For today's Pride Month post, I am going to do something slightly different and use two passages, albeit from the same book of the Bible (specifically, the Book of Daniel). The Bible reveals that the pride of great leaders like kings, queens, presidents, prime ministers and so on can bring them down. In the case of Nebuchadnezzar, one of the great kings of ancient Babylon, the fall that resulted from his pride was spectacular indeed. He lost his sanity for a while, although it was then restored to him. When you witness the lunacy that is now part and parcel of daily life (such as people being censured for stating basic biological facts or using standard phrases like "Ladies and gentlemen"), it seems like the pride of people today is being judged in a somewhat similar fashion. Anyway, the first passage I am going to quote is an observation by Nebuchadnezzar after he got his sanity back, then some follow-up remarks by Daniel when he was addressing Belshazzar, the successor to Nebuchadnezzar.
"Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase." (Daniel 4:37)
"O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour: And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, 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 was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will." (Daniel 5:18-21)
Let's have a look at what Nebuchadnezzar said. Notice that he speaks of "those who walk in pride". When the Bible talks of "walking in" something, it means doing it habitually. If you are literally walking, you are moving along steadily in a particular direction. You may not be moving very fast, but you're progressing steadily all the same. There are a number of Scriptures that command us to walk in God's ways or His statutes. Conversely, the lost are said to "leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness" (Proverbs 2:13). Somebody walking in pride is just constantly proud, and pride governs everything they do - their hopes and dreams, how they interact with others, how they view God, how they see their sin (or more often, don't see it) and so on. They think very highly of themselves, and often have a low opinion of those around them (including those they flatter). Nebuchadnezzar was certainly someone who used to walk in pride. So much so that he had a large statue built (of himself I think) and made it a law of the land that everyone should worship it! But God humbled him by causing him to lose his sanity for a period of time, and when he recovered again, he was a changed man. The same God who could humble a king as powerful and arrogant and Nebuchadnezzar can humble anyone who "gets too big for their boots". Indeed, there were other proud people in the Bible who were humbled by God in a variety of ways, and some of them (like Haman, Jezebel and one of the Herods) died humiliating deaths.When you are ruled by your pride rather than by God's Spirit, you are heading for a very great fall.
The second passage makes it clear that pride, like other sins, stems from the heart. Nebuchadnezzar's heart was "lifted up". James says, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." (James 4:10) But people who walk in pride lift themselves up in their hearts. See also how pride is a sin of the mind. Proud people tend to have their minds full of high and lofty thoughts. Indeed, let's have a look at the state of Nebuchadnezzar's mind when it was hardened in pride: "The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built
for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the
honour of my majesty?" (Daniel 4:30) See how Nebuchadnezzar's focus was entirely on himself. This is how it is with proud people. As Christians, however, we learn not to entertain such lofty thoughts: "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself
against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought
to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5) But those who walk in pride do not want to cast down lofty imaginations that exalt themselves against God. On the contrary, they entertain them and act upon them. But take note, the God who can humble kings, presidents or other great leaders who become excessively proud can also humble you. However, because He is gracious, he gives you some time to repent. But you don't know how long it might be before He decides to humble you, or when your appointed time to die comes. Right now, in your pride, you may think you are invincible, but it is often those who feel the most untouchable who are ripe for the hardest falls. So before God humbles you (and one way or another, it will happen someday), humble yourself before Him in repentance and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. You may still say, "Never!", but the day will come when the knees of even the most unrepentant proud people will bow to Christ and confess Him as Lord. So make wise use of the time God has given you now to get right with him, because you never know what tomorrow will bring.
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