Pride isn’t always a bad thing. Right? We call children our “pride and joy,” we sing the national anthem because we’re proud of our country, and even God’s Word says of Israel, “I will make you the everlasting pride and the joy of all generations” (Isaiah 60:15).
But pride in yourself? in your good works? in your virtues? Thinking of yourself more highly than you ought?
Oh baby, that kind of pride will get you in serious trouble.
The Lord makes this abundantly clear, especially in the Old Testament, where the word pride appears more than fifty times, almost never in a positive light. He promises his people, “I will break down your stubborn pride” (Leviticus 26:19) and “put an end to the arrogance of the haughty” (Isaiah 13:11).
Uh-oh.
Time to gird our loins and prepare to be humbled. Not because we’re bad and deserve to be punished, but because God is good and wants what is best for us. Always.
When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2
When pride comes,…
Not if. Not maybe. Pride comes to us all. It’s only a question of when. where, and how.
Whether it looks like “arrogance” (GW) or “insolence” (EXB), whether we’re puffed up and “swelling” (AMP), or trying to hide behind false humility, pride is the ugly underbelly of human nature.
I believe every sin has pride at its root. Though it’s counted among the classic list of seven deadly sins— pride, wrath, greed, gluttony, sloth, envy, lust—pride is the underlying reason we get mad, overspend, overeat, waste time, want what others have, and let our libido run wild.
One translation begins, “First comes pride” (CJB). Too right. From the very start, pride convinced our first Bad Girl, Eve, that she deserved a bite of that forbidden fruit. The snake may have started the conversation, but it was Eve’s pride that talked her into it.
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and”—here we go—“also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it” (Genesis 3:6).
This wasn’t just about feeding her appetite or holding something beautiful in her hands. This was about gaining wisdom from a source other than God. This was, “I want that, I deserve that, and I’m going to have that.” This was, “Look how clever I am now, and how much smarter I’ll be after I eat this!”
One bite, and Eve’s prideful party was over. “Then the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’” (Genesis 3:13).
Busted.
…then comes disgrace,…
As surely as B follows A, “disgrace follows” (HCSB) pride, and “shame is not far behind” (VOICE). Eugene Peterson hits the nail on the head, as usual: “The stuck-up fall flat on their faces” (MSG).
Groan.
One of the many problems with pride? It’s short lived. We’re standing on a pedestal of our own making one minute, then sweeping up what’s left of it the next. And the next, and the next, and the next. Such “dishonor” (NASB) isn’t easily overcome, and the sense of “emptiness” (AMP) lingers.
I still recall in painful detail a speech I gave in Newport Beach 20 years ago. It was an evening banquet for a mixed audience of business professionals wanting an after-dinner humorist. I convinced myself I could do it, even though none of those things fits my calling, which is to encourage my sisters in Christ with joy and abandon.
To say that it went poorly is an understatement. When I finally finished, the audience leaped to their feet—and ran out the door. I’d hoped for a standing ovation; this was more like a running ovation.
Two days later a brave friend finally called and said, “It wasn’t that bad…”
Nice try.
Ego says, “I got this.”
Conceit says, “I can pull this off.”
Hubris says, “I can’t possibly fail.”
The problem with pride is that I in the middle.
…but…
Our favorite word, setting us up for the good news ahead.
God has a better plan. Instead of spending years in the school of hard knocks, where “pride leads only to shame” (NCV) and “reproach” (DRA), the Lord offers us an easier, more effective way of doing life.
…with humility…
Humble people are “modest” (ERV) and “down-to-earth” (MSG). They think about others before themselves, and about God before anyone else. They “renounce self” (AMP). They are “not proud” (NIRV), but “lowly” (YLT), and “meekness” (WYC) is how they roll.
The Hebrew word is tsana—“modest or humble”—also found in Micah 6:8, one of The 20 Verses You Love Most, which calls us to “walk humbly with your God.”
Humility isn’t something we can manufacture on our own. It’s what happens when we walk with God. When we see how big his footprints are compared to ours. When we allow him to teach us, rather than insisting we know everything.
The truth is, it’s better to be humble than to be humbled, “pruned or chiseled by trial” (AMP). But whatever it takes—and for some of us, that means a sharp set of pruning shears or a very heavy chisel—the end result is more of God, less of us. Hooray.
Here’s the best part: God is the One who does the pruning and chiseling. He is the One who helps us grow into the image of his Son. Who better to wield the shears or chisel than the One who loves us completely?
The end result? You guessed it.
…comes wisdom.
That beautiful feminine noun in Hebrew, chokmah: wisdom, a gift from above.
If “wisdom comes to those who are not proud” (NIRV), then “it’s wiser to be humble” (CEV). The two are intertwined: humility and wisdom.
Only when we are humble are we teachable.
Only when we are empty can we be filled up.
Only when we see God alone as our source of wisdom can we truly become wise.
Just as one of the problems with pride is that it’s short lived, one of the joys of wisdom is that it “stays” (ERV) and will “stand firm” (MSG), because “wisdom remains with humble people” (GW).
Pride can be dismantled in a heartbeat, but no one can undo the wisdom God gives to those he prunes, chisels, and loves.
God plants his wisdom deep inside us like a living, growing seed. That’s why studying his Word—his wisdom—really is genius. These eleven words have more power to change us than anything else we’ll read today.
When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2
Now it’s your turn
Just one question, beloved:
- Have you had a Newport Beach moment in your life? What wisdom did God teach you through that humbling process?
I hope you’ll Post a Comment below. Not only will you benefit from sharing your heart: so will the rest of us!.
And here’s your Printable of Proverbs 11:2, with four copies of this week’s verse on a single page. I hope you’re finding them helpful.
Check out our weekly pins on Pinterest, another way to keep our favorite verses from Proverbs close to our hearts and minds.
Next Wednesday, a challenge that will hit us right where we live. If I haven’t mentioned it lately, I am LOVING doing this study with you!
Your sister, Liz
@LizCurtisHiggs #50Proverbs
P.S. Last week I gave you the first part of the verse, inviting you to fill in the second. Let’s try it in reverse, with one word to help you get started:
Let __________________________________
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart. Proverbs 3:3
For __________________________________
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:6
A ____________________________________
and how good is a timely word! Proverbs 15:23
The __________________________________
but the wise listen to advice. Proverbs 12:15
The __________________________________
that sheds light on one’s inmost being. Proverbs 20:27
When _________________________________
but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2
Meanwhile, I’m trying some new ways to memorize Scripture, and am looking forward to sharing them with you later this month. So proud of you for GOING FOR IT!
