Proverbs 16: Pride Ain’t Pretty
All About Me
Pride ain’t pretty. The book of Judges in the Old Testament expounds on how “everyone did what was right in his own eyes,” and all its repercussions. Proverb 16:2 sums it up: “All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirits.
Our National Anthem: I Did It My Way, by Frank Sinatra
Culture
Proverbs 16:5 tells us the underlying cause is PRIDE which is an abomination to the LORD. Pride ain’t pretty! I know I for one have been raised in a culture of pride. The culture says, “do it my way.” (One of my favorite tunes!) But cultural norms don’t make something right. The other cultural mantra is, “You can do anything you set your mind to!” There is no inclusion of the Lord and His will ANYWHERE in that statement. Sadly, I have said that to my children! They also tend to want to do it “my way.” Lord have mercy!
Pride’s Consequences
The problem is verse 18 tells us plainly and without apology, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” And verse 25 sums it up very succinctly: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Pride causes the destruction of our soul: Its relationships, opportunities, and life. Again, pride ain’t pretty!
God Is In Control by Twila Paris
Whose Really in Charge
It took some time and effort but this Proverb actually tells us in Proverbs 16:1, 9, and in Proverbs 19:21, 20:24, 21:1-2, 21:31 that man can plan all he wants to, but the end result is the Lord’s right down to the words we speak and the roll of the dice (Proverbs 16:1, 10, 13, 21, 23-24, 27, 30) The beauty of this is found in verse 7, “When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” BAM! Could you use a bit of this in your life? I sure could.
We think kings and queens, presidents and czars, dictators, CEO’s, teachers, and even ourselves are in control. They do indeed bring either joy or sorrow to a nation, boardroom, or classroom in the way they handle problems and conduct themselves. But, the cold hard fact is GOD CONTROLS ALL! ALL! The evil, the casting of lots, everything is all for the glory of the LORD! (Proverbs 16:3-4, 6-7, 10-11, 13-15, 19-21)
Yes, we can plan, prepare, gamble, and speak, but, what happens in the end is controlled by our sovereign God! The LORD directs our steps, our words, our deeds. We are wise when we seek His counsel, we will not look near as foolish, and, we can stop pulling our foot out of our mouth. Then our relationships we have will be a lot more peaceable. I for one NEED this wisdom! How about you?
Give Pride the Boot
One of my favorite books since childhood has been, Apples of Gold, Leaves of Silver. It’s title came from this Proverb, verse 16. “How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.” This is the flip side of pride. Verses 19-24 are practical ways we defeat pride! In a word it is humility. Pride ain’t pretty! But, humility is beautiful in the eyes of the LORD! Jesus was above all things humble. (Philippians 2:5-8, John 13:3-5)
Don’t skip this. It is Proverbs 16 in a song! (Tissue alert)
Yvonne H. Jones
Additional Words of Encouragement
