of Ammon like Gomorrah- overrun with weeds and salt pits, and a perpetual desolation. The residue of My people shall plunder them, and the remnant of My people shall possess them.” This they shall have for their pride, because they have reproached and made arrogant threats against the people of hosts. The Lord will be awesome to them, for He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth; people shall worship Him, each one from his place, indeed all the shores of the nations.”

WARNINGS AGAINST SUCH PRIDE

God warns against pride in these manner (Prov. 8:13) “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.” God abhors pride, arrogance, evil way and perverse mouth He hates. (Prov.16:5, 18) “Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; though they join forces, none will go unpunished; Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” And another Scripture, the preacher says (Prov. 21:4, 24) “A haughty look, a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked are sin; A proud and haughty man- “Scoffer “ is his name; he acts with arrogant pride.” And Luke in his epistle he adds thus (Luke 18:9) “Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others.”  And Apostle Paul to the Romans he wrote thus (Rom. 12:16) “Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise on your own opinion.” And to John the apostle adds (1 John 2:16-17) “For all that is in the world- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life- is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

Beloved, may we do the will of God to abide forever in this life and in the next life to come. If we abide here on earth now, there will be a direct ticket to the next life.

“Grace to you and Favor from God our Father and the Lord Jesus be with us all. Amen and Amen and Amen.”