Ezekiel 28:1–29:21, Revelation 13:11–14:13, Job 36:24–33
When told that God made the trees and the birds, my small
granddaughter was fine with that, but when I told her that God made her, she
put her hands on her hips and said, “No, He didn’t!” Even at her age, she
illustrated how sinful human pride exalts itself in defiance of God.
The nations surrounding Israel and even Israel herself
were guilty of pride. God said to the prince of Tyre: “Your
heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of the gods,
in the heart of the seas,’ yet you are but a man, and no god, though you make
your heart like the heart of a god’ . . . .” (Ezekiel 28:2,)
Their pride was based on their wealth; therefore, the Lord
said: “I will bring foreigners upon you, the most
ruthless of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of
your wisdom and defile your splendor. They shall thrust you down into the pit,
and you shall die the death of the slain in the heart of the seas. Will you
still say, ‘I am a god,’ in the presence of those who kill you, though you are
but a man, and no god, in the hands of those who slay you? You shall die the
death of the uncircumcised by the hand of foreigners; for I have spoken,
declares the Lord God.”
(Ezekiel 28:6–10)
His utterances were like this against Egypt also: “Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the
great dragon that lies in the midst of his streams, that says, ‘My Nile is my
own; I made it for myself.’ I will put hooks in your jaws, and make the fish of
your streams stick to your scales; and I will draw you up out of the midst of
your streams, with all the fish of your streams that stick to your scales. And
I will cast you out into the wilderness, you and all the fish of your streams;
you shall fall on the open field, and not be brought together or gathered. To
the beasts of the earth and to the birds of the heavens I give you as food.
Then all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the Lord.” (Ezekiel 29:3–6)
The Bible says pride goes before a fall, meaning pride
will bring down the proud. Not only does God say it, but I know that is true
from bitter experience.
While most of what Job’s friends said to him were
accusatory and unfair, Elihu was right when he talked about the majesty of God.
He illustrated by describing a simple thunderstorm:
“Behold, God is great . . . .
For he draws up the drops of water; they distill his mist in rain, which the
skies pour down and drop on mankind abundantly. Can anyone understand the spreading
of the clouds, the thunderings of his pavilion? Behold, he scatters his
lightning about him and covers the roots of the sea . . . . He covers his hands
with the lightning and commands it to strike the mark. Its crashing declares
his presence . . . .” (Job 36:26–33)
As I read this, I thought of those who say they can
worship in the wilderness. Of course that is true. A proud person might say it
to excuse the humility required to worship with God’s people, but a humble
person is humbled even more by God’s astonishing creativity.
In the last book of the Bible, the final judgment is
described. John saw it in another vision where an angel delivered God’s message:
“Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead,
with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation
and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and
give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who
made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.’” (Revelation
14:6–7)
There is more to this vision, but this part stands out in
contrast to the pride that brings us down. It says to “give
God glory” and “worship Him who made heaven
and earth.” Giving myself glory is easy; giving God glory is in sharp
contrast because I cannot do it without His grace, nor is it possible when there
is any trace of pride in my heart.
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