Many theologians believe that pride is the "sin of all maybe it's because we're in the last days. We expect to
Proverbs which all the other sins come." If we're going to get rid of the poisonous fruit, we have to attack the dangerous root; that's a painful thing to do. For the believer, the answer is found in obeying the Christ described in John 13:1–17 and Philippians 2:1–18.
In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as you ever can.
The five "popular sins" I've discussed—drunkenness, disrespect, illusion, greed, and pride—have been with mankind since the days of the flood, but for some reason, they seem to be even more prevalent today. Perhaps it's because the news coverage is better. Or maybe it's because we're in the last days. We expect to find these sins prevalent among lost people, but we don't expect to find them in the church. If the church ever hopes to witness to the lost world, it must be different from the lost world.
If ever there was a prescription for curing greed, that's it!
5. Pride Many theologians believe that pride is the "sin of all sins," for it was pride that changed an angel into the devil (Isa. 14:12–15). Lucifer's, "I will be like the Most High" (v. 14) challenged the very throne of God; in the Garden of Eden, it became, "You will be like God" (Gen. 3:5). Eve believed it, and you know the rest of the story. "Glory to man in the highest" is the rallying cry of proud, godless humanity that's still defying God and trying to build heaven on earth (11:1–9; Rev. 18).
Paul learned that believers at Corinth were getting drunk at their church meetings (1 Cor. 11:21), and he warned them that drunkards would not inherit the kingdom of God (6:10; see 5:11).
Some children in the Ephesian church were not respecting and obeying their parents, and Paul reminded them that the fifth commandment still applied (Eph. 6:1–3).
"The proud and arrogant man—'Mocker' is his name; he behaves with overweening pride" (Prov. 21:24 niv). "Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor" (18:12 niv; see 29:23). God hates "a proud look" (6:16–17) and promises to destroy the house of the proud (15:25). Just about every Christian can quote Proverbs 16:18, but not all of us heed it: "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (nkjv).
The apostle John warned the saints to whom he sent his first epistle that the world was passing away, with all of its illusions, and that they had better keep themselves from idols (1 John 2:15–17; 5:21).
Jesus warned His disciples, "Take heed, and beware of covetousness" (Luke 12:15); Paul wrote to the Colossian believers that covetousness was idolatry (Col. 3:5). Paul cautioned the churches not to appoint young Christians to places of spiritual leadership, "lest being lifted up with pride [they] fall into the condemnation of the devil" (1 Tim. 3:6). And John had to deal with proud Diotrephes, who was running the church and wouldn't submit to the authority of God's apostle (3 John 9–11).
The saintly Scottish preacher James Denney said, "No man can bear witness to Christ and to himself at the same time. No man can give the impression that he himself is clever and that Christ is mighty to save." That quotation should be printed in large letters and displayed in every church sanctuary and conference auditorium where God's people gather. It might humble some of the preachers and musicians who call so much attention to themselves that the hungry sheep can't see Jesus. If the greatest sin is the corruption of the highest good, then people who use the Christian religion to promote themselves are guilty of great transgression.
Alas, these sins are found in the church! James was right: "My brethren [and sisters], these things ought not to be so" (James 3:10).
Solomon illustrated our desire for recognition and praise by writing about honey. "It is not good to eat much honey; so to seek one's own glory is not glory" (25:27 nkjv). Balance this with 25:16: "Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need, lest you be filled with it and vomit" (25:16). If honey represents praise, then beware of trying to digest too much of it! More than one celebrity has admitted being "sick of it all" and wishing he or she could just enjoy life as a normal average citizen. I think it was the late radio comedian Fred Allen who defined celebrities as "people who work hard to be famous so they have to wear dark glasses so as not to be recognized."
Notes 1 Arnold M. Washton and Donna Boundy, Willpower's Not Enough (New York: Harper & Row, 1989), 7–18. 2 See Habakkuk 2:15; Isaiah 5:11–22; 28:1–3; Amos 6:3–6; Deuteronomy 21:20. 3 I haven't been able to learn when the Jews added wine to their Passover meal, although some authorities claim the custom goes back to the days of the first temple. Wine isn't mentioned in Exodus 12:11–27, but by the time you get to the New Testament, wine is a part of the meal (Matt. 26:26–30). Would they use unleavened bread and leavened (fermented) wine? Since four different cups of wine were used in the ceremony, the wine was diluted. 4 The Lincoln (Neb.) Star, July 15, 1994. 5 It's worth noting that immorality is closely associated with drunkenness (Prov. 23:27–28), for the two often go together. 6 The Hebrew word translated "redness" in the KJV and
"The pride of life" is one of the commodities that the world system offers (1 John 2:15–17), and most people will pay anything to acquire it. Bible commentator William Barclay said, "Pride is the ground in which all the other sins grow, and the parent from
Proverbs ing hours to studying the family album but not spending time with his family, getting to know them personally. If we have no growing acquaintance with God, then what we think we know about Him may be misleading; this hinders us from building a godly life. To quote Tozer again, "The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him."2 If that's true, and I believe it is, then it's possible to be a Bible student and also an idolater!
