Pride and humility

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2
Here is a principle that we see played out over and over again in the Bible, and it is still true today. When I first read this verse I immediately thought of Haman in the book of Esther: when he was invited to the banquet that Esther was preparing, because of his pride he thought it was because he was being lined up for a promotion. When the king called him in one night asking, ‘What should be done for the man whom the king delights to honour?’ he thought, ‘Who is there that the king would rather honour than me?’ (See Est. 6). Imagine Haman’s shame when, after making his suggestion that the man should be honoured by wearing a royal robe and being paraded around the streets on one of the king’s horses, the king turned to him and said, ‘That’s a great idea – now go and do it for Mordecai the Jew’ (whom Haman detested)!
The ultimate example of pride causing disgrace, however, is Satan. “How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne abouve the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit” (Isa. 14:12-15).
The supreme example of humility is Jesus. “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:6-11).
It’s no secret that God hates pride, and He wants to see it eradicated from our life. Satan will try to stroke our ego, because he knows it’s a surefire way to get us to sin. But if our desire is to be like Jesus, we will seek to live in humility.