| |
|
| |
(3) The pride of your heart has deceived you,
You who dwell in the clefts of the rock, Whose habitation is
high; Youwho say in your heart, "Who will bring me down to the
ground?" (4) Though you ascend as high as the eagle, And though
you set your nest among the stars, From there I will bring you down," says
the LORD. New
King James Version Change your email Bible version
In this context God
quotes Edom
as saying, "Who will bring me down to the ground?" Edom dwelt in the mountainous
country southeast of Judea, and Petra was their stronghold. They thought their
combination of military strength and impregnable position made them impossible
to defeat. Yet notice what verse 4 adds: "'Though you exalt yourself as high as
the eagle, and though you set your nest among the stars, from there I will bring
you down,' says the LORD."
What had pride done? It had deceived them into believing they were secure,
self-sufficient, quick-witted, intelligent, and strong enough to withstand
anybody. This clearly illustrates that pride's power lies in its ability to
deceive us into believing in our self-sufficiency. Even in our everyday
relationships with other people, this is a serious deception, but when the
deception involves our relationship
with God, the level of seriousness reaches alarming proportions.
The Edomites looked at their stronghold and then at themselves and their
enemies. They concluded they were stronger than all—they were impregnable! Their
evaluation was in error because they left God out of the picture. Therein lies
much of the problem concerning pride. Against whom do we evaluate ourselves?
Pride usually chooses to evaluate the self against those considered inferior. It
must do this so as not to lose its sense of worth. To preserve itself, it will
search until it finds a flaw.
If it chooses to evaluate the self against a superior, its own quality
diminishes because the result of the evaluation changes markedly. In such a
case, pride will often drive the person to compete against—and attempt to
defeat—the superior one to preserve his status (Proverbs 13:10). Pride's power is in deceit, and the ground
it plows to produce evil is in faulty evaluation.
— John W. Ritenbaugh
To learn more, see:
Pride, Humility, and the Day of Atonement
Related Topics:
Belief
Deception
Exalting Self
Pride
Relationship With God
Relationships
Relationships With People
Self Sufficiency
Please cancel my subscription to The Berean |
|
|
|
|
Posts