"bloodshot" in the NIV, means "dullness, dimness." The drunkard's vision is blurred so that he doesn't see clearly what is there and claims he sees what isn't there. Too much alcohol can produce bloodshot eyes as well as a ruddy face. Some expositors think that the word suggests "blacked eyes," i.e., as the result of a fight; yet true as it is, that probably isn't what the writer had in mind. 7 Lemuel means "devoted to God" and may have been another name for King Solomon. God's special name for Solomon was Jedidiah, which means "beloved of Jehovah." We don't know for sure who King Lemuel and his mother were, and it's useless to speculate. 8 In Paul's day, wine was used for medicinal purposes (1 Tim. 5:23), but this doesn't give us license to make an ancient practice into a modern norm. Many people seize this one verse but reject everything else Paul wrote in this epistle. If we're going to obey one admonition, why not obey all of them? 9 A report issued by the Commission on Substance Abuse at Colleges and Universities, sponsored by Columbia University, states that drinking is a serious problem on American campuses. Ninety-five percent of violent crime on campus is alcoholrelated. Sixty percent of the female students who had sexually transmitted diseases were "under the influence of alcohol at the time of intercourse," and alcohol was involved in 90 percent of all campus rapes. At the time of the survey, 42 percent of the students (men and women) admitted "binge drinking" within the previous two weeks. One-third of the students drink primarily to get drunk. Students who live in fraternity and sorority houses drink more than other students. One ponders the future of the nation if the next generation of leaders is already suffering from "bottle fatigue." 10 Twenty-one percent of the people ages eighteen to thirty-four would keep the money, but only two percent of the people sixty-five and older would do so. Where is our younger generation getting its ethical standards?
The book of Proverbs reveals to us the wonderful God whom we should trust, obey, love, and get to know in a deeper way. As we grow in our intimacy with God, we will develop the wisdom and skills we need to be successful in making a life.
1. A Holy God According to Proverbs 9:10 and 30:3, God is "the Holy One"; the word translated "holy" means "utterly different, wholly other." God's very nature is holy: "You shall be holy, for I am holy" (Lev. 11:44–45; 19:2; 20:7, 26; 21:8, 15; 22:9, 16, 32; 1 Peter 1:16).3 "God is light and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5).
But we must not think of God's holiness simply as the absence of defilement, like a sterilized surgical instrument. Nor is God's holiness an inert, negative attribute. It's something positive and active, His perfect nature accomplishing His perfect will. It's like the "sea of glass mingled with fire" that John saw before the throne of God in heaven (Rev. 15:2). "For our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29; see Deut. 4:24).
Because He is holy, God hates sin (Prov. 6:17–19). Evangelists remind us that "God hates sin but He loves sinners," and certainly nobody will question God's love for a lost world (John 3:16; Rom. 5:8). But people can willfully sin so much that they become abominable to God. The perverse man is an abomination to God (Prov. 3:32; 11:20), and so are the proud (16:5), liars (12:22), cheats (11:1; 20:10, 23), hypocrites (15:8; 21:27; 28:9), and the unjust (17:15). Sin becomes so identified with the sinner that the very person becomes reprehensible to the Lord. This doesn't negate His love, but we must keep in mind that God's love is a holy love as well as a sacrificing love. It's a dangerous thing to play with sin and defy the living God. "He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy" (29:1 nkjv).
CHAPTER THIRTEEN "THIS GOD IS OUR GOD" W e study the Word of God so that we might better know the God of the Word. The better acquainted we are with God, the more we become like Him and acquire the skills we need for life and service. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" (Prov. 9:10 nkjv). You can make a living without knowing many things, but you can't make a life without knowing God.
Proverbs 21:12 calls God "the Righteous One" (niv) or "the righteous God" (nkjv) and states that He judges the wicked for their wickedness. A holy God must be righteous in all His ways and just in all His dealings (24:11–12). "The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the just" (3:33 nkjv). Sometimes God sends immediate judgment on the wicked (2:22), but sometimes He merely takes away His restraining hand and allows the sinners' sins to judge them. "The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast" (5:22 niv; see Rom. 1:18ff.).
"It is impossible to keep our moral practices sound and our inward attitudes right while our idea of God is erroneous or inadequate," wrote A. W. Tozer. "If we would bring back spiritual power to our lives, we must begin to think of God more nearly as He is."1
If we read the book of Proverbs, or any book in the Bible, seeking only for doctrinal truth but ignoring God Himself, we'll miss what the Holy Spirit wants to say to us and do for us. It would be like a child devot-