Perilous Nature of Pride

Proverbs 16:17-19

"Introduction: Dear brothers and sisters, today we gather to reflect on the sobering wisdom found in Proverbs 16:17-19, which speaks to us about the perilous nature of pride. The word Perilous is used in the new testament 8 times and defines dangerous or fraught with risk. in 2 Timothy 3:1, Paul is essentially cautioning Timothy and other believers to be prepared for difficult circumstances, moral decay, and spiritual challenges as the end times approach. putting that with the word pride,, be careful to not allow our pride to go down the wrong direction. We need to be careful In a world that often celebrates self-promotion and arrogance, let us heed the timeless truths of Scripture and examine our hearts in light of God's Word. Many biblical words describe the concept of pride. Some synonyms for pride include arrogance, presumption, conceit, self-satisfaction, boasting, and high-mindedness. It is the opposite of humility, which is the proper attitude one should have in a relationship with God.

Our culture often rewards pride. What begins as a healthy focus on self-worth and self-esteem often ends in prideful self-promotion. In the end, however, pride leads to destruction. In fact, one could argue that “the root sin of humans is pride,” which then leads to everything else. King Solomon is credited for writing the Book of Proverbs. The son of King David and mother Bathsheba. He is primarily known for his wisdom and wealth.

Remember Proverbs are concise and memorable statements that express a general truth, wisdom, or advice based on common sense or experience. Writing these statements is a father who is pleading with his son about things that he wishes he could have lived himself. Proverbs are typically passed down orally from generation to generation and are found in many cultures and religious traditions, including the Bible. Let's see if you can get some of these proverbs or remember them growing up. I start it and see if you can finish the proverb.

1. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

2. ""Actions speak louder than words."

3. "All's fair in love and war."

4. "Better late than never."

5. "Don't count your chickens before they hatch."

6. "Every cloud has a silver lining."

7. "Haste makes waste."

8. "Look before you leap."

9. "Out of sight, out of mind."

10. "Too many cooks spoil the broth.

Proverbs encapsulate wisdom about various aspects of life, such as the importance of being proactive, the value of patience, and the consequences of rash decisions. Let’s see how this proverb supports our topic of The Perilous Nature of Pride”

Read proverbs 16:17

(Proverbs 16:17):

The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who keeps his way preserves his soul.

Seeking God's Grace

This verse affirms, "The highway of the upright avoids evil; “turns from” or some translations say “depart”. The meaning for the word Highway relates to “our course of conduct” God allows us to be involved in the direction of our life. At the end of the day we have to depart or turn from. We serve a God who is diplomatic and dictator. The question we may need to ask ourselves what is your course of your conduct and how does it fit in the overall plan of God almighty? notice the next phrase “Those who guard their ways preserve their lives”. Other translations say “Keeps from falling” Walking in God's ways. What do you practice to ensure you stay on the right track. God’s course requires humility and obedience, as we acknowledge our need for His guidance and grace. Donald Barnhouse said this about God’s grace”

God’s greatest glory is his grace.

Donald Barnhouse

When we humble ourselves before the Lord, He promises to exalt us in due time and lead us on the path of righteousness. Let us commit to living lives marked by humility, seeking God's wisdom and direction in all that we do. Before GPS, we had to stop and ask for direction, Before there was Yelp you had call 411 to get information. Before there was text messages we had to call and get the correct information. Let’s seek God’s Grace

Now comes the kryptonite,

(Proverbs 16:18):

Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.

The Downfall of Pride

The definition of pride is Undue confidence in and attention to one’s own skills, accomplishments, state, possessions, or position. The verse warns, "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. A haughty spirit- The Hebrew word used here, govah, literally refers to height (Job 11:8) and figuratively refers to pride (Psa 10:4; Jer 48:29). Meaning that sometimes our pride makes us believe we are higher than God. Another saying we say that “Our attitude determines our Altitude”

While the proud may find some success (Prov 16:19), they will eventually be brought low—often through their own stupidity and refusal to listen to instruction.

"Pride blinds us to our own weaknesses and leads us down a path of self-destruction. When we exalt ourselves above others and become self-reliant, we distance ourselves from God and His grace. Let us humble ourselves before the Lord, recognizing that true strength and wisdom come from dependence on Him, not our own abilities.

