Jottings

by J. Miller | Category: Jottings | Jun 1961

Pride is inordinate self-esteem, haughtiness, arrogance, insolence. It is the condemnation of the devil (1 Timothy 3.6). It is said of him under the figure of the king of Tyre;

"Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I have cast thee to the ground" (Ezekiel 28.17).

"Thou hast sinned: therefore have I cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed thee, 0 covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire " (verse 16).

It was this mighty, yet fallen, being that inoculated mankind with this dreadful disease of the mind - pride. "Ye shall become as gods," was the germ he introduced into the mind of Eve. It took root in her mind and later in the mind of Adam; and has been passed on to all their posterity.

Elihu in speaking to Job about the dealings of God with men said,

God speaketh once,

Yea twice, though man regardeth it not

In a dream, in a vision of the night,

When deep sleep falleth upon men,

In slumberings upon the bed;

Then He openeth the ears of men,

And sealeth their instruction,

That He may withdraw man from his purpose,

And hide pride from man;

He keepeth back his soul from the pit"

(Job 33.14-18).

This matter of hiding pride from man is God's great difficulty in dealing with man. Even in the lowliest of circumstances in which there is nothing to be proud about, you will find pride ingrained in the heart; though men's circumstances are lowly they themselves are not humble. Until man ceases to be blinded by his own pride, God can do nothing with him, be he either a sinner or a saint. To hide pride from man is to cover or conceal it. That God does effect this in the case of some is borne witness to in the Scriptures.

Think of the parable of the Pharisee and the publican who went to the temple to pray (Luke 18. 9-14). The Lord spoke this parable to certain who trusted in themselves that they were righteous. Self was written all over the Pharisee. His prayer was a series of " I," " I," " I." " I am not as the rest of men." He had no ear to listen to what God had been saying from ancient times;

"They have all turned aside, they are together become unprofitable

There is none that doeth good, no, not so much as one" (Romans 3.12).

He thought he needed no change, no repentance. He needed to make no confession, for in his estimation, by his own deeds, he was quite up to the standard of God's requirements. Though God had said that all had sinned, and all were alike in His sight, he said that he was not like the rest of men, "or even as this publican" ; what a touch of scorn is in the words," this publican!"

But what of" this publican"? He stood afar off, far away behind the proud, presumptuous Pharisee. He was occupied with no one, save God and his unworthy self. Smiting upon his breast where a burden rested too grievous to bear, he groaned out his confession and petition, "God, be merciful to me a (the) sinner."

What was the result and issue of it all?

"This man (the publican) went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled; but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

Here is a case in "this publican" in which pride was most effectively covered and hidden from his sight. He may have been rich, but he was poor in spirit, and of such is the kingdom of heaven, and unless men are converted and become like little children, they shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5.8; 18. 3).

How great is the contrast between the Lord and the devil! Of the Lord it is said, "who ... emptied Himself," and, "He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross" (Philippians 2.7, 8). It is said of the devil under the figure of the king of Tyre, "Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.... thou hast sinned: therefore have I cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed thee, 0 covering cherub ... Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty" (Ezekiel

28.12, 16, 17).

Here are two principles, pride and humility, which lead to two different kinds of actions. In the devil, his hosts, and all mankind, pride has perverted their being, and dictated their actions. In the Divine Being, and all the hosts of unfallen holy ones, is humility, with such attendant excellencies as lowliness, meekness and so forth. The mind of Christ before He appeared in human form was a humble, lowly mind, as is indicated in Philippians 2.8-8. It was no new thing with Him when He said, "I am meek and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11. 29).

The following words were spoken by Eliphaz to Job:

"When they are made low, thou shalt say, There is lifting up;

And the humble person He shall save" (Job 22.29, R.V. marg.).

Gesenius renders the first part of this sentence as, "When (men) act humbly, Thou commandest lifting up, i.e., Thou liftest up the modest, meek man." The humble person, as the R.V. marg. shows, is "him that is lowly of eyes". The Hebrew word here for lifting up may have a bad or a good sense. It may indicate a man lifting up himself, which will but result in him being humbled, but he that humbles himself shall be exalted or lifted up. Solomon says, "A man's pride shall bring him low" (Proverbs 29.28). Wisdom speaking on God's behalf says, "Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate" (Proverbs 8.13). Solomon again says, "When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom" (Proverbs ii. 2). And again he says, " By pride cometh only contention: but with the well advised is wisdom" (Proverbs 13.10). Then that well-known proverb flowed from Solomon's pen,

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16.18). We have examples of this proverb in the experiences of Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar. Daniel told Belshazzar of the fall of his father when he was struck with a form of madness.

"When his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened that he dealt proudly, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him: and he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling with the wild asses; he was fed with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven: until he knew that the Most High God ruleth in the kingdom of men, and that He setteth up over it whomsoever He will" (Daniel 5.20, 21).

How humbling was this experience of Nebuchadnezzar! Those who knew this once proud and mighty monarch in the days of his glory and then saw him eating grass like an ox, and lying down to rest at night on the cold, damp, dewy ground, must have been filled with amazement. At the appointed time sanity returned to him, and he tells how his counsellors and lords sought unto him and he was again established in the glory of his kingdom, but he could not forget the lesson he had learned. He praised the King of heaven and his closing words are,

"Those that walk in pride He is able to abase" (Daniel 4.87).

Belshazzar was told by Daniel that he knew all this experience of Nebuchadnezzar, yet he had not humbled his heart, but had lifted up himself against the Lord of heaven, and in sacrilege had brought the holy vessels of His house to be the drinking vessels of that night of debauchery and revelry. Whilst they were thus engaged the hand wrote their doom upon the wall of the banqueting house. The divine sentence was speedily carried out, for in that night Belshazzar the king was slain, slain in his pride and wickedness. True were the words of the proverb, "Pride goeth before destruction". .

J. Miller | Jun 1961
Jottings