According to the GNT version of the Bible, Proverbs 6:16-19 states:
"There are seven things that the Lord hates and cannot tolerate: A proud look,a lying tongue,hands that kill innocent people,a mind that thinks up wicked plans,feet that hurry off to do evil,a witness who tells one lie after another,and someone who stirs up trouble among friends."
Over the next 7 days, I thought we would take a closer look at these things that the Lord hates.
Proverbs 6
Proverbs 6, according to my study Bible, is a chapter that discusses 'warning against sowing discord.'
According to the dictionary, 'sowing' means: to plant seed for, to scatter seeds over the land, to implant.
'Discord' means: lack of harmony between persons or things; disagreement.
So the Bible warns us about planting seeds of disagreement/lack of harmony between persons. It is dangerous... and we should be cautious of every word that proceeds out of our mouths.
Abomination.
Abomination is described as "greatly disliked; abhorred; intense aversion or loathing; detest."
There are seven things that are greatly disliked; abhorred; loathed; and detested by God Almighty.
A proud look.
A lying tongue.
Hands that shed innocent blood.
Heart that deviseth wicked imaginations.
Feet that are swift to run to mischief.
False witness that speaketh lies.
He that sows discord between the brothers.
A Proud Look.
Today we will be discussing a 'proud look.'
Other versions of the Bible state:
Proverbs 6:17- eyes that show pride, tongues that tell lies, hands that kill innocent people, (ERV)
Proverbs 6:17- Eyes that look down on others, a tongue that can’t be trusted, hands that shed innocent blood, (Voice)
God detests eyes that look down on others-- eyes that show pride.
Pride.
According to Proverbs 11:2- "When pride comes, shame is not far behind, but wisdom accompanies those who are humble." (Voice)
Proverbs 13:10- "Pride only leads to arguments, but those who take advice are wise." (GNT)
Proverbs 29:23- "Pride will ·ruin people [cause people to fall], but ·those who are humble will be honored [a lowly spirit holds honor/glory tight]." (EXB)
Pride is a dangerous thing to fall into. The KJV mentions 'pride' 46 times and 'boast' 37 times. It was a common subject in the books of Psalms and Proverbs-- and in just about every verse, God Almighty was warning us about the spirit of arrogance.
Pride is described as, "the quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one's importance; arrogance; vanity; conceit; self-admiration; haughtiness."
It is the constant thinking that we are better than others--- in certain areas, in life, etc.
Paul.
I think the Apostle Paul was one of the most humble men in the Bible. He knew that He was undeserving of the goodness of God. He didn't let being an Apostle or hearing from the Lord give him a big head. He kept himself grounded. He was lowly.
Many know the story of Paul. In Acts chapter 9, a man named Saul is mentioned. He was slaughtering disciples of God-- doing it all because he thought it was the right thing to do. He was sent to Damascus and on that road, a light shined so bright that Saul fell to his knees. A voice came from the light and asked Saul why he was persecuting Jesus. Saul immediately said, 'What would you have me to do Lord?" and Jesus told him to get up, go to the city, and there he would find out what he was supposed to do. Saul was then blinded and people had to lead him to Damascus. For three days, Saul had no sight and he did not eat or drink. A disciple named Ananias heard the Lord telling him to go to Saul and pray over him. Jesus told Ananias that Saul was a chosen vessel and despite his past, he was called to bear the name of Jesus. After Ananias prayed over him, Saul received the Holy Ghost and IMMEDIATELY his eyes were opened and he was baptized. After that, Saul left changed. He was converted to the name Paul-- casting off all these he was for all that he would be in Jesus Christ.
Paul knew who he was before-- and although he never let the shame of that overwhelm him, he knew that he was only able to preach the word of God and be a changed man by the GRACE OF GOD.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:9- "All the other apostles are greater than I am. I say this because I persecuted the church of God. That is why I am not even good enough to be called an apostle." (ERV)
And he finished this in 1 Corinthians 15:10 by saying, "I am different now. It is all because of what God did for me by His loving-favor. His loving-favor was not wasted. I worked harder than all the other missionaries. But it was not I who worked. It was God’s loving-favor working through me." (NLV)
Paul understood that he didn't have the perfect past. I am sure others looked at him and thought, 'He was just persecuting the Christians and now he is preaching to them??????" But he knew the power and grace of God and he let that work through him! He was humble-- but he also knew his purpose.
He was humble, but he also knew his purpose.
He kept his pride in check, all while preaching the love of Jesus Christ.
It could have been so easy for Paul to get haughty-- to think 'Look at me. Look at what Jesus did for me. Look at how I'm preaching to all of you..'
But Paul understood without the grace of God- he would still be the same man.
Grace of God.
I read a quote once that stated, "Humility isn't denying your strengths. It is being honest about your weaknesses."
Paul did not once let the fact that he had a past unpleasing to the Lord stop him from preaching the gospel. He understood his strengths-- that he could talk to others easily, that he could preach the word of God. But Paul was also honest about his weaknesses.
In 2 Corinthians 12:7, we read that Paul had a 'thorn in his flesh.' "Because the things God showed me were so wonderful, I might have become too proud of myself. But something happened and stopped that. It was like a thorn in me. It came from Satan [the devil] to trouble me. It came to stop me from being too proud."
Paul was given some kind of trouble in his body to keep him humble-- God help us to see our shortcomings in this light. Help us to see the 'thorns in our flesh'-- they are being used to keep us humble. Without those, we might get a huge ego and think we are better than others.
Paul was thankful for his thorn-- and he understood the purpose.
Pride is not something we should desire-- and we should consistently do everything we can to keep it in check.
Keeping Our Pride in Check.
We can do this through prayer. Praying for a humble, peaceful spirit.
Proverbs 16:19 states, "It’s better to live humbly among the poor than to live it up among the rich and famous." (The Message)
God, I plead Your blood over our lives. I pray that You consistently help us to be mindful of our pride-- that we keep it from rearing it's ugly head in our lives. Pride destroys relationships. Pride destroys your soul. Pride destroys the good that could be happening in your life. We are called to love others--- not judge them, not downgrade them, not think 'I would do that so much better than they are.' God, I pray a humble spirit to fall on me-- on every single person reading this blog-- let it rest in us. Forgive us for our shortcomings. Forgive us for getting a 'big head' at times. Forgive us for not keeping our pride in check some days. Forgive us for judging others. Forgive us for judging others without knowing what is going on in their lives. Forgive us Jesus for falling short of the person You called us to be. Release humility over our lives, Lord. Release meekness. You said the meek will inherit the earth. Help us die out daily-- help us to kill the works of the flesh that try to work within us. We love You Jesus. By Your grace we are who we are today-- it has nothing to do with us-- but everything to do with YOU. Thank You Jesus!!!
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