Proverbs 16:18 (NKJV): Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Pride is a killer. It destroys. It brings about a downfall. Indeed, it is so important for us to guard our souls against pride. The Bible also says, 'When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom' (Proverbs 11:2). The root word for this word 'pride' in Hebrew is 'zuwd', which carries the meaning 'to be presumptuous'. In other words, 'seeing oneself greater than who he/she really is'.
In Ezekiel 28:11-15, the Bible says, 'Thus says the Lord God: "You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God... You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God... You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you."'
Who is the Lord referring to here? None other than Lucifer (who would later be called satan). You see, he was the seal of perfection, filled with wisdom, perfect in beauty, anointed, and established by the Lord. He was a 'cherub', an angel who directly attended to God, a 'picture' of beauty and innocence, and was placed in the garden of God in order to protect it.
Now, what could go wrong, looking at all the good the Lord had endowed him? The Bible says all these came to a halt, at the point of 'till iniquity was found in you'.
What then, was this 'iniquity'? In Ezekiel 28:17-18, the Lord gave the answer, "Your heart was lifted up (became proud), because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground... You defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities... Therefore I brought fire... It devoured you, and I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you."
As you can see here, Lucifer's iniquities began when his heart became proud. He became so impressed with his own beauty, intelligence, power, and position that he began to desire the glory (and honor) that belonged to the Lord alone. As a matter of fact, the sin that corrupted Lucifer was self-generated pride. This actually represents the beginning of sin in the whole universe! Instead of protecting the garden of God, he defiled it; and instead of leading others to worship the Lord, he wanted to be worshiped! (see Isaiah 14:12-15)
As for Lucifer, because of his pride, he was eternally condemned. But thank God you and I are the children of God, and not mere servants (like Lucifer). We have redemption. We have hope. Because we have our Lord Jesus Christ who died for all our sins.
This topic of 'pride' is definitely not the most popular topic to write. But I am writing here because the Lord is about to bring many of His people into a new season - 'a season of honor'.
The Lord spoke these words recently:
"For many of My people who have gone through a time of dishonor and shame, I am bringing them into a season of honor. But before honor is humility."
People of God, this is a very important time to let the Lord teach us and work in us, especially in the area of humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God. Let us not follow after Lucifer, but instead give the Lord full right and full say in our lives. For the Lord resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5).