Thomas Manton said this about pride

Other sins are against God’s law, but pride is against God’s sovereignty.

Thomas Manton

God’s sovereignty refers to his supreme authority and control over all creation.

1 John 2:16, For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life— is not from the Father but from the world.

We all know who the world is. We call him lucifer, satan Tempter, Deceiver, Prince of Darkness, father of lies and a fallen angel. The devil's rebellion against God is traditionally attributed to pride and a desire for power. Before his fall, the devil was originally an angel named Lucifer who held a high position in heaven. However, he became envious of God's authority and sought to exalt himself above God. This prideful ambition led to his rebellion against God, resulting in his expulsion from heaven along with other angels who joined him in his revolt. Therefore, the devil's anger towards God is rooted in his refusal to submit to God's authority and his desire to establish his own dominion.

I wonder if Adam could have told his child cain not to walk down the same path,

Pharoah had ten chances to realize who the real king was.

King Herod had all the babies killed under the age of 2, because he thought he was going to lose his kingdom to Jesus

Let’s not forget about the proud Pharisees who wouldn’t let go of their position and additional laws and accept Jesus.

Pride means I will never change or Pride means I choose not to change

Verse 19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly,

Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

The Virtue of Humility (Proverbs 16:19):

"Humility is esteemed in the eyes of God, while pride leads to isolation and discord.

Pride is the number one cause to church splits and closings

if you stop and think about church splits 9 out of 10 have nothing to do with doctrinal issues.

Jesus himself exemplified humility, washing the feet of his disciples and sacrificing his life for the sake of others. If you knew someone was going to betray you, would you still wash their feet? Jesus washed Judas’ feet just like the rest of them. That’s true humility.

As followers of Christ, let us imitate his example of servanthood and humility, considering others as more important than ourselves. Humility is a virtue characterized by a modest and unpretentious attitude towards oneself and others. It involves recognizing one's own limitations, weaknesses, and imperfections without seeking to elevate oneself above others.

Don’t be so quick to find comfort in others misery nor excuses to your downfalls.

The virtue of humility fosters an attitude of openness, teachability, and willingness to learn from others. It enables individuals to acknowledge their dependence on God and to approach life with a sense of gratitude, servanthood, and compassion. Humility allows for genuine relationships, cooperation, and empathy, as it prioritizes the well-being of others over personal ambition or pride. Ultimately, humility is seen as a foundational virtue in many philosophical and religious traditions, contributing to personal growth, inner peace, and harmonious community life. Share the story about two track hurdlers. A senior and sophomore and how the sophomore won all races for the entire year. This sophomore strained a muscle and was not 100% going in the finals. He came in second and was the first to congratulate the senior and never said a word about injury. He chose humility in order to exalt someone else.

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones said this about humility

Humility is one of the chiefs of all the Christian virtues; it is the hallmark of a child of God.

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones

James 4:10 says Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

Conclusion: so now its story time as we close: See if you can see our 3 points and the proverbs in this story.

Have you read the book of Esther? It has a very compelling story on pride. so the first Jews return from exile in 538 B.C. in 515 the temple is completed and 486 King Xerxes I (Ashasuerus) becomes King of Persia. That’s when we pickup the story in verse 1. The king in his 3rd year through a banquet for 180 days. That’s some party.

Chapter 1 Queen Vashti rejects the request from the king to come with a crown on her head for him to show her off and she refuses.

in Chapter 2 The kings anger was kindle to the point that his advisor talk him into searching the country side to find a beautiful virgin to replace Vashti. So they have a beauty pageant and Esther becomes queen.

Her cousin Mordecai, who adopted her and raised her told her not to share her nationality. Later in that chapter Mordecai shows his loyalty when he over heard two of the guards that guard the kings private quarters plotting to assassinate the king. Mordecai shares this information with Esther and she shares with the king giving Mordecai the credit. Once everything was found true the king had the men impaled on a sharpen pole.

Chapter 3, is where we pickup the story of our main character in this story, the king promotes Haman an Agagite over all nobles making him the most powerful official in the empire. All the people in the region would bow down to him except Mordecai. Haman is in rage behind this. Once he learned his nationality, he plotted to kill all the jews.

Now this sounds a little over kill, but if we look at verse 1 the word Agagite is a derogatory title that the Hebrew text uses to affiliate Haman with the lineage of Agag which is the Amalekites King who was killed in I Samuel 15. Amalekites were enemies of the Israelites. King Saul was commanded by God to completely destroy the Amalekites and all their possessions as punishment for their hostility towards the Israelites. In the Book of Exodus, the Amalekites attacked the Israelites shortly after their departure from Egypt. They ambushed the Israelites from behind, targeting the vulnerable members of the community, such as the elderly, sick, and stragglers. Throughout there history the Amalekites consistently picked on the Israelites being ruthless, showing no mercy or compassion that contributed to longstanding enmity.

Samuel killed the king because, Saul spared the Amalekite king, of Agag, and some of the best livestock, disobeying God's command. As a result, the prophet Samuel executed Agag himself, carrying out God's judgment for Saul's disobedience. I Samuel 15:2-3

1 Samuel 15:2–3 (NKJV)

2 Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”

Haman’s anger and rage enhances the racial tension of the story—this is a battle between Yahweh’s people and their longtime enemy. Haman’s desire to destroy the whole nation may be due to his family’s feud with Mordecai tribe the Benjamites.

This story illustrates how a legacy of hatred can affect a person’s judgement. Haman took drastic measures to settle a conflict that had begun over 500 hundred years before. Do we have unsettled disagreements with others? If so, we need to forgive them and keep our children from inheriting our conflicts.

Chapter 4, Once Mordecai gets wind of this story he tears his clothes puts on burlap and ashes and begins to mourn and weep. Esther heard about her uncle state and sent the kings eunuch Hathach to find out what was wrong. Hathach returns with a message with Mordecai of the plot by Haman that was put into law by the king. He asked Esther to go to the king and beg mercy for her people. Esther sends back a message saying you know that anyone who goes before the presence of the king without an invitation they will be put to death. chapter 4 verse 13-14  Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. 14 If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”

If you think that God gave you a talent to show up only on Sunday’s then you haven’t read this story or the story of the talents that were taken away.

In the bible their are two book that does not have the name of God in it. Song of Solomon and Esther. But this verses shows how God is working even when we don’t actually see His Name.

Esther ask Mordecai and all the jews to fast and pray for 3 days. She needed the power of God and His people to risk her life.

Chapter 5, On that 3rd day Esther was looking pretty fly, she left nothing behind and made sure that king could notice all her beauty so that he would extend her the opportunity to speak with him and it work. Now we know who made this possible was no one but God.

Esther request a Banquet with him and Haman and since the king loves parties, he agreed. Once Haman found out he was invited he gathered his friends and wife and boasted about how the Queen even recognizes greatness when she sees it. He bragged about his wealth, wives and many kids. and how that the queen only invited the king and him. I can say he thought he was the “GOAT” This type of pride is arrogance. So in this meeting after he gets done boasting he ask for directions on how to destroy Mordecai and all the jews. The suggest So Haman’s wife, Zeresh, and all his friends suggested, “Set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feet[a] tall, and in the morning ask the king to impale Mordecai on it. When this is done, you can go on your merry way to the banquet with the king.” This pleased Haman, and he ordered the pole setup.

Chapter 6 That night the king had trouble sleeping, so he ordered an attendant to bring the book of the history of his reign so it could be read to him. 2 In those records he discovered an account of how Mordecai had exposed the plot of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the eunuchs who guarded the door to the king’s private quarters. They had plotted to assassinate King Xerxes.

that next day the king ask for Haman and in verse 6 the king asked Haman what should I do to honor a man who truly pleases me?

Chapter 7, The king and Haman arrive at Esther’s Banquet and the king ask her again what is it that you want

As we conclude, let us remember the words of Proverbs 16:17-19 and heed the warning against pride. May we humble ourselves before the Lord, recognizing our dependence on His grace and seeking to live lives characterized by humility and obedience. Let us strive to walk in the footsteps of our humble Savior, Jesus Christ, who calls us to love one another and serve with humility.

Our title today was Perilous Nature of Pride, “Pride left unchecked can blind us to our weaknesses, leading us down a perilous path of self-destruction”