Biblical definition of Pride:
1 John 2:16 For everything in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – comes not from the Father but from the world.
Character Study:
Nebuchadnezzar – 2 Kings 24 – 25; 2 Chronicles 36:1-23; Jeremiah 21:1 – 52:34; Daniel 1 – 4
He was the son and successor of Nabopolassar, who delivered Babylon from its dependence on Assyria and laid Nineveh in ruins. Nebuchadnezzar married Amytis, the daughter of the king of the Medes. His son was Evil-Merodach and his grandson was Belshazzar. Daniel 4:37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything He does is right and all His ways are just. And those who walk in pride He is able to humble.
Nebuchadnezzar is known as:
The greatest king of Babylon
In Daniel 1:1-4 we see that in his first year as king, he surrounded Jerusalem, making Judah his vassal state. During his raid of Jerusalem, he took some of the sacred objects from the Temple of God and placed them in the treasure house of his god. He also took some of the wisest men and most beautiful women as captives, instructing Ashpenaz, his chief of staff to make sure the men – of which Daniel was one – were well-versed in every branch of learning, gifted with knowledge and good judgment. He was to train the young men in the language and literature of Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream
Daniel 2:1-45 One night the king had a dream that his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers could not lay out for him, because he refused to tell them the dream. God had allowed Nebuchadnezzar to have a series of dreams that could be revealed and understood only by a servant of God. Nebuchadnezzar was known for his temper and when his wise men could not lay out his dream, he ordered them to be executed. Daniel went to see the king, requesting more time to tell the king the meaning of the dream. Daniel went back and asked his friends to pray with him so that God would reveal the dream to him. From vv27-45 Daniel tells the king what he had dreamt and the meaning of it.
His pride
In Daniel 3:1-6 we read that Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet (27.43 meters) tall and nine feet (2.74 meters) wide setting it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. He gave instructions that at the sound of the musical instruments everyone must bow down and worship the king’s gold statue.
His punishment
In Daniel 4:1-33 Nebuchadnezzar had another dream which Daniel interpreted for him. This time the dream made it clear that he will be driven away from people; he would become insane and will live like a wild animal, eat grass like cattle and be drenched with dew from heaven. This would be for some time.
God gave him 12 months to repent, but unfortunately, there was no repentance in the heart of this proud king. This dream was fulfilled when God humiliated Nebuchadnezzar to show that God, not Nebuchadnezzar was Lord of the nations.
His acknowledgements of God
Daniel 2:47 He acknowledged that God revealed mysteries; 3:28, 29 He praised the God who rescued Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.4:34-37 After being humiliated he says in v34 At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honoured and glorified Him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
What the Bible teaches about pride:
Old Testament:
In Deuteronomy 5-8 Moses summoned all the Israelites to come and hear all the decrees and laws God had given him – “The Ten Commandments.” In Chapter 6 they are told to “Love the LORD their God” In Chapter 7 they are told to “Drive out all the nations” In Chapter 8 they must “Not forget the LORD” otherwise:
8:14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
2 Chronicles 32:24-31 This passage tells of King Hezekiah’s pride and success. Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The LORD answered his prayer and gave him a miraculous sign. 2 Kings 20:8-11
2 Chronicles 32:25 Hezekiah showed pride when a Babylonian envoy visited him and he showed them all the treasures of his kingdom. In v31 we read that God left him to test him and in this way, God would know everything that was in his heart.
Proverbs 29:23 Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honour. (NLT) This is such a true proverb because we know that pride is the opposite of humility.
In Ecclesiastes 7:1-29 Solomon addresses the advantages of having wisdom for life. He says that patience is better than pride.
Isaiah 2:6-17 is a passage the LORD gave Isaiah as a warning of judgment and what would eventually happen to Jerusalem. In Revelation 21 we see the fulfilment of this prophecy in the New Jerusalem.
We can be sure that there will come a day of reckoning when the proud and mighty will be punished and only the Lord will be exalted on that Day of Judgment.
New Testament:
Luke 1:46-55.This passage is known as “The Magnificat – Mary’s Song of Praise. In v48b she says: “From now on all generations will call me blessed.” This was not a statement of pride. Instead, she was recognizing that God had given her a great gift. She continues that His mercy extends to those who fear Him.
In Romans 11:11-36 Paul addresses both the Jews and the Gentiles. In v13 he acknowledges that he was appointed as an apostle to the Gentiles. From vv16-24 he is speaking to the Gentiles, warning them not to feel superior to those Jews who have been rejected.
1 Peter 3:8-12 In these verses Peter addresses five characteristics that a believer should display:
– Everyone should agree;
– feeling for each other;
– be loving towards each other;
– pity your fellow believer;
– as we have seen previously the opposite of pride is humility – therefore be humble.
1 John 2:15-17 In this passage John tells us why we should not love the world and what it offers us! When we love the world, we do not have the love of the Father in us. The world offers a craving for physical pleasure; a longing for everything we see; pride in our achievements and possessions. Those who do what pleases God will have eternal life.
Application:
The late New Testament scholar John Stott said, “Pride is more than the first of the seven deadly sins; it is itself the essence of all sin.”
It is a known fact that we all struggle with pride.
How can we prevent being proud? We can go to the Bible and see what is written: Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proud people do not acknowledge their weaknesses, and strangely enough, they usually do not realize that pride is their problem.
How can we recognize pride in our own life?
Being spiritually proud – Jesus constantly corrected the Pharisees for practising religion just to be seen by others. In Luke 18:9-14 Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. This passage is a good example with which we can compare ourselves regularly. Are we “Pharisees” or “Tax Collectors?”
Matthew 6 vv1and 5 In the Beatitudes Jesus warns us to be careful not to do our “acts of righteousness’ before men.
Give God all the glory for things he has done, is doing and will still be doing in your life.
Having an attitude of “I don’t care” is a form of pride. There is not a person alive that can say they are not hurt when criticized unnecessarily.
Do not be presumptuous before God – we need to be careful how we approach God, because He is Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty. It is written in Psalm 2:11 Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.
As a believer, there are times when we do not have the confidence to come before God because we feel our sins are too great. We think this is “humility” but in reality, this can also be a kind of pride. We forget that we have been saved by grace and not by ourselves.
There are many different kinds of pride: seek the Lord to help you recognize when you display “pride.”
Conclusion:
Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
Responding in prayer:
Read Psalm 25:1-22 Praying for humility will keep us from pride.
As believers, we need to continually be lifting our souls to God. We know that when our hope is in the Lord, we will not be put to shame. We can ask the Lord to show us His ways, teach us His paths, and guide us in His truth because our hope is in Him all day long.
Pride is so subtle that when we say “That was a job well done!” we should become alarmed.
We should confess our pride to the Lord. When we keep our eyes fixed on the Lord. He will release us from the snare of pride.
Journal – Scripture/Prayers/Thoughts